Задания второго этапа областной олимпиады

по учебному предмету «Английский язык»

2023/2024 учебный год

IХ класс

Максимальное количество баллов – 80

Part A

I Read the text and do the following tasks below the text (13 points):
                                           Strictly English

British newspaper columnist Simon Heffer talks about his new book, ‘Strictly English: the Correct Way to Write ... and Why It Matters aimed at native speakers.

• 1. For the last couple of years I have sent several emails to my colleagues at this newspaper every few weeks pointing out to them mistakes that we make in our use of the English language. Happily, these are reasonably rare. One publisher at Random House asked me whether I would write a book not just on what constituted correct English, but also why it matters. The former is relatively easy to do, once one has armed oneself with the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and some reputable grammar books by way of research materials. The latter, being a matter for debate, is less obvious.
• 2. I suppose my own interest in language started at school. Having studied French, Latin and Greek, I saw clearly how those languages had exported words into our own. When I studied German later on, I could see even more clearly why it was the sister tongue and what an enormous impact it had had on English. I saw that words had specific meanings and that, for the avoidance of doubt, it was best to use them in the correct way. Most of all, I became fascinated by grammar, and especially by the logic that drove it and that was common to all the other languages.
• 3. Studying English at university forced me to focus even more carefully on what words actually meant: why would a writer choose that noun rather than another and why that adjective - or, in George Orwell’s case, often no adjective at all. Was the ambiguity (неоднозначность) in a certain order of words deliberate or accidental? The whole question of communication is rooted in such things. For the second part of my degree I specialised in the history of the English language, studying how words had changed their meaning and how grammar had evolved. Language had become not just a tool for me, but something of a hobby.
• 4. Can English, though, ever be fixed? Of course not: the meaning of words and the framework of grammar will continue to evolve. But we have had a standard dictionary now ever since the OED was completed in 1928, and learned men wrote grammars a century ago that settled a pattern of language that was logical and free fr om the danger of ambiguity. It is to these standards that I hope Strictly English is looking. We shall always need new words to describe new things; but we don’t need the wrong word to describe the right thing, when the right word exists. Also, English grammar shouldn’t be a matter for debate. It has a logical stricter and we stick to it.
• 5. Some groups of people - state officials, academics, lawyers, certain breeds of scientist - talk to each other in a private language. Some official documents make little sense to confuse people because they have to be written in a language that combines avoidance of the politically incorrect with constant use of the contemporary jargon of the profession. Some articles written by academics in particular are almost incomprehensible to those outside their circle. This is not because the outsiders are stupid. It is because the academics feel they have to write in a formal, dense way in order to be taken seriously by their colleagues.
• 6. Many officials seem to have lost the ability of communicating with people outside their closed world. Some academics, however, are bilingual. If asked to write for a publication outside the circle - such as a newspaper - they can rediscover the ability to write reasonably simple English. They do not allow themselves to do so when they write for learned journals. It is almost as though the purpose of such writing is not to be clear: that the writer is recording research in order to prove to colleagues or superiors that he has discovered something. It does not seem to bother such people that their style is considered ugly and barbaric by their opponents. It is repetitious, boring and abstract. Those who write in such a way probably will not easily be discouraged, unless what is considered acceptable within their disciplines changes.
• 7 The ideal style is one comprehensible to any intelligent person. If you make a conscious decision to communicate with a sel ect group, so be it: but in trying to appeal to a large audience, or even a small one that you wish to be sure will understand your meaning, writing of the sort mentioned above will not do. This sort of writing was kept fr om the general public thanks to the need to find someone to publish it. The invention of the Internet means that it is now much more widespread; and the fact that it is now so common and so accessible means that this sort of writing is having a harmful effect on the language and causing it to be spoilt.

1) Reread the text and mark the following statement YES, NO, NOT GIVEN

1. The mistakes made by his colleagues are minor ones. _____________
2. It is difficult to explain why using correct English is important.____________
3. English grammar has a different function fr om the grammar of other languages.__________________
4. Word order may be as important as the choice of words used. _______________

2) Choose the right answer (A, B, C, D) according to the text

2.1. The writer says that some groups of people use a ‘private language’ because

A they do not want the outsiders to be able to understand them.

В they want to show their superiority over other groups.

С they want to impress other members of their group.

D they do not want to use the same language as other groups.

2.2. According to the writer, some academics are capable of

A making sense to people outside their group.

В writing very clearly for learned journals.

С changing the way they communicate within their own group.

D explaining other people’s work to the general public.

2.3. When discussing the writing of academics about their research,

the writer emphasises

A his own lack of knowledge of the academic world.

В his desire to understand what they describe.

С his sympathy for some of the academics.

D his dislike for the style used in their writing.

2.4. The writer says that the kind of language used by academics in journals

A is becoming more widely understood by non-academics.

В is attracting a lot of criticism from other academics.

С will only change if they are forced to change it.

D appeals only to highly intelligent people.

2.5. The writer’s opinion of the Internet is that

A it is making people more aware of the poor use of language.

 В it is encouraging standards of language use to fall.

С it is enabling people to compare good and poor use of language.

D it is making it harder for good writing to get published.

Part B

1. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given (10 points):
2. The weather wasn't good so they cancelled the match.

CALLED

The match _________________________ because the weather wasn't good enough.

2. I don't feel like going to the cinema tonight.

MOOD

I ______________________ to go to the cinema tonight.

3. Most people would be embarrassed to have done what she did.

ASHAMED

Most people ________________________________________ doing what she did.

4. It was impossible for me to know which road to follow.

NOT

I ______________________________________ known which road to follow.

5. He reminded me to post the letter.

TOLD

 He ___________________________________  post the letter.

6. She obtained that vase quite by chance.

CAME

She ______________________________________ quite by chance.

7. They asked whose fault the breakage was.

BLAME

They asked who________________________________ the breakage.

8. It’s a pity I didn’t read that book.

WISH

I ________________________________________ that book.

9. Tim couldn’t have found the treasure without the map.

FOR

 But ____________________________, Tim couldn’t have found the treasure.

10. Experts believe excessive sunbathing causes skin cancer.

BELIEVED

Excessive sunbathing________________________________ skin cancer.

1. Open the brackets putting the verbs in brackets in the correct tense-forms or mood (12 points):

Barry Kent lives in a small house. He wishes he 1)_____________________(own) a nice flat, but he can’t afford it. If he 2) _______________ (have) a job, he could save some money. But Barry has no qualification.  “I wish I 3)______________(work) harder at school,” he says. “If I 4)_________________(pass) a few exams, I could 5)__________________ (go)to college. If I can, I 6)____________________(go) to evening classes. I 7)__________________(hate) this bedsit. I wish 8)______________(never/leave) home. But my mum 9)________________ (always/ nag) me.” Barry has some advice for people at school. “If I 10)_________________(be) you, I 11)________________ (study) hard. I wish I 12) _______________________(listen) to my teachers’ advice years ago.

1. Think of ONE word that can fit all three sentences (3 points):
2. Earthquakes sometimes seem to come so soon one after ……

……few years and she’ll be a world champion.

Shoplifting’s one thing; robbery with violence is quite ……

_____________________

2. The less …… about this, the better.

That’s easier …… than done!

He is …… to be one of the richest men in the world.

3. I think it’s probably a question of …… over matter.

I don’t suppose he would …… if you borrowed his bicycle.

I don’t …… standing down, if you think that’s best.

_____________________

1. Fill the verbs with the correct particles according to the meaning of the sentence. Write the correct letter in the gap (8 points):
2. I don’t mind wh ere we go tonight. It’s ________ to you.
3. A) on B) over C) up
4. New parking restrictions have been brought ______ .
5. A) in B) out            C) about
6. He doesn’t have much of a social life – his job takes _____ all his time.
7. A) to B) off             C) up
8. I thought about the problem but I couldn’t come ______ a solution.
9. A) up B) up with     C) out
10. I was keen last week but I’ve gone ____ the idea now.
11. A) off B) out            C) away
12. Fighting broke ____ at the demonstration.
13. A) in B) out            C) up 
14. When we left the airport, we made ____ the city center.
15. A) to B) in               C) for
16. The woman broke ____ when the police told her that her husband had died.
17. A) in B) down         C) out

1. Ins ert prepositions/ postpositions wh ere necessary (9points):
2. Tom is falling _____ _____ his work at college as he has missed a lot of classes.
3. He pushed hard against the door and finally it gave ___________ .
4. Nobody refused to do it ________ fear of losing their job.
5. No wonder she is annoyed ________ what has happened.
6. I hate being made fun ________ .
7. _________ second thought, I will accept their offer.
8. I am angry ______ my son for failing the exam again.
9. Unfortunately we were not warned ________ the coming thunderstorm.

1. Find a mistake in each sentence. Circle the number (4 points):
2. Here is a charming little cottage to spend the summer with.

                     1             2                        3                                 4

2. I had forgotten that this friend of yours doesn’t like her coffee sweet and milky.

1                                 2                         3                                         4

3. Try to change the spark plugs but if that fails take this car of yours to a mechanic.

                  1                                                          2                                   3                    

4. It's healthier for the kids to be risen in the countryside, yet in town they have

                       1                               2                                                    3

 more opportunities.

                    4

1. Look carefully at each line of the text. Some lines are correct, but some have a word which should not be there. Write С if a line is correct . If a line has a word, which should not to be there write the word in the space provided (10 points):

1Yesterday the Hopeton branch of the International Bank was being ___

2 robbed. A masked man went in to the bank and demanded for money.___

3 He made the cashier to get it from the safe. The bank manager is said___

4 that to have activated an alarm some days ago and the police___

5 arrived within minutes. However, the robber have still had enough time___

6 to take the money and leave the building. He was seen getting into a white___

7 car which was waiting outside. The most of its staff and customers___

8 who were in the bank were treated for shock. No one was hurt. The bank___

9 is expected to remain closed for a few of days. The police are looking for___

10 the robber but the gateway car which they used it has already been found.___

VIII Translate into English using the correct form of the phrasal verbs (5 points):

1. Betsy is an easy-going person who ……………………………. (ладит) well with almost everyone.
2. Many students ……………………………. (уважают) to their teachers as mentors and sources of inspiration.
3. Okay, class, ……………………………. (успокойтесь) and open your books.
4. It’s amazing to see how fast kids ……………………………. (растут).
5. I was ……………………………. (застать врасплох) by her question.

IX Form a word that fits in the space in the same line (6points):

The Sabre-toothed cat, often 1) _______ (correct) called the Sabre-toothed tiger, was commonly found in the grassy plains of North and South America. It became extinct about 10,000 years ago as a result of the environmental changes after the last Ice Age. It shared its numerous 2) _______ (similar) with the modern-day lion. It was about the same size but it was more 3) _______ (power) built. They were known as 4) _________(fright) predators due to their two enormous teeth which could grow up to 20 cm in length. With front legs strong enough to 5 )_______ (able) them to spring up on prey, they had no difficulty finding food. However, the Sabre-toothed cat’s bite was only one third of the 6) _______ (strong) of a lion. But Sabre-toothed cats lived and hunted in groups, unlike other cats that are solitary hunters.