Darmowe konto pozwoli wrócić do niego później.

ago, I had envisioned spending the rest of my life with. The person who I am now trapped

with inside a glass capsule 443 feet above ground.

She could say no. Rather, she did say no.

New Year’s Eve. The London Eye. The girl of my dreams. A ring. A future together.

What could possibly go wrong?

I had prearranged everything very carefully. I devoted months to secretly browsing through

websites, taking into consideration different ways of proposing. It was only when Jade told

me how eager she was to take the London Eye ride that I made up my mind to propose

to her there.

The glossy brochure promoting the “Proposal Package”, which I subsequently obtained,

seemed to guarantee that it was the most appropriate place. If you ignore the prohibitive

cost, what could be more romantic than having a whole London Eye capsule to yourself?

The pages featured beautiful-looking people shedding tears of happiness. There were high-

definition images of the breath-taking view. The word ‘magical’ was emphatically printed

in bold type. There was no small print warning that she might reject my proposal. After all,

as the slogan declared, “Who could say no?”.

We are not even high enough to witness the promised iconic skyline when, to put it mildly,

reality falls short of my expectations. We have only just boarded our private capsule which,

for the next thirty minutes, is reserved just for us, accompanied by a box of luxury chocolate

truffles and a bottle of champagne. I don’t even like champagne. But with the nerves, and the

pressure of the situation, I drink a glass before we even set off.

I pop both the bottle and the question too early.

If there was a handbook for London Eye proposals, then I imagine it would instruct you to get

down on one knee when the wheel reaches its highest point, when you have the maximum

impact of the spectacular 360-degree view. But I don’t wait.

Maybe she would have said “yes” if she’d been faced with the wondrous sights of Big Ben,

Wren’s baroque architecture and the modern metropolis of the City. Instead, as I say

the fateful words “Will you marry me?”, we are face-to-face with the London Dungeon.

The question petrifies her more than its billboards.

“No, Josh, no,” Jade replies, her eyes locked onto mine. She gazes at me as if I’m a stranger

she’s never encountered. “Marriage, Josh? Really? What’s going through your mind?

I dreamed of a ride on the London Eye, not a proposal atop of it.”

Her words continue to resonate inside my head and echo around the capsule.

No. No. No.

What does she even mean? Is this a temporary rejection or a permanent one? If only I had

the proposal package brochure at this moment, perhaps it would provide me with guidance

-100

on the appropriate course of action. A quick glance at my watch. Twenty-seven minutes

to the end of this nightmare. What is the problem with this wheel? Why is its pace so slow?

Could it possibly be broken?

Na podstawie: James Bailey, The Flip Side, New York 2020.

W zadaniach 6.1.–6.4. z podanych odpowiedzi wybierz właściwą, zgodną z treścią

tekstu. Zakreśl jedną z liter: A, B, C albo D.

6.1. Josh’s decision to propose on the London Eye was primarily motivated by

A. information Josh found while browsing many proposal-related websites.

B. desperation resulting from his lengthy search for an appropriate place.

C. a glossy brochure promoting it as the best place for this purpose.

D. Jade’s remark that she was keen to take a ride on it.

6.2. During the ride on the London Eye

A. Josh blamed himself for choosing the wrong moment for the proposal.

B. Josh carefully followed the instructions in the proposal handbook.

C. Josh suspected the ride would end in disaster.

D. Josh felt the duration of the ride was too short.

6.3. Which of the following happened first after the couple got on the London Eye

ride?

A. Josh opened a bottle of champagne.

B. Jade responded to the proposal.

C. They saw the London Dungeon.

D. Josh checked the time.

6.4. Which is the best title for the story?

A. CELEBRATION SPOILT BY FELLOW PASSENGERS

B. A TECHNICAL PROBLEM WITH A CAPSULE

C. AN UNEXPECTED TURN OF EVENTS

D. FUTURE WIFE TURNS UP TOO LATE

PRZENIEŚ ROZWIĄZANIA ZADAŃ OD 6.1. DO 6.4. NA KARTĘ ODPOWIEDZI!

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Tekst 2.

THE LONDON EYE

Observation structures are common tourist attractions in big cities around the world. New

York’s Empire State Building, Chicago’s Sears Tower, Toronto’s CN Tower – the list goes on

and on. But how many cities can boast that their observation structure is a giant Ferris

wheel?

Opened in 2000, the London Eye is located on the south bank of the River Thames.

Originally called The Millennium Wheel, the London Eye is the brainchild of David Marks and

Julia Barfield, a husband and wife architect team. In 1993, Britain’s Sunday Times

newspaper organized a competition in which it called for ideas for monuments to mark

the upcoming Millennium celebration. Marks and Barfield’s concept of an ever-turning wheel

offering a unique bird’s-eye view of Britain’s capital and beyond is now the number one paid-

for tourist attraction in London. But why a Ferris wheel? Well, the architects noted that

London didn’t have any observation points for people to view the entire city skyline, as well

as the River Thames stretching to the horizon. They concluded that a tall, rotating wheel

would not only allow a unique viewing point, but would also make it possible for large

numbers of people to appreciate that view at the same time. But, most importantly,

the turning of the wheel was meant to represent the turning of the millennium.

The London Eye is a modern take on a traditional Ferris wheel with a few distinct differences.

For one, the passengers sit in fully enclosed capsules rather than dangling gondolas.

In addition, the entire structure of the London Eye is supported on one side only, allowing

the wheel to hang over the River Thames. There are 32 capsules, one to represent each

borough of London. Its speed is quite slow, and passengers can easily step on and off while

the wheel is turning – though for elderly or disabled passengers the wheel comes

to a complete stop to ensure their safety.

We’ve all read enough horror stories about amusement park rides to wonder if anything has

ever gone wrong with the London Eye. Although no major breakdowns have occurred, not

everyone has enjoyed a peaceful and relaxing ride. In March 2008, the wheel broke down

and 400 passengers were left hanging for about an hour. Nobody was hurt, but many

passengers were quite shaken up by the experience. Also, back in 2002, passengers were

not allowed on board the London Eye for a few hours after engineers noticed it was rotating

a little too fast. During its construction, the London Eye underwent extensive safety

monitoring, testing and evaluation, and this monitoring has continued on an ongoing basis.

In the event of a problem, the ride operator can return a capsule – no matter where it is –

back to the boarding platform in eight minutes, by either changing direction or speeding up

the rotation.

Na podstawie: https://adventure.howstuffworks.com

-100

Uzupełnij luki w zdaniach 6.5.–6.8. zgodnie z treścią tekstu, tak aby jak najbardziej

precyzyjnie oddać jego sens. Luki należy uzupełnić w języku angielskim.

6.5. Marks and Barfield came up with the idea for the London Eye in response to ________

_____________________________________________ the upcoming Millennium.

6.6. The number of capsules on the London Eye is the same as ______________________

____________________________________________.

6.7. The wheel stops for both ____________________ and _________________________

to get on and off.

6.8. The London Eye has had technical difficulties twice. The first time ________________

_______________________________________ and had to be closed for a short time.

-100

Podstawa programowa

Wymagania ogólne

Wymagania szczegółowe

6.5.

II. Rozumienie wypowiedzi.

Zdający rozumie […] różnorodne

złożone wypowiedzi pisemne […].

V. Przetwarzanie wypowiedzi.

Zdający zmienia formę przekazu […]

pisemnego […].

I. Znajomość środków

językowych.

Zdający posługuje się dość bogatym

zasobem środków językowych

(leksykalnych, w tym związków

frazeologicznych, gramatycznych,

ortograficznych) […].

VIII.2) Zdający

przekazuje w języku

obcym nowożytnym

[…] informacje

sformułowane w tym

języku obcym.

III.4) Zdający

znajduje w tekście

określone informacje.

6.6.

6.7.

6.8.

Uszczegółowienia do zadania 6.

Zasady oceniania

1 pkt – poprawna odpowiedź.

0 pkt – odpowiedź niepoprawna albo brak odpowiedzi.