Darmowe konto pozwoli wrócić do niego później.

hadn’t enjoyed for years. The question of investment was one that occupied her greatly. During

the still hours of the night she lay awake thinking how to use the money properly. A dollar or

two should be added to the price usually paid for Janie’s shoes, which would ensure their lasting

longer than they usually did. Mag should have another gown. And still there would be enough

left for new stockings. The vision of her children looking fresh and dainty excited her and made

her wakeful with anticipation.

Mrs. Sommers was one who knew the value of bargains. She could stand for hours making

her way inch by inch toward the desired object that was selling below cost. She had learned to

hold an item and stick to it with persistence and determination till her turn came to be served.

But that day she was a little faint and tired. When she entered the store, she sat herself upon

a revolving stool before a counter that was comparatively deserted, trying to gather strength

before she joined the crowd of bargain hunters. Suddenly her hand had encountered something

pleasant to touch. She looked down to see that it lay upon a pile of silk stockings. A placard she

could see nearby announced they’d been reduced in price from two dollars and fifty cents to

one dollar and ninety-eight. A young girl who stood behind the counter asked her if she wished

to examine them. “Do you think there are any eights-and-a-half among these?” Mrs. Sommers

asked. There were any number of eights-and-a-half. Mrs. Sommers selected a black pair. “I’ll

take this one.”

Mrs. Sommers took the elevator to an upper floor. In the ladies’ changing room she

exchanged her cotton stockings for the new silk ones which she’d just bought. She rolled

the cotton stockings together and thrust them into her bag. Then she crossed straight over to

the shoe department and took her seat to be fitted. She was fastidious. The clerk couldn’t match

her shoes with her stockings and she couldn’t make up her mind which pair was best. She

wanted a stylish fit, she told the young fellow who served her, and she didn’t mind the difference

of a dollar or two more so long as she got what she desired.

Her new stockings and shoes had given her a feeling of assurance. Suddenly she felt hungry.

Another time she would have gone home, brewed herself a cup of tea and taken a snack of

anything that was available. But today she decided to act differently. There was a restaurant at

the corner. When she entered, her appearance created no consternation, as she’d half feared it

might. She seated herself at a small table, and an attentive waiter at once approached to take

her order. Everything was delicious. At the end of the meal, she counted the money out to

the waiter and left an extra coin, whereupon he bowed as before a princess of royal blood.

adapted from A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin

6.1. The first two paragraphs present Mrs. Sommers as a woman who

A. is accustomed to purchasing luxurious items.

B. can by no means be considered an extravagant spender.

C. often fails to control her spending while shopping.

D. does not care about the needs of anybody but herself.

6.2. When the woman was out shopping that day, she

A. was not easy to please.

B. hesitated about the size of the stockings she needed.

C. was offended by the man who fitted her shoes.

D. threw away her worn-out cotton stockings.

6.3. While in the restaurant, the woman

A. was angry that the waiter had ignored her.

B. regretted not having lunch at home.

C. felt relieved her entrance did not draw people’s attention.

D. realized she couldn’t afford to leave a tip for the waiter.

Tekst 2.

THE PARADISE

When they first appeared, the great department stores, like Harrods in London, commanded

such admiration as was once reserved for medieval cathedrals. That sense of grandeur is brought

to life in The Paradise, a series which dramatizes the goings-on at an Edwardian department

store. The focus is on two bright souls from opposite sides of the power spectrum: the store

owner, John Moray, and the latest female addition to the ladies-wear department, Denise Lovett.

Denise leaves her job at the village store to pursue her big city dreams. She finds a shop girl’s

life isn’t very different from that of a servant. The female clerks sleep in cramped rooms, have

to follow a strict code of behaviour, and have little chance of advancement. But Denise doesn’t

feel discouraged. The ambitious girl bursts with innovative ideas which attract customers and

effectively help to boost sales. After some time, her ingenuity gets noticed and appreciated by

The Paradise boss, who expanded a little shop and made it one of the city’s top attractions.

John Moray built The Paradise with his sweat and his wife’s money and now he is a member

of that ever-growing breed of men produced by the era – the bourgeoisie. With more leisure

time and money in their pockets, they’re easy pickings for enterprising capitalists. Especially

their wives who are eager to try new fads. Asked by one of his financiers why the world needs

“more perfumes and dressing gowns,” Moray boldly says, “Need is not the issue. I deal

in appetite.” Yet, though the shop exploits the weaknesses of some, it also becomes

a democratizing force, it is a place where noblemen shop shoulder-to-shoulder with bank clerks

and lawyers. For Denise, eager to prove herself in a world dominated by highborn men, it’s

the road to success.

adapted from www.articles.philly.com

6.4. From the text we learn that Denise Lovett, the main female character of The Paradise,

A. used to work as a servant at a mansion near her village.

B. gets disillusioned with work in Moray’s store and quits the job.

C. refuses the offer of running the ladies-wear department.

D. attracts Moray’s attention with her marketing skills.

6.5. In the third paragraph, the author

A. discusses the social factors behind the growth of Moray’s business.

B. explains why Moray was uncertain of the success of his enterprise.

C. draws attention to society’s dissatisfaction with capitalism.

D. ridicules rich women’s taste in clothes.

PRZENIEŚ ROZWIĄZANIA NA KARTĘ ODPOWIEDZI!

C

6.4.

3.3. Zdający znajduje w tekście określone

informacje.

D

6.5.

3.2. Zdający określa główną myśl

poszczególnych części tekstu.

A

Znajomość środków językowych