Palace of the monarchs

1. There is magic about monarchy and a palace is a special place. Buckingham Palace is neither very old nor very beautiful; nothing very remarkable has happened there; it has none of the grandeur of Versailles; fewer people work there than staff the Press Office in the White House. Yet it is the most famous address in the world.

2. It has been a home for seven generations of British kings and queens and is the symbol of the monarch Heads of State. Leaders of the Commonwealth and diplomats are received here today. In times of crisis or celebration when war, or the death of a monarch seemed inevitable, great silent crowds gazed up at the royal balcony for reassurance that the country was as it had always been. They returned to cheer the fairytale processions in golden coaches for which they still have affection.

3. King George IV made it a palace. His father had spent 21, 000 pounds on an attractive red brick house, built in 1702 for the Duke of Buckingham and set in meadows, where he and his wife Queen Charlotte could live apart from the Court in St. James’s.

4. Their son wanted something grander and more up-to-date. After viewing, and rejecting, many magnificent designs from architects of the day for a new palace, George IV asked Nash to rebuild the house.

5. William IV, hated the place and tried to get the Government take it as a replacement for the Houses of Parliament which had been burned down in 1834. The Palace remained a Royal Home.

Buckingham Palace came into its own as a Royal residence on the accession of Queen Victoria.

6. In 1840 she married Prince Albert and Nash’s prediction that there were not enough rooms came true. The Palace was soon enlarged to accommodate their growing family and to provide rooms for new functions such as State Visits by other monarchs, which were a 19^th- century innovation. In 1847 the architect Edward Blore added the East Front, now recognizable the world over. Balls, concerts and gaiety of all kinds made her early reign delightful.

7. King Edward introduced electric lighting and other improvements.

Throughout the Second War King George IV lived here with Queen Elizabeth and their two Daughters. The Palace was hit nine times by bombs. They lived on wartime rations, shivered with cold and carried gas masks – much like other blitzed Londoners, expect they carried loaded pistols and had exiled European kings and queens to stay.

VII. Укажите номер абзаца, в котором есть ответ на следующие вопросы:

1. Why can Buckingham Palace be called the symbol of the monarch Heads of State?

a) 1; b) 2; c) 3; d) 7

2. Who built this palace?

a) 5; b) 2; c) 3; d) 1

3. Why was the Palace rebuilt in the 18^th Century?

a) 2; b) 6; c) 4; d) 5

4. Did the Palace suffer during the Second World War?

a) 7; b) 1; c) 4; d) 6

5. Why was the Palace enlarged?

a) 2; b) 6; c) 4; d)1

IV вариант

I. A. Видовременной формой глагола-сказуемого в следующих предложениях является:

1. A number of Kingdoms had emerged in Ireland before the Christian era.

a) Past Simple Active Voice (A.V.); b) Present Simple A.V;

c) Past Perfect A.V; d) Present Perfect A.V.

2. During the ninth century, the various parts of Scotland united in defense against the Vikings.

a) Past Simple A.V; b) Present Simple A.V;

c) Past Progressive (Continuous) A.V; d) Past Perfect A.V.

3. Over the centuries the Tower of London has been a fortress, a royal palace, the home of the Royal Mint, an observatory and a state prison.

a) Present Simple A.V; b) Present Perfect A.V;

c) Past Simple A.V; d) Present Progressive (Continuous) A.V.

4. Universities will have less scope to offer places to promising candidates.

a) Future Simple A.V; b) Future Progressive (Continuous) A.V;

c) Future Perfect A.V; d) Present Simple A.V.

5. Britain is pledged to maintain effective defense while seeking to reduce tension in the world.

a) Present Simple Passive Voice (P.V.); b) Past Simple P.V;

c) Present Perfect P.V; d) Present Progressive (Continuous) P.V.

6. During the 18^th century various efforts were made by the British Government to achieve stability.

a) Past Perfect P.V; b) Past Simple P.V;

c) Past Progressive (Continuous) P.V; d) Past Perfect P.V.

7. The present Houses of Parliament were completed in 1865.

a) Present Simple P.V; b) Past Perfect P.V;

c) Past Simple P.V; d) Past Progressive (Continuous) P.V.