All-Russian Olympiad in English, municipal stage. All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren in English

Task 1

For items 1–10 listen to a passage from a lecture and decide whether the statements (1–10) are TRUE (A), or FALSE (B) according to the text you hear. You will hear the text twice.
Audio recording

1. Some time ago the speaker went to buy a new bicycle.
   • A) True
   • B) False
2. The speaker left the shop without buying anything.
   • A) True
   • B) False
3. The speaker promised the shopkeeper to come back later.
   • A) True
   • B) False
4. The speaker didn't want to offend the shopkeeper.
   • A) True
   • B) False
5. The speaker thinks that his behavior in the shop was tactful.
   • A) True
   • B) False
6. The speaker disagrees with the Collins Dictionary definition of tact.
   • A) True
   • B) False
7. The speaker wants to find words that would make people feel better.
   • A) True
   • B) False
8. The speaker doesn’t refer to the situations when one needs to compliment somebody.
   • A) True
   • B) False
9. The speaker calls the behavior when one is trying to help people avoid feeling bad negative behavior.
   • A) True
   • B) False
10. The speaker thinks that only positive behavior is important.
    • A) True
    • B) False

Task 2

For items 11–15 A, B or C) to answer questions 11–15 . You will hear the text only once.

1. How does Patrick describe the Isle of Collett?
   • A) As a place with bad weather conditions.
   • B) As a very distant place.
   • C) As a stony island.
2. What helped Patrick pass the time?
   • A) Work on his university thesis.
   • B) Weather research.
   • C) Birdwatching.
3. When Patrick says ‘It took me less than 20 minutes’ he means that…
   • A) he couldn’t leave his work for longer.
   • B) the island is very small.
   • C) he doesn’t like long walks.
4. What does Patrick say about his PhD thesis?
   • A) He still has a year to work on it.
   • B) It was rejected by the university.
   • C) He has finished it.
5. Where does Patrick plan to spend his short holiday?
   • A) In London.
   • B) In the Mediterranean.
   • C) Back on the Isle of Collett.

READING

Time: 45 minutes (40 scores)

Task 1

For items 1–10 , read the passage below and choose option A, B, C or D which best fits according to the text.

Duncan Phyfe

Duncan Phyfe made some of the most beautiful furniture found in America. His family name was originally Fife, and he was born in Scotland in 1768. In 1784, the Fife family immigrated to Albany, New York where Duncan’s father opened a cabinet making shop. Duncan followed in his father’s footsteps and was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. After completing his training, Duncan moved to New York City. Duncan Fife was first mentioned in the 1792 NYC Directory as a furniture “joiner” in business at 2 Broad Street. Two years later, he moved, expanded his business, and changed his name to Phyfe. He was a quiet-living, God-fearing young man who felt his new name would probably appeal to potential customers who were definitely anti-British in this post-Revolutionary War period. Duncan Phyfe’s name distinguished him from his contemporaries. Although the new spelling helped him better compete with French émigré craftsmen, his new name had more to do with hanging it on a sign over his door stop.
The artisans and merchants who came to America discovered a unique kind of freedom. They were no longer restricted by class and guild traditions of Europe. For the first time in history, a man learned that by working hard, he could build his business based on his own name and reputation and quality of work. Phyfe’s workshop apparently took off immediately. At the peak of his success, Phyfe employed 100 craftsmen. Some economic historians point to Phyfe as having employed division of labor and an assembly line. What his workshop produced shows Phyfe’s absolute dedication to quality in workmanship. Each piece of furniture was made of the best available materials. He was reported to have paid $1,000 for a single Santo Domingo mahogany log.

Phyfe did not create new designs. Rather, he borrowed from a broad range of the period’s classical styles, Empire, Sheraton, Regency, and French Classical among them. Nevertheless, Phyfe’s high quality craftsmanship established him as America’s patriotic interpreter of European design in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Although the number of pieces produced by Duncan Phyfe’s workshop is enormous, comparatively few marked or labeled pieces have been found extant. In antiques shops and auctions, collectors have paid $11,000 for a card table, $24,200 for a tea table, and $93,500 for a sewing table.

1. Based on the information in the passage, what can be inferred about Duncan Phyfe?
   • A) He regretted that Great Britain no longer governed New York City.
   • B) He was an excellent businessman with a good sense of craftsmanship and design.
   • C) He built all his furniture by himself in a workshop in Santo Domingo.
   • D) He joined the cabinetmakers’ guild after he moved to Scotland in 1792.
2. According to the passage, which of the following does the author imply?
   • A) Duncan Fife and his father had the same first name.
   • B) Duncan Fife worked for his father in Scotland.
   • C) Duncan Phyfe made over 100 different kinds of tables.
   • D) Duncan Fife and his father were in the same business.
3. Which sentence in paragraph 2 explains Duncan’s name change?
   • A) The third sentence.
   • B) The second sentence.
   • C) The first sentence.
   • D) None of the above.
4. Which choice does the word ‘it’ refer to in the second paragraph?
   • A) His spelling.
   • B) His chair.
   • C) His name.
   • D) His French.
5. Which of the following does the word ‘freedom’ refer to?
   • A) Restricted.
   • B) No longer restricted.
   • C) By working hard.
   • D) Took off.
6. Which choice is closest in meaning to the word ‘guild’ in the third paragraph?
   • A) Organization of craftsmen.
   • B) Verdict of a jury.
   • C) Political party of émigrés.
   • D) Immigrants' club.
7. Where in the passage could the following sentence be added to the passage? Every joint was tight, and the carved elements were beautifully executed.
   • A) After the word “workmanship” in paragraph 3.
   • B) After the word “cabinetmaker” in paragraph 1.
   • C) After the word “stop” in paragraph 2.
   • D) After the words “sewing table” in the last paragraph.
8. In his business, Duncan Phyfe used all of the following EXCEPT:
   • A) division of labor.
   • B) an assembly line.
   • C) continental designs.
   • D) inexpensive materials.
9. Based on information in the passage, what can be inferred about Duncan Phyfe’s death?
   • A) He died in the eighteenth century.
   • B) He died in England.
   • C) He died in the nineteenth century.
   • D) He died in Scotland.
10. The author implies that furniture from Duncan Phyfe’s work-shop
    • A) no longer exists.
    • B) costs a lot of money today.
    • C) was ignored by New Yorkers.
    • D) was made by his father.

Task 2

For items 11–20, read the passage below and choose which of the sentences A–K fit into the numbered gaps in the text. There is one extra sentence which does not fit in any of the gaps. Write the correct letter in boxes 11–20 on your answer sheet.

Ever since the 1910s, when film-makers first set up shops in Hollywood, mapmakers have been making quite unusual and even unique things: maps showing the locations of the fabulous homes of the stars. Collectively, they form an unofficial version of the Oscars, showing who’s in and who’s out in the film world. ‘Each one looks different,’ says Linda Welton, whose grandfather and mother pioneered these maps. eleven ________. Former film stars vanish from them, new ones appear on them, and some of the truly greats are permanent fixtures on them.
In 1933, noticing the steady stream of tourists going westward to follow the stars from Hollywood to Beverly Hills (the nearby district where most of the stars went to live), Linda's grandfather, Wesley Lake, got a copyright for his Guide to Starland: Estates and Mansions. 12 ________. For 40 years Linda’s mother, Vivienne, sold maps just down the road from Cary Cooper’s place at 200, Baroda*. The asterisk indicates that it was the actor’s final home, as opposed to a plus sign (denoting an ex-home) or a zero (for no view from the street).
‘My grandfather asked Mom to talk to the gardeners to find out where the stars lived,’ Linda recalls. ‘She would come up to them and say: “13 ________” Who would suspect a little girl?’ Linda Welton and her team now sell about 10,000 maps a year from a folding chair parked curbside six days a week. 14 ________.

The evolution of the maps mirrors both the Hollywood publicity machine and real estate and tourism development. 15 ________. The first celebrity home belonged to the artist Paul de Longpre. 16 ________.

Although it is not known for certain who published the first map, by the mid-1920s all sorts of people were producing them. 17 ________.
One of the most famous of the early maps was produced to show the location of Pickfair, the home of the newly married stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and the homes of some of their star friends. During World War I, they opened their home to serve refreshments to soldiers. As Vivienne Welton once explained in an interview, to a map and cartography magazine, ‘She asked a few friends to do the same. 18 ________.'

For over 40 years, people have marched toward the corner of Sunset and Baroda with hand-painted yellow signs saying: ‘Star Maps, 2 blocks’, ‘Star Maps, 1 block’, ‘Star Maps here’. The maps reflect the shifting geography of stardom as celebrities, looking for escape from over-enthusiastic fans, some with quite unhealthy intentions, have moved out to various districts in Malibu. 19 ________. Legendary stars – Garbo, Monroe, Chaplin – remain on them. 20 ________.

• A. As they do so, they give advice to the tourists on star safaris through the lime green landscape of Beverly Hills.
• B. Studios like Paramount published the names and addresses of their stars on theirs, and businesses distributed them as a promotional gimmick.
• C. Others, however, say that the star maps are still an essential part of Hollywood and the film world.
• D. More profoundly, perhaps, the maps suggest the temporary nature of fame.
• E. Early film stars like Lillian Gish lived in modest, somewhat grubby rooming houses, taking street cars to and from the studio.
• F. Updated regularly, they are still for sale at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Baroda Drive.
• G. And so a map was needed.
• H. It is the oldest continuously published star map and one of a half-dozen or so maps of varying degrees of accuracy and spelling correctness sold today.
• I. Oh, this is a beautiful garden, but who lives here?
• J. Others, however, hang on for about a decade and then vanish.
• K. He had a luxuriously-landscaped house at Cahuenga Avenue and Hollywood and real estate agents would take prospective clients past it on tours.

USE OF ENGLISH

Time: 60 minutes, (50 scores)

Task 1. Questions 1–15

For Questions 1–15, read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a word which should not be there. If a line is correct, put a tick. If a line has a word which should not be there, write the word on your answer sheet. There are two examples at the beginning ( 0 and 00).

Example:

The Plaza hotel

Task 2. Questions 16–25

Example: 0 . The pool isn't deep enough to swim in.
too
The pool ……………………. swim in.

1. Laura had to pay a fine of 50 dollars because she didn’t have a ticket.

dollar
Laura had to pay ………………… because she didn’t have a ticket.

1. The concert wasn’t as good as we had expected.

live
The concert didn’t……….. our expectations.

1. I’ve been too busy to answer my emails, but I’ll do it soon.

round
I haven’t ………… my emails yet, but I’ll do it soon.

1. It’s nearly lunchtime, so would you like to eat something?

feel
It’s nearly lunchtime, so do …………………………… something to eat?

1. Complaints about the food! That’s all I ever hear from you!

always
You …………………………… the food!

1. They took advantage of the day-off at work and went to the seaside!

most
They ………………… of the day-off at work and went to the seaside!

1. Two detectives investigating the robbery questioned us for over an hour.

enquiries
Two detectives……………….. the robbery questioned us for over an hour.

1. Jake was the person who started my interest in collecting pottery.

got
It was Jake ………… in collecting pottery.

1. He really wanted to impress the interviewers.

desperate
He………………………. the interviewers a good impression.

1. Because he was injured he couldn’t play in the next game.

prevented
His……….…. in the next game.

Task 3. Questions 26–30

Task 4. Questions 31–40

WRITING

Time: 60 minutes, (30 scores)

Comment on the following quotation.

“All that glisters are not gold.”

Write 200–250 words.

Use the following plan:

• explain how you understand the author’s point of view;
• express your personal opinion and give 2–3 reasons in its support;
• give examples to illustrate your reasons, using your personal experience, literature or background knowledge;
• make a conclusion.

Attention!

If the volume is exceeded by more than 10% of the specified amount (276 words or more), the first 250 words are checked. If the volume is exceeded by less than 10% of the specified value, points for content are not reduced.

Audioscript

Listening comprehension

For items 1–10 listen to a passage from a lecture and decide whether the statements (1–10) are TRUE (a), or FALSE (b) according to the text you hear. You will hear the text twice.
You have 20 seconds to study the statements.
(pause 20 seconds)

Now we begin.

Some time ago, I was in a bicycle shop looking for a new lock for my bicycle. The shopkeeper showed me several, patiently explaining their advantages and disadvantages. None of them was quite what I wanted and eventually I said to the shopkeeper, “I’ll think about it. Thanks very much,” and left the shop. Why did I say, “I’ll think about it”? Not something more straightforward like, “None of these is right”, “They’re too big”, “They are too small”, “They’re too expensive”, “I’ll go elsewhere”? I think, there are two reasons why I chose to say “I’ll think about it”. The first is that I didn’t want the shopkeeper to feel that his products were not valued or that his time had been wasted and second is that I didn’t want to be the object of his possible annoyance or irritation. In other words, I didn’t want him to feel bad. And I didn’t want me to feel bad. We have words for this general behavior pattern of not wanting ourselves or other people to feel bad as a result of the interactions that we have… have with other people. We talk about tact, which is defined in the Collins Concise Dictionary as ‘the sense of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others so as to avoid giving offense’, or we might equally call this, as many people do, politeness behavior. Now notice that the definition of tact talks about avoiding giving offense. It is not talking about something positive that we do in order to make people feel better than they otherwise would. So, here we are not talking about the kind of behavior we get into when, for example, we console a friend whose cat has just been run over or compliment our partner on a very well-cooked meal. We are not trying here to positively make people feel better, but trying to avoid them feeling bad. So, this is a negative kind of behavior that I’m talking about. But the fact that it’s negative doesn’t mean that it’s not terribly important. It is extremely important. It is essential to our self-preservation and to social cohesion. And for this reason avoidance behavior is of great interest to many different kinds of scholars.

(pause 20 seconds)

Now listen to the text again.

(text repeated)

You have 20 seconds to check your answers.

(pause 20 seconds)

For items 11–15 listen to the dialogue. Choose the correct answer ( A, B or C) to answer questions 11–15 . You will hear the text only once.
You now have 25 seconds to study the questions.

(pause 25 seconds)

Now we begin.

A Lonely Job

Jane: Wherever have you been, Patrick? I haven’t seen you for months. Someone said you'd emigrated.

Patrick: Whoever told you that? I’ve been working on a weather research station on the Isle of Collett.

Jane: Where on earth is that?

Patrick: It’s a lump of rock about 100 miles north-west of Ireland.

Jane: Whatever did you do to pass the time?

Patrick: Fortunately I had my university thesis to work on. If I hadn’t had a pile of work to do, I’d have gone off my head.

Jane: Was there anything else to do?

Patrick: Well, if you were a bird watcher, it would be a paradise; but whenever I got tired of studying, I could only walk around the island – and that took me less than twenty minutes.

Jane: However did you stand it? If I'd been in your shoes I'd have taken the first boat back to civilization.

Patrick: Well, I needed some information for my research there, and they paid me, so I saved some money. Now I can have a short holiday before I start looking for a job.

Jane: Have you finished your PhD already? I thought you had another year to do.
Patrick: No, time flies, you know. As long as they don’t reject my thesis, I’ll be leaving for London next week.

Jane: If I were you, I’d go off to the Mediterranean or somewhere before starting work.

Patrick: No thanks, I’ll stay in London. I’ve had enough of the sea for a while. This is the end of the listening comprehension part. You have 1 minute to complete your answer.

Keys

Scoring for all competitions

Listening– maximum number of points 30. The task is checked using the keys. Each correct answer is worth 1 point. For an incorrect answer or no answer, 0 points are given. The resulting number of points is then multiplied by two.

Reading– maximum number of points 40. The task is checked using the keys. Each correct answer is worth 1 point. For an incorrect answer or no answer, 0 points are given. The resulting number of points is then multiplied by two.

Use of English– maximum number of points 50. The task is checked using the keys. In tasks 1, 3, 4, each correct answer is worth 1 point. For an incorrect answer or no answer, 0 points are given. In task 1, spelling is not taken into account. In task 2, each correct answer is worth 2 points. For an incorrect answer or no answer, 0 points are given. Spelling is taken into account. If a grammatically correct answer is given, but there are spelling errors in the answer, the answer is scored 1 point.

Writing– maximum number of points 30. The assignment is assessed according to the Assessment Criteria. The resulting number of points is then multiplied by two. When summarizing the results, the points for all competitions are summed up. The maximum number of points for all competitions is 30 + 40+ 50 +30 = 150.

Practice shows that Olympiads are often terra incognita for both students and their parents. And teachers do not always have complete information. The purpose of this article is to briefly describe what kind of Olympiads there are, how they are held and what they are needed for.

The main differences between the All-Russian Olympiad and the list ones are the holding schemes and benefits.

All-Russian Olympiad

• Conducted by the Ministry of Education
• Consists of four stages (SE, ME, RE and ZE)
• Provides benefits upon admission
• No need to confirm benefits
• The diploma is valid for 4 years

Listed Olympiads

• Conducted by universities
• Consists of two stages (selection and final)
• Provide benefits upon admission
• Benefits must be confirmed by Unified State Exam scores
• Diplomas are valid for 4 years in theory and 1 year in practice

All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren

All-Russian is the most prestigious event of the Olympic season. People usually know more about this Olympics than others. The reason is simple: the first stage of VOS is carried out in all schools, so it’s almost impossible not to hear at least something about her. The school stage is followed by municipal, regional and final. Anyone can participate in the school stage, and to participate in each subsequent stage it is necessary to achieve a set passing score.

Prize-winners and winners of the final stage of the All-Russian Olympiad receive various benefits when entering universities: BVI (admission without exams), 100 points towards the Unified State Examination, points for personal achievements. These benefits do not require confirmation by Unified State Examination results.

Getting a medal and winning the All-Russian competition is a very difficult task, often with an unpredictable ending (“I worked for two years, and didn’t even pass the GE”). Therefore, you cannot bet on just this one Olympics. Be sure to secure yourself with checklists (especially in 11th grade).

List (university) Olympiads

List Olympiads, unlike the All-Russian Olympiad, have nothing to do with schools. They are conducted by universities (therefore, listed Olympiads are often called university Olympiads). For example, the “Highest Standard” Olympiad is held by the Higher School of Economics, the “Eurasian” Olympiad is held by Moscow State Linguistic University, and the RANEPA Olympiad is held, as you might guess, by RANEPA. Since schools are not involved in the issue of university Olympiads, you need to track all events related to them yourself.

Firstly, you need to know which olympiads are listed. Every year, the Russian Council of School Olympiads (RSOSH) compiles a list of Olympiads, and the Ministry of Education approves it. This list is just that: a list. If the Olympiad is on this list, then it is listed. If it is missing, then it is not listed, and no entry benefits are provided for it. The English language Olympiads included in the current year's list are collected on the corresponding page of the Upwego website.

Each listed Olympiad is assigned a certain level: from I to III. In the 2017/18 academic year, for example, there were four level I English language olympiads, 7 level II olympiads and 2 level III olympiads (one of which was not held throughout Russia). Knowing the level of the Olympiad is necessary to determine what benefits you will receive.

The set of benefits for listed Olympiads is the same as for Vseross: BVI, 100 points towards the Unified State Examination or several points of personal achievements. However, unlike the benefits of the All-Russian Olympiad, any benefits for listed Olympiads need to be confirmed by Unified State Examination results: you need to pass the exam with a score of 75 or higher (the number of points may vary in different universities, but usually it is 75).

Having decided which Olympiads are included in the list, you need to go to the websites of these Olympiads and study the regulations for their holding. The general scheme is the same for everyone: first there is a qualifying round (usually online), followed by the final (in-person). The exact dates of the competition are published on the Olympiad websites.

An important point: to participate in any listed Olympiad, registration is required, which opens at different times for different Olympiads. You need to monitor this by looking at the Olympiad websites starting in October. At some Olympiads (for example, at the “Highest Test”), registration ends before the qualifying round begins. Therefore, the issue of registration should be taken care of in advance, without delaying until the last minute. For registration, as a rule, a certain set of documents is required: parental consent, a certificate from the school. The full list of requirements is indicated on the Olympiad websites. Be sure to review them when planning to attend.

Information about when and how the qualifying round is held is also published on the Olympiad websites. Having found out the date and time of the event, you must independently go to the Olympiad website and go through the qualifying round within the allotted time frame. Having achieved a passing score in the qualifying round, you advance to the finals.

The finals of the list Olympiads are held in person. Most of them have several venues - in different cities. You need to look for a suitable city to host the Olympics, as well as go there yourself. Some Olympiads provide dormitories and travel expenses for out-of-town participants.

Attention! Listed Olympiads are the personal responsibility of the participant. No one will remind you that you need to register, go through the qualifying round, look at your scores, and go to the final round. If you forgot, didn’t keep track, didn’t have time, it’s your own fault.

How to understand what benefits are awarded for the Olympics?

The decision on what benefits to give to Olympiad participants is made by universities. Therefore, to find out what benefits you are entitled to, you need to go to the website of the university that interests you and look there for documents entitled “Special rights granted to winners and prize-winners of the All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren” (if you have a higher education school diploma) and “Special rights provided to winners and prize-winners of Olympiads for schoolchildren included in the List of Olympiads” (if you have a diploma from a listed Olympiad). These documents detail which Olympiad diplomas are accepted at which faculties.

note that different faculties of the same university establish different benefits. For example, in 2018, the HSE Faculty of Foreign Languages ​​and Intercultural Communication accepted only the winners of the Highest Test Olympiad without entrance exams, and the Faculty of Language and Literature of Iran at the same university gave BVI to the winners and prize-winners of any I level Olympiad, as well as winners of any level II Olympiad. Also note that The published list of benefits may change without notice throughout the year., both in the direction of expansion and in the direction of contraction. Keep a close eye on this and check it often.

Validity periods of Olympiad diplomas

Diplomas from the All-Russian Olympiad are valid for 4 years. This means that having won the All-Russian Diploma in 9th grade, when entering a university after 11th grade, you can take advantage of all the benefits that your diploma provides.

Theoretically, the validity of diplomas from listed Olympiads is also 4 years. However, here, unlike Vseross, universities have the right to specify the class in which the diploma was received, and in most cases they require that it be received in the 11th grade. Thus, a diploma received, for example, in the 9th grade is formally valid (4 years have not expired), but practically useless (it is not accepted anywhere). Exact information about which classes are taken into account can be found on the websites of universities, in the same documents on special rights.

Come learn!

Group classes

I prepare for the Olympics in mini-groups (from 2 to 6 people). The classes focus on expanding vocabulary, working on idioms, regional studies and other Olympiad stuff. Classes are held entirely in English. Homework is a mandatory component.

Studying programs

When preparing on your own, it's easy to overlook something important. To prevent this from happening, I offer you special Olympiad programs. By following the program, you regularly receive an organized set of exercises. Unlike group classes, the programs are held online, so they are available for any region.

Courses

Unlike programs that cover several areas at once, each course focuses on a separate area. For example, the “Olympiad Assortment” course will give you the opportunity to try out different formats of Olympiad writing, and the “Olympiad Report” course will study the Report format in detail. A complete list of available courses can be found on the Courses, grammar, regional studies, speaking page. Also solve previous years' options. You need to study every day, devoting at least an hour to preparation. will help in this difficult matter :)

2010–2011 academic year

9–11 grade

Keys to tasks

Listening

Faegbc
A1 – 2

Reading

Bcfageh cfebag
A15 – 3

Grammar

B10 – has worked

B11 – independent

B12 – southern

B14 – extremely

B15 – commercial

TEXTS FOR LISTENING

You will hear 6 statements. Match each speaker's statements 1–6 with the statements given in List A–G. Use each lettered statement only once. There is one extra statement in the assignment. You will hear the recording twice. Record your answers in the table. You have 20 seconds to review the task.

Now we are ready to start

Speaker 1

My cat is rather special. She understands perfectly well when I ask her to come and sit with me, but she can pretend that she doesn't hear. And she always knows which of the people that I invite to my home are okay and which ones aren't. And when I have a headache in the evening she comes and sleeps over my head. I sometimes ask myself how she knows that I have a headache.

Speaker 2

When I was 4 years old, my mum found a kitten in the street and brought it home. So, the kitten and I grew up together! I remember that every night the cat would scratch at my door and I let her in. She waited for me to come home from school to be with her and liked watching me, as I was doing my homework. She lived 8 years. And she was truly my cat. I really miss her much.

Speaker 3

The thing I love about cats is the way they look. Their eyes are big and the color is deep-blue like the sky, green like leaves or brown like amber. Their fur can be long or short, and if you treat your cat well, its fur will look shiny and rich. I haven't seen a combination of colors that looked bad on cats – black and white, gray and white, orange and white – they all look perfect.

Speaker 4

The best thing about cats is that they"re wonderful to talk to when you"re sad or angry and you can"t control your emotions. Cats won"t talk back while you are talking to them, and will listen intently. They make me laugh when I"m in a bad mood, they comfort me when I"m sick. And when I"m happy they start playing with me and we all have lots of fun.

Speaker 5

Although I have had many cats, for each of them there is a reason why we found each other. Now I have three cats. One of them is the boss of my other cats. The second one is very smart and likes to open doors. And the third one thinks that the world turns around her and she is very proud of herself. All of my cats are very special to me because each of them has her or his own character. They are a great part of my life!

Speaker 6

What I like about cats is that they can take care of themselves. You don"t have to take a cat out for a walk several times a day. You don"t need to wash them too often, because they clean themselves. Cats can play on their own and don't require too much of your attention. They can spend most of the time sleeping. And they even can get their own food by catching mice and spiders.

Now you will hear the texts again. (Repeat.)

You will hear a conversation between a husband and his wife. Determine which of the following statements A1–A7 correspond to the content of the text (1 –True), which ones do not correspond (2 –False) and what is not said in the text, that is, based on the text, neither a positive nor a negative answer can be given (3 –Not Stated). Circle the number of the answer option you selected. You will hear the recording twice. You have 20 seconds to review the tasks.

Nowwearereadytostart.

Philip: Ellen, come here and stand by the back door. Look at the rain.

Ellen: This is quite a storm! It's good to be home in such a nasty weather.

Philip: Remember the last time we had thunder and lightning like this? The old cherry tree we had in our back yard was struck by lightning. I was afraid the nearby trees would also catch fire. If I "m not mistaken it was two or three years ago. We lost our electrical power as well.

Ellen: Luckily, it was in the middle of the day. Having no electricity at night is a lot different from having none during the day.

Philip: We must have talked about that because I remember going out the next day to buy a box of candles – just in case of a power failure.

Ellen: Well, let"s hope that doesn"t happen tonight and we won"t need them. Shall I call your friend Mark and ask him for dinner? He is a good storyteller and it would be nice to hear one of his stories.

Philip: Why not? Would you hand me the electric mixer, please? I forgot to finish mashing the potatoes.

Ellen: Here you are.

Philip: Thanks.

Ellen: There go the lights. It has happened again. We've got no electricity.

Philip: I can't see a thing. I guess, no mashed potatoes for dinner today.

Ellen: Philip, why don"t you call the power company? Tell them we have a problem on Linden Street. And I"ll light the candles if I manage to find a box of matches in the cupboard. Here they are. Philip, doesn't the kitchen look great in candlelight?

Philip: It does... I called the company. They already know about the electrical problem. A tree fell onto a power line on the next street. People from nearby houses called them. They don't know how long the lights will be out.

Ellen: Philip, I just thought about Mrs. Romero. She"s quite old, and she lives all alone in that big house. Wouldn"t she be more comfortable spending the evening with us?

Philip: Ellen, set another place for dinner. I"ll go and invite her over right now.

You have 15 seconds to complete the task. (Pause 15 seconds.)

This is the end of the task. You now have 15 seconds to check your answers.

A8–A14

You will hear an interview. In tasks A8–A14 Circle the number 1, 2 or 3 that corresponds to the answer you chose. You will hear the recording twice. You have 50 seconds to review the task.

Now we are ready to start.

Interviewer: With us today is Cynthia Barnes, a travel writer. Cynthia, how did you happen to become a travel writer? Let's start with a bit of history. Tell us about your childhood.

Cynthia: I grew up in a small town in the state of Arkansas with children who had never been to any other places and who desperately wanted to see the world. They used to invent adventures for themselves in order to make up for the monotony of their real life. But I was lucky. My mom used to go on business trips to the neighboring states and once in a while she took me with her. They were real adventures and I was delighted but it had always been my dream to go to the far off countries I had read about in the "National Geographic" magazines. There were piles of them in dad's study as well as an unlimited supply of books about explorations and adventures.

Interviewer: What do you usually feel before you set out on a journey?

Cynthia:I remember when I was little the night before we"d leave for a trip I had an absolutely unforgettable feeling – that "can"t-sleep, butterfly feeling". I couldn't wait to go. It's still with me today.

Interviewer: And how did you get started writing?

Cynthia:I have always been writing. I even won a Daughters of the American Revolution poetry contest in the fifth grade, and they gave me a fifty dollar saving bond. It was a childish little poem that began: "Our nation, it was founded by brave people long ago..." Then I moved to Columbia and fell in with a group of writers... Actually after school, all my jobs eventually were about producing newsletters, correcting ads, rewriting bad brochures. I"ve always kept journals, written letters, played around with personal essays. I never stopped writing. I can't do without it. It's in my blood.

Interviewer: You spend most of your life traveling. What do you do when you don't travel?

Cynthia: If I don't travel, I write. But I don't stop traveling, to be honest. I travel everywhere at any time and in any possible way: by car, by plane, by horse or camel, by canoe or simply on foot.

Interviewer: Is it the major challenge for you as a travel writer?

Cynthia: Well, you see, traveling is a great pleasure and a thrill for me although some of my friends find it tiring to be constantly away from home for a long time. I like meeting new people, hearing their stories, tasting their food. But writers need time alone to reflect on what they have seen, what they have heard. And that"s where the problem lies. In a true to life story, a lot depends on whether you can balance your own solitary exploration and other people" stories. When you"re with others, you"re distracted. But when you"re by yourself, you have only your own impressions and observations and they can be misleading.

Interviewer: What was the most thrilling experience you had as a traveler?

Cynthia: It was an incredible expedition together with two adventurous travelers. We went to the rainforest in New Guinea, the most remote forest on Earth. We trekked across the island and lived with the local tribe. They are hunters, they live in total isolation from the rest of the world. Their only tools are stone axes and arrows. To survive in the jungle with them was a hard-core challenge. We had to learn how to eat insects as we simply couldn't hunt even small wild animals the way they did. But in fact the biggest challenge was to establish contacts with the local tribe. You see, when we arrived, they met us with arrows, which they pointed at our heads very aggressively. It wasn't the kind of greeting we were used to. We didn't know a word in their language to speak to them, to ask them what all these rituals meant. We had to learn all this stuff to survive, to watch our gestures and tone of voice or we would die in the jungle.

Interviewer: What advice would you give to someone who is considering going into travel writing?

Cynthia: It's great work... but it's work. It"s also an obligation. You are in charge of what you write. Maybe your reader will never go to a place you"re writing about but he has always dreamed about it. Don"t sell yourself or your observations short. And never ever trade your stories for TV clips. Writing is not about bargaining or getting profits. Telling stories about travel is an honorable profession. Mark Twain was a travel writer. So was Hemingway.

Interviewer: What is the biggest reward of life as a travel writer?

Cynthia:I sometimes go to luxury resorts to write stories about the area. Of course I"m kidding (laughs). You see, I"ve watched the sunrise on the Pacific coast and saw the Grand Canyon under a full moon. I saw fascinating sights in these places, the views. But most valuable is the incredible generosity and the spirit of the people I"ve met on my routes. It"s the biggest blessing to have a glimpse into their lives. This is what makes me stay in my business.

You have 15 seconds to complete the task. (Pause 15 seconds.)

Now you will hear the text again. (Repeat.)

This is the end of the task. You now have 15 seconds to check your answers.

This is the end of the Listening Test.

Line UMK M.V. Verbitskaya. English language "Forward" (5-9)

English language

All-Russian Olympiad for schoolchildren in English. Writing competition tasks

For these stages, the Central Commission does not provide assignments, but only gives recommendations on their preparation. One of the main recommendations is to offer students assignments for non-genre writing: “express your opinion,” “comment on a quote,” “recommend a book for the school library,” etc. The task turns out to be similar to task No. 40 of the Unified State Exam, but should not repeat it completely. The number of words can be 100-120 or more.

Example

Time: 30 minutes. Comment on the following problem: Elderly people who live alone should be taken care of. In your comment use information from the article below:

Elderly people who live alone can be monitored by new technology that analyzes household sounds to ensure their safety. The new sound monitoring system, developed by Fujitsu, the Japanese electronics company, examines noises in homes via a microphone connected to a data center. The technology is refined enough to differentiate between the sound of a falling object or a collapsing human and can instantly alert family members or security firms if any abnormality is detected. From breathing and coughing to sleeping, all noises made by the resident can be detected by the technology, in addition to analysis of daily routines, heat and humidity levels.

Write 100-120 words. Remember to: make an introduction, express your personal opinion on the problem and give reasons for your opinion, express your attitude towards the information from the article, make a conclusion. Write in your own words.

Explanation: The student is required to express his point of view on the proposed problem, give an argument and express his attitude to the information presented in the article. The task is partly familiar from task No. 40 of the Unified State Examination, so it does not cause difficulties. It is very important to teach schoolchildren to read the assignment in full and complete it strictly according to the criteria.

Typical mistakes:

• Inattention when reading the assignment.
• Inconsistency with the specified volume.
• Lack of introduction and conclusion.
• Elementary grammatical, lexical, punctuation errors.

Writing: school and municipal stages

The assignments for these stages are prepared by the Central Subject and Methodological Commission. Students are already working with genre writing. The same genres are given as in international exams: story, article, report, review, personal and business letter. The tasks are also modified Unified State Examination tasks.

Typical mistakes (regardless of genre):

• Misunderstanding of the format of the statement, genre.
• Replacing the genre.
• Incomplete or inaccurate disclosure of the topic.
• Violation of logic (absence or incorrect use of means of logical communication, abrupt transitions, lack of introduction and conclusion).
• Lexico-grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors.

Let's take a closer look at the most common creative tasks in the genres of story and report.

Story

Story- is a small literary form that has a plot (plot). Text in this genre must meet the following requirements:

• Original dynamic plot.
• Natural tone of the story.
• Using techniques such as description, narration, reasoning.
• The presence of an individual author's assessment of events and factors, expression of the feelings and emotions of the author and his characters.
• The presence of elements of dialogic speech.
• A clear composition (beginning, main part with culmination, denouement).
• Presence of a header.
• Variety of linguistic means.

• Before you start writing a story, think over the storyline, characterization of the characters, make a plan and sketch out keywords for the points of the plan.
• Please note that the dynamics of events in the story are very important, it can be emphasized using the words at first, before, until, while, during, after, finally, when, etc., as well as the verbs happen, realize, start, run, appear, disappear , occur, exclaim, sigh, mutter, say, wonder, etc.
• Use adjectives and adverbs to describe the characters' feelings and actions. At the same time, instead of boring words: big, small, good, bad, very, use their synonyms and equivalents: enormous, tiny, terrific, horrible, extremely, etc.
• Be careful when using grammatical tenses. For example, Past Continuous is suitable for describing the weather at the moment of action, Past Simple - for main actions, Past Perfect - for events preceding the story.
• Take into account that the story often describes characters, places, objects, and events.
• Remember that the beginning and the end are very important in a story.

Example 1

Write a short story. Choose any subject but use in your story the following words at least once (underline the word from the list when using it for the first time): Fluffy, Ignorant, Board, Cord, Traffic.

Title your story using a word from the list. Include description of feelings and emotions. Include direct and indirect speech. Make an unexpected ending. Write 200-250 words. Time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Explanation: The student is required to write a story using certain words. The main difficulty is to use these words correctly. At the Olympiad there were many difficulties with Ignorant - participants confused its meaning with the Russian word “ignoring” and used it in incorrect constructions. However, some participants, on the contrary, successfully played with this ambiguous word.

Evaluation criteria

• The story is written and all 5 words specified in the task are used correctly. The words are underlined.
• There is a plot to the story; it is original, understandable, dynamic and interesting.
• There is a title that matches the content of the story; the title uses one of the given words.
• The story includes elements of direct and indirect speech, which fits organically into the plot.
• The story conveys the feelings and emotions of the author and/or characters.
• The end of the story is unexpected, but at the same time it completely fits into the plot and corresponds to the given genre and style.
• The volume of work either corresponds to the specified one or deviates from the specified one by no more than 10% towards an increase or decrease (180-275 words). If the volume of work deviates from the specified amount by more than 10% upward (more than 275 words), only the first 250 words are subject to verification.

Text organization (2 points):

• The logic of the story is not broken.
• Means of logical communication are present and used correctly.

Vocabulary (3 points):

• The participant demonstrates a rich vocabulary necessary to develop the topic, accurate choice of words and adequate knowledge of lexical combinability.
• The work has no errors in terms of lexical compatibility.

Grammar (3 points):

• The participant demonstrates competent and appropriate use of grammatical structures.

Spelling and punctuation (2 points):

• The participant demonstrates strong command of spelling and punctuation skills.

The story with the most points:

A fluffy tail

Once upon a time, I was sitting in my office and observing my ignorant colleagues. I glanced at the watch and discovered that it was time to go home. So, I unplugged all the cords from my laptop, put a note on the board and left my workplace. Bob told me: “Have a nice day!” I told him to have a nice day too.

I left the office building, found my car in the car park and headed off to my home place. The way home usually takes an hour. It’s a boring trip, because while covering the distance I have to stay in an enormous traffic jam. Not to feel bored I switched on the radio and started waiting for the cars in front of me to move. Suddenly I saw something strange in front of my car. It looked like a roll of a newspaper. Then I understood that it was something fluffy and alive. I left the car and took the fluffy ball in my hands. It turned out to be a small cat with a fluffy tail. It looked miserable and was shivering with cold.

I decided to take it home just to feed it, because my wife would never let it live with us. A year ago our cat left home and didn’t come back. After this incident Monica couldn’t see any other cats. Well, this time she was about throwing the poor kitten away, when she suddenly found a necklace on the cat with the cat’s owner’s address. The address was ours! It was our cat that we had lost. How happy we were!

Example 2

A photograph is given that shows a children's tent camp and a bear emerging from the forest.

Write your own version of the story based on the picture. Remember to: include a title, describe events in an entertaining way, include elements of direct speech, description of feelings and emotions, make an unexpected ending. Write 220-250 words.

Explanation: The student is required to write a story based on the picture (a story with a plot, and not just a description of the situation presented).

Report

Report- detailed information message. Text in this genre must meet the following requirements:

• If necessary, have a heading and subheadings before paragraphs.
• Description of the purpose in the introduction.
• Data about how the information was collected.
• Analysis of facts, evaluation of opinions, comparison, juxtaposition, clarification of reasons in the main part.
• Final assessment and recommendations in conclusion.
• Consistent with a formal style (as opposed to an emotional narrative). Using the expressions “The aim of this report is to assess...”, “The majority said that they...”, “while, whereas” (comparison), “The following conclusions can be drawn...”, “As can be seen from the findings of this report, the only...".

Example

Graphs are provided with information on passing exams in various subjects in 2015/2016.

Write a report to your school administration based on the chart below. Give recommendations what should be done to increase students’ interest and success in some subjects. Use the following words in your report: Affect, Fluctuate, Percent, Percentage, Trend. Underline the required words when used in your report. Time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Remember to: make an introduction, summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features (2 or more), make comparisons where relevant (2 or more), give recommendations (2 or more), make a conclusion, USE YOUR OWN WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS in your report. Write 300-350 words.

Explanation: The student is required to write a report using certain words for the school administration. Chart Report: Compare data and provide recommendations on how to increase interest in less popular subjects.

Evaluation criteria

• The report is written in a neutral (or formal) style appropriate to the assignment.
• The report contains graph-based descriptions of two or more trends.
• The report contains a comparison of graphs for two or more items.
• The report makes recommendations for the school - two or more.
• The report uses all the words specified in the task correctly.

Organization of speech (4 points):

• The text is structured logically.
• The text is correctly divided into paragraphs.
• The text contains and correctly uses a variety of means of logical communication.
• The text contains all the necessary structural components: introduction, main part, conclusion.

Language design (6 points):

• The work has no lexical errors.
• The work has no grammatical errors.
• The work has no errors in terms of spelling and punctuation.

The report with the most points:

The aim of this report is to recommend what should be done in order to make students interested and successful in some school subjects. The chart was used to analyze the information. The biggest number of both boys and girls has passed state exams in computer science, mathematics and foreign languages. The percentage of them is higher than 40. The choice of chemistry, physics and geography appears to be a little bit lower - its data fluctuations from 30 to 40 percent. History is the least popular subject students have passed state exam in.

Computer science exam was the most popular one among girls. It is because of the fact that the IT development greatly affected the demand for programmers. However, in 2015-2016 academic year most boys passed mathematics exam, following the trend of being more interested in mathematical sciences than practical areas. Speaking about less popular subjects, it should be stressed that only 14 percent of girls succeeded in passing state exam in chemistry, whereas 20 percent of boys managed to pass geography exam.

Judging by our research, me can give the following recommendations. On the one hand, to raise students’ interest in unpopular subjects such as chemistry, history and geography teachers should use modern technology such as computers and eboards during the lesson. On the other hand, group work and school projects may make them more interested in the subject. In conclusion, we can make a point that both interests and success of students do not depend on what kind of science a particular subject refers to. It is all about the education progress which can be improved by the use of special equipment and another way of studying.

The workbook is part of the educational and methodological set “Forward” for grade 10 and complements the textbook with a system of tasks that provide comprehensive development of skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. The notebook includes self-assessment tests with keys and audio texts. The “Forward” educational complex for grade 10 is included in the “Algorithm for Success” educational and methodological kits. Corresponds to the Federal State Standard of Secondary (Complete) General Education (2012).

Combined tasks

Combined tasks in the Writing competition are rare, but they pose very interesting tasks for students, which they complete with great pleasure. The point is to combine genres and different tasks from the Unified State Exam.

Example

Imagine that you are a teacher of English at school and you have given your students the writing assignment: Comment on the following statement. When you are studying away from home, the best choice for you is to live with your acquaintances. What is your opinion? Do you agree with this statement? Write 200-250 words. Use the following plan: make an introduction (state the problem), express your personal opinion and give 2-3 reasons for it, express an opposing opinion and 1-2 reasons for it, explain why you don't agree with the opposing opinion ,make a conclusion restating your position One of your students has sent you her essay by e-mail.

Task A. Find and correct the mistakes. The first one has been corrected as an example. Find 5 more mistakes (grammar, vocabulary or spelling) and correct them.

Task B. Playing the role of a school teacher, write an email to your student, expressing your opinion on her work. Do not comment on the grammar, vocabulary or spelling mistakes in your letter. Comment on the composition and general idea of ​​the essay. Observe the rules of letter writing, except for the address. Don't write your real name! (use 100-140 words).

Student's Essay When you are studying away from home, the best choice for you is to live with your acquaintances.

I disagree with this statement. If you are thinking of going away to study, your choice of accommodation will be very important. You may be lucky enough to have the chance of staying with somebody your parents know, for example, your distant relatives or your parents’ friends. However, this can bring problems as well as advantages. Family life may well distract you from your studies, and there will also be the question of what you should pay to your hosts. No matter how carring they may be and no matter how much they want you with them, they won’t expect to keep you for nothing. Paying too much or too little can easily lead to feeling awkward but setting the right amount can be tricky and embarrassed. You will also have to adjust with your hosts’way of life and put up with their habits. They will also have to do their best to make you feel at home. In other words, it is wrong to believe that if you are living with somebody you know it will be costing nothing either for you or for them. Living in a dormitory can often be the best arrangement after all.

Ann Applewood

Explanation: The student is required to imagine himself as an English teacher who has given his students the well-known task of “expressing a point of view on a proposed problem,” checking the essay of one of the students, finding 5 errors in it, and commenting on this essay in a letter. That is, the student deals with the essay genre, but at the same time must write an answer in the form of a letter.

The answer with the most points:

Dear Ann,

On the whole, your essay is very well done. Your point of view is clearly stated and supported by several arguments. Unfortunately, the opposing opinion is not mentioned in your work and is not commented upon. I am afraid there is no introduction in your essay. Try to add two sentences at the beginning where you paraphrase the statement and show that there are different views on the problem. I would also make two more paragraphs, starting with the words “Family life” and “In other words”.

With best wishes,

Mr. Brown

In general, Olympiad tasks are characterized by a complication of standard tasks, a focus on student creativity, and an appeal to interdisciplinary connections. When training for the Olympiad, in addition to thematic manuals, it is also worth using manuals to prepare for international exams.

The workshop is intended to prepare students in grades 10–11 for the oral part of the Unified State Exam in English and includes a detailed analysis of the tasks of the oral exam and the criteria for their evaluation, as well as a system of practical exercises that form strategies for working on the exam. The workshop includes 10 standard training options for the oral part of the exam, which are intended for teaching oral speech and monitoring speaking skills, as well as for simulating the situation of an oral exam. The samples of oral answers offered in the workshop, a reference book on phonetics and an audio application can be used during independent work for self-control. The workshop is recommended for use in grades 10–11 of general education organizations when studying English at both a basic and advanced level.