1 Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each space.

If you (1) ever to sit down and work out the chances of your never having been born, you might (2) yourself thinking that the fact you are here at all is nothing short of a miracle. You start asking questions along the lines of 'What may (3) such and such (4) happened?' or 'What (5) have been the consequence if my great grandfather (6) to have carried out his threat of emigrating to Canada in 1893?'. Of course, (7) you be tempted by this slightly pointless exercise, you will soon find that your existence depends on an almost infinite series of 10 coincidences. What prompted these musings? (8) it to say my father recently gave me a small lump of jagged metal and (9) me a brief explanation of its significance. My grandfather had fought in the First World War and was wounded many times. This tiny lump of metal was a piece of shrapnel that (10) entered his neck just below one ear and been dug out by surgeons just below the other ear. (11) path (12) its a mere fraction of a millimetre to either the right or the left, he would have been (13) outright. Which in turn would mean that my father would (14) have been born. Nor, obviously, me. It serves as a reminder that we (15) all count our blessings occasionally.

На английском языке и Перевод на русский язык Westminster Palace One of the most beautiful buildings in London is Westminster Palace. It’s a huge structure on the bank of the river Thames in Westminster district of London. The building connects with the Trafalgar Square and Whitehall Street. Originally, from 1529 the palace has been the English monarchs’ residence. After the fire in 1834, the building has been completely rebuilt and now it serves as the place of British Parliamentary meetings. The building contains about 1200 rooms, 100 stairs, and 5 kilometer of halls. The biggest and the oldest part of the building is called Westminster-hall. It was erected in 1097 and occupies the area of 1800 square kilometers. This room has once served a place of the English Supreme Court’s sessions. Many prominent people were sentenced to death here, among them, Guy Fawkes, Thomas Moore, Charles I and many others. Westminster Palace has several high towers. The most famous of all is Big Ben. Everybody knows that it’s the biggest clock in the world and that it’s the symbol of Great Britain. Another well-known tower is the Victoria Tower. It’s a bit higher than Big Ben. In 1987 the Westminster Palace and the adjacent Church of St. Margaret were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. By the way the world-famous Westminster Abbey is situated right behind the Westminster Palace.                                                       Одним из самых красивых зданий в Лондоне является Вестминстерский дворец. Это огромное сооружение на берегу реки Темзы в Вестминстерском районе Лондона. Здание соединяется с Трафальгарской площадью и Уайтхолл-стрит. Первоначально, с 1529, дворец был резиденцией английских монархов. После пожара в 1834 году, здание было полностью перестроено, и теперь оно служит местом заседания британского парламента. В здании есть около 1200 комнат, 100 лестниц, и холлов в 5 километров. Самая большая и старинная часть здания называется Вестминстер-холл. Он был построен в 1097 году и занимает площадь 1800 квадратных километров. Эта комната когда-то служила местом заседания английского Верховного суда. Многие известные люди были приговорены к смерти здесь, среди них, Гай Фокс, Томас Мур, Карла I и многие другие. Вестминстерский дворец имеет несколько высоких башен. Самой известной из всех является Биг-Бен. Все знают, что это самые большие в мире часы, и что это символ Великобритании. Другая известная башня – это Башня Виктории. Она немного выше, чем Биг-Бен. В 1987 году Вестминстерский дворец и прилегающая к нему церковь Святой Маргариты, были включены в Список всемирного наследия ЮНЕСКО. Кстати, всемирно известное Вестминстерское аббатство находится прямо за Вестминстерским дворцом.

My name is Ekaterina and I’m thirteen years old. I live in Moscow. It is the capital of Russia and the biggest city of the country. My city is very beautiful. All tourists of our city always want to visit Red Square. The main sight of this square is the Kremlin Palace and mausoleum named after V. Lenin. Also you can see the Spasskaya Tower and visit the Armoury and diamond fund. There are a lot of museums in Moscow. I like to go to the State Tretyakov Gallery and watch the paintings. My city is rich in cultural places. There are a lot of theatres, showrooms and concert halls in Moscow. I visited Bolshoi Theatre with my parents. The performance was very exciting and I was full of unforgettable impressions. Many people think that Moscow is noisy city but there are a lot of quiet parks and public gardens in it. I love my city very much because it is fine and majestic. I’m proud of my city and I’m glad that I live here.