Завдання до обласної олімпіади з предмета "Англійська мова"

І тур

 Аудіювання

Listening

The Memory Trick

When an old friend invited me to his house for a dinner party, I did 1 not think for a moment that this would lead the way to doubling my salary in less than two years. But that is exactly what happened.

By the end of the evening the conversation was beginning to dry up, and somebody suggested we all do a "party-piece". Some people sang, some played the piano and others told stories.

Then it was the turn of Peter Brown, a salesman from Cardiff. He said he was going to perform a memory trick. He told us to put a blind­fold over his eyes, and then asked the guests to call out 25 numbers, all of three figures each, such as 161.249, and so on. He asked me to make a note of all the numbers as they were called out. Peter then astonished everyone at the party by repeating the entire list of numbers, first in the correct order, then backwards. He then asked people to request numbers by their position on my list, such as number 4 or number 19. The guests did this with all the numbers, and Peter told them the cor­rect numbers over and over, 12 without making a single mistake. The numbers were then mixed up and called out again. Peter performed the same trick and truly amazed all of us. You expect to see this type of trick performed on stage or on television but not by an ordinary man, in a situation where cheating is impossible.

Later on I asked Peter how he had done the trick. He said that by remembering a few simple rules anyone could do it. Most people, he continued, leave the development of their memories to chance, but by following these rules we could all develop good memories, and he told me how to do it.

Over the next few days I learned to do exactly what Peter had done. At first it was just for fun but soon I was receiving invitations to lots of parties, and people were amazed by the tricks I could perform with my memory. They often asked me how they could become as popular and successful and I told them what Peter Brown had told me.

However, the greatest thing about improving my memory came out at the office. My thinking had become much clearer and quicker. I was learning to do things that until recently I had only been able to admire in other people. In time I also began to notice a big improve­ment in my writing and conversational skills. Before I learned how to improve my memory, I used to speak and write in a very slow, confused way. I could never think of anything to say. But now, I never have to search for the right word or expression, and I find myself impressing people with my bright conversation.

Before long, my newly learned skills and my ability to remember things attracted the attention of my boss and I was given more responsi­bility and a big improvement in my salary. I found that my ability to remember things helped me a lot in dealing with other people, especially in business meetings. A person who can support their statements with facts and figures is always at the centre of a meeting. Nowadays, I ne­ver forget anything. I can remember anything I want to, as if it were written on a piece of paper in front of me.

  

Listening

Memory Trick

Directions: In this part of the test you will hear a text twice. After the first listening you need to decide, which of the given statements are true (T) and which are false (F) and mark the corresponding box.

After the second listening you need to decide, which of the vari­ants (A, B, C or D) best completes the sentence with regards to what was stated or implied in the text, and mark the corresponding letter.

Remember — you are not allowed to take any notes when the text is being read out to you.

		T	F
1	The author tells a story of how chance meetings influenced the direction of his life.
2	The author attended a business party to further his career.
3	Peter Brown was professional entertainer invited to the party to entertain the guests.
4	Peter Brown's trick was difficult to duplicate without practice.
5	People who can duplicate the trick are logical and have a photo­graphic memory.
6	People were astonished and shocked with what they saw.
7	The only way to improve your memory is to speak and write slowly.
8	The person who can support his statements with facts and fig­ures is in the center of his boss attention.
9	It is an advantage to have a good memory because you impress people with bright conversations.
10	The purpose of this text is to motivate others to develop their memory abilities.

11. Why did the guests start doing "party-pieces"?
a) Everyone wanted to sing.	b) They were professional performers.	c) No one could think of anything else to talk about.	d) They were curi­ous about Peter Brown's skills.
12. Who was Peter Brown?
a) One of the din­ner guests.	b) A fortune teller.	c) A TV star.	d)A stage performer.
13. What did Peter Brown ask the writer to do?
a) Call out the numbers.	b) Mix the num­bers up.	c) Repeat the numbers.	d) Write the num­bers down.
14. What does the word "this" in the line "The guests did this with all the numbers" mean?
a) Writing num­bers down.	b) Saying num­bers backwards.	c) Give him a new list of num­bers.	d) Asking for numbers in a dif­ferent order.
15. How would anyone be able to do that trick?
a) By learning lots of numbers.	b) By memorizing a few simple pro­cedures.	c) By developing their speaking skills.	d) By learning par­ty tricks.
16. Why did the writer receive lots of requests to go to parties?
a) He performed memory tricks.	b) He was fa­mous.	c) He was memo­rable.	d) He was fun to be with.
17. The improvement in the writer's memory was most obvious:
a) at parties;	b) at home;	c) at work;	d) while traveling.
18. Why was the writer so popular at business meetings?
a) Because he was clever.	b) Because he remembered people's names.	c) Because he wrote everything down.	d) Because he could prove what he said.
19. The author liked memory tricks because of all of the following except for the fact:
a) He was invit­ed to many par­ties;	b) his girlfriend was impressed with him;	c) the staff of his office were im­pressed with him;	d) his party friends were im­pressed with him.
20. The author feels that good memories are essential for:
a) business people;	b) mechanics;	c) horticultural-ists;	d) chefs.

 ІІ тур

Писемне мовлення

Write a composition

1.     Describe a visit to a place that you will always remember, say what place it was and explain why you will remember it.

2.     The family is one of nature`s masterpieces.

3.     Tell about a good book or a good movie you`ve recently read / seen.

ІІІ тур

 Монологічне висловлювання

Choose one of the three topics and make up a story:

1.     My future profession.

2.     The country I would like to tell about.

3.      Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe.