We need less than a second to determine his character and inclinations by the sound of the interlocutor’s voice.
It’s no secret that the voice? whatever they say? carries a lot of information about its owner. By voice, we can almost always find out the gender of the interlocutor, often? age and physique, sometimes some other features. Scottish psychologists from their team Phil McAleer decided to test how quickly and what exactly we are able to recognize in the voice of a stranger.
To do this, they recorded the voices of 64 volunteers in the process of reading a paragraph of text, and then from each recording they left only one word — «hello», which lasted only 390 ms. Should 320 other volunteers listen to this recorded greeting and evaluate the different characteristics of the person speaking? such as reliability, attractiveness, or the desire to dominate.
Everyone understands that such a first impression is often deceiving, but in real life we constantly and instantly make such judgments about others? often only in order to subsequently change them. But such a mechanism is absolutely necessary, because it allows you to quickly decide how much you can trust a stranger, whether it is possible to interact with him, or is it better to retire away.
And these judgments, as McAilear and colleagues found, are surprisingly close: assessing the degree of agreement of the answers that were given in the experiment, on a scale from 0 to 1, the authors received a value of 0.92. In other words, based on the voice, we make almost the same first impressions.
For example, the pitch of the voice allows us to judge how much we can rely on a person: we tend to trust the owners of higher male voices, and those of women who involuntarily raise the pitch towards the end of the spoken word. Perhaps thanks to the work of McEiler and his team, we will soon hear voice assistants? such as the famous Siri for iOS,? whose character will seem to us just perfect.
1. Complete the sentences with the comparative or superlative form of the adverb in brackets.
1 Who works ……………………… (hard) out of all the students in the class?
2 There isn’t much traffic today, so we should arrive ……………………… (soon) than we expected.
3 If you ate ……………………… (slowly), you’d enjoy your food more!
4 The Swiss tennis player performed ……………………… (well) than his opponent and won the tournament.
5 Erik did ……………………… (badly) than I did in this month’s test.
6 The world’s population is growing ……………………… (fast) today than at any point in history.
7 My grandparents’ house isn’t far, but my aunt lives ……………………… (near) of all my family.
Answer
1 (the) hardest 2 sooner 3 more slowly 4 better
5 worse 6 faster 7 (the) nearest
2. Match the two halves of the comparative sentences.
1 He’s far more handsome in real life
2 The harder you work,
3 I spent more this week
4 The later you leave tonight,
5 The sooner we book,
6 This ice cream is less tasty
7 Our cat’s getting bigger and bigger
a the colder it will be.
b than I’d wanted to.
c the cheaper the tickets will be.
d than on TV.
e than it looks.
f the more we feed it!
g the better you’ll do.
Answer
1 d 2 g 3 b 4 a 5 c 6 e 7 f
3. Write the words in the correct order to make comparative sentences.
1 that / one / than / is / This / expensive / cap / more / slightly
…………………………………….
2 will / than / much / a / taxi / longer / take / The bus
…………………………………….
3 do / far / than / My / scarier / I / finds / brother / spiders
…………………………………….
4 lot / cycling / energetic / Walking / is / than / less / a
…………………………………….
5 little / planned / Her / than / a / she’d / shopping / took / longer
…………………………………….
6 today / even / be / tomorrow / hotter / Apparently / will / than / !
…………………………………….
7 news / you / surprised / I / the / less / than / was / no / at
…………………………………….
Answer
1 This cap is slightly more expensive than that one.
2 The bus will take much longer than a taxi.
3 My brother finds spiders far scarier than I do.
4 Walking is a lot less energetic than cycling.
5 Her shopping took a little longer than she’d planned.
6 Apparently tomorrow will be even hotter than today!
7 I was no less surprised at the news than you.
4. Choose the correct answers (a-c) to complete the sentences.
1 A quarter is …….. much as 25%.
a nowhere near as
b almost as
c just as
2 A second is …….. long as a minute.
a not quite as
b nothing like as
c nearly as
3 Eleven forty-five p.m. is …….. late as midnight.
a nearly as
b nowhere near as
c just as
4 Ninety-eight cents is …….. much as a euro.
a just as
b not quite as
c nothing like as
5 Spain is …….. cold as Iceland.
a nearly as
b almost as
c nowhere near as
6 The UK is …….. big as Russia.
a almost as
b nothing like as
c not quite as
Answer
1 c 2 b 3 a 4 b 5 c 6 b
5. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first.
1 That was the worst holiday I’d ever had!
I’d never had a holiday as …………………………… one!
2 If we walk fast, we’ll get there quicker.
The …………………………… we’ll get there.
3 Fast food used to be less healthy.
Fast food is …………………………… used to be.
4 My jacket is nothing like as comfortable as yours.
You jacket is far …………………………… mine.
5 Your brother is the same age as me.
Your brother is just …………………………… I am.
6 Indian food is far spicier than English food.
English food is nothing …………………………… Indian food.
Answer
1 bad as that 2 faster we walk, the quicker
3 healthier than it / not as unhealthy as it
4 more comfortable than
5 as old as 6 like as spicy as
6. Complete the text with the words below.
as far fewer like more nowhere than the
Thanks to some films and TV shows, and certain types of music, many people still regard big cities in the USA as violent and crime-filled. However, recent reports show that they’re 1………………………… near as dangerous as some people believe. Statistics for violent crime are nothing 2………………………… as bad as they were in the 1990s; the chance of being robbed or murdered is much lower 3………………………… in the 1990s when those crimes were far 4………………………… common than they are today. There are also slightly 5………………………… property crimes than forty years ago, with a drop of 2.8% being reported by some sources. Many inner-city areas once considered ‘no-go’ zones are 6………………………… more pleasant than they used to be, and cities generally are just as safe 7………………………… anywhere else in the world. The problem, of course, is that the more the media focuses on the few serious crimes, 8………………………… more afraid people become.
Answer
1 nowhere 2 like 3 than 4 more 5 fewer 6 far
7 as 8 the
7. Complete the second sentence with a comparative or superlative so that it means the same as the first. Use the correct form of the adverb or adjective from the first sentence.
1 You don’t walk as fast as me.
I walk …………………………………..
2 No one in my family sings as badly as my sister.
My sister is …………………………………..
3 My best friend is more outgoing than me.
I’m not …………………………………..
4 You’ll be safe if you’re cautions.
The more cautious you are, …………………………………..
5 My mum doesn’t drive as carefully as my dad.
My dad drives …………………………………..
6 No one I know is more critical than my brother.
My brother is …………………………………..
Answer
1 faster than you 2 the worst singer in my family
3 as outgoing as my best friend 4 the safer you’ll be
5 more carefully than my mum 6 the most critical person I know
8. Look at the figures in the table. Then complete the sentences with the words below.
even far nearly nothing nowhere
|
The 100 most dangerous cities in the USA, 2015 |
||
|
City |
Population |
Crime rate (per 1,000) |
|
Camden, New Jersey |
76,903 |
25.66 |
|
Chester, Pennsylvania |
34,046 |
21.53 |
|
Detroit, Michigan |
688,701 |
21.1 |
|
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
1,553,165 |
11 |
1 The crime rate in Philadelphia is ………………………… near as high as it is in Camden.
2 Camden’s population is ………………………… like as large as Philadelphia’s.
3 Camden’s population is quite small, but Chester’s is ………………………… smaller.
4 Chester’s population isn’t ………………………… as big as Detroit’s.
5 There are ………………………… more people living in Philadelphia than there are in Detroit.
Answer
1 nowhere 2 nothing 3 even 4 nearly 5 far
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use no more than three words.
1 My new laptop was more expensive than my PC!
My PC wasn’t ___________________________ as my new laptop.
2 No one in our family is as tall as Leanne.
Leanne is ___________________________ person in our family.
3 The exam was easier than I expected.
The exam was less ___________________________ I expected.
4 Gary’s car isn’t as new as yours.
Gary’s car ___________________________ than yours.
5 Everyone is older than me in this class.
I’m the ___________________________ in this class.
6 Claire’s new T-shirt was more expensive than her mobile phone!
Claire’s mobile phone ___________________________ as her new T-shirt.
7 That programme was the most interesting I’ve seen for ages.
That programme was ___________________________ any others I’ve seen for ages.
8 I think tigers are more beautiful than any other animal.
I think tigers are ___________________________ animals.
A. Complete using the comparative forms of the words in capitals.
1 Your brother is much ………………………. (TALL) than mine.
2 This island used to be much ………………………. (GREEN) before the forest fires.
3 Slow down! You’re ………………………. (FIT) than me and I can’t keep up!
4 Veronica seems ………………………. (HAPPY) since she moved schools.
5 It’s actually ………………………. (TRENDY) to wear your hair up this year.
6 As the time for the performance got nearer, I got ………………………. (NERVOUS).
7 Old people are often ………………………. (WISE) than young people.
8 Why don’t you try and find a ………………………. (CHEAP) computer game and save some money?
9 Matt seems to have got even ………………………. (LAZY) than he used to be and almost never studies.
10 If the problem gets any ………………………. (SERIOUS), we may need to inform the manager about it.
11 If you work ………………………. (QUICKLY), you’ll finish sooner and then you can go home earlier.
12 Ben says he’s feeling much ………………………. (WELL) after his illness.
13 I have even ………………………. (LITTLE) free time this year than I did last year.
14 The news was much ………………………. (BAD) than anyone had feared.
15 You’ll need to be able to run ………………………. (FAR) than this if you’re going to do the marathon.
Answer
1 taller 2 greener 3 fitter 4 happier
5 trendier/more trendy 6 more nervous
7 wiser 8 cheaper 9 lazier 10 more serious
11 more quickly 12 better 13 less 14 worse
15 farther/further
B. Complete using the superlative forms of the words in capitals.
1 I think Mohammed Ali was the ………………………. (GREAT) boxer that ever lived.
2 It was the ………………………. (BORING) film I had ever seen.
3 Our teacher told us that the student with the ………………………. (HIGH) mark would get a prize.
4 Ginger is one of the ………………………. (LUCKY) cats alive – he’s been hit by a car three times and has never been hurt!
5 Out of all the students in my music school, I practise ………………………. (OFTEN).
6 The Pacific is the ………………………. (DEEP) ocean in the world.
7 That’s the ………………………. (UGLY) fish I’ve ever seen!
8 I was ill before the exam and I did ………………………. (BADLY) out of the whole class.
9 The ………………………. (FAR) I’ve run in one day is about ten kilometres.
10 Don’t you think this would be the ………………………. (LOVELY) spot for a picnic?
11 But that’s the ………………………. (CRAZY) idea I’ve ever heard!
12 I asked the assistant to show me the ………………………. (MODERN) phone they had.
13 I told the manager that it was the ………………………. (BAD) hotel I had ever stayed in.
14 Who do you think is the ………………………. (LITTLE) talented actor to win an Oscar?
15 Out of all the members of the choir, Jason sang ………………………. (WELL).
Answer
1 greatest 2 most boring 3 highest 4 luckiest
5 (the) most often 6 deepest 7 ugliest
8 (the) worst 9 farthest/furthest 10 loveliest
11 craziest 12 most modern 13 worst
14 least 15 (the) best
C. Circle the correct word.
FILM REVIEW
Crime Does Pay, the (1) later / latest comedy from director Sam Martin, has to be one of the (2) little / least interesting films I have ever seen. The acting is terrible and the story is much (3) worse / worst than Martin’s other flop, Escape. Crime Does Pay was apparently (4) more / most expensive than any other film this year, but it’s hard to see where the money went. The plot concerns a gang of burglars who decide to steal the (5) more / most valuable painting in the world. Fine, except these criminals are far (6) less / least amusing than they should be. There isn’t a single real laugh in the whole movie. When I saw it, even (7) younger / youngest members of the audience thought it was stupidly childish. Dean Richards, playing Scarnose, does a slightly (8) better / best job than the others, but there isn’t much in it. When will Hollywood realise that as ticket prices get (9) higher / highest, more people are finding that the (10) well / best form of entertainment is to spend an evening at home with a DVD?
Answer
1 latest 2 least 3 worse 4 more 5 most
6 less 7 younger 8 better 9 higher 10 best
D. Complete each second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Write between two and five words in each gap.
1 I have never read a better book than this one. ever
This is the …………………………………………… read.
2 Nobody has ever been this far into the jungle. the
This is …………………………………………… has ever been into the jungle.
3 I have never worked so hard in my whole life. ever
It was the …………………………………………… in my whole life.
4 Liam is the tallest boy in the class. than
Every other boy in the class …………………………………………… Liam.
5 This is the nicest beach along this part of the coast. than
This …………………………………………… the others along this part of the coast.
6 I read that Mount Everest is the highest mountain. no
I read that …………………………………………… Mount Everest.
7 Has anyone ever been this far north before? the
Is …………………………………………… has ever been?
8 The painting Ed did is the ugliest one you can imagine. than
You can’t imagine …………………………………………… the one Ed did.
9 This stamp is rarer than any other in my collection. more
The other stamps in my collection …………………………………………… this one.
10 Nobody in the class runs as fast as Pedro. Runner
Pedro …………………………………………… in the class.
Answer
1 best book I have ever
2 the farthest/the furthest
anybody/anyone
3 hardest I have ever worked
4 is shorter than
5 beach is nicer than
6 no mountain is higher than
7 the farthest/the furthest
anybody/anyone
8 an uglier painting/a painting uglier than
9 are more common/commoner than
10 is the fastest runner
E. Rewrite each sentence using so…that.
1 John can see over the wall because he is tall.
……………………………………………
2 I’m sure my sister will go to university because she is clever.
……………………………………………
3 I can’t stop playing this computer game because it’s good.
……………………………………………
4 Tim can’t come out because he has a lot of work to do.
……………………………………………
5 It’s hot, which means I can’t sleep.
……………………………………………
6 Tina arrived late, which meant she missed the train.
……………………………………………
7 We don’t have any money for luxuries because we have a lot of bills to pay.
……………………………………………
8 It takes a day to get to Australia because it’s very far away.
……………………………………………
Answer
1 John is so tall that he can see over the wall.
2 My sister is so clever that I’m sure she will go to university
3 This computer game is so good that I can’t stop playing it.
4 Tim has so much work to do that he can’t come out.
5 It’s so hot that I can’t sleep.
6 Tina arrived so late that she missed the train.
7 We have so many bills to pay that we don’t have any money for luxuries.
8 Australia is so far away that it takes a day to get there.
F. Match to make sentences.
1 Last year, winter started so …………
2 Last winter, there were so …………
3 Last year, we had such …………
4 Last winter, there was so …………
5 Last winter, there was such a lot of …………
6 Last winter was so …………
A many storms that we had floods.
B cold that the water in the pipes froze.
C a cold winter that I had to sleep with a hat on!
D suddenly that many people were taken by surprise.
E much snow that I skied nearly every day.
F snow that many wild animals died.
Answer
1 D 2 A 3 C 4 E 5 F 6 B
G. Circle the correct word or phrase.
1 I don’t think there’s enough pizza / pizza enough for everyone.
2 I’m afraid you’re not enough old / old enough to see this film.
3 Luckily, we got to the box office enough early / early enough and got the tickets.
4 Anne’s enough sensible / sensible enough to realise she needs to work hard this year.
5 If you don’t train enough hard / hard enough, you’ll never win the race.
6 Have you got enough credits / credits enough to call Yiota on your mobile?
7 It should be enough warm / warm enough for a picnic this weekend.
8 I don’t think I’m good enough for getting / to get into the swimming team.
9 Are you sure you’ve got enough chairs for us all to sit down / we all sit down?
10 In mountaineering, you have to be strong enough for pull / to pull yourself up with your fingers.
Answer
1 enough pizza 2 old enough 3 early enough
4 sensible enough 5 hard enough 6 enough credits
7 warm enough 8 to get 9 us all to sit down 10 to pull
H. Tick (✓) the correct sentences. If a sentence is incorrect, write another word to replace the word in bold.
1 I wanted to get some new trainers but they were too expensive. ………………….
2 Japanese is a too difficult language for Westerners to learn. ………………….
3 Daniel’s too good at art and he’s starting art school next year. ………………….
4 Don’t invite too many people to the party or we won’t have enough room. ………………….
5 If you try to write your essay too quickly, you’ll make mistakes. ………………….
6 My new computer is too fast and can run all the latest programs. ………………….
7 Joanne was fined for driving too fast. ………………….
8 Carol couldn’t climb over the wall because it was too high. ………………….
9 Cornwall is too beautiful and we go there every year on holiday. ………………….
10 My grandparents are too old to work now and have retired. ………………….
11 It was too dark for me to see the map and I got lost. ………………….
12 My best friend is too funny and always makes me laugh. ………………….
Answer
1 ✓ 2 very/really
3 very/really/extremely
4 ✓ 5 ✓
6 very/really/extremely
7 ✓ 8 ✓
9 very/really/extremely
10 ✓ 11 ✓
12 very/really/extremely
I. Choose the correct answer.
1 It was …………… windy that I couldn’t stand up!
A so B such C enough D too
2 Everyone had …………… a good time when we went bowling that we agreed to go again.
A so B such C enough D too
3 Emma and Karen used to be …………… good friends that I’m surprised they don’t get on now.
A so B such C enough D too
4 I hope I’ve got …………… money to pay for this meal!
A so B such C enough D too
5 I’m sorry, but I’ve got …………… much work to do to come to the beach today.
A so B such C enough D too
6 My mum was …………… angry that I knew I’d better disappear for a while.
A so B such C enough D too
7 They were …………… beautiful shoes that I decided I had to get them.
A so B such C enough D too
8 The earthquake was …………… powerful that the town was destroyed.
A so B such C enough D too
9 The shot was …………… quick for the goalkeeper and the ball hit the back of the net.
A so B such C enough D too
10 I had …………… a bad headache that I went to lie down for a while.
A so B such C enough D too
Answer
1 A 2 B 3 B 4 C 5 D 6 A 7 B 8 A 9 D 10 B
J. Write one word in each gap.
CRIMESTOPPERS
‘Hello, and welcome to Crimestoppers, the show that lets you, the viewer, help the police. We’ve had (1) ………………… a lot of letters this week that it’s difficult to know where to begin. We’ll start with the story of Mrs Pat Williams, of Cambridge. Last Friday, Pat decided to go into town with her baby daughter. It’s (2) ………………… far to walk so they went to the bus stop. They waited (3) …………………a long time that baby Caroline started to cry. Pat picked the baby up out of the pram and she was (4) ………………… busy she didn’t notice the man beside her until it was (5) ………………… late. He grabbed her handbag and ran off (6) ………………… quickly for her to catch him. It all happened (7) ………………… fast that there was nothing anyone could do. Police are appealing for witnesses. Maybe you were in the area. Maybe you think that what you saw is (8) ………………… unimportant that the police won’t be interested. Remember that no detail is (9) ………………… small to be useful to the police. Call us here at Crimestoppers now.’
Answer
1 such 2 too 3 such 4 so 5 too
6 too 7 so 8 so 9 too
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Раскрыть скобки, домашняя по английскому языку.
1. Nick is (happy) boy that i know.
2. Of the six cars, I like the silver one the (good).
3. Jane’s notebook is (cheap) than mine.
4. This is (delicious) cheese-cake I have ever had!
5. Do you feel (good) today than one.
6. I think my cat is (pretty) of all the cats in the word.
7.Steve Jobs is (famous) than Stephen Wozniak.
8. This week the weather is (hot) than the old one.
9. Our new house is (expensive) than the old one.
10. Girls are usually (clean) than boys.
11. Chemistry was the (hard) subject at school.
12. February is (cold) than March.
13. John is (young) than me.
14. Lake Baikal is (deep) then this lake.
15. Mike is (tall) than Jack.
16. Our flat is (much) comfortable than yours.
17. This dictation is (little) difficult than yesterday’s one.
18. This bird is (much) beautiful than ours.