XI Всероссийская олимпиада школьников по английскому языку
2009г.муниципальный этап11 класс
Reading
Time: 45 minutes
Part 1
Questions 1-6 are based on Text 1
Improving Your Job Skills as a Teenager
As a teenager you have probably noticed that your "worth" in the "job market" is not very high. For example, when you go searching for a job you probably find that most of them pay minimum wage. Have you ever wondered why you make minimum wage? Have you ever wondered why other people make $20 an hour, or $50 an hour, or more? What is it that determines your value in the job market, and how can you increase your value? These are extremely important questions. Once you answer them you are in position to do something about changing your own value.
Your value in the marketplace is controlled primarily by what you know. A very simple and surprisingly accurate way to understand why this is the case involves the basic rule of supply and demand. Right now, as a teenager, you have not acquired the knowledge that allows you to earn more than minimum wage. That means that most of the jobs you are offered are "low on the totem pole." Either they are "entry level" positions, or they are "unskilled" positions like sweeping floors, unloading boxes, flipping burgers and so on. Most of these jobs pay minimum wage because it doesn't take long to train somebody to do the job.
In the case of minimum wage workers, the supply of workers outstrips the demand. As an employee you have no leverage because you can be replaced in an instant.
If you want to make more money, then you have to learn a skill. As a general rule, the longer it takes you to learn a skill the more valuable the skill is. This occurs because the length of time needed to obtain a skill tends to limit the supply of people who possess the skill.
If you keep the laws of supply and demand in mind, a lot of things begin to make more sense. For example:
Why do doctors and lawyers make a lot of money (a good lawyer bills between $100 and $200 per hour. Famous lawyers bill much more)? Because it takes 6 to 10 years to take the classes and pass the tests required to become a doctor or a lawyer. Therefore the supply is low relative to the demand for doctors and lawyers.
It really is important to start early. Have you ever seen an adult do something and been amazed by it? For example, have you ever seen a star athlete do things on the field that amaze you? Have you ever seen your parents handle a sticky situation in a way that amazes you? Have you ever seen a master craftsman build something beautiful and asked, "How in the world does he/she do that?" People who are able to do amazing things get to the point of amazement by practicing. Every day that you practice a skill you learn something new, and it is what you learn that makes you valuable. That applies to computer programming, car repair, public speaking, basketball, and everything else.
Let's imagine that you are trying to learn a new skill. It doesn't really matter what the skill is. The first day on the job you know nothing, and as a result you are hopelessly bad. But on that first day you learn one or two things about the skill. The second day on the job you are a tiny bit better and you learn a couple more things. The third day you are a tiny bit better and you learn a couple more things... And so on. Adults can do "amazing things" because they have spent thousands of days doing whatever it is they do. In their brains they hold thousands of experiences that they draw on to handle today's situations. The sooner you start adding information to your brain's storehouse, the more valuable you can become.
Let's say that you are a normal teenager. Let's say that you would like to start learning a skill that is valuable. Let's say that you have access to the web. If you like computers, then you are in luck. It is possible for anyone to learn a wide variety of computer skills on the web. Will your efforts help you earn more money? Yes. Even as a teenager you can significantly improve your earning power by learning computer skills.
Decide which of the following statements (items 1 -6) are True (T) or False (F).
1. T FIf you want to earn more money, you need to learn more skills.
2. T FIf you practice your skill every day, you can learn something new.
3. T F You can do amazing things even if you have never learned them.
4. T F You can’t hold experience in your mind the way an adult can.
5. TFEven your first day at work is a day when you already know a lot of things.
6. TFIf you have access to the web you have an opportunity to earn money.
Part 2
Questions 7-12 are based on Text 2. You are going to read an article about tattoos,the feminine touch. Six sentences have been removed from the story. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits in each gap 7-12. There is one extra sentence you do not need to use.
Tattoos, the feminine touch
7______. As a child the only tattoos I ever saw were all the same blue color and adorned the fore arms of men. There was always a feeling of masculinity involved; hard touch and strong men.
Some years ago, women began adopting the art in growing numbers and many followed the typical designs that men had been wearing for many years. I must admit at the time I did not find this attractive at all as I felt it counteracted the femininity that I have always found attractive in women. In recent years though, this has all changed dramatically.8______.My statistics show that tattoos are now bought equally in number by men and women. As this trend has evolved, women have begun to have a strong influence on modern designs and today we see more color and 'softer' images.
9______, graceful lines and more colors. Placement of the tattoo on the woman's body can have a strong sensual influence. I am astounded at just how sexy some tattoo designs can be. A symmetrical tattoo with graceful lines and patterns placed in the lower back, or on the nape of the neck certainly appeals to me and I am sure would appeal to other men. So I guess what I am trying to say is that I have now come full circle. I really didn’t see anything feminine in a tattoo a few years ago but I certainly see some truly breathtaking designs today and find them quite tasteful. Last week I was traveling by train into work when a woman stood up to leave the carriage. As she stood up, I could see that she had a beautiful tattoo that covered her outer arm from the shoulder to her wrist. The design was something like a vine growing up her arm with a bird nesting in a hollow in the top section. 10______.Then she pulled her jacket over her shoulder and slid her arm into the sleeve, hiding her beautiful tattoo. I thought how interesting it was that such a professionally presented person could be hiding such a work of art in an office environment. That brings me to another important point. It is women from all walks of life that now wear tattoos.
As I describe in the previous note about the lady in the train, tattoo designs are not being adopted within only some segments of the population, they are being accepted quite widely. It is only in older women that I seldom see tattoos but we all know that the years will change that situation!11______. I would not have agreed with this statement as I was growing up but now I have to agree. There is something quite special and appealing about a well designed tattoo placed well on the body of a woman. 12______, just as the lady in the train did, creates a sense of mystery about them. After all what can you tell about a woman by the tattoo design she selects?
A. Many of the more feminine designs today include such things as flowers.
B. The art is certainly not a male dominated domain today.
C. The vine was mainly green in color with many small red flowers.
D. Women who conceal their “secret” below their clothing
E. Tattooing has long been considered a body art.
F. I have always thought of a tattoo as something applicable only to men.
G. I think it was ugly.
Part 3
Questions 13-20 are based on Text 3. You are going to read a disappointment and perspective. For questions 13-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Disappointment and Perspective
Being disappointed is all about perspective. It took me a long time to realize this. I was under the impression that if someone did something I didn't like, or a situation evolved that I wasn't happy with, then I had the "right" to be disappointed. Of course the disappointment always led to me having the "right" to be upset, depressed, frustrated or even angry. After all, the situation didn't turn out the way it was supposed to, or a particular person didn't behave the way I believed they should. Therefore, it was disappointing to me and I felt let down. I never once thought it was just my perception of the matter that was causing my disappointment and that I could control this!
What I slowly began to realize through studying myself, as well as paying attention to others around me, was that those things that would upset me, would not upset someone else. I also noticed that those things that appeared to be the biggest deal to someone else, only made me laugh. So what was going on? Obviously, it couldn't be the situation itself because that was the one constant thing in each equation. What did change was who was interpreting the situation. That was what was different. So I began to wonder if my perception of a situation, any situation, was something I could control. Could I change the way I perceived something, and therefore, change my emotional reaction? I discovered, that yes, it was possible. I wasn't necessarily in control over what happened to me, or around me, but I was definitely in control over how I responded to those situations.
I began to play with this idea a bit. I believe that the people in our lives are great mirrors for how we think and behave, and therefore, can be great educational tools. So I started to focus on the people at work, my fellow employees as well as the customers. I began to pay close attention to what it was they were complaining about and the reasons behind their getting disappointed or upset. I would perceive the situation through their eyes, and then I would force myself to step back from the situation and see the bigger picture. What I always got from this exercise was a different perspective.
What I began to see over and over again was that when most of us get upset it is for one reason and one reason only. The universe is not behaving the way we believe it should behave. This could mean that we didn't get the raise we believed we were entitled too, so we become disappointed. If we had not expected a raise in the first place, however, we never would have been disappointed, would we? It could also mean that someone does not treat us in a particular way that we believe we should be treated. Or our dreams don't turn out the way we believe they should have turned out. Or an investment didn't work out the way we thought it would. Or someone dies before we believe they should die. It can be as heavy as that. I am not saying it isn't sad, but at the same time it isn't our choice to say how long someone is to live, now is it? Those are our perceptions of what we want, of how we want the universe to behave. When we get disappointed, we never stop and think that it is our perceptions or beliefs that are wrong. We think it is the universe that is wrong because of how we feel personally! That is a pretty grand stand to take when you think about it.
So how do we change our perceptions? By becoming more aware of what your perceptions and beliefs are. You cannot change what you do not understand. So spend some time looking internally and when you become disappointed, think about what is disappointing you. Is it really the situation or the person, or is it because they are not behaving in a way you believe they should behave? Then slowly as you do this, force yourself to look at the bigger picture of what is going on. Force yourself to see the situation from a new perspective and offer positive spins on what has happened. I believe that the more you do this, the less you will be disappointed because you will stop taking things so personally. You will also begin to realize that the way things turn out are the way things are supposed to turn out, whether they are in line with your beliefs or not. This will lead you to feeling more in control of your emotions as well as of your behaviors and actions. You will also be able to use any challenge as an opportunity to grow, develop, and move your life forward, because you will not continuously be knocked down by disappointment.
13.Disappointment made the author
A.experience negative emotions
B.feel indifferent
C.content with the way it is
D.ask yourself questions
14.According to the author, how did he/she start realizing the situation?
A.studying special articles on this issue
B.enquiring people around
C.it dawned on him/her
D.investigating his\her inner motives as well as others’
15.The author began to pay attention to employees to find out
A.Why the employees are disappointed.
B.Why the employees are so satisfied.
C.Why the employees are so worried.
D.Why the employees are frustrated.
16.The situation itself
A.is likely to adjust itself
B.never gives what one wants
C.is always stable
D.a real problem to a person
17.People are “mirrors” because
A.they can tell you how you behave
B.you learn while looking at how they behave
C.you can copy their behaviour
D.they copy your behaviour
18.When we get disappointed, we
A.break down and refuse to listen
B.look for excuses
C.fail to realize that we think of the situation in the wrong way
D.hope for the best
19.To alter the situation you should
A.step aside and let others handle it
B.ask for someone’s opinion
C.find better means to cope with it
D.realize what it is
20.The result of the situation is
A.what you would never wanted it to be
B.what you believe it should be
C.a projection of others’ opinions
D.a reflection of your failed plans
TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO YOUR ANSWER SHEET