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

21. The passage is mainly about …
A) the Great Depression years. C) changes to Carnegie Hall.
B) the appearance of Carnegie Hall. D) more and more people attending the concert hall.
22. Who was Andrew Carnegie?
A) a steel mill owner B) a musician C) mayor of New York City D) an architect
23. To which quality of the hall was severely damaged during the renovations?
A) decorative B) heating C) sound D) lightning
24. Why did the director have to sell a part of the building?
A) owing to a but crisis B) because of economical reason
C) due to maintain the poor D) on account of debts


In 1953 most schoolchildren walked to school. For this reason, school crossing patrols were introduced. A “patrol” consists of an adult wearing a bright waterproof coat and carrying a red-and-white stick with a circular sign the top which reads STOP CHILDREN. Armed with this “lollipop”, the adult walks out into the middle of the road, stops the traffic and allows children to cross. “lollipop ladies” (80% of them are women) are a familiar part of the British landscape. But since 1980s they have become a species in decline. So many children are now driven to school by car that local authorities are less willing to spend money on them. However, because there are more cars than there used to be, those children who are not driven to school need them more than ever. The modern lollipop lady has survived by going commercial! In 1993 Volkswagen signed a deal to dress London`s 1000 lollipop ladies in coats which bear the companies’ logo. Many other local authorities in the country arranged similar deals.
25. The main purpose of the LOLLIPOP LADY is to
A) watch the traffic B) help children to cross the road C) identify poor drivers D) prevent trouble on the road
26. Nowadays, some LOLLIPOP LADIES also
A) help to direct the traffic B) attract more tourists to the UK
C) advertise different companies D) walk children to school