Комунальний вищий навчальний заклад
«Харківська академія неперервної освіти»
Завдання ІІ етапу Всеукраїнської учнівської олімпіади з англійської мови
2019-2020 н.р.
Listening Comprehension Test for 10th Form Students
A Live Commentary of a Festival
Good evening and welcome to A World of Festivals. I’m Bob Peters and I’m here in Rio
de Janeiro at the Sambadrome for the true highlight of the Rio Carnival, the Rio Samba Parade
– the climax to this famous celebration. The atmosphere is electric here. I don’t know if I can
find the words to describe it, but I’m certainly going to try for all you listeners at home.
Let’s start with a little bit of history. The Rio Samba parade actually began in local
neighbourhoods with people singing and dancing on the streets. It soon turned into a
competition for samba schools. It got so big that it moved off the streets in the 1980s and into
the Sambadrome, a 700-metre-long stadium which can hold over 70,000 spectators. There are
other carnival parades all over Rio just as there have been since the Rio Carnival started just
under 300 years ago, but this parade is the big one.
Over two nights, from sunset until sunrise, samba schools compete against each other in
this packed stadium and to a huge national and international television audience. These are the
images of the Rio Carnival that everyone is most familiar with. I’m here on the first night of
this parade, and let me tell you, looking at the standard of dancing the judges are going to have
a tough time deciding who the best dancers are.
The parade so far has been choreographed to perfection, but then it has to be when there
are between 3,000 and 5,000 dancers in each samba school. Each school is made up of dancers
from a particular community in Rio and every dancer has a specific role to perform. Right
now, for example, there’s the couple who carry a flag belonging to the school dancing at the
front of this parade. They’re holding up the school’s flag. And here come the Whirling Ladies.
They spin around and around and are usually the dancers with the most experience. It might
look easy, but trust me, it’s not. It takes a lot of skill to keep spinning round like that for about
an hour and not fall down. It’s making me feel dizzy just watching them. Coming up now is a
group of about 300 drummers and in front of them is a young woman wearing an impressive
costume and an elaborate headdress decorated with what looks like jewels. She’s the Queen of
the Drummers and she leads the dancing to the drummers’ rhythm. It’s her job to inspire all the
dancers so she needs plenty of energy and enthusiasm.
I’ve got to say a few words about the floats that we have here in the stadium, some of
which are as big as a three-storey building. Some of the smaller ones are being pushed but
bigger ones are motorised. These floats are absolutely amazing. I can see one that is decorated
as a huge lion’s head. The floats are carrying special guests and dancers, all of them in
extravagant costumes. The costumes in the parade are really colourful and incredibly well-
decorated. Materials such as feathers, sequins and crystals are used and, unbelievably, they are
all handmade.
When each year’s carnival finishes, people immediately start getting ready for the next.
The preparations are all-year-round and that’s the case for the floats, the dancers and the
bands, too. They have to rehearse for months, working with each other to perfect their timing
and to build up their fitness. Everyone’s dancing, singing and for those who are beginning to
get a little tired, there are refreshments like hot dogs, ice cream and soft drinks. And let me
assure you, even a spectator has to keep their energy up if they want to enjoy this non-stop all-
singing, all-dancing festival.
Комунальний вищий навчальний заклад
«Харківська академія неперервної освіти»
Завдання ІІ етапу Всеукраїнської учнівської олімпіади з англійської мови
2019-2020 н.р.
Listening Comprehension Test for 10th Form Students
Remember: you are not allowed to take notes at any time when the text is being read to you.
I. Listen to the text. Decide whether these statements are true or false and mark one.
1. The Rio Samba Parade is viewed by a huge television audience.
2. The judges decide on the worst dancers.
3. There are between 3,000 and 5,000 paraders in each samba group.
4. Each school has a couple who carry a fire.
5. Watching the Whirling Ladies makes the commentator feel dizzy.
6. The Queen of the Drummers encourages people to dance.
7. Guests can see the floats with huge lion’s heads on them.
8. On the floats, everyone is wearing extravagant clothes.
9. Before the parade, dancers and bands have to rehearse for months.
10. There are refreshments so that spectators can keep their energy up.
II. Listen to the text for the second time and choose one answer for each question.
Комунальний вищий навчальний заклад
«Харківська академія неперервної освіти»
Завдання ІІ етапу Всеукраїнської учнівської олімпіади з англійської мови
2019-2020 н.р.
11. The commentator says that the Rio Samba Parade _____.
A goes through local neighbourhoods
B started on the streets of Rio
C is the only carnival parade in Rio
D is unique
12. The samba schools that take part in the parade ______.
A cannot all fit into the stadium.
B choose one dancer to represent them.
C come from different areas of Rio
D are private schools
13. The Whirling Ladies ______.
A carry flags
B often get dizzy
C are very experienced
D are slim
14. The floats ______.
A are not all the same size
B do not have dancers on them
C are not allowed in the stadium
D are rather thick
15. Spectators have to ____.
A work with each other to perfect their timing
B build up their fitness
C eat hot dogs and ice cream
D save their strength for the next carnival
Комунальний вищий навчальний заклад
«Харківська академія неперервної освіти»
Завдання ІІ етапу Всеукраїнської учнівської олімпіади з англійської мови
2019-2020 н.р.
Reading Comprehension Test for 10th Form Students
Text 1
Read through the text. Decide if each of the 5 statements is true or false and mark
one.
Skiing in Scotland
Two of Scotland’s ski centres are in trouble. Three months ago the Glenshee Chairlift
Company announced that both Glencoe and Glenshee resorts were for sale. They had lost
1 million pounds in two years, following a series of poor skiing seasons.
The problem seems to be the unreliable Scottish weather. The Scottish mountains,
although the highest in the United Kingdom, are only foothills compared to the mountains of
mainland Europe. In addition, Britons enjoy a maritime climate, which means that
temperatures never get far below freezing.
In the past, there was an adequate covering of snow from January to March, and the
frequent precipitation fell as snow rather than rain. The temperatures were low and stable
enough for the snow not to melt. But global warming seems to have had a disastrous effect on
Scotland’s winter-sports business. Temperatures have become a little higher and more
variable, and the snow the skiers need often just disappears. There are other climatic problems.
A constant succession of frontal systems brings cloudy and windy conditions, blizzards are
frequent, and the weather can be so bad that it is too dangerous to go out on the slopes.
In short, although they have no serious competition in the UK, the Scottish resorts offer
unreliable skiing on poor snow for a limited period. People nowadays, especially in central and
Southern England, can reach the Alpine resorts as quickly and almost as cheaply as the
Scottish Highlands. Why should they come to Scotland to ski? It would seem that there is no
long-term future for skiing in Scotland. If the resorts are to be successful, their operators will
have to take the prevailing climatic conditions into account, and provide holidaymakers with
something to do when the snow has disappeared from the slopes. Indoor activities, perhaps?
1. Two ski resorts in Scotland had to be sold because of poor ski conditions.
2. Scottish mountains are as good for skiing as the mountains in Europe.
3. Scotland has problems with a lot of snow every winter.
4. Scottish winter-sports suffer from global warming effects.
5. People prefer going to ski to the Alps rather than to Scotland because of poor
services.
Text 2
Read through the text and choose one answer for each question. Mark the
corresponding letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.
Roughly 1 in 10 children who play video games are at risk of becoming pathologically
addicted to them, found a new study published in the journal Pediatrics.
That means for every classroom of 30 kids, three of them could develop a hardcore
digital addiction that boosts the risk of depression, social phobia and poor school performance,
the study found.
Over a two-year span, researchers from the U.S., Hong Kong and Singapore studied the
video game habits of 3,000 Singaporean children from grades 3,4,7 and 8. Kids who averaged
31 or more hours of gameplay a week were classified as pathological or 'obsessive' gamers and
were determined more likely to develop serious mental health issues.
Комунальний вищий навчальний заклад
«Харківська академія неперервної освіти»
Завдання ІІ етапу Всеукраїнської учнівської олімпіади з англійської мови
2019-2020 н.р.
Inclined to believe video game addiction is just a passing phase? WebMD reports that
84 percent of students who were considered addicts when the study began were still addicted
two years later.
Still, such findings are preliminary. U.S. News reports: Although pathological video
gaming appears to share a number of characteristics with other addictive behaviors, such as
pathological gambling, the researchers noted that 'pathological gaming' is not yet an
established psychological disorder.
6. Which is mentioned as a potential risk of digital addiction?
A Fear of interacting with people in social situations.
B Good grades.
C Weight gain.
D Fear of leaving one's room or house.
7. According to the study, children playing more than 30 hours of video games a
week are more vulnerable to _______.
A psychological problems.
B video game burnout.
C gambling addiction.
D digital pathologies.
8. A 'passing phase' implies ______.
A something that continues for a long time
B something that only lasts a short time
C that people share opinions
D that people play games with each other
9. The tone of the article can best be described as _________.
A ambivalent.
B concerned.
C overwhelmed.
D apathetic.
10. According to the article, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT
_______.
A psychologists have recognized pathological gaming as an official condition.
B only a minority of children are at risk for pathological gaming disorders
C video game addiction is likely to be a long-term condition.
D a variety of problems stem forth from video game addiction.
Text 3
Read through the text and choose one answer for each question. Mark the
corresponding letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.
A Journey for Charity
A British man, Stuart McCoy, has just returned to Britain after cycling over 3500 km
for charity. His journey took him from London to Athens via Paris, Munich, Vienna, and
Belgrade. I interviewed him yesterday.
What made Stuart embark on such a long and arduous journey? “Well, I’m a student,”
he said. “I had nothing to do in the summer vacation, and badly needed exercise, but I also
wanted to do something for others, and that’s really what made me do it.”
Комунальний вищий навчальний заклад
«Харківська академія неперервної освіти»
Завдання ІІ етапу Всеукраїнської учнівської олімпіади з англійської мови
2019-2020 н.р.
He first thought of raising money for an animal charity. Then, after watching a TV
program, he decided half of the money would go to a children’s charity. ”But halfway through
my journey, there was a terrible earthquake in China, and I immediately decided it would all
go to Chinese earthquake victims.”
How much did he raise? “Friends and relatives donated about 1000 pounds in all, and
while I was travelling, generous people gave me another 500 pounds. But half of my total
amount came from my university, which promised to double what I raised myself.” So, in
total, 3000 pounds – not bad for four weeks cycling.
Not bad at all. So, did Stuart cycle back to London too? “Of course, I did,” he laughed.
“No, I gave my bicycle to a children’s charity in Greece and came back by train. My dad
offered to buy me an air ticket, but I also believe in ‘green’ transport so I decided against
flying.”
And Stuart’s next journey? He smiled, “Well, I suppose, it’s possible.”
Would he get a better bike or do it in a cooler season – spring, for example?
“Well, my bike is fantastic, and I’m only free in the summer, but I think I’d rather not
go on my own next time.”
11. What was Stuart’s main reason for going on a journey?
A. he wanted to help people.
B. He needed exercise.
C. He had nothing to do.
D. He wanted to see new places.
12. When did Stuart finally decide which charity to give money to?
A. Before the journey.
B. During the journey
C. After the journey
D. Long before he had entered the university.
13. Who was the most generous with donations?
A. Stuart’s university
B. People Stuart met on the journey
C. Stuart’s friends and relatives.
D. Unidentified charitable organizations.
14. How did Stuart return home?
A. by bicycle
B. by plane
C. by train
D. by foot
15. What would Stuart do if he did a similar journey in the future?
A. Get a better bike
B. Go with someone else
C. Go in the spring
D. Invite more students to join him.
Комунальний вищий навчальний заклад
«Харківська академія неперервної освіти»
Завдання ІІ етапу Всеукраїнської учнівської олімпіади з англійської мови
2019-2020 н.р.
Writing Comprehension Test for 10th Form Students
Write an answer to ONE of the questions 1-3. Write your answer in an
appropriate style.
1. Last summer you spent two months at a language school in
Portsmouth in the UK. A friend of yours has written to you asking about it. Write a
letter to your friend saying whether or not you would recommend the school and
give your reasons. Do not mention your real name and surname in the letter.
2. You recently received a letter from a friend asking for advice about whether
to go to college or to try to get a job. You think he/she should get a job. Write a
letter to this friend. In your letter:
say why he/she would not enjoy going to college
explain why getting a job is a good idea for him/her
suggest types of job that would be suitable for him/her
Do not mention your real name and surname in the letter.
3. Your friends are preparing for exams. Write a message to post on your blog
to help them. Give them advice about what to do and what not to do before an
exam.
