Class: 12th grade

Student:

Term paper

I. Read the text below. Are the sentences 1-5 RIGHT, WRONG or DOESN`T SAY:

”We show an amazing tolerance for a form of pollution that is a growing problem: noise. Airplane traffic is increasing by
five percent a year. Urban noise is doubling every ten years. By air, land and sea, we are facing an onslaught of noise that is
threatening our ability to live in this world.
We have granted ourselves the right to make noise. But what about our responsabilities? Have we developed a sense of
acoustic responsability? The evidence suggests that we have not. Many people seem to believe they have an unlimited right
to make noise with cars and motorbikes and with loud music at home and in the street. In some countries measures have
been taken to force people to make less noise. In Britain, for example, a law has been passed, preventing people from
disturbing their neighbours with music at night.
It is widely accepted that we should deal with our rubbish in a responsible way. Noise is, in reality, a particularly insidious
form of rubbish. It destroys community life, pursues us into our homes, keeps us from sleeping and is the cause of many
stress-related illnesses, as well as hearing loss. Our acoustic environment belongs to all of us. Everyone has the right to use it,
but no one has the right to abuse it. Let’s start using it responsibly.”
(Science News)

1. People are very concerned about noise pollution. (A. RIGHT B. WRONG C. DOESN`T SAY)
2. Noise pollution is a threat to our lives. (A. RIGHT B. WRONG C. DOESN`T SAY)
3. In the US, laws have been passed to force people to make less noise. (A. RIGHT B. WRONG C. DOESN`T SAY)
4. In Britain, it isn1t allowed to play loud music at night. (A. RIGHT B. WRONG C. DOESN`T SAY)
5. Noise pollution causes many stress-related illnesses. (A. RIGHT B. WRONG C. DOESN`T SAY)

II. Read the text below. For questions 1-10, choose the answer A,B,C or D which you think fits best according to
the text:

”They seemed to be an endangered species, relics of an era of delicacy and refinement doomed to extinction in the modern
world. But now the geisha, the traditional female entertainers of Japan, have found new job opportunities through the
internet. Geisha houses in the ancient capital Kyoto are flourishing once more after going online to recruit a new generation
of apprentices.
Geisha numbers have been in decline since before the Second World War and recently it has become more and more
difficult to recruit the maiko, or apprentice geisha, who spend at least five years studying the arts of music, dance and witty
conversation. In the mid-19th century, the flower and willow world of Kyoto`s riverside teahouses was home to about 1000
maiko and geiko, as fully qualified geisha are known in the local dialect. A hundred years later, the number had decreased to
500, including 200 maiko. Two years ago there were only 58 apprentices left. In desperation, several of the geisha houses
established websites in an attempt to recruit newcomers.
Now there are 80 maiko in training and teahouses are turning applicants away. In the old days, the geisha houses were a
means for poor families to ensure a livelihood for daughters whom they could no longer support or marry off. Later, maiko
were recruited locally by word of mouth. Nowadays girls hear about it through the internet from all over Japan. The website
of the Ichi Geisha House includes photographs of young maiko in their white make-up and a web log by an 18-year-old
named Mame, describing her daily life.
Despite the allure of their make-up and exquisite kimono, the life of a trainee geisha is far from glamorous. Recruited at
the age of 15, they must live in the okiya, or geisha house, sharing rooms with fellow maiko and sleeping on futon mattresses
and tatami mats- a hardship to modern teenagers used to western-style beds in their own rooms. They rise early and spend the
morning mastering the traditional accomplishments of the geisha- dance, singing, the playing of the stringed shamisen and
the bamboo shakuhachi flute and the art of make-up and the kimono. Basic English conversation is also required for foreign
guests who are sometimes brought to parties. In the afternoonsthey visit the teahouses where the parties are held, networking
with the owners. Accompanied by an older geisha sister, they attend parties from 6 p.m. until midnight.
But as well as online recruiting, the rise in maiko numbers is connected with a revived interest among young Japanese in
traditional customs. On summer evenings, the streets of Japan’s cities are filled with women and men dressed in yukata,
lightweight cotton kimonos. Japanese food and native drinks such as sake and shochu spirit are competing once again with
foreign food, beer and whisky. ”It’s cool to be Japanese again and this is part of the trend. A lot of girls these days don’t want
to work for boring companies. If you are a maiko, people pay a lot of money to see you and talk to you; you get to meet
movie stars and wherever you go, people are taking your pictures. It’s a pretty good life,”said Peter Macintosh, a Canadian
who organizes geisha evenings for foreign visitors to Kyoto.”
(adapted from The Times)
1. The geisha are: a. relics of a distant past. b. revered by the Japanese. c. beautiful female dancers d. are part of the
Japanese traditional culture.
2. Geisha houses in Kyoto: a. hire geisha through the internet. b. have all gone bankrupt because of the financial
crisis. c. employ geisha through employment agencies. d. have been shut down by the government.
3. Maiko: a. are fully-qualified geisha. b. study the arts of dance and painting. c. train before becoming geisha.
d. are easy to recruit.
4. In the 20th century: a. the number of geisha went down. b. there are only 200 geisha left. c. many geisha
retrained as maiko. d. the geishas set up their own blogs.
5. Geisha houses: a. paid no taxes to the local authorities. b. found wealthy husbands for young women from poor
families. c. supported poor women and children. d. offered a good alternative for young women from needy
families.
6. The apprentice geisha are recruited: a. by word of mouth. b. through internet websites. c. only by
recommendation. d.after a thorough examination.
7. The life of a maiko: a. is full of glamour. b. is not as easy as it seems. c. is very rewarding. d. is a life of luxury.
8. Trainee geisha: a. sleep until midday. b. don’t attend parties. c. take up special courses. d. don’t learn any
foreign languages.
9. The increase in the maiko number is due to: a. a period of economic prosperity. b. a comeback to Japanese
customs. c. a fad among Japanese teenagers. d. efficient government educational policy.
10. According to Peter Macintosh: a. being Japanese is in fashion once more. b. girls want to work for fashion
companies. c. maiko don’t talk to strangers. d. organising geisha evenings is profitable.

III. Write an email to one of your friends about a great achievement of your. (80-100 words)

IV. Write an opinion essay of 180-200 words on the following topic: ”Violence against nature is a crime against
humanity.”