Matura - Reading Comprehension (PRV Jazik)

SHYNESS For some people shyness can mean a lifetime of loneliness and despair.
For these people, it can become a crippling handicap says Robert Farr, Social Psychologist at the London School of Economics. They so much want to be liked, yet they are terrified of being seen as a failure or of making a fool of themselves. The main difficulty is getting shy people to talk about it. They know they have a problem but admitting it is sure to attract even more attention exactly the situation they want to avoid. It can be easier to shift the blame to other things, such as their appearance. If only I wasnt so plain Id be so much more confident, they cry. In this way something such as physical looks becomes a shield to hide behind, a perfect excuse not to think about the real problem, which is shyness. According to experts, shyness is not something we can just snap out of. The only effective way to overcome it is by learning to recognize our feelings and emotions and that involves a lot of self-questioning. To communicate with others you must first of all be able to communicate with yourself, says Mandy Langford of the British Complementary Medicine Association. And this is where cognitive therapy comes in. This form of therapy supposes that the way you think affects your emotions and behaviour. The treatment aims to reduce anxiety through relaxation techniques, and to build up confidence. In this way patients learn to say what they mean but without being aggressive, says Mandy. They need to be able to criticize and be criticized, and to feel good about it. She insists that long-term help is needed and that therapy really is the best answer. (1.1) Decide if the following statements are true or false according to the text. Write your answers in the spaces. ____ 1.According to Robert Farr, shy people often make fool of themselves. ____ 2.Shy people sometimes claim that their main problem is not shyness but something else instead. ____ 3.Experts believe that people can overcome shyness by learning to understand and communicate with other people first. ____ 4.One objective of cognitive therapy is to help people to relax. ____ 5.During treatment, shy people are encouraged to learn how to give and accept criticism. ____ 6.Treatment for shyness is quick and simple. ________/6
(1.2) Match the words from the text with their appropriate meanings. Write your answers in the spaces below. 1.despair 2.crippling 3.admitting 4.shift 5.blame 6.plain 7.shield 8.snap out of 9.reduce 10.anxiety 11.good 1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 ___ 6 ___ a. responsibility b. ordinary, not beautiful c. protection d. worry e. confident f. hopelessness g. move h. very harmful i. realizing and accepting j. change suddenly k. lower 7 ___ 8 ___ 9 ___ 10 ___ 11 ___ _____________/11 (1.3) Choose the best answer for each of the questions below. 1.What is the purpose of the text? a. to inform b. to sell something c. to entertain
2.Where would you expect to find this text? a. in a novel b. in a magazine c. in an advertisement 3.The style of the text is: a. formal and very serious b. informal but quite serious c. comical and not at all serious ___________/3
LONDON ZOO It has been a dreadful year at London zoo. Conservationists as well as children have been concerned about the proposals to close it. The problem is even more agonizing for the zoo keeper. Brian Harman, forty-two, has been at the zoo for twenty-five years. He looked after fish for the first twelve before he got the job as head keeper of the elephants. His working day includes six to seven hours contact with the zoos four female elephants and up to twenty-four hours a day should an animal fall ill or need extra attention. Harmans reasoning is clear: They didnt ask to be in captivity so you owe it to them to give them everything you can. There is a favourite and the affection flows in both directions. Everywhere that Harman moves around the paddock he is followed by Layang Layang pushing and insistent in her demands for petting. To the public she looks like any other Asian elephant. It is a mistake, however, to say so. Harman is genuinely outraged. Cant you see that shes more beautiful than the other elephants? Look at that happy face, and the way she smiles all the time. For Harman, the elephants make a case for conserving the whole place. The public love to come up and touch the elephants when they are taken out of their paddock for morning walks around the zoo. The elephants also enjoy offering something back in return for all the care they receive. You can sit as close as you like to a TV screen, but until you see an elephant in real life you dont know what an elephant looks like. (1.1) Read the text and decide on the meaning of the words in bold. Choose the correct meaning. 1. concerned means 2. proposals means 3. contact means 4. in captivity means 5. affection means 6. insistent means 7. outraged means 8. agonizing means 9. reasoning means 10. genuinely means a. worried a. agreements a. enthusiasm a. in control a. illness a. determined a. pleased a. painful a. motive a. actually b. pleased b. celebrations b. time off b. without freedom b. reaction b. hopeful b. mistaken b. painless b. logic b. falsely c. unsure c. plans c. time spent c. unwell c. feelings of close friendship c. rude c. angry c. embarrassing c. goal c. truly _________/10
(1.2) Decide if the following statements are true or false according to the text. Write your answers in the spaces. ____ 1.London zoo may be closed soon. ____ 2.Brian Harman has looked after elephants for twenty-five years. ____ 3.Sometimes Harman spends all day and all night in the zoo. ____ 4.Harman likes all the elephants equally. ____ 5.The elephant called Layang Layang is very aggressive and doesnt let anyone near her. ____ 6.Harman expects other people to be able to distinguish between the elephants. ____ 7.Harman thinks that the elephants alone are sufficient reason for not closing the zoo. ____ 8.Harman believes that some elephants can use their faces to express their feelings. ____ 9.In the mornings people can walk around the elephant paddock and touch them. ____ 10.Harman thinks that people can learn a lot about elephants on television. _______/10
Klu~ test 1 I. 1.F 2.T 3.F 4.T 5.T 6.F II. 1.f 2.h 3.i 4.g 5.a 6.b 7.c 8.j 9.k 10.d 11.e III. 1.a 2.b 3.b
Klu~ test 2 I. 1.a 2.c 3.c 4.b 5.c 6.a 7.c 8.a 9.b 10.c II. 1.T 2.F 3.T 4.F 5.F 6.T 7.T 8.T 9.F 10.F

Matura - Reading Comprehension (PRV Jazik)

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SHYNESS For some people shyness can mean a lifetime of loneliness and despair.

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