Reading 675

Task 5
Read the text below. For questions (22–26) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).
The Great Leonardo

His heart was pounding now, like it always did just before he went out into the ring. He had imagined he
would get used to it: that his palm, curved around the handle of the thin black whip, would cease to sweat, and
that his chest would cease to feel constricted by the glittering silver leotard. He had always dusted his armpits
with talc; shifting from foot to foot he felt the wet mineral slippery on his skin. He inhaled, flexed his arms and
watched the muscle bunch like the back of a dolphin curving through water. The smell reminded him of his
childhood. His father used to take him to the circus every year; there was a troupe that came each spring and
set up their tent on the village green. His father bought him candy floss and peanuts and they sat rapt, admiring
the artists and their feats of daring.
Across from him, on the other side of the tent, they were rolling out the cages, one by one, linking them to-
gether to form a train of ferocity. It was quite dark in the wings, he could not see very clearly, but he could
make out the shapes in the cages, moving, twisting in their small spaces, and pressing their fur against the
bars. He knew they sensed his presence as much as he did theirs, and it made a vivid bridge between them,
across the tent, across the ring, waiting for the moment they would meet. At the moment when the cages were
opened, the ranks of seething, fidgety people usually became still, watching his glittering smoothness move so
easily among the huge beasts. They would think he had tamed them with his whip and his strength, but that
was not so. He knew that things could always happen. After all the cats were wild. The sweat trickled down
between his shoulders as he watched the clowns roll about the ring or run up and down in the dimness of the
audience.
It was almost time. Standing in the corner, the ringmaster was adjusting his brilliant coat, pulling on his tie,
clearing his throat. In their cages the cats waited. The ringmaster strode into the ring. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen!’
he called. ‘The moment you have all been waiting for! What more can I say? He needs no introduction. I give
you The Great Leonardo!’
A little hop off his toes and he was running into the light, his arms and chest wide, his legs pushing him
gracefully out into the centre ring, seeing the cages out of the corner of his eye roll to meet him. The clowns
and roustabouts pulled the barred train into a semi-circle behind him as he bowed deeply, his head nearly brush-
ing the sawdust on the ring floor, his face set still and stern. The crowd — from here they looked like bubbles on
the surface of turbulent water — shouted and whistled and clapped, twirled their brightly glowing torches up-
wards to make small acres of spinning light.
The Great Leonardo let one arm drop slowly to his side and brought the other hand to his mouth, one finger
on his lips, in an exaggerated gesture for silence. There was whispering, shuffling, giggles, and then quiet. He
never spoke during the course of his act. The previous lion tamer, Cat Man, had been hard of hearing, and had
trained the animals with a series of gestures and claps without ever touching them. Cat Man had, however,
spoken to the audience. To keep them on tenterhooks, he told them of dangerous acts of daring, of the extraor-
dinary cunning of the animals and warned them of what was to come. The Great Leonardo did not open his
mouth. He clapped his hands twice. The roustabouts jumped to the front of the cages and turned the keys in
their locks. The doors opened in a repeating curve, the roustabouts slipped out of the ring, and the cats glided
out of their cages to sit in a circle around him. The audience began to applaud, and then, recalling his gesture,
rustled quickly into silence.
adapted from The Great Leonardo by Erica Wagner
22. What problem did the artist have before entering the circus ring?
A. He couldn’t erase a disturbing childhood memory from his mind.
B. It was difficult for him to keep balance on the slippery surface.
C. His stage costume seemed tighter than on other occasions.
D. He couldn’t suppress the feeling of anxiety.
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23. In the second paragraph, we learn that …
A. the artist’s movements in the ring revealed his fear of the animals to the public.
B. the animals were extraordinarily ferocious that day.
C. the artist was aware that the public overestimated his control over the animals.
D. the noise made by the clowns irritated the animals.
24. The moment the Great Leonardo made his appearance, …

A. the clowns bowed and disappeared.
B. the cages with the animals were pulled into the ring.
C. the audience switched on their torches to lighten the ring.
D. his facial expression changed because of the people’s reaction.
25. Which is TRUE about the previous lion tamer?

A. He had problems with silencing the applauding spectators.
B. He remained silent in the ring not to scare the animals.
C. He addressed the audience in a way that created an atmosphere of tension.
D. He based his training on a set of oral commands.
26. What was the original gesture of the Great Leonardo?

A. One arm dropped slowly and the other hand was brought to his mouth, one finger on his lips.
B. One arm dropped slowly and the other hand was brought to his mouth.
C. Two arms were lifted and one finger on his lips.
D. Two arms dropped slowly and then were brought to his mouth, one finger on his lips.
Task 6
Read the texts below. Match choices (A–H) to (27–32). There are two choices you do not need
to use.
The DIY Meal Kits to Buy

from your Favourite Restaurants during Lockdown
We’re now in lockdown and you may be missing
life’s simple pleasures, like going out to your favourite
restaurant.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. In response to the
lockdown, some restaurants have created DIY meal
kits to help you whip up their well-loved dishes in your
own kitchen.
27
Burger restaurant Patty & Bun has created a
Lockdown DIY patty kit, £25, featuring four of its
signature beef patties, bacon, brioche buns, a squeezy
bottle of smokey mayo, cheese slices and homemade
pickled and smokey onions. All you need to buy is
lettuce and tomato to finish it off.
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Task 5

The Great Leonardo

Розділ 5 Тести у форматі ЗНО 81

24. The moment the Great Leonardo made his appearance, …

25. Which is TRUE about the previous lion tamer?

26. What was the original gesture of the Great Leonardo?

The DIY Meal Kits to Buy

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