Examination Card №41

I. Reading
According to the latest research of Chris Thomas, professor of conservation biology at Leeds University, global warming causes extinction of animals and plants. The researchers estimate that more than one million species will be lost by 2050. Much of that loss is irreversible because greenhouse gases have already discharged into the atmosphere.

The scientists found out that half of 24 species of butterfly studied in Australia, nearly 60 % of the species which are under protection in Kruger National Park are at the risk of disappearing as well as plant species studied in South Africa and up to 70 tree species in the Cerrado region in Brazil. Europe is the continent least affected by the climate change that's why survival rates for species are better there.

If the discharge of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide will continue to grow up to one third of all life forms will die.

II. Writing
Dear Sir / Madam,
This is to confirm my participation in the IT conference for the school-leavers. Please, find my registration form attached to this letter.
I would be very grateful if you could inform me about the accommodation details and provide me with the list of participants.
Could you send me the suggested topic of the report?
Thank you very much for your assistance and help.
Yours faithfully,
Anton Savchenko
Ukraine

III. Speaking
I remember the first time I saw one of Paul Gauguin's paintings of Tahiti. When I first started to study art history at school, my father brought me home some books — not sure where they came from, but I do recall that the publisher was in the news for some reason. It just happened that Gauguin was one of the first artists whose work I looked at and I was totally captured by the bright colours and strong shapes. Ever since, something inside me has always longed to see the places that he painted, even though I know that it will be a very different place today and very different people too.

Tahiti lies northwest of New Zealand in the mid-Pacific. It is a part of French Polynesia in the archipelago known as the Society Islands. The tourists who come there can stay in a beach bungalow, but it isn't cheap. Some travel brochures say that it costs - $300 per night. However, there are plenty of internationally known hotels, so I think that I'll stay there.

Papeete is the capital, not just of Tahiti but of all French Polynesia and a very busy city nowadays. It's not going to be very relaxing there, and that's why together with other tourists I'll head out of town to the neighbouring islands like Bora Bora and Moorea for more picturesque and quieter places to stay. Tahiti offers many exceptional and unique activities to partake in - shark and ray feeding in the lagoon, ATV biking around remote villages, arts and crafts lessons, horseriding on the beach and hikes to dramatic waterfalls.

Food is also a part of any trip. As an international resort, the islands cater for most tastes, so I believe that I'll be able to find something from the European cuisine in the menu of the local restaurants. Besides, many hotels usually give the tourists an opportunity to try local food. I hope that I'll find lots of fish on the menu, of course, fresh fruit and vegetables grown in the fertile volcanic soil.

I'd like to visit the Paul Gauguin Museum to see some of his work and learn about his time in the islands. The museum is in the capital city of Papeete. As far as know, there is also a beautiful Botanic Garden, just across from the Gauguin Museum. It was originally part of the estate of Harrison W Smith, an American physics teacher who brought out other tropical species in addition to cultivating local ones. I hope that there are plenty of opportunities there to find out about the ancient history and culture of the islands. But I have read that it was heavily overshadowed by the European influences.

Tahiti is still my dream holiday destination but I hope that one day it will come true.

Date: 2016-01-03; view: 837