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Прочитай текст и выполни задания 12–18. В каждом задании запиши в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному тобой варианту ответа.
Strategies and useful tips
- Recommended time is 15 min (not more).
- Read the text carefully. You may need to read it, or parts of it, twice.
- Look at the first question.
- Look back to the text and find/highlight the part which the question refers to.
- If you have time, think how this information might be rephrased (or how you would answer the question in your own words).
- Look at the choices, and either choose the answer that you think is right or eliminate the ones you know are wrong.
- Check against the text.
In recent years, the South Korean entertainment industry has been becoming more and more popular outside of Asian countries: South Korean TV shows called K-dramas, food, cosmetics. But the easiest element to spread among new people is the music. We can hear it from random TV shows, on the radio, playing in a shopping mall or from someone's car in the street. That is why the first thing that comes to our mind when we talk about South Korea is Korean pop music or K-pop.
K-pop is not just a genre of music. There's a huge industry behind how young men and women become celebrities, or, as the Koreans call them, idols. This culture of K-pop idol music started to develop in the 1990s. A typical K-pop performance includes a musician or group of musicians singing live to pre-recorded versions of their songs and dancing these specific songs' choreographies. Management agencies offer boys and girls, sometimes at a fairly young age, positions of trainees and teach them all the necessary skills. Being a K-pop artist means being able to sing well, dance well, stay collected and act well while on stage, being in a good physical shape, sometimes speaking foreign languages. Some K-pop artists compose their own music, while others have songwriters and composers provided by the agencies.
The trainees live together in the agencies' dormitories and spend most of their time practising and honing their skills. When a trainee reaches the best of their abilities, they are allowed to debut, sometimes solo, but more often with a band of likewise trainees. Not all of the trainees' debut in the end, though. If you aren't working hard enough or aren't considered fitting in the planned concepts, you may be left among trainees for many years. Some remain trainees for longer than ten years.
More often than not each member of a K-pop group has their assigned role. The roles are distributed according to the skills in which each member excels: rapping, singing, dancing or having the best looks, the last one being called a "visual". Each group has a leader, the most experienced or the oldest member who speaks for the group. Special attention is often given to the youngest member of the group who is called "maknae". When the group debuts, they usually sign a contract with their agency for a fixed period of time, for example, five years, in which the agency supports and promotes the group and helps the members grow as artists in exchange for sharing the profits.
The daily life of a trainee is a life full of hard work, devotion and determination. Many Korean teenagers dream of becoming idols, but not everyone can endure such a lifestyle and walk the path until their very debut.
\(\boxed{12}\) According to the author, we primarily associate South Korean pop culture with music because...
it is the only part of Korean culture young people know.
Korean pop music plays in every TV show.
music is the easiest to notice and recognize in your daily life.
K-pop is promoted by the government.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{13}\) The K-pop music industry is also called an "idol" industry. Why?
There is a whole system built around the rise of young men and women to the "idol" status.
The K-pop industry consists of celebrities that are ideal by default.
Koreans idealise random teenagers from the streets and call them "idols".
It is part of the Korean culture to
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{14}\) An important part of any typical K-pop performance is...
a rap solo by a specific member.
dancing to certain songs' choreographies.
collaborating on a song with your agency's leader.
a fan meeting with a photoshoot.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{15}\) Where do K-pop musicians acquire all of their skills?
They are prodigies from a very young age brought to attention.
They go abroad and study there in special academies.
They study on their own and then debut with agencies.
They sign up with management agencies that train them.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{16}\) A trainee can debut solo or with a group when...
they have great visuals that are unmatched to other trainees.
they learn foreign languages enough to communicate with an international audience.
they become good enough at all of the necessary skills and fit the concepts.
they train for a certain period of time and become old enough.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{17}\) Roles between the members of a K-pop group are distributed...
depending on what skills each member excels in.
according to what the director of the agency says.
randomly in a lottery.
in a way so that each member gets the role they like more.
Ответ: [ ].
\(\boxed{18}\) Why do the groups sign contracts with the agencies?
Once you become a trainee, you are obliged to sign a contract with your agency.
If they don't, the agencies will spread bad rumours about them.
It is profitable for trainees because that way they receive all the money.
The agency promotes the group and helps the members become professionals.
Ответ: [ ].