Вы услышите интервью с участником научного эксперимента. В заданиях А8 – А14 обведите цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую номеру выбранного вами варианта ответа.

A8 The speaker's mission was

1)     to build a castle from the stones.

2)   to prove that the stones were blue.

3)    to transport the stones.

A9 In ten weeks they pulled

1)     just one three-ton stone.

2)   12 stones to the coast.

3)    240 huge bluestones.

A10 A sledge used to carry the stones

1)     was stolen.

2)   was broken.

3)    was very massive.

A11 The speaker told that one of the rocks

1)     is exhibited in the museum.

2)   is lying on the seabed.

3)    was covered by pictures.

A12  The speaker admitted that they

1)     spoilt the results of the experiment.

2)   used modern machines during the experiment.

3)    were very disappointed with the results.

A13 The experiment  was halted because

1)     the lack of money.

2)   the lack of volunteers.

3)    the bad weather.

A14 The speaker is sure

1)     that the experiment will succeed.

2)   that the sponsors will lose their money.

3)    that they need less volunteers to continue the experiment.

Keys:

A8 – 3

A9 – 1

A10 – 1

A11 – 2

A12 – 2

A13 – 3

A14 – 1

Learn the new words:

To sling – подвешивать

To sink – тонуть

To load sth onto sth – грузить что-то на что-то

To tow – буксировать

To drag – тянуть

To slide – скользить

Put the sentences in the right order to make a story:

a)    The stone sank.

b)   They never reached the site of Stonehenge.

c)    They loaded the stone onto a wooden platform.

d)   They dragged the stones using ropes.

e)    The stone was slung between two boats.

f)      The stoned was towed by the boats.

g)    The stone slid into the water.

h)   It was hard to transport heavy stones over long distances.

Keys:

1 – h, 2- c, 3 – d, 4 – e, 5 – f, 6 – g, 7 – a, 8- b.

Text for listening:

Presenter: Most listeners will know about the Stonehenge experiment and its unfortunate ending. Today, one of the members of the team is with us in the studio. Welcome John! Tell me, how did it all start?

John: Well, you see, experts have identified the type of rock in the inner ring at Stonehenge as Welsh bluestone from the Preseli Mountains. But how the huge stones were transported 4, 000 years ago is quite another thing. It has always been a mystery. Historians have been given a 100,000 £ to discover how it was done. Our mission was to transport a huge bluestone rock 240 miles to Stonehenge in Wiltshire from the Preseli Mountains in West Wales. It is thought that Prehistoric people dragged several of the massive stones over the same route to form the monuments inner circle more than 4,000 years ago.

P.: Did you manage to do the same?

J.: Well, in a word we didn’t. Our team was dogged by misfortune. In ten weeks we pulled just one three-ton stone and we only managed 12 miles to the coast. We discovered dragging the bluestone was much more difficult than we expected and we covered only one mile a day instead of the three we intended. It got even worse when the journey had to be delayed, as 40 tired helpers dropped out. Then a sledge used to carry the stone was stolen by thieves. Eventually, the stone was slung between two rowing boats, built for a labour –saving sea voyage along the west coast from Dale to Denby.

Twenty experienced rowers were hired for the trip, but soon after they set off the sea turned rough. As the organizers signaled us to turn back, the ropes around the precious stone came loose and the crew watched in horror as the giant rock gently slid into the water with a splash. The rock is now lying o the seabed – 50 ft below the surface. It could be that the same problems were experienced by our ancestors. This could be a case of history repeating itself.

P.: Did you use any modern devices or was it all like in ancient times?

J: The idea was to seriously recreate the efforts made by Stone Age man to take the rocks to Stonehenge. However, new Millennium Man  is simply not up to the job. I have to admit there was some “cheating” from the start. Instead of dragging the stone from its source, it was carried by lorry over some difficult places. Then it was pulled along roads on top of plastic net, which reduced the drag. Next it was loaded onto the boats, using a modern crane, before they were towed down the river.

P: Were the people involved very disappointed?

J.: Only a bit because, in many ways, it was very enjoyable to really relieve history like that. Anyway I’m sure Stone Age man did not manage the journey without a slip-up or two, and I don’t think that even the ancient tribes would have tried rowing these stones across the sea in the middle of winter.

P.: Are you going to make another attempt?

J.: As Phil Bowen, head of the project, said it had to be halted because the worsening weather and failing daylight could place volunteers’ lives at risk. Critics say the exercise should be abandoned. But the sponsors, who have committed £ 100,000 to the millennium stone project, say they will continue to support the scheme next spring. We now realize we needed a lot more people to shift the stone three miles. But we will be back next spring and we still think we can do it.

Vocabulary:

 Be dogged by misfortune – to have bad luck for a long time

Drop out – to leave some activity before it is finished

Come loose – to become not firmly fixed in place

Be not up to the job – be not good enough to do the job

Reduce the drag – to make the force that pushes against something moving forward less strong

A slip – up – a careless mistake

Be halted – to be prevented from continuing

Термины:

Prehistoric – доисторический

Stone Age – Каменный век

Имена собственные:

Stonehenge

Wales – Welsh

Preseli Mountains

Wiltshire

Dale

Denby

Phil Bowen