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The ninth planet of the solar system was discovered not long ago. It happened in 1930. Scientists had been hunting for the planet for a long time. They had calculated its probable position but there was no proof that the planet really existed. It was too far away for the telescopes of that time to find it. It’s worth mentioning that the first photos of the planet were taken by a very young researcher. He was only twenty-four and had no formal education in astronomy. However, he was deeply involved in the search for the ninth planet. The planet at the edge of the solar system was called Pluto, after the Roman god. The name for the planet was suggested by an 11-year-old British girl.

You are going to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.

One day a young man who lived near the lake in a small American town asked himself, “Why can’t people ski on water if they can ski on snow?” With his brother’s help he constructed several models of skis to test his ideas. He experimented on the local lake for a few days and created skis suitable for the water. This happened in 1922. The young man, who was only 18 at that time, didn’t patent his invention. However, he performed a lot of shows across the country that made him and the sport of water skiing popular. Later, he was recognized as the creator of a new sport – water skiing.

Water skiing equipment has been greatly improved since that time, and the number of people who enjoy this sport is growing in many countries.

You need to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.

The telescope is the oldest and probably the most effective tool to explore space. It has been used by astronomers since the 16th century and it has tremendously changed our knowledge of the universe. Certainly, the telescope itself has changed a lot since that time too.

The most famous telescope nowadays, the Hubble Telescope, works in space, in low Earth orbit. It works from above the atmosphere of the Earth and that is why it produces fantastically clear photos. The Hubble was launched into space on 24th April, 1990 from the Space Shuttle Discovery and is still in operation. Scientists say its information could help them to solve the mystery of the black holes and to understand how they form.

You need to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.

Most tourists who come to London want to see the Globe Theatre. It is one of the main landmarks in the British capital. The theatre has always been linked with William Shakespeare. His plays have been staged there for several centuries.

Historians say that the theatre was built in 1599. It was a large, round, open air theatre. In those days special coloured flags were used to advertise the type of play to be performed. A red flag was put up for a history play, a white flag for a comedy, and a black flag for a tragedy.

The theatre worked for 14 years before it was destroyed by fire. Then it was rebuilt, destroyed, and reconstructed again. The theatre has changed several names and now it is called Shakespeare’s Globe.

You are going to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.

If you look at the night sky, you will see an endless number of stars. When there are no clouds, you can also see a band of light that goes across the sky. It is called the Milky Way. In 1610, after the invention of the telescope, scientists found out that the Milky Way consists of individual stars. Our Solar System is a tiny part of the Milky Way and it is located close to its centre. The Milky Way contains over 200 billion stars and enough dust and gas to make billions more. More than half of the stars are older than our Sun. Until the last century, scientists believed that all the stars of the Universe were inside the Milky Way. Now, it is well-known that there are a lot of other galaxies like ours.