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Вы услышите 6 высказываний. Установите соответствие между высказываниями каждого говорящего A—F и утверждениями, данными в списке 1—7. Используйте каждое утверждение, обозначенное соответствующей цифрой, только один раз. В задании есть одно лишнее утверждение. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 123456

1. Pot plants can be dangerous for people.
2. Pot plants can be a kind of hobby.
3. Pot plants are interesting to watch.
4. Pot plants make your home beautiful.
5. Pot plants can be useful for health.
6. Pot plants have many disadvantages.
7. Pot plants have more minuses than pluses.

Вы услышите диалог. Определите, какие из приведённых утверждений А–G соответствуют содержанию текста (1 – True), какие не соответствуют (2 – False) и о чём в тексте не сказано, то есть на основании текста нельзя дать ни положительного, ни отрицательного ответа (3 – Not stated). Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1231231

A. The tourist has never been to Russia.

B. The tourist wants to see both Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

C. The tourist loves evening excursions.

D. The manager thinks Saint Basil’s Cathedral isn’t worth seeing.

E. The tourist will have some time for shopping in Moscow.

F. The tourist hopes to visit a show in the State Kremlin Palace.

G. The tourist wants to buy a tour straight away.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1

3. Which of the following is TRUE about the beginning of Sandra’s career?

1) She started with several sitcoms.

2) She thinks her roles were very good.

3) Her first film was a major success.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
4. What does Sandra say about her role in the film ‘Winter’?

1) She had to play a complicated personage.

2) She was nominated for Oscar for it.

3) She had to accept a lot of criticism for it.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
5. What does Sandra do when she wants a part in a certain film?

1) She writes letters to the film director.

2) She tries to make the director aware of her desire.

3) She simply waits for the invitation.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
6. According to Sandra, a film director should not refuse a willing actor because this person may

1) be highly motivated.

2) suit the part perfectly.

3) feel offended.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
7. What does Sandra say about going from movie to movie?

1) She chooses to stick to her plan.

2) She always considers the next film budget.

3) She goes from what is available.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
8. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Sandra’s roles?

1) They are equally important to her.

2) They are somehow gloomy.

3) They are of some artistic quality.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
9. What does Sandra enjoy most about the film ‘Winter’?

1) It has a narrative plot.

2) The camerawork.

3) The way she reveals her character.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 

Пример ответа: 1234567

1. Taste this city
2. City of many epithets
3. Different from the past
4. Skyscrapers and amusement parks
5. City as a shooting area
6. Middle Ages authenticity
7. Walk and bathe
8. Influence and history

A. Cape Town has had an ever-changing reputation as a city. Burdened with the legacy of apartheid, the capital of South Africa has reinvented itself as a vibrant city with new and exciting restaurants opening constantly, trendy shops, and a bustling art and culture events calendar. There is plenty to partake in and see around here, and the city centre is set up in a grid making it easy to get around without getting lost as you walk around.

B. The city that never sleeps, New York has something different to offer at every corner. While public transportation is easy to figure out and available everywhere, the city is also completely walkable. In fact, an entire day can be spent just walking around Central Park, discovering all the different monuments and buildings there. At the same time, there is also a lot of history in New York City. New York has been the birthplace of many movements and has impacted culture in a way many other cities have not.

C. The best way to get to know the city of Paris is on foot. Each alleyway offers an enchanting cafe to stop by and sip a glass of wine or indulge in a fresh pastry or bread. Many would say the best way to experience Paris is through your mouth, as the food and wine here is unlike any other. But the history is just as enticing. Take a tour of all the prominent places in the city, from the Notre Dame to the Luxembourg Gardens.

D. You could travel around Budapest using the underground subway, but then you’d be missing most of the city. Stay above ground and truly discover everything Budapest has to offer on foot. Cross the Danube River and begin to understand the differences between the two segments of the city, Buda and Pest. Join a walking tour that will take you to all the major sites. After walking, don’t forget to take a soak in one of Budapest’s famous baths.

E. It's a great idea to come to Hong Kong to learn about the history, the economy, and the local cuisine from a local guide. The city seamlessly juxtaposes skyscrapers with incense filled temples, a fantastic business environment with great universities, treks into lush green places with a legendary nightlife, and glitzy malls with wet markets that display unrecognisable sun-dried foods. If you've still got some energy left from exploring the attractions, add a few days’ worth of trips to the local amusement parks, Disneyland Hong Kong and Ocean Park.

F. Mumbai is the most populated city in India, which happens to be the second most populated country in the world, making it an extremely crowded place. Trying to drive or bike around town may prove to be more of a headache than a vacation, making this the perfect city for walking tours. Home to the award-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire,” there are tours based just upon the movie and its impact. The most interesting places are the Open Air Laundry, Thieves Market, Hanging Garden and more.

G. Known to travelers as one of the most intact medieval cities in Europe, Tallinn is full of gothic architecture and cobblestone streets that look like they came right out of a Tolkien novel. Taking a walking tour will provide you with the historical background you need to understand everything you are viewing, while you explore both the Upper and Lower part of the Old Town. Stops will include beautiful views over the roofs of the lower Old Town, as well as visits to several cathedrals.

Прочитайте текст и заполните пропуски A–F частями предложений, обозначенными цифрами 1–7. Одна из частей в списке 1–7 лишняя. 

Пример ответа: 1234567

Hi-Tech Brings Families Together 

Technology is helping families stay in touch like never before, says a report carried out in the US.

Instead of driving people apart, mobile phones and the Internet are A________________. The research looked at the differences in technology use between families with children and single adults. It found that traditional families have more hi-tech gadgets in their home В  ________________. Several mobile phones were found in 89% of families and 66% had a high-speed Internet connection. The research also found that 58% of families have more С________________.

Many people use their mobile phone to keep in touch and communicate with parents and children. Seventy percent of couples, D________________, use it every day to chat or say hello. In addition, it was found that 42% of parents contact their children via their mobile every day.

The growing use of mobile phones, computers and the Internet means that families no longer gather round the TV to spend time together. 25% of those who took part in the report said they now spend less time E________________.. Only 58% of 18-29 year olds said they watched TV every day. Instead the research found that 52% of Internet users who live with their families go online F________________several times a week and 51% of parents browse the web with their children.

"Some analysts have worried that new technologies hurt families, but we see that technology allows for new kinds of connectedness built around cell phones and the Internet," said the report.

1. than any other group
2. watching television
3. in the company of someone else
4. than two computers in the home
5. communicated with their families
6. helping them communicate
7. owning a mobile

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12–18. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Пример ответа: 1

iGeneration: teenagers affected by phones

One day last summer, around noon, I called Athena, a 13-year-old who lives in Houston, Texas. She answered her phone—she has had an iPhone since she was 11—sounding as if she’d just woken up. We chatted about her favorite songs and TV shows, and I asked her what she likes to do with her friends. “We go to the mall,” she said. “Do your parents drop you off?” I asked, recalling my own middle-school days, in the 1980s, when I’d enjoy a few parent-free hours shopping with my friends. “No—I go with my family,” she replied. “We’ll go with my mom and brothers and walk a little behind them. I just have to tell my mom where we are going. I have to check in every hour or every 30 minutes.”

Those mall trips are infrequent—about once a month. More often, Athena and her friends spend time together on their phones, unchaperoned. Unlike the teens of my generation, who might have spent an evening tying up the family landline with gossip, they talk on Snapchat, a smartphone app that allows users to send pictures and videos that quickly disappear. They make sure to keep up their Snapstreaks, which show how many days in a row, they have Snapchatted with each other. She told me she had spent most of the summer hanging out alone in her room with her phone. That is just the way her generation is, she said. “We didn’t know any life other than with iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people.”

Some generational changes are positive, some are negative, and many are both. More comfortable in their bedrooms than in a car or at a party, today’s teens are physically safer than teens have ever been. They are markedly less likely to get into a car accident and, having less of a taste for alcohol than their predecessors, are less susceptible to drinking’s attendant ills.

Psychologically, however, they are more vulnerable than Millennials were: rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It is not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones.

However, in my conversations with teens, I saw hopeful signs that kids themselves are beginning to link some of their troubles to their ever-present phone. Athena told me that when she does spend time with her friends in person, they are often looking at their device instead of at her. “I’m trying to talk to them about something, and they don’t actually look at my face,” she said. “They’re looking at their phone, or they’re looking at their Apple Watch.” “What does that feel like when you’re trying to talk to somebody face-to-face and they’re not looking at you?” I asked. “It kind of hurts,” she said. “It hurts. I know my parents’ generation didn’t do that. I could be talking about something super important to me, and they wouldn’t even be listening.”

Once, she told me, she was hanging out with a friend who was texting her boyfriend. “I was trying to talk to her about my family, and what was going on, and she was like, ‘Uh-huh, yeah, whatever.’ So I took her phone out of her hands and I threw it at the wall.”

Though it is aggressive behavior that I don’t support, on the other hand, it is a step towards a life with limited phone use. So, if I were going to give advice for a happy adolescence, it would be straightforward: put down the phone, turn off the laptop, and do something—anything—that does not involve a screen.

12. According to the author, in her childhood she used to …

1) do the shopping with her friends.

2) go to the mall with her family.

3) call her mother every half an hour.

4) watch TV a lot.

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12–18. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Пример ответа: 1

iGeneration: teenagers affected by phones

One day last summer, around noon, I called Athena, a 13-year-old who lives in Houston, Texas. She answered her phone—she has had an iPhone since she was 11—sounding as if she’d just woken up. We chatted about her favorite songs and TV shows, and I asked her what she likes to do with her friends. “We go to the mall,” she said. “Do your parents drop you off?” I asked, recalling my own middle-school days, in the 1980s, when I’d enjoy a few parent-free hours shopping with my friends. “No—I go with my family,” she replied. “We’ll go with my mom and brothers and walk a little behind them. I just have to tell my mom where we are going. I have to check in every hour or every 30 minutes.”

Those mall trips are infrequent—about once a month. More often, Athena and her friends spend time together on their phones, unchaperoned. Unlike the teens of my generation, who might have spent an evening tying up the family landline with gossip, they talk on Snapchat, a smartphone app that allows users to send pictures and videos that quickly disappear. They make sure to keep up their Snapstreaks, which show how many days in a row, they have Snapchatted with each other. She told me she had spent most of the summer hanging out alone in her room with her phone. That is just the way her generation is, she said. “We didn’t know any life other than with iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people.”

Some generational changes are positive, some are negative, and many are both. More comfortable in their bedrooms than in a car or at a party, today’s teens are physically safer than teens have ever been. They are markedly less likely to get into a car accident and, having less of a taste for alcohol than their predecessors, are less susceptible to drinking’s attendant ills.

Psychologically, however, they are more vulnerable than Millennials were: rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It is not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones.

However, in my conversations with teens, I saw hopeful signs that kids themselves are beginning to link some of their troubles to their ever-present phone. Athena told me that when she does spend time with her friends in person, they are often looking at their device instead of at her. “I’m trying to talk to them about something, and they don’t actually look at my face,” she said. “They’re looking at their phone, or they’re looking at their Apple Watch.” “What does that feel like when you’re trying to talk to somebody face-to-face and they’re not looking at you?” I asked. “It kind of hurts,” she said. “It hurts. I know my parents’ generation didn’t do that. I could be talking about something super important to me, and they wouldn’t even be listening.”

Once, she told me, she was hanging out with a friend who was texting her boyfriend. “I was trying to talk to her about my family, and what was going on, and she was like, ‘Uh-huh, yeah, whatever.’ So I took her phone out of her hands and I threw it at the wall.”

Though it is aggressive behavior that I don’t support, on the other hand, it is a step towards a life with limited phone use. So, if I were going to give advice for a happy adolescence, it would be straightforward: put down the phone, turn off the laptop, and do something—anything—that does not involve a screen.

13. Which of the following does Athena do monthly?

1) Invites friends to her place.

2) Uses the Snapchat.

3) Goes to the mall with her family.

4) Changes her iPhone.

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12–18. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Пример ответа: 1

iGeneration: teenagers affected by phones

One day last summer, around noon, I called Athena, a 13-year-old who lives in Houston, Texas. She answered her phone—she has had an iPhone since she was 11—sounding as if she’d just woken up. We chatted about her favorite songs and TV shows, and I asked her what she likes to do with her friends. “We go to the mall,” she said. “Do your parents drop you off?” I asked, recalling my own middle-school days, in the 1980s, when I’d enjoy a few parent-free hours shopping with my friends. “No—I go with my family,” she replied. “We’ll go with my mom and brothers and walk a little behind them. I just have to tell my mom where we are going. I have to check in every hour or every 30 minutes.”

Those mall trips are infrequent—about once a month. More often, Athena and her friends spend time together on their phones, unchaperoned. Unlike the teens of my generation, who might have spent an evening tying up the family landline with gossip, they talk on Snapchat, a smartphone app that allows users to send pictures and videos that quickly disappear. They make sure to keep up their Snapstreaks, which show how many days in a row, they have Snapchatted with each other. She told me she had spent most of the summer hanging out alone in her room with her phone. That is just the way her generation is, she said. “We didn’t know any life other than with iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people.”

Some generational changes are positive, some are negative, and many are both. More comfortable in their bedrooms than in a car or at a party, today’s teens are physically safer than teens have ever been. They are markedly less likely to get into a car accident and, having less of a taste for alcohol than their predecessors, are less susceptible to drinking’s attendant ills.

Psychologically, however, they are more vulnerable than Millennials were: rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It is not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones.

However, in my conversations with teens, I saw hopeful signs that kids themselves are beginning to link some of their troubles to their ever-present phone. Athena told me that when she does spend time with her friends in person, they are often looking at their device instead of at her. “I’m trying to talk to them about something, and they don’t actually look at my face,” she said. “They’re looking at their phone, or they’re looking at their Apple Watch.” “What does that feel like when you’re trying to talk to somebody face-to-face and they’re not looking at you?” I asked. “It kind of hurts,” she said. “It hurts. I know my parents’ generation didn’t do that. I could be talking about something super important to me, and they wouldn’t even be listening.”

Once, she told me, she was hanging out with a friend who was texting her boyfriend. “I was trying to talk to her about my family, and what was going on, and she was like, ‘Uh-huh, yeah, whatever.’ So I took her phone out of her hands and I threw it at the wall.”

Though it is aggressive behavior that I don’t support, on the other hand, it is a step towards a life with limited phone use. So, if I were going to give advice for a happy adolescence, it would be straightforward: put down the phone, turn off the laptop, and do something—anything—that does not involve a screen.

14. For Athena’s peers spending time alone in their rooms seems …

1) natural.

2) difficult.

3) awkward.

4) soothing.

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12–18. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Пример ответа: 1

iGeneration: teenagers affected by phones

One day last summer, around noon, I called Athena, a 13-year-old who lives in Houston, Texas. She answered her phone—she has had an iPhone since she was 11—sounding as if she’d just woken up. We chatted about her favorite songs and TV shows, and I asked her what she likes to do with her friends. “We go to the mall,” she said. “Do your parents drop you off?” I asked, recalling my own middle-school days, in the 1980s, when I’d enjoy a few parent-free hours shopping with my friends. “No—I go with my family,” she replied. “We’ll go with my mom and brothers and walk a little behind them. I just have to tell my mom where we are going. I have to check in every hour or every 30 minutes.”

Those mall trips are infrequent—about once a month. More often, Athena and her friends spend time together on their phones, unchaperoned. Unlike the teens of my generation, who might have spent an evening tying up the family landline with gossip, they talk on Snapchat, a smartphone app that allows users to send pictures and videos that quickly disappear. They make sure to keep up their Snapstreaks, which show how many days in a row, they have Snapchatted with each other. She told me she had spent most of the summer hanging out alone in her room with her phone. That is just the way her generation is, she said. “We didn’t know any life other than with iPads or iPhones. I think we like our phones more than we like actual people.”

Some generational changes are positive, some are negative, and many are both. More comfortable in their bedrooms than in a car or at a party, today’s teens are physically safer than teens have ever been. They are markedly less likely to get into a car accident and, having less of a taste for alcohol than their predecessors, are less susceptible to drinking’s attendant ills.

Psychologically, however, they are more vulnerable than Millennials were: rates of teen depression and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. It is not an exaggeration to describe iGen as being on the brink of the worst mental-health crisis in decades. Much of this deterioration can be traced to their phones.

However, in my conversations with teens, I saw hopeful signs that kids themselves are beginning to link some of their troubles to their ever-present phone. Athena told me that when she does spend time with her friends in person, they are often looking at their device instead of at her. “I’m trying to talk to them about something, and they don’t actually look at my face,” she said. “They’re looking at their phone, or they’re looking at their Apple Watch.” “What does that feel like when you’re trying to talk to somebody face-to-face and they’re not looking at you?” I asked. “It kind of hurts,” she said. “It hurts. I know my parents’ generation didn’t do that. I could be talking about something super important to me, and they wouldn’t even be listening.”

Once, she told me, she was hanging out with a friend who was texting her boyfriend. “I was trying to talk to her about my family, and what was going on, and she was like, ‘Uh-huh, yeah, whatever.’ So I took her phone out of her hands and I threw it at the wall.”

Though it is aggressive behavior that I don’t support, on the other hand, it is a step towards a life with limited phone use. So, if I were going to give advice for a happy adolescence, it would be straightforward: put down the phone, turn off the laptop, and do something—anything—that does not involve a screen.

15. Which of the following is NOT true about iGen teenagers, according to the author?

1) They prefer loneliness to company.

2) It is easy to hurt them psychologically.

3) Most of them feel extremely unhappy.

4) They have more physical health problems.

Вы услышите 6 высказываний. Установите соответствие между высказываниями каждого говорящего A—F и утверждениями, данными в списке 1—7. Используйте каждое утверждение, обозначенное соответствующей цифрой, только один раз. В задании есть одно лишнее утверждение. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 123456

1. Eye contact is an important aspect of communication.

2. Imitating a person's behaviour makes them like you.

3. People tend to like famous people more than simple ones.

4. A hot drink helps to establish contact in many ways.

5. Watch your back if you want to make a good impression.

6. You should never forget what a person is called.

7. It's dishonest to use techniques to make someone like you.

Вы услышите диалог. Определите, какие из приведённых утверждений А–G соответствуют содержанию текста (1 – True), какие не соответствуют (2 – False) и о чём в тексте не сказано, то есть на основании текста нельзя дать ни положительного, ни отрицательного ответа (3 – Not stated). Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1231231

A. Jim has a regular job with Greenpeace.

B. Jim says that people made the shore dirty while having fun.

C. There were boys only in Jim’s team.

D. Lisa doesn’t know how to become a volunteer.

E. Jim joined Greenpeace because of his interests.

F. You have to be older than 14 to become a volunteer.

G. Lisa will wait till she’s 15 to contact a volunteer organization.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1

3. What do we learn about Chris Black at the beginning of the interview?

1) He has won some literary awards.

2) He dislikes living in California.

3) He combines writing and teaching.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1

4. Second-person narration reminds Chris of playing …

1) board games.

2) video games.

3) active games

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
5. Second-person fiction makes the reader feel as if they are …

1) solving their problems.

2) talking with a narrator.

3) becoming part of the story

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
6. What does Chris love about flash fiction?

1) He can write an entire book in one day.

2) He’s able to publish his books quickly.

3) He can give his readers food for thought.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
7. Chris sometimes wants to make his stories …

1) longer.

2) profitable.

3) popular

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
8. According to Chris, what is special about fairy-tale-inspired fiction?

1) It helps readers to understand themselves better.

2) It focuses on some horrible things that always happen.

3) It can enable one to work as an adult psychologist.

Вы услышите интервью. В заданиях 3–9 запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа. Прослушайте запись дважды.

Пример ответа: 1
9. What does Chris admire most about Angela Carter?

1) She taught him the basics of writing.

2) Many of her characters are kind people.

3) She created a new literary genre.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 

Пример ответа: 1234567

1. То forgive and forget

2. How Maslenitsa is celebrated

3. The recipe for the holiday dish

4. Various functions of the holiday

5. How the holiday got its name

6. Why pancakes are essential at Maslenitsa

7. It is celebrated not only in Russia

8. Tasting competition

A. In the old days Maslenitsa was for remembrance of the dead. But in time, the Russian longing for fun and entertainment turned the sad holiday into the jolly Maslenitsa with blini — round, yellow and hot as the sun, sledding and horse sleigh riding, fistfights and chatting with the mother-in-law. The rituals of Maslenitsa are very unusual and interesting because they combine rituals for the end of winter and ceremonies for the start of spring, which were to promote a rich harvest.

B. Maslenitsa is one of the nicest holidays in Russia. The word Maslenitsa is derived from maslo, which means butter in Russian. It came from the tradition of baking pancakes (blini). Hot, round, and golden pancakes look like little suns. It is believed that they help to warm up the frozen earth. In the old days, pancakes were cooked from buckwheat flour, which gave them a red colour. Those pancakes symbolised the victory of the sun over the winter cold.

C. The circle has always been considered a holy shape in Russia. According to old beliefs, it protected people from evil. On Maslenitsa, the Russians made pancakes, decorated the wheels of their carts, and danced the khorovod (the round folk dance). The aim of all those ceremonies was to please the Sun so that it would be kinder to people. Nowadays, not everyone remembers about the symbolic meaning of the pancakes, but everyone enjoys their taste.

D. Nowadays, Maslenitsa lasts for a whole week. It has turned into a fun festival with different folk entertainments such as sledding, burning scarecrows, bonfire jumping, and eating pancakes. Each day of the Maslenitsa festival has its name and programme. For example, Tuesday is called zaigrysh (game day). From that day all sorts of activities started: sleigh riding, folk festivals and puppet shows.

E. For simple, thin pancakes, a dough is prepared from flour, milk, eggs and some salt and sugar. The first thing you should do is to separate the yolks from the whites. Then stir the yolks with sugar, slowly adding milk while stirring. Add the salt and the hot, melted butter. Then start adding the flour (very slowly), stirring the mixture. As the last step, add the stirred whites. Now everything is ready for baking pancakes on the hot frying pans.

F. And during the last day of Maslenitsa, Russian Jack-straw, the symbol of winter, is burnt. People bid farewell to winter till the next year. There is another important tradition on Sunday — you have to ask for forgiveness from all your close relatives and friends. That is why Russians call each other on the phone or send messages and ask to forgive them for all the bad things they have done during the year.

G. The Russian Orthodox Maslenitsa festival, which marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, has its origins in ancient sun worship. Every year since 2009, Russian pianist and producer Olga Balakleets has organized a week-long celebration of Russian culture around London. By chance or not it coincides with Maslenitsa. This festival included an impressive series of musical, cinematic and other events, along with a reception in the House of Commons.