Module 8

1. a) 1. – D; 2. – B; 3. – 0; 4. – A; 5. – E; 6. - C

b) 1. F; 2. NS; 3. T; 4. F; 5. T; 6. F; 7. T; 8. NS; 9. T;

2. 1. b; 2. d; 3. a; 4. b; 5. b; 6. c; 7. b; 8. a;

3. 1. F; 2. F; 3. NS; 4. T; 5. T/NS; 6. T; 7. NS; 8. T;

4. 1. – D; 2. – B; 3.– 0; 4. – A; 5. – E; 6. – C.

5.

A World of Dolls

Yukiko Hattori from Japan has always loved dolls. She tells how she came to love them and shares a special experience of friendship.

My mother was able to make dolls out of anything. She used to make them for my two elder sisters and me. They were cornhusk (обёртка початка кукурузы) dolls, rag (тряпичные) dolls, eggshell dolls and even tiny matchstick dolls.

I enjoyed playing with them, but still, secretly, I dreamed of a store-bought doll like the one our rich cousin had. Her doll had beautiful blonde curls, and it could open and close its blue glass eyes and even say " Mamma." I never stopped admiring it, but I knew such dolls were too expensive for my parents to buy for all three of us.

One day my father came back from his business trip with three store-bought dolls! They were much smaller than our cousin's doll and their eyes were just painted ones, but I did not care about such differences. We each chose one and I named mine Misako.

Soon my sisters and I became devoted mothers. Our " children" kept us busy all day. We gave them a bath, dressed them, took them out for a walk. Several months later, they became more like real children—their faces and bodies became dirtier. I felt that Misako was closer to me than before because of these familiar changes.

“I have been taking care of my doll for half a year”, I wrote in a letter to my best friend, “and I feel really happy. I would be glad if I could have more little friends like my Misako”. (to be continued)

6.

A World of Dolls (continued)

But, by then, my sisters' interests moved to different toys. Their dolls were in a miserable condition. One had lost one of her arms, and the other was one-legged. Thus, I unexpectedly became the lucky mother of three children instead of just one. I enjoyed this feeling of being the only one in the world who could give them protection with a lot of love. Indeed, they made the rest of my childhood very happy.

Ten years ago I sent a letter to a readers' column of a magazine. I wrote about my dream doll which I always wanted to find and buy someday.

" The doll does not need to be a luxurious one, but she must look as if she listens when I talk to her, like the doll Emily in the book " A Little Princess". Several weeks later a letter and a parcel came from an unknown Japanese lady living in Colorado, U.S. (to be continued)

7. 1. b; 2. b; 3. c; 4.; 5. b; 6. a; 7. b; 8. c; 9. c; 10. b; 11. c; 12. c; 13. a; 14. d

8.

Are You Ready For Some Bubble Football?

We have heard of artists becoming famous after launching themselves on YouTube, but a whole new sport being born off a video? That has to be a first. However that is how 'Bubble Football', a combination of soccer and zorbing (a sport that involves rolling downhill strapped inside a ball), has become popular not just in its birth country of Norway, but also all across Europe.

The best part is that the sport was 'invented' as a joke by the Henrick Elvestad and Johan Gold - hosts of Norwegian comedy sport show 'Golden Goal'. They thought it would be fun to try to play soccer while wearing a giant plastic bubble. So they posted a spoof (пародия) video of it on YouTube in 2011. To their surprise, thousands of people liked it and a new sport was born! It has become so popular that some online stores have started selling and even renting bubble football gear for people that want to play or try the game.

9.

Rock climbing, white-water rafting, and skydiving used to be considered dangerous sports, suitable for only a few brave people — the unusually fit. It’s different today, when it is common for families to take up such activities.

Why do people want to take part in dangerous activities? Some experts say it’s a natural human desire (желание) to test the limits of their courage and physical abilities.

Sports psychologist Frank Farley of Temple University in Philadelphia calls people who do dangerous sports “Type T” people. They are thrill seekers and risk takers. Farley has been studying such people for 35 years. “They’re the mountain climbers, the hang-gliders, the people who sail around the world in a ten-foot sailboat, ” he says.

What are the reasons of the popularity of high-risk sports? Some say it’s due to more wealth, the development of high-tech equipment, and even the absence of traditional risks such as war. Others argue that ease of modern life is part of the reason. In addition, thrill seekers want to display a youthful, rebellious (бунтарский) attitude, whether they’re 16 or 46.

Farley says extreme sports always involve individual expression — even creativity.

10.