School Olympiad in English Grades 10-12

TASK 1 LISTENING

You are going to listen to a text about creative industries. For questions 1-10 choose the best answer
A, B or C.

You now have thirty seconds to look through the task. You will hear the recording twice.

1. Creative industries are very good for the country’s

A. politics
B. economy.
C. education.

2. Almost 10 percent of the UK’s economy goes to

A. architecture and publishing only.
B. film, fashion and music only.
C. creative industries in all.

3. The people, whom the reporter has invited for an interview, work in the
A. film industry.
B. television industry.
C. radio industry.

To the reporter’s question: “What’s it like working in a creative industry here in the UK?”

4. The first respondent responds that he

A. has worked on different projects.
B. has worked only as an editor.
C. has worked only as an assistant.

5. The second respondent responds that he

A. is a cyclist.
B. sometimes makes commercials.
C. acted in a feature film.

6. The third respondent responds that it’s

A. easy to get established into the creative industries.
B. not important to have previous experience.
C. important to have previous experience.

To the reporter’s question: “And do you have working hours?”

7. The respondent responds that

A. she has limited working hours.
B. her working hours differ.
C. she works as the law allows.
To the reporter’s question: “What about the social side of things? Do you go out much?”

8. The first respondent responds that

A. he always works alone.
B. he always works with other people.
C. the working style depends on the project.

9. The second respondent responds that

A. it’s hard to find time for social life.
B. it’s easy to find time for social time.
C. she has great social life.

To the reporter’s question: “And where do you hope to be in about, say, ten years?

10. The respondent responds that

A. he wants to be in TV industry.
B. he wants to live somewhere abroad.
C. he wants to change the profession.

TASK 2 READING

Read the text and fill the gaps with the appropriate words. Insert only ONE word in each gap.

Charles Dickens – an English Writer

Charles Dickens is one (0) of the greatest writers in the English language. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity
and fame ____________ (1) any previous author of that century did, and he remains popular, having
____________ (2) responsible for some of English literature’s most iconic novels ____________ (3)
characters. Charles Dickens was born near Portsmouth in the south of England on 7th February in 1812.
____________ (4) father, John Dickens, worked in an office ____________ (5) a clerk.

Charles Dickens’ father was not clever ____________ (6) managing money. John Dickens did not
____________ (7) much money and soon the family could not ____________ (8) his debts. Mrs. Dickens,
Charles and his brothers and sisters went to live in the prison with Charles’ father. At this time, Charles
Dickens was twelve ____________ (9) old. He was ____________ (10) to work in a factory. He had to
work many hours ____________ (11) day sticking labels ____________ (12) the bottles. The
pay____________ (13) low, the work was very hard and Dickens was very unhappy. Charles Dickens never
forgot ____________ (14) happened to him at that time.
In 1827, ____________ (15) he was fifteen years old, Dickens went to work in an office as a clerk.
____________ (16) work was not well-paid, ____________ (17) Charles made some good friends there.

In 1833, Dickens started writing. That year, his first article was ____________ (18) in the Old Monthly
Magazine. Charles Dickens became very famous and very rich. He wrote some____________ (19) the most
well-known and popular stories in English literature. Dickens knew ____________ (20) the poor people lived
in England and many of his stories were____________ (21) poor people. He was angry at the way children
____________ (22) treated. They were beaten and made to work in dirty and dangerous jobs with little food
or shelter. Because of his stories, people were made to see how children and poor people lived in England in
the nineteenth century.

Dickens wrote a big number of books, articles and short stories. He owned and edited magazines
____________ (23) published short stories and poetry. He also travelled in Europe and the United States.
Thousands of people came to hear him talk and to hear him read some extracts ____________ (24) his
books.

Oliver Twist, the story____________ (25) a poor boy without a family, was published in 1838.
____________ (26) well-known books by Dickens are: A Christmas Carol (1843), Bleak House (1853),
A T ale of Two Cities (1859), Great Expectations (1861) and Our Mutual Friend (1864).
Charles Dickens ____________ (27) ill from working too _____________ (28) and died on 9th June 1870
near Gravesend in the south of England. He was 58 years old. Dickens was _____________ (29) in the
famous church, Westminster Abbey, in London. Dickens’ work has been highly praised ____________ (30)
its realism and unique personalities.
Task 3 WRITING

Read the beginning of the story and finish it using your imagination and fantasy.

Write between 150-180 words.

It was a hot summer day. I was sitting in a café and drinking cold apple juice. Suddenly I saw

someone entering the café. The face seemed familiar _____________________________________

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Key / grades 10-12

Task 1: 1.B 2.C 3.A 4.A 5.B 6.C 7.B 8.C 9.A 10.B

Task 2: 1. than 2. been /become 3. and 4. His 5.as 6. at 7.earn/have/make

8.pay/cover/repay /afford 9.years 10. sent/made/forced 11.a/every/each/per 12.on/to/onto
13.was 14.what 15. when 16. The /His/ This /That 17. but 18. published 19.of
20.how/that 21.about 22. were 23.which/ that/and 24.from 25. of/about 26.
Other/More/Some /The/Several 27.became/got/fell 28. hard/much 29.buried 30. for