LONG-DISTANCE CONTEST FOR LEARNERS OF ENGLISH (2015 – 2016 academic year. 11th grade)
Doing the tasks correctly, you can score as much as 60 points and participate in the second round of the competition that is take place at Elabuga Campus of Kazan Federal University.
Task One. (Total score – 16)
Read the text and put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense aspect form (active or passive).
Fairytale ending
Don’t get me wrong. I liked Shrek 2. When the film (1) (to show)in cinemas last week, kids and their mums and dads (2) (to like) it, too. But the first Shrek will be the one that (3) (to regard) as a classic.
The most striking thing about the original Shrekwas its freshness. It (4) (to feel) new and exciting, because of the progress that (5) (to make) by the film industry in animation techniques. With Shrek 2, of course, there isn’t the same surprise.
The film begins in traditional fairytale style in the Kingdom of Far Far Away, as Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett) (6) (to tell) the story of how he tried to rescue Princess Fiona from the Dragon. But, of course, Fiona (7) (to rescue) already by our loveable monster Shrek, and what’s more, she’s (8) (to marry) him! Now Shrek (9) (to introduce) by his new wife to his parents-in-law. Predictably, he (10) (to make) a good impression on the King and the Queen (voiced by John Cleese and Julie Andrews).
There are many new characters, by far the best one being Puss-in-Boots, who (11) (to voice) by Antonio Banderas. Amusingly, this character (12) (to base) on the actor’s film role of Zorro.
However, the plot (13) (not to write) by the original creative team, and it shows. The story (14) (to end) with a typically Hollywood feel-good message: that whatever you (15) (to be) black, white, purple, or a green monster, you (16) (to still love)for who you are inside. And unfortunately, that’s the biggest fairytale of all.
Task Two. (Total score – 7)
Fill the gaps with the correct form of one of the phrasal verbs in the box. It will either be the ‘infinitive with to’ or the ‘-ing’ form. Each verb is used once. The first one is done as an example.
Phrasal verbs to be used: find out, die out, pick up on, keep up with, take over, buy into, catch on, slow down
1. If you want to buy some unusual fashionable clothes, I suggest finding out where the smaller, more interesting shops are, so you can get something different.
2. Unless the government brings in laws to help protect school dinners, I expect them ______. Then we will be back to the same situation as 200 years ago with lots of undernourished children at school.
3. There is a lot of demand for this new, fashionable style of trousers and we are manufacturing them as fast as we can. So if we begin ______production, we will lose a lot of money. That would be a huge mistake.
4. Teenage children will love the design of these clothes. We can start trying to sell them now in the shops as they could become very fashionable. So for this project to be successful, we really want the designs ______quickly.
5. We have some friends who love ______the latest trends. Every month they buy at least a couple of new household gadgets. They always have the latest, most fashionable clothes.
6. I advise ______the company. They are not successful at the moment but I think fashions are about the change. In the next four years, I think some of the clothes they are making now will sell very well.
7. My boss likes ______every small mistake I make. Even if I make a spelling mistake in a report that no one else would notice, I can always guarantee he will see it.
8. If you continue ______everything he says to you, you could end up making some serious mistakes. You have to make your own decisions! Don’t listen to everything he says.
Task Three. (Total score – 7)
Read the text and complete the questions below.
Roberto lay awake, listening to the rain outside the tent and the soft sound of snoring coming from Mario beside him. As usual, Mario had no trouble sleeping through the roaring storm, Roberto thought as pulled his sleeping bag tighter around himself. Roberto had known him to snore happily in a train station with trains coming and going. He would have thought, though, that even Mario might have had problems with the freezing wind coming through the door of the tent. No amount of clothes piled on top of each other could stop the cold air getting in and Roberto was beginning to get annoyed at the sight of his sleeping companion.
The trip had been Mario’s idea and Roberto had agreed despite his lack of enthusiasm for the outdoor life and its physical demands. As far as he was concerned, the countryside was a place filled with insects and inconvenience, but Mario had convinced him that they would enjoy it. Roberto had managed to maintain a smile for the first few days of hard work and badly-cooked food, but his patience was coming to an end. He wasn’t sure why Mario usually succeeded in persuading him to do things that were against his better judgement, but he thought it was probably due to Mario’s ability to focus on the positive. He seemed not to hear Roberto’s arguments against the idea until it just became easier for Roberto to agree than to try to make him listen. Roberto wished he could be more like Mario. His own ideas usually never got very far. He was too aware of the opposite point of view and often argued himself out of his own suggestions. It made him seem indecisive and weak, while Mario came across to everyone as very confident.
The wind seemed to get a little stronger andMario rolled over and opened his eyes sleepily.
“What time is it?” he asked and Roberto peered at his watch.
“Four,” he replied and yawned. Suddenly there was a noise outside the tent.
“What was that?” asked Mario. They both listened. It had sounded like the grunt of an animal of some kind, a large animal by the sound of it. Neither of them moved. After a moment Roberto offered to check what was outside and Mario nodded his head, nervously. Not that Roberto wasn’t afraid – the sweat on his hands and forehead proved that – but he knew that unless he acted Mario would beat him into it and would come out of it looking like a hero. Roberto was determined that when they got back home he was going to have stories to tell, just like Mario normally did.
He moved to the entrance of the tent and unzipped the door slowly. The wind blew rain in. He glanced back at Mario before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.
Mario blinked in the darkness and listened carefully. He heard the animal noise again, closer this time and then a strange human noise. He felt very alone and insecure. All kinds of images flashed through his mind quickly. What if Roberto didn’t come back? He thought of going back to town and having to break the sad news to Roberto’s family. That would be bad enough, but the real concern was that he would look like a coward. He quickly pulled his boots on and rushed outside the tent.
It was then that he realized what the strange human noise had been. Laughter. Roberto was laughing, even though he was dripping wet from the rain. Mario looked where he was pointing. There was a cow standing by the tent, lazily chewing on some grass.
A. Roberto is surprised that
1)Mario is able to sleep despite the noise.
2)the cold doesn’t wake Mario up.
3)Mario makes so much noise when he’s asleep.
4)he can hear trains in the distance.
B. Mario begins to annoy Roberto because
1)his snoring prevents him from sleeping.
2)he didn’t close the tent door properly.
3)he hadn’t put his clothes away tidily.
4)he can sleep at a time when Roberto can’t.
C. Roberto thinks that camping is generally
1)an uncomfortable experience.
2)a good chance to study nature.
3)enjoyable despite the hard work.
4)a good way to get some exercise.
D. Roberto thinks that Mario probably gets him to agree to things by
1)listening to his needs.
2)judging his mood.
3)ignoring his objections.
4)starting an argument.
E. When he has a suggestion to make, Roberto often ends up
1)getting into arguments with other people and giving up.
2)persuading people to do things that they later regret.
3)deciding against it because he sees the negative side.
4)pretending that it was originally Mario’s idea.
F. Roberto volunteers to see what is outside because he
1)wants to appear brave afterwards.
2)thinks Mario might get violent.
3)isn't frightened of wild animals.
4)knows Mario is very scared.
G. Mario’s biggest worry is that
1)people might think he was too frightened to do anything.
2)Roberto might leave him and go back to town on his own.
3)Roberto’s family might blame him if something happened.
4)the animal outside might attack him outside the tent.
Task Four. (Total score – 10)
Read the text. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits the space.
Medicine
Medicine is a science and art of healing (0) (dedicate – dedicated) to saving lives and relieving (1) (suffer). A person becomes ill when a part of the body does not function (2) (proper). They may have been injured, caught an (3) (infection) disease or have a (4) (heir) weakness or defect in their genes. There are also psychiatric (5) (order) of the mind. The human body is a (6) (wonder) machine capable of building and (7) (repair) itself, provides it has a good supply of fresh air, water and food. But if the (8) (ill) is serious, a person may need (9) (medicine) aid to help then get together. Medical care begins with the diagnosis followed by (10) (treat) to cure it.
Task Five. (Total score – 20)
Write an essay on one of the given problems (210 – 250 words).
1. Many teenagers enjoy playing computer games. Some people, however, believe that teenagers should spend their free time doing more physical activities. What can you say for and against teenagers playing computer games?
2. Some people believe that ‘travel broadens the mind’. They believe that when you travel to other places, you experience new things and learn from them. Other people, however, argue that most people who go on holiday to other countries just lie on the beach and don’t experience the local culture at all. Who is right in your opinion?
3. Most teachers give their students homework. However, some teenagers today believe that they are given too much homework and that they don’t have the time to do it all properly. Do you think that teachers give too much homework?
4. Some scientists perform experiments on animals. However, some people say that this is cruel and unnecessary. What can you say for and against performing experiments on animals?
5. Technology is an important part of our lives. We use computers and other electronic equipment at work and at home. However, some people believe we rely too much on machines, and that the more technology improves, the lazier and weaker humans will become. What can you say for and against future technological developments?
END OF ROUND ONE