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

23. All of the statements are true EXCEPT:
A) The number of starving people has decreased in the world in recent years.
B) Environmentalists take a pessimistic view of the world for a number of reasons.
C) It would be best to attempt to slow down economic growth.
D) Some pollution problems have been correctly linked to industrialisation.
24. What subject is the second part of the text mainly concerned with?
A) the problems of pollution and extinction B) solutions to the environmental issues
C) the reasons for negative changes of the environment D) positive approaches to environmental problems
25. The word “accelerate” in the passage means ...
A) to stop B) to slow down C) to quicken D) to reduce
26. What is the main idea of the text?
A) Negative aspects of the world’s problems are mostly dominant.
B) According to some facts, the environmental situation in the world is not very bad.
C) Environmental problems should be solved in an unfavourable way.
D) The amount of problems is increasing rapidly in the world.


Toys have been around as long as people have. The first toys were things kids found lying around: stones, clay, and sticks. Most of our clues about the earliest games come from things ancient peoples left behind. Clay marbles dating back to 3000 B.C. have been found. Kids still play with simple things like blocks, clay, and sticks. Some toys are timeless. They’ve been around for a long time and are still popular. The boomerang was really a weapon invented by Australian Aborigines. It is thought to be about 10,000 years old. Now the boomerang is sold as a toy all over the world. Lincoln Logs were first sold in 1916. They have been popular for more than 99 years. John Lloyd Wright made them. His father was Frank Lloyd Wright, a famous U.S. architect. The younger Wright decided to make the toy after seeing the construction of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which his father designed. Jack Odell invented matchbox cars for his daughter in 1952. He created a brass miniature of a Road Roller car. He put it in a matchbox-size container for his daughter to take to school.