МІНІСТЕРСТВО ОСВІТИ І НАУКИ УКРАЇНИ

ІІІ ЕТАП ВСЕУКРАЇНСЬКОЇ УЧНІВСЬКОЇ ОЛІМПІАДИ З АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ

THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF UKRAINE

STAGE IІІ NATIONAL STUDENTS OLYMPIAD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Reading Comprehension Test for 9th Form Students

DICTIONARIES ARE NOT ALLOWED

Directions:
In this test you will read five texts. Each text is followed by either 10 true/false statements or 5 multiple-choice
questions. You should do the tasks that follow a text on the basis of what is stated or implied in that text.
For each task you will choose the best possible answer from two symbols (+ or –) or four possible answers (A, B,
C, or D), as specified prior to each task. Choose the best answer and circle the symbol or letter of your choice on
the answer sheet.

Text 1)
THE UNUSUAL CRUISE

Quay – a platform projecting into water for loading and unloading ships

Every year the sea between Finland and Sweden, which is called the Bay of Bothnia, freezes over for several
months. There are about 60 Finnish ports in this ice zone, and during the winter, about a third are kept open by
the ice-breakers. These are the strongest ships in the world, three times heavier and three times more powerful
than any other ship of the same size. They can slice though one-meter thick ice without any effort. The Sampo is
one such ship. For 30 years the Sampo used to clear a path for smaller ships carrying goods to the port of Kemi,
at the tip of the Bay of Bothnia. Now this fine old ship is retired and taken on a new, lighter role, carrying
passengers on one of the most unusual cruises in the world.

From mid-December to April thousands of tourist get on the Sampo at Kemi for an unforgettable day trip
through the frozen sea. The night before, they stay at Kemi’s Snow Castle Hotel beside the harbor. This hotel is
built out of sculpted snow and ice, complete with towers, dining room and even a wedding hall, which is very
popular. Guests sleep comfortably in several layers of sleeping bags on blocks of ice in the little white bedrooms.
As summer approaches, the hotel melts away and is rebuilt later in the year.

Most tourists board the Sampo from the quay at Kemi, but there is another way to access the ship. Dressed in
the thickest possible snowsuit, boots, gloves and hard helmet, the bravest of them can travel for ten kilometers
across the frozen bay by skidoo. After a brief lesson on how to control this ‘motorbike on skis’ people find riding
across the ice at high speed breathtakingly exciting. There is a stop for a cup of coffee and a sandwich at a farm
on one of the small wooded islands before the ride continues and the Sampo appears in the mist.

Statements 1 through 10 (on your answer sheet circle + if the statement is true, - if it is false)

1. In winter, all the ports in the Bay of Bothnia are kept clear of ice.
2. The strongest ships in the world, three times heavier than any other ship, are made in Finland and Sweden.
3. The Sampo is still used for its original purpose.
4. Cruises on the Sampo take several days.
5. It is possible to get married at the Snow Castle Hotel.
6. The Snow Castle Hotel offers accommodation all year round.
 7. Guests in the Snow Castle Hotel are provided with comfortable rooms while their visit.
8. The majority of passengers on the Sampo sail from Kemi harbor.
9. Skidoo-riders are given some instruction before they set out across the ice.
10. The skidoos are ridden back to Kemi over the ice.

Text 2)
OPERA SINGER

Understudy – a person at the theatre who learns another’s role in order to be able to act as a replacement at a
short notice

A former waitress finally became a star when she appeared in the title role of the opera “Carmen” at the opera
house in a German city.

Up until a year ago, Else Lindberg had never sung an opera on stage. The daughter of music teachers, she
grew up in a small village. At the age of 19 she moved to the nearby city to study voice and music at university,
working in restaurants to pay for her courses. She then started singing at private events, although she felt her
voice was still not good enough for her to register with an agency as a professional singer. She continued to do
part-time jobs to pay for more singing lessons.

The turning point came on a hot summer day in 2003. “I was serving drinks at a party, wearing an ugly
uniform, and feeling very sorry for myself. I decided to take a more positive attitude to my singing and made
myself contact an agent.” As a result, Else was invited for an interview with a director of the city opera. He
admired her voice and offered her some small roles, although he had never seen her perform on the stage. One of
these was to be the understudy for the leading singer. When she fell ill a few months later, it was Else’s job to
take her place in Carmen before a large audience.

Reviews the next day spoke highly of Else’s performance. Her success was even more amazing because she
had only 24 hours to prepare for the part, and one hour to rehearse. What is more, the performance was heard on
the radio by people all over Europe.

Questions 11 through 15 (on your answer sheet circle the correct letter A, B, C, or D)

11. What is the writer doing in this text?

A. giving advice in studying music.
B. reviewing a new musical show.
C. describing the career of a village singer.
D. encouraging people to go to the opera.

12. Why did Else move to the city?

A. She was going to attend college.
B. She was hoping to become famous.
C. She wanted to get away from her village.
D. She needed to earn some money.

13. Why didn’t Else contact an agent sooner?

A. She thought her voice was too weak.
B. People said she needed more experience.
C. It was difficult to find a suitable agency.
D. She was satisfied with her part-time work.
 14. Why was the director’s decision to employ Else surprising?
A. He had never heard her singing.
B. She was older than most other singers.
C. She performed badly at the interview.
D. She knew nothing about the acting skills.

15. What might Else say after the performance?

A. Thank goodness there weren’t too many people in the audience to hear all the mistakes I made!
B. When I heard the leading singer was ill, I realized this was a fantastic opportunity for me!
C. My parents will be amazed when they read my reviews - I’m the first family member to have a career in
music!
D. It’s been great fun but I’m looking forward to going back to being a waitress again next week!

Text 3)
Churchill’s Portrait

When Sir Winston Churchill, the great British prime minister reached his eightieth birthday in November,
1954, he was presented with his portrait by a well-known modern artist. The painting had been ordered and paid
for by the members of Parliament, who wanted to honour the Grand Old Man of World War II.
Sir Winston and Lady Churchill were deeply moved by this mark of respect and affection. Neither of them, of
course, allowed the donors to see how much they both disliked the portrait. “It makes me look stupid – which I
am not!” protested Churchill in private. Publicly, he only remarked that it was ‘a fine example of modern art’. Is
friends smiled; it was well known that Sir Winston didn’t care for modern art.
Churchill was so unhappy about the portrait that finally his wife had it destroyed. Churchill died at ninety in
January, 1965. Lady Churchill followed him in 1977. Shortly after her death, the public learned what had
happened to Sutherland’s painting, and a heated argument broke out. The painter was understandably sad. The
artistic community, shocked and angry, claimed that the destruction of the picture had been a crime. Historians
said that they regretted the disappearance of a historical document. All agreed that the Churchills didn’t have the
right to do what they had done.
Well – did they? A good part of the public (and owner) of the portrait had the right to get rid of it if it made
him so unhappy. The question, however, has been raised many times before: who has the right to a work of art –
the sitter, the owner, the donor, or the artist who created it? And when the painting is a portrait of a historical
figure, should the right of posterity be considered, as the historians claimed?
Another question comes to mind: who is qualified to judge a portrait? Graham Sutherland had told Sir
Winston that he would paint him “as he saw him.” Churchill never had a chance to see the work in progress since
the painter refused to show it to him. He found out only when he received his present that Sutherland had seen
him as a heavy, sick, tired old man. Since he hated old age, he was naturally hurt and offended. But was the
portrait a good one, as many (including the painter) said? Or was it bad and offensive as others (and the sitter )
thought? Who is to judge? It is well known that we never see ourselves as others see us; but do we see ourselves
better than they do?
None of these questions have been answered yet to everybody’s satisfaction.

Questions 16 through 20 (on your answer sheet circle the correct letter A, B, C, or D)

16. In 1954, Sir Winston Churchill

A. was eighty years old.
B. asked a famous painter to paint a portrait for him.
C. passed away.
 D. became the British prime minister.

17. To have Churchill’s portrait painted was the idea of _______ .

A. a well-known modern artists.
B. Parliament.
C. A friend of Churchill’s.
D. Lady Churchill.

18. Which of the following is true?

A. Churchill liked the portrait but his wife did not.
B. Churchill did not like the portrait because he did not like the painter.
C. Churchill liked the portrait because it was a fine expale of modern art.
D. Neither Churchill nor his wife liked the portrait.

19. Who personally destroyed the portrait?

A. Sir Winston Churchill himself.
B. Lady Churchill.
C. Someone whose name is not mentioned.
D. Sutherland, the painter.

20. When was the destruction of the portrait known to the public?
A. As soon as it happened.
B. After Churchill died in 1965.
C. Soon after Lady Churchill’s death.
D. Recently.

Text 4)
A Journey for Charity

Embark on – begin a course of action especially one that is important or demanding

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 interview 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.”
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.”

Questions 21 through 25 (on your answer sheet circle the correct letter A, B, C, or D)
21.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.

22.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.

23.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.

24.How did Stuart return home?

A. by bicycle
B. by plane
C. by train

25.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.

Text 5)
An Incident on the Beach

A family beach holiday turned into a nightmare yesterday when eight-year-old Jason Bligh fell almost four
meters onto rocks not far from Pebble beach in Australia.
Jason’s parents were swimming at the time and too far away to see what had happened. Fortunately, Jason’s
friend, Maggie Young, was with him and she ran to tell her mother. She called the emergency services on her
mobile and then ran into the water to tell Jason’s parents.
A quarter of an hour later, a helicopter arrived to take Jason to hospital. Jason was still unconscious. So after
carefully putting him onto a stretcher, the paramedics lifted him into the helicopter, which flew him to Stanley
hospital – a journey of ten minutes. His parents joined him half an hour later after driving to the hospital in their
car.
 In the helicopter Jason regained consciousness and wondered where he was, but he felt OK. When he had an
examination at the hospital, the doctors could not believe Jason had no broken bones. As expected, he had cuts
and bruises on various parts of his body, but nothing more serious than that.
When Jason’s parents arrived at the hospital, they were relieved that he was not badly injured. The doctor told
them Jason could go to the beach again after two days in bed. “Yes, but the next time on the beach he’s going to
stay with us all the time ,” laughed Linda, his mother. “And no more climbing!”
Jason remembers nothing about his fall. And he can’t remember much about his helicopter ride. “But I
remember Maggie asking me if I was all right,” he says. She was fantastic. She’ll be my friend forever.

Questions 26 through 30 (on your answer sheet circle the correct letter A, B, C, or D)

26. Who saw what happened to Jason?

A. Jason’s parents
B. Jason’s friend Maggie
C. Maggie’s mother
D. The helicopter team

27. How long did it take the helicopter to get Jason?

A. 10 minutes
B. 15 minutes
C. 30 minutes
D. no time at all.

28. What surprised the doctor when he examined Jason?

A. He had bruises on his body
B. There were cuts on his body
C. Nothing was broken.
D. His limbs were broken,

29. What advice did the doctor give?

A. Jason should stay in bed.
B. Jason should not climb.
C. Jason should stay with hid parents at the beach.
D. Jason should learn how to climb with a safety belt.

30. What can Jason remember most about the incident?

A. His helicopter ride
B. His fall
C. Maggie’s voice
D. The height of the mountain