Чтение: задание 10

1. Not for children

2. Benefits for poor countries

3. Illegal and unsafe

4. Small size - great role

5. One is not enough

6. Don't speak - text

7. Spreading wider - weighing lighter

8. One device - many functions

A. A mobile phone (also known as a cell phone) is a device that can make and receive telephone calls while moving around. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile phone operator, allowing access to the public telephone network. In addition to telephony, modem mobile phones also support a wide variety of other services such as text messaging, MMS, email, Internet access, Bluetooth, business applications, gaming and photography.

B. The first hand-held mobile phone was demonstrated by Dr. Martin Cooper ol Motorola in 1973, using a handset weighing around 1 kg. In 1983, the first commercial cell phone was released. In the twenty years from 1990 to 2010, worldwide mobile phone subscriptions grew from 12.4 million to over 4.6 billion. It got to the developing countries and reached the poorest citizens. The devices themselves have also become smaller and much lighter.

C. The most commonly used data application on mobile phones is SMS text messaging. The first SMS text message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone in 1992 in the UK, while the first person-to-person SMS from phone to phone was sent in Finland in 1993.The first mobile news service, delivered via SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000. Mobile news services are expanding with many organizations providing «оп-demand» news services by SMS.

D. Mobile phones need a small microchip called a Subscriber Identity Module, or SIM card, to function. The SIM card is approximately the size of a small postage stamp and is usually placed underneath the battery in the rear of the unit. The SIM card does not only store data like telephone numbers but also allows users to change phones by simply removing the SIM card from one mobile phone and inserting it into another mobile phone or broadband telephony device.

E. Mobile phones are used for keeping in touch with family members, conducting business, and having access to a telephone in an emergency. Some people carry more than one cell phone for different purposes, such as for business and personal use. Multiple SIM cards may also be used to take advantage of the benefits of different calling plans - a particular plan might provide cheaper local calls, long-distance calls, international calls, or roaming.

F. Mobile phones have spread more quickly than any other technology and can improve the life of the poorest people in developing countries. They provide access to information in places where landlines or the Internet are not available. In Africa, people travel from village to village to let friends and relatives know about weddings and births. They need not do this if the villages are within coverage. Mobile phones are recharged using a solar panel or motorcycle battery.

G. Mobile phone use while driving is common but dangerous, as it increases the risk of accident. Many countries prohibit it. Some schools also limit or restrict the use of mobile phones because cell phones are used for cheating on tests, harassment and bullying, causing threats to the school's security. Many mobile phones are banned in school locker room facilities, public restrooms and swimming pools due to the built-in cameras that most phones now have.

1. A good source of information

2. Increasing the accessibility

3. The revival of letter writing

4. A beautiful tradition lost

5. Making it quick and efficient

6. The victory of technology

7. As an art form

8. Writing material evolution

A. There is something pleasant about receiving a handwritten letter from a friend. It is also very enjoyable to write a letter — choosing the paper and envelope, writing with a favourite pen, and the satisfying closure of licking the envelope and putting on a stamp. Unfortunately, since the widespread use of email, not many people write and send letters any more. The history of letter writing, however, is very interesting.

B. Before the invention of the postal service, letters were delivered on foot by couriers. The ancient Greeks used athletic runners for that. Later, horses were used because they were faster and could be changed at various stations. The Romans developed this system into a postal service. The Latin word ‘positus’ meant carriers, and that is where the English word ‘post’ comes from.

C. The material of letter writing has changed over time. Originally, people wrote on clay tablets. Later the Egyptians started using papyrus, a plant that grows in the river. The English word ‘paper’ comes from this plant. In the West, paper was produced from animal skins. In medieval times, the Saxons used the bark of the beech tree, called bok. This is where the English word ‘book’ comes from.

D. Literacy has had a big effect on letter writing: if you can’t read you can’t write letters! Before the 15,h century letter writing was restricted to governments, the church, and the aristocracy. After the invention of the printing press that made books cheaper, literacy was greatly increased. Ordinary people started writing letters and it became the most popular and the only way of long distance communication until the invention of the telegraph in 1837.

E. Much of what we know of the lives of people long dead comes from personal letters. Certainly books have provided historical information about the Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, but much of what we know of daily life from these periods comes from letters. Modem biographers get most of their information about the famous people they are writing about from their correspondence.

F. In the 18th and 19th centuries, letter writing was considered an art and essential part of life. People wrote not only to keep in touch but also as a method of literary expression, as a work of art, and conformed to conventions of etiquette and form. Literary figures wrote letters knowing that they would be read in the future by historians, and one day might be published. There were even novels consisting of a series of letters, known as the epistolary novel.

G. Even after the telephone became a common fixture in homes, people continued to write letters. What killed the letter was the widespread use of email, and the development of texting and chatting on social media. This type of communication holds many advantages. You don’t need to worry about finding paper, envelopes, stamps, and going to the mailbox. It is also possible to get an instant reply.

1. For adventurous skiers

2. Especially good in autumn

3. For the rich and lazy

4. Not just for gamblers

5. Like an island in heaven

6. Film-makers like it

7. Looking down from up there

8. Probably the best one of five

A. If you go to the Insular Mountain Range of Vancouver Island and face the open Pacific Ocean, be ready to experience the magnificent natural and cultural heritage ot Canada's west coast. If you decide to go deeper into the island, you will find a lush coastal rainforest that gives way to bountiful and diverse intertidal and subtidal areas. And to top it all off, there are breathtaking beaches that make this an island paradise.

B. The resort town of Whistler is about a two-hour drive from Vancouver. Whistler offers visitors fine food and spas, but mostly it is popular among tourists for the opportunities it offers for adventure. Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains make Whistler one of the best destinations in the world for first-class skiing. The passage between the two mountains creates a unique terrain one mile above the village, providing a year-round skiable territory.

C. A prized national treasure, Banff National Park is one of five national parks in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. It attracts millions of visitors each year for camping, hiking, biking, skiing, fishing or just relaxing. A full range of accommodation, restaurants and shops can be found in the resort. Two of the most famous and historic Canadian hotels, the Fairmont Banff Springs and the Chateau Lake Louise, are located in these towns as well.

D. Niagara Falls is maybe the most famous in the world, attracting millions of tourists each year. However, it has a certain reputation for being partly a small-scale Las Vegas and a theme park, because in addition to Niagara Falls the tourists can visit a casino resort with fine hotels and restaurants. Although this area is improving very quickly and everyone can easily find what they like, the Niagara region as a whole is worth deeper exploration.

E. Tourists are naturally drawn to tall buildings where they can get a bird’s eye view of a city. The CN tower, located in downtown Toronto, is the tallest free standing structure in the world. Unfortunately, elevated observation usually comes at an equally elevated price, and the CN Tower is no different. However, tourists love it and the glass elevator takes them to the glass-floored outdoor observation deck which is a real thrill for both kids and grownups.

F. The 300 km long Cabot Trail is famous for its panorama views of the Atlantic Ocean. The trail is especially popular in the fall when the views are the most spectacular. Even though the drive into this area usually takes a few hours, once there, tourists can spend a day or two stopping in at one or two of the towns along the trail, relaxing and enjoying the magnificent nature all around.

G. By. North American standards, Vancouver is a young city. But- what it lacks in history it compensates for with its unique blend of urban and natural features. Thanks to its high- fashion boutiques, it has earned the nickname “North Hollywood.” Vancouver’s breathtaking views are often chosen as the setting for popular television shows and major motion pictures. Often tourists are surprised to recognize landmarks from their favorite films and shows.

1. The invention of a highlighter

2. For drawing angles

3. Three-ring binder

4. Shaped like breadbaskets

5. An ancient writing tool

6. Important properties

7. Regional differences

8. For carrying textbooks

A. An ancient Roman writing instrument, the stylus, gave rise to the modem pencil. Some early styluses were made of lead. When graphite was documented in Borrowdale, England, in 1564, the mineral replaced the heavy metal. Graphite left a darker mark on papyrus, but it was so soft that it crumbled easily. To protect the graphite, a holder had to be fashioned for it. The first holders were nothing more than string wound around graphite sticks. Later, hollow wooden sticks replaced the string.

B. In the United States and Canada, it’s an eraser. But in the United Kingdom, India, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, the object used to eradicate pencil or ink marks is known as a rubber. Before 1770, when erasers first appeared, many people used small rubber or wax slabs to rub out their penciled mistakes. To eradicate errors in ink, they employed sandstone or pumice. Japanese writers used soft bread to erase pencil marks.

C. Starting in 1888, when American tanner John Loud patented his version of a ballpoint pen to mark hides, over 350 other inventors began patenting additional designs for a ballpoint pen, but none of them saw production. The viscosity, or thickness, of the ink had to be just right: too thin, and it leaked; too thick, and it clogged. The ink’s viscosity was often at the mercy of the temperature. In 1935, Ladislas and Greg Biro set out to invent a better pen and made their Biro pen.

D. Before the 1960s, when Japanese inventor Yukio Horie invented a felt-tip pen that used water-based ink, students kept track of important textbook information by making marginal notes and underlining key words and passages. In 1963, Carter’s Ink produced the Hi-Liter, a marker similar to Horie’s pen. Both instruments rely on capillary action to draw ink into their tips. Fluorescent colours were introduced in 1978. Since then, polyethylene beads molded into porous heads have replaced felt tips, and there are retractable and scented models.

E. The protractor has been measuring angles for 500 years. Mapma- ker Thomas Blundeville first described the instrument in his 1589 monograph. By the early 17th century, protractors were commonly used by maritime navigators. By the 20th century, their use among students in elementary and intermediate schools became prevalent. The variety of uses for protractors dictates their range of shapes. Protractors made of brass, steel, ivory, and plastic appear in the forms of circles, rectangles, squares, semicircles and quarter-circles.

F. German inventor and office supplier Friedrich Soennecken invented the ring binder in 1886. Later, two holes in the side of the binder were added, 80 millimeters apart from one another, setting the standard distance between these openings. When loose-leaf paper appeared in 1854, Henry T. Sisson invented the two- and three- ring binders, but they weren’t mass-produced until 1899, when the Chicago Binder and File Company began to sell the product. The three-ring version remains the most favoured by today’s students.

G. Backpacks haven’t been around for very long. Before their advent, students strapped stacks of books together and carried them at the end of leather or cloth thongs. Alternatively, they carried them by hand, boys slung under their arms, girls cradling them as though they were babes in arms. In 1938, outdoor clothing and gear retailer Gerry Outdoors invented the first zippered backpack, but students weren’t interested in them at the time. They sold mostly to campers, hikers, and skiers. Students stuck with straps or used small briefcases called satchels.

1. Naturally different

2. Big age difference

3. Different opinions

4. Different ambitions

5. Small differences

6. No difference at all

7. Different rules

8. Learning to be different

A. John and James are identical twins but they don't go to the same school. Their parents felt this would help them develop individual tastes, interests and styles-but the boys at first hated the idea. Now they are really happy at their schools but occasionally they swap places just for fun! The brothers are best friends but they now agree that their parents were probably correct.

B. Anna and Beth are twin sisters but they are most unlike each other. Technically they are "non-identical" twins. Anna is blonde and Beth is a brunette. Anna is noisy, energetic and always crashing around to hip hop and rap. Beth is much quieter and likes listening to classical music and reading. Anna eats anything and Beth is a vegetarian. But they are, absolutely, the closest and best of friends.

C. The Perkins children, Sally and John, both study hard every evening after college and most weekends. Sally studies French, history and Art. She plans to go to university in Paris and wants to either work in a museum or an art sale room. John studies the Russian language, business studies and maths. He wants to study in St. Petersburg and to set up his own import business. I am sure both will succeed.

D. Greg's dad believes that there is no original, exciting new music being written and performed today. Greg strongly disagrees and can name several new bands and singers that are both completely original and really popular. But his Dad is a professional musician and was quite successful when he was young. He argues that nearly every successful song now is simply a reworked version of an older one.

E. In the UK you can legally do different things depending on your age. You can vote for a new government at 18 but at 17 you cannot drink a beer. At 16 you can marry and become a parent but you cannot drive to your wedding or make a traditional toast! Meanwhile lots of bars and clubs are open only to people above 21 which means, married, voting, car driving parents could still be too young to enter.

F. Serious stamp collectors are men and women who appreciate details. To the casual observer, the oldest postage stamps in the world — the Victorian "Penny Blacks" — all look identical. Millions were made but only a few of them are truly valuable. A serious collector knows this and the ability to find tiny variations in the paper, ink or code used helps them to find the "Penny Black's" that are rare and valuable.

G. Dina Ruiz has Japanese and black ancestry on her father's side of the family and English, Welsh and German on her mother's. She was born in California and married her husband, actor Clint Eastwood, in Las Vegas. When she first met Eastwood, she was 28 and he was 63. She is most famous as a TV news "anchor" and is Chair of The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

1. The wrong goal

2. Extra-curricular over load

3. Too much homework

4. Arguably helpful

5. Too stressful

6. Too many distractions

7. A better system

8. Poor co-ordination

A. My problem with homework is that I am rather fond of TV and computer games. Every evening after school it is the same. I start with the highest intentions. I'll just play one round of Final fantasy and then begin. But it tends to be three rounds and then tea time. Oh — and then my favourite program begins in 10 minutes so I'll start after that. And so it goes on. Probably I lack motivation.

B. It is so much faster doing homework these days. All our assignments can be done on the PC which means correcting and changing things is so easy. But of course the Internet is the biggest shortcut of all. Maybe it's true what they say that it stops you reading textbooks. You get snatches of information rather than the whole story. Maybe I should try to use the internet less.

C. I am a drummer and a pianist. The school really encourages this and I have two one hour lessons a week plus one to two hours daily practice. I am in the basketball team. The school encourages this and we practice twice a week. I got picked to be in the school play. Rehearsals are two hours a week. Will somebody please tell me when I am supposed to get my homework done?

D. Exam practice, constant revision, exam techniques and how to get the highest possible grade— is this what education is supposed to be about? The school seems obsessed with grades and the school results league table. We are currently 17th highest achievers in England but if we really try hard this year we might make top 10. Silly me! I thought education was about learning and preparing for adult life.

E. For some kids exams bring more pressure than they can cope with. They worry about what their parents will say, not to mention what their teachers or class mates will think. No wonder some of them freeze up in the exam hall and are unable to write anything out of sheer nerves.

F. Why do they do it? We get three weeks in a row with minimal homework and then every teacher in the school sets a massive assignment to be completed "by next Friday — no late submissions". Why don't they get together and try and even the load?

G. I think Continuous Assessment is a very sensible idea. Education should not simply be about slick exam performance, but about overall how you perform in school — how you study, how much you read, how logical and clear your essay arguments are. 50% of our final grading should be based on course work. I think it is fair.

1. The delicious object of adoration

2. Used for many purposes

3. Discovered by chance

4. Threat of getting poisoned

5. Selected for decoration

6. Several names for one fruit

7. Acquired by a spy

8. Nutritious varieties

A. Kiwifruit, shortened as kiwi, was named after the bird of the same name due to its fuzzy brown resemblance. The curiously shaped birds are endemic to New Zealand, and you’d expect the fruits to be, too. However, kiwifruit actually originated in China under a name that translates to ‘macaque peach’ due to its popularity with the local monkeys. First, New Zealand changed the name to ‘melonettes’, but that failed. Finally, the goose was reasonably replaced with New Zealand’s national bird and the berry broadened into fruit.

B. For centuries, everyone involved in the pineapple’s colonial trade absolutely adored it. The earliest records involve Carib Indians, expert navigators who traded and raided across the islands to collect all manner of bounty. When it was brought back to Europe, the pineapple was regarded as nature’s culinary masterpiece, a tropical delight reserved for English royalty. The women of colonial America competed with each other in arranging creative displays of food on their tabletops, with the sharp pineapple being king of the decorations and undeniable proof of wealth.

C. By now, it is common knowledge that the tomato has a tainted past. Being a member of the notoriously poisonous nightshade family, the bright red tomato was thought by wary Europeans to be toxic for over two centuries. But this was no simple assumption on appearance. Affluent Europeans did die of poisoning after eating tomatoes on their pewter plates. The acidity from the fruit released lead, a component metal of pewter alloy at the time, producing a deadly combination of tableware and tomato.

D. Humans raised and ate chili peppers specifically for their natural flame, producing varieties so intense that they blister skin and blind if exposed to the eye. In the records of conquistadors, the Aztecs and Maya ate chilies with anything and everything. Chilies were believed to have medicinal properties to cure various sicknesses. The smoke was used as a highly effective pest deterrent. If not practicing abstinence from chilies for religious or health reasons, a person who didn’t eat chili peppers would straightaway be presumed a witch!

E. Uniquely, ancestral strawberries originated in both Europe and North America. The French selected wild strawberries for sweetness, but the fruit was still small. King Louis XIV of France desired the Spanish throne, so he assigned a spy, Frezier, to study Chilean and Peruvian fortifications. But Frezier’s duty was not only to discover the military strength of the colonial Spanish. Previously, another dispatch had found unexpectedly large Chilean strawberries. A military engineer posing as a merchant, Frezier purchased the strawberries and brought them back to France.

F. Our favourite squash, the pumpkin wasn’t always able to be carved into sturdy, smiling Halloween decorations. However, even Pilgrims praised the pumpkin’s long storage time and sweetly nutritious flesh. Europeans were incremental to the creation of the modem pumpkin. The earliest jack-o’-lanterns were made from lit coals placed in hollow root vegetables such as turnips and potatoes. As Celtic tradition arrived in America, the pumpkin was grown through artificial selection to become the greatest carrier of fire and light.

G. Breadfruit was discovered by a scientific crew in Tahiti, an island located in the centre of the South Pacific. Eighteenth-century Europeans had gathered to witness the transit of Venus, an extremely rare astronomical event which is similar in nature to a solar eclipse by the Moon. With them was botanist Joseph Banks, who correctly and impressively identified the breadfruit as a cheap and nutritious fruit, albeit for the mistreated slaves of the sugar plantations. King George III directed Lieutenant William Bligh to gather this potentially valuable fruit.

1. Cabin baggage allowances

2. The most difficult decision

3. Taking your pet abroad

4. Cabin air quality

5. Bus safety initiatives

6. Group travel

7. Public transport service

8. Medical assistance in flight

A. You must meet the entry requirements for your pet dog, cat or ferret for the country you’re going to or coming from. You’re responsible for any fees or charges for your pet if you don’t meet the entry requirements. When you enter or return to the UK from another country your pet needs to meet the entry requirements. These include a microchip, a rabies vaccination, a pet passport or third country official veterinary certificate, a tapeworm treatment.

B. The rate of air change in the aircraft cabin has been shown to be better than office buildings and trains and is comparable to that seen in hospital operating theatres. Fresh air is constantly added to recycled air through very fine filters to remove 99.997% of all dust, viruses, fungi and bacteria. However, the air in the cabin has low humidity levels, which can cause mild drying of the skin, nose, throat, and eyes.

C. The cabin crew are trained in first aid in case of onboard medical emergencies. Our aircraft are equipped with comprehensive medical kits and defibrillators for use by the cabin crew. Some flights have the latest telemetry equipment so that ground based medical staff can assess the patients whilst they are still in the air. Passengers are responsible for the cost of any medical care they may require on the ground. Therefore, comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended.

D. The amount of cabin baggage you may bring depends on which service class you are flying. Business Class customers are permitted two pieces of carry-on baggage: one briefcase plus either one handbag. Economy Class customers are permitted one piece of carry-on baggage, either a handbag or a laptop bag. Duty free purchases are also permitted in reasonable quantities. However, liquid restrictions through in many airports may prevent these items from getting security screening points.

E. Planning a trip for ten people or more is often challenging, but the Travel Service can help to simplify the process. Where available, we can take extra care of your group with exclusive check-in desks just for your group and group label luggage tags, for easy identification on arrival. During your flight, your group can enjoy benefits such as sitting together as a group, onboard welcome announcements for your group and meals to meet special dietary requirements.

F. When people ask us what the hardest part of cycling around the world was, it seems they expect us to tell a story about some great hardship suffered underway. Troubles with people. Getting lost. Poor food. But our answer is simply this: the hardest part was making the decision to go. Getting out the door — actually making the decision to go cycling for a weekend — is difficult when you’re also trying to balance the demands of kids, full-time jobs, a full social calendar and so on.

G. Bus lanes are being introduced on key routes across Melbourne to improve service reliability and travel times. Giving buses dedicated road space helps them to avoid delays along their route and also gives people better public transport access to community services and better connections to the train and tram network. The Rural School Bus Safety Program is delivering safer, more comfortable and more convenient bus interchanges for primary and secondary school students in regional Victoria.

1. Musical performance

2. Attractive landscape

3. Perfect holidays

4. Portrait of a girl

5. Film for all ages

6. Exciting hobby

7. Colourful festival

8. Interesting book

A. This is a full-length (ninety minutes) cartoon, which is entertaining for both adults and children over six. The animation and colour are of very high quality and the story has lots of fun and excitement. The plot is quick moving and full of surprises. There’s romance, action, comedy, music and lots of fantastic songs and dances.

B. This is a full-blooded magnificently written portrait of history’s most fascinating woman. Readers will lose themselves for hours in this richly entertaining novel full of dramatic twists and turns. From the spectacular era that bears her name comes the spellbinding story of Elizabeth I – her tragic childhood, her confrontation with Mary, Queen of Scots and her brilliant reign.

C. The young woman is shown in a “shepherdess” hat and white dress, recalling a classical chiton. The background landscape, common in such paintings, seem to indicate the heroine’s closeness to nature, to the ordinary joys of life. The painter’s colour range – at times as translucent as porcelain, at others muted like mother -of- pearl – is based upon subtle plays of gray and green, light blue and pink.

D. In this picture one is struck by the artist's absolute mastery in portraying natural details, whether the dry, sandy soil of the forest, the clear stream of water in the foreground, the yellow bark and fluffy needles of the pines, or the sense of a bright, clear, calm summer day. The artist managed to create an image familiar to anyone who has seen a Russian forest.

E. Have a good time on the most lively and exciting island in the Caribbean. Relax under a palm tree on the white sandy beaches. Swim in the clear, blue sea. Listen to the bands playing Calypso music. Or get really adventurous and go scuba diving for sunken treasure on the sea bed. Join in the many cultural celebrations we offer, for example the sugar harvest festival.

F. This event is considered the greatest attraction for visitors to the Isle of Man. No definite date can be given, but it is normally held between 5th and 15th July. The Pageant begins at about 8 p.m. First we are given a glimpse of village life in Celtic times. Then suddenly Viking long ships appear and then there are scenes of war. Then Celts and Vikings unite, and the Manx nation is born. The actual Pageant is followed by a grand torchlight procession and firework display.

G. Do you like Latin American dancing? Do you want to dance like you see in the films and on the stage? Do you want to feel the rhythm of the music in your body and in your soul? Do you want to meet other people who have a love for the same music as you? If you have answered "Yes" to any of these questions, join our Latin dance classes on Thursday night between seven and ten. All are welcome.

1. Thoughtless behaviour

2. Benefits of private business

3. Too complicated to use

4. Bad for business

5. Science brings hope

6. Road incident

7. More parking places

8. Personal choice

A. City centre parking is expensive and many important roads are now closed to private transport. This would be fine — if public transport was cheap and convenient, but it is neither. The result is that people are avoiding the city centre so restaurants, cinemas and shops are closing.

B. The motorcyclist drew along side and I heard abusive language as he banged on the car roof. I immediately locked the car doors and tried to work out what was wrong. He then shouted that I had almost collided with him. Truth to tell — I didn't see him until now. I tried to apologize but he wouldn't listen.

C. They now have cars that run on electricity, solar power and even on vegetable oil. New petrol engines are super efficient and make less harmful emissions. More people are working from home because of advances in communication technology and computer security. At last we have some grounds for optimism.

D. As she approached the traffic lights the driver in front of her tipped out a mess of fast food boxes, polystyrene cups and chip bags. She pressed her horn angrily. "Why don't people consider what they do", she wondered helplessly. "Someone will have to clear this up and we all have to pay for it."

E. Sarah has worked for herself more than 10 years now. It had been risky but now her interior decoration business is a success. She loves being her own boss. It constantly amazes her that her friends in big corporations believe they have job security. How can they think this way when these companies are constantly firing people to make bigger profits?

F. It was not easy deciding. It never is when buying a new car. Reliability and comfort are big issues as are fuel economy, maintenance and so forth. A car has to feel right as well. Price and value for money are also critical. But in the end Ralph made his decision confident that it was just the right one for him.

G. Jane studied the small print. To make a successful insurance claim for her accident she needed so much information. Several complicated forms took hours to complete. She then needed three independent quotations, a witness statement, and a police statement and after everything she still had to pay the first $500 anyway.