Variant 1 You could have come first and won the race if you … faster

19. The writer of the passage feels strongly that …
A) university engineering courses ought to be upgraded.
B) many children are being unfairly directed into a career in engineering.
C) children should be involved in engineering activities at an early age.
D) the mathematics and science courses at schools need to be modernized.
20. The writer points out that children can … at a very early age.
A) learn something about the basis of engineering B) make up their minds to study engineering at university
C) be encouraged to take part in after-school activities D) develop an interest in scientific matters
21. The writer recognizes the fact that engineering ...
A) is only suitable for highly intelligent students.
B) is becoming less and less popular among university students.
C) is a complicated subject only suitable for really mature students.
D) has become one of the most popular fields of study at universities.
22. Among the reasons given in the text for the decline in the numbers of engineering students is that ...
A) engineering is not considered to be a competitive held of study.
B) the schools still follow outdated curricula.
C) university entrance requirements are far too demanding.
D) many of them have insufficient mathematics and science background.


Producing food costs the earth dearly. First of all, to grow food, we clear the land, prairie, wetland, or forest. This always causes losses of native ecosystems and wildlife. Then we plant crops or graze animals on the land. The soil loses nutrients as each crop is taken from it, so fertilizer is applied. Some fertilizer runs off, polluting the waterways. Some ploughed soil runs off, which clouds the waterways and interferes with the growth of aquatic plants and animals. To protect crops against weeds and pests, we apply herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals also pollute the water and, wherever the wind carries them, the air. Most herbicides and pesticides kill not only weeds and pests, but also native insects, and animals that eat those plants and insects. Finally, we irrigate, a practice that adds salts to the soil in many areas. The water evaporates, but the salts do not, so the soil, becomes more and more salty, hindering plant growth. This process, carried to an extreme, can dry up rivers and likes and lower the water table of whole region.