5 Read and match the texts to headings. One heading is extra. A Global success
B Why are exhibitions so popular?
C Art Battle’s birthday D Why is it a big success?
1) Art Battle was born in New York City in 2001. Sean Bono and Max Bode wanted to bring the feelings and emotions of rap battles to the art world. The first battles were live competitions between artists, with the expert artists who chose the winner. The artists and audience loved it, and Art Battle was born!
2) As Art Battles became more popular, they began to look like performances. More and more people were becoming interested in the live events in New York and other places. These early events allowed Champions to take the best of the best on an exhibition tour of global cities. Many works by the winners were sold for big money. At present a lot of global cities are creating their own Art Battle events.
3) Today Art Battle International produces the global competition with more than 200 events each year in the US and Canada, and in more than 60 global cities around the world. From Toronto to Tokyo, Sydney to San Francisco, and Beijing to Bangladesh – Art Battle is the world’s live art tournament.

1) Hard - трудно
Is was hard to get those tickets. (Было трудно достать эти билеты)
2) hardly - едва, почти нет
He hardly ever plays football. (Он почти никогда не играет в футбол)
3) late - поздно, с опозданием
The train arrived late. (поезд приехал с опозданием)
4) lately - недавно, в последнее время
He has been very tired lately. (В последнее время он очень уставший)
5) near - около
There is a cafe near my house. (Около моего дома, ест кафе)
6) nearly - почти
I nearly forgot to call you. (Я почти забыл позвонить тебе)
7) high - высоко
The balloon rose high in the sky.
8) highly - в высокой степени, очень
They have a highly successful job. ( У них очень успешная работа)

Recently our lives have become asolutely dependent on modern technologies.  More and more people have computers, mobile phones and sophisticated household appliances.  Nowadays mobile telephones replaced ordinary old-fashioned telephones in the houses.  They are smaller in size and more convenient because they can be used anywhere.  The only problem may arise if the battery  is off. But in this case this problem may become a total disaster for the mobile phones owners. 

The same applies to computers.  Very few people today know how to send letters or telegrams. People also more see each other on the screen of the monitor than in real life.  Conversations and private meetings between friends become less and less frequent. However  if there is a problems with eletricity, we can face another disaster in the form of total loss of commuication.

Copying machines also do a lot of work for us.  We have simply become too lazy to re-write long texts.

As to cars, motorbikes and other vehicles, they stole from us one more chance to walk and enjoy a beautiful view of the nature or of the city. 

In other words modern technologies made our lives more comfortable and convernient.  But at the same we lost some skills that our parents used to have.