ПЛЕХАНОВСКАЯ ОЛИМПИАДА ШКОЛЬНИКОВ
(очный тур 2011-2012 учебный год)
READING COMPREHENSION
Part 1
You are going to read an article about tourism in the Seychelles. Eight sentences have been
removed . For questions 1 - 8 choose the most suitable sentence from the list A - I. There is one
extra sentence which you don't have to use. Transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
A FRIGILE SANCTUARY
Nobody visited the Seychelles much until 1971 when Male airport was opened and the world could
flood in. Now more than half the country's foreign exchange earnings come from tourism. 1
Coming fairly late into the tourism business means that the painful lessons of the older world
have been well studied. The beauty and unspoiled nature of the islands are carefully protected. 2
Patrols clean the beaches daily and the sea is constantly monitored for signs of pollution which,
when detected, are quickly dealt with.
3 Because the amount of visitors must be limited to protect the environment, the quality of the
tourist matters a great deal. Lindsay Chong Seng, a highly committed conservationist in the
Ministry of Tourism, considers the economics extremely important: you have to earn as much as
you can from each tourist if numbers are to be kept down. "A perfect tourist is active, hires a car,
flies to other islands, takes boat trips, eats out, goes diving, spends money. We don't just want to be
a beach resort. 4 This has been the fate of all too many tourist resorts in the Mediterranean, with
disastrous consequences."
Quality visitors are also those who come mainly to appreciate and enjoy the Seychelles' natural
beauty. This can sometimes mean discomfort.
5 "If it rains, that's nature, that's good. If the
wind blows seaweed up on the beaches, that's nature. They say they come to see nature, they've got
to put up with it".
6 The international travel business has, over the last twenty years, made the mistake of letting
the Seychelles be sold in Europe as a "holiday paradise" and, in so doing, they miss the point.
Tourists are now going who should probably not bother - like ladies in elegant shoes who will
not follow muddy walkways through the wetland nature reserves; or the man in the glass-bottomed
boat who, looking at the fish city beneath him, could only ask if the specimens could be eaten or
not. Many others, more inclined for adventure and safari and the wonders of the world, do not go.
7 Probably some rich, green-minded Westerners avoid it because of a guilty feeling that
tourism spoils such places.
8
A
B
C
D
E
Not all do so.
When you get mass tourists without a lot of spending money, all you find is that the shops
do no business and the local bus service is overcrowded.
No Seychelles hotel is allowed to rise above the surrounding palm trees and none may get
rid of waste into the sea.
Atteville Ceydras, the nature warden on one of the islands, says that tourists have got to
accept nature.
There are plenty of other more exotic, more exciting destinations.
1
F
G
H
I
It is a very difficult target to achieve.
After a brief period of package holidays and mass tourism, the current policy is to attract
the "quality visitor".
But in this case tourism need not, and poverty surely would.
This is an industry which could, if not managed properly, destroy the environment.
1.
2
Part 2
For questions 9 - 14 match the statements , which describe number systems in different cultures,
with the cultures and languages A - F Transfer your answers to the answer sheet
In Rarities in Numeral Systems, Harald Hammarstrom lists 12 South American languages that lack
exact numbers above one. He prefers to call these systems 'one-few-many', since there are usually
words in these languages for 'few' and 'many'. He also mentions two languages that have no exact
numbers. The most studied of these is Piraha, which is spoken by only about 400 people. It has a
word for 'about one' and a word for 'about two'. As if that wasn't fuzzy enough, the words for 'about
one' and 'about two' are the same - hoi - the only difference being a change in inflection.
The Amazonian Indians whose sense of number has been most closely studied are the
Munduruku, who have numerical words only up to five. Animals and babies are good at
discriminating quantities above five, so one would expect that the Indians are too - even though
they do not have words to express such amounts. And this is exactly what experiments conducted
by the French linguist Pierre Pica have confirmed: when given tests that involve comparing sets of
more than five dots on a screen, the Munduruku scored just as high as Westerners. When Pica
looked more closely at the Munduruku's number words, he realised that only their words for one
and two were used with any sense of exactness. The words for three, four and five were
approximations - as if what they meant to say was 'threeish', 'fourish' and 'fiveish'. In this aspect, the
Munduruku are just like the 'one-two-many' tribes, who also have exact numbers only up to two.
When Indians do learn numbers, in fact, they appear uninterested by them. A Piraha girl was
once taken out of the village to receive medical treatment. During her time with Brazilians she
learnt some Portuguese and how to count in Portuguese. No problem. But after returning to the
community, while she retained some Portuguese she quickly forgot how to count.
Anthropologists first reached communities on the other side of the world, in Papua New Guinea,
in the late nineteenth century. They discovered that they used not just their fingers to count but also
their whole bodies. The natives started with the fingers and thumb of one hand for one to five, but
then carried on for higher numbers with wrist, elbow, shoulders, sternum and so on. For example,
one tribe, the Yupno, go as high as 34: their word for 34 is 'one dead man'. These Papuan 'bodytally' systems are unusual because almost all other systems group numbers in much smaller sets.
In the Amazon there are also tribes with bases of two, three and four. For example, the Waimiri
have words for one to three, and then say '3+1', '3+2', '3+3', '3+3+1', '3+3+2' and '3+3+3'.
Our base ten system of the digits zero to nine, which has its origins in India, is now in use all
over the developed world. It is a natural system, but for several hundred years mathematicians have
questioned whether it is the wisest base for us to have. The campaign for adding two new numbers,
so that our system becomes base 12, is still active - the argument is to do with the extra divisibility
of 12 compared with ten, since 12 can be divided by two, three, four and six while ten can be
divided only by two and five. In fact, there are humans that already use base 12: and almost all of
them belong to the tribes of the Plateau area of northern Nigeria.
9 In this community, people do not really learn how to count, because
there is no need for them to learn.
10 The most used system was started by these people.
11 The counting system in this culture works with small sets but uses
addition.
12 The situation in this community demonstrates that people can estimate
quantities even in cultures where exact numbers do not exist
13 The system here has been in existence for a very long time, but may
not be the best one.
14 The counting system in this culture is different from that in most other
cultures
A Piraha
B Munduruku
C Yupno
D Waimiri
E English
F Indian
2.
3
Part 3
For questions 15 - 20 read the following passage. Do the statements agree with the views of the
writer?
Transfer your answer to the answer sheet.
• YES
if the statement agrees with the views of the writer.
• NO
if the statement contradicts what the writer thinks.
• NOT GIVEN
if it is impossible to know what the writer's point of view is.
15 The route between Papa Westray and Westray is officially the shortest scheduled domestic
flight in the world.
16 There is more than a mile between Papa Westray and Westray.
17 Loganair does not charge to fly Westray Junior High pupils to school.
18 Pupils from Papa Westray and from Westray go to Orkney to study for their Highers.
19 The airline claims that the flight is useful for tourists as well as residents.
20 Music, art, craft, physical education and home economics are rarely taught on the islands.
Some children moan about having to get a bus to school. Six teenagers on a remote Scottish island,
however, have the rather more exciting prospect of going to school by plane on what is believed to
be the world's shortest domestic flight.
The journey from Papa Westray to Westray in the Orkney Islands takes 96 seconds, covering a
distance of just over a mile. With a tail wind, it can take as little as 47 seconds. Normally the
teenagers go by ferry but when the vessel was taken out of service for refurbishment, Loganair, an
airline company, stepped in and offered to fly them to Westray Junior High.
Six students, all aged 13-14. will be flown to and from school until the end of the year when the
ferry, the Golden Mariana, is scheduled to return, Loganair said.
Papa Westray has a population of 70 and no secondary school. Westray, home to more than 600
residents, has about 70 pupils enrolled at the junior high and nine full-time teachers. The school
provides education to Standard Grade level. The six teenagers from Papa Westray take the flight
every Tuesday morning, stay with host families for two nights and then catch a return flight on
Thursday after school. Pupils from either island choosing to study for their Highers* must travel to
Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney.
Loganair, which operates the eight-seater service in an Islander plane, has changed its schedule
to ensure that the children get to school on time. The company said that the flight was the shortest in
the world and with favourable tail winds could be over in less than a minute. The distance is shorter
than the length of the main runway at Edinburgh Airport.
Jonathan Hinkles, the commercial director of the airline, said: 'While it is a popular tourist route
for many visitors to Scotland, it is also a vital lifeline for those residents who live, work or do
business in the Orkneys and it will make all the difference to ensuring that those children who live
on Papa Westray can continue their schooling throughout the winter months.'
Willie McEwen, acting head teacher at Westray Junior High, said: 'We're delighted that Loganair
has come forward with this solution. Our children will enjoy the flying especially as, at this time of
the year, it can be quite rough on the boat. This kind of flexibility is an essential part of island life
and the youngsters take it all in their stride.'
The Islander air service, which carries around 20,000 passengers each year, is critical for local
residents during the winter months. It delivers food, mail and newspapers, and provides a lifeline
between the islands and Kirkwall on mainland Orkney.
In addition. Loganair regularly carries visiting teachers out to the islands to lead lessons in
subjects including music, art, craft, physical education and home economics.
The Guinness World Records said that it did not recognise the world's shortest scheduled
domestic flight. "The category is currently under research," a spokesman said.
Glossary:
Highers: national school-leaving exams in Scotland
3.
4
USE OF ENGLISH
Task 1
For questions 1 - 8 read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best completes each
collocation or fixed phase. Transfer your answer to the answer sheet.
The quality of life these days is something most of us take for (1) ........It takes some radically
different experience to (2)..........this fact home to people. In my (3).........., it was spending three
weeks aboard a yacht with twelve other people, competing in a major sailing race. Although I was
officially a guest, it was made clear to me from the start that there was to be no room for
passengers, and that I'd have to (4)..........my weight.
For the first few nights, none us was able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a
(5)..........before being rudely awoken by an aggressive command. Then we'd do physically
exhausting work in total darkness. Every few minutes we'd be completely soaked to the
(6)..........by a large wave we couldn't see coming. I shared sleeping (7)..........with six other women,
with barely enough room to stretch my legs. Soon I found myself (8)..........for my comfortable
sheets back home, a hot chocolate and a warm bath.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A given
A bring
A example
A offer
A piece
A flesh
A quarters
A desiring
Task 2
B accepted
B push
B instance
B move
B time
B skin
B premises
B yearning
C granted
C sweep
C case
C use
C period
C bones
C dormitories
C dreaming
D read
D carry
Dexperience
D pull
D moment
D toes
D digs
D craving
For questions 9 - 18 read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.
Transfer your answer to the answer sheet.
Volcanoes: Dangers and Benefits
There are fifteen capital cities in the world in a position to be wiped out or seriously damaged by
volcanic eruptions. So why then (9)..........people continue to live in (10)..........dangerous areas?
Many of these people are poor and have (11)..........choice, while others disregard the risk, which is,
after all, rather (12)..........than the risks involved in smoking or driving a car. What attracts people
to volcanic areas (13)..........fertile land. The soils from volcanic ashes are light, easily worked, drain
well and are full (14)..........plant nutrients. A light fall of ash, (15)..........it may destroy one year's
crop, often pays the farmer back in future years through the fertility it adds to the soil. Coffee in
Colombia, vines in Italy and rice in Japan are (16).... a few of the crops that flourish on volcanic
soils. In Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and Iceland the subterranean heat from
volcanoes is used in geothermal power stations to generate electricity. In many places, the way in
which the flows of lava concentrate minerals (17)..........them attractive to mining companies. There
is growing evidence that gold is (18).......... the minerals collected by volcanic flows, and the
diamond-mining industry in South Africa takes advantage of the huge pressures within past
volcanoes which have produced diamonds.
Task 3
19
20
For questions 19 - 23 choose the correct answer A, B or C for the underlined words
Transfer your answer to the answer sheet.
Janet has a chip on her shoulder because she never got a chance to go to university.
A She is disadvantaged in trying to get a job.
B She has an ambition she has not yet fulfilled.
C She carries a negative feeling about it throughout her life.
Brian is pulling Helen's leg.
A He is annoying her
C He is trying to fool her about something
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21
22
23
B He is attacking her
4.
Louise needs a shoulder to cry on.
A She needs to cry publicly
C She needs a friend to listen to her troubles.
B She needs something to cry about
Rita is trying to twist Sally's arm because she wants to borrow Sally's car.
A Rita is trying to persuade Sally even though Sally doesn't want to do it.
B Rita is trying to blackmail Sally to do it.
C Rita is trying to pay Sally to lend her car.
Lorna gave Mark the cold shoulder when he asked her to go with him to the school party.
A She put her head on Mark's shoulder in a romantic way.
B She rubbed her shoulder against Mark's as a way of saying 'no'.
C She behaved in a rather distant way and said 'no'.
Task 4
For questions 24 - 35 choose the best word or phrase to fill each of the spaces
in the passage below. There are more words than you will need.
Transfer your answer to the answer sheet.
Cabinet
Budget
ministers
Foreign Secretary
Shadow Cabinet
backbenchers
debates
Opposition
front bench
Speaker
Leader of the Opposition
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Prime Minister
Home secretary
The House of Commons
This is the House of Commons, where Members of Parliament take their seats on the green leather
bench according to their party and position. One of them is chosen to be the 24 , who acts as a
kind of chairperson of the 25 which take place in the House. In front of and on the right of this
person sit the MPs of the biggest party, which forms the government, and facing them sit the MPs of
the parties who oppose them, the 26 . The leaders of these two groups sit at the front on each
side. MPs without special positions in their parties sit behind their leaders at the back. The leader of
the government, the 27 , sits next to his or her 28 . The most important of these form the 29.
The minister responsible for relations with other countries is called the 30 . The one responsible
for law and security is called the 31 . The one who deals with financial matters and prepares the
annual 32 speech on the economic state of the country is called the 33 . Opposite this group
sits the 34 (the main person in the largest party opposing the government) and the 35 , each
member of which specializes in a particular area of government.
Task 5
The following places in London are associated with certain important institutions
and are often used in the media and in general conversation to refer to those institutions. For
questions 36 - 40 choose one word or word combination and put it in its correct place in
the sentences below. There are more words than you will need. Transfer your answer to the
answer sheet.
Fleet Street
Westminster
the City
10 Downing Street
Buckingham Palace
the West End
Whitehall
the Old Bailey
- His criminal career started with theft and pick-pocketing and ended up at _36 __on a murder
charge.
- Although he's only just entered Parliament, he's already aiming at_37 _____.
- He's an important man in__38___. He's director of a big bank or insurance firm or something.
- She's a good actress but she won't really feel she's succeeded until she has a leading part
in__39 ____.
- There are rumours in__40 ____about the possible launching of a new newspaper next year.
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5.
WRITING
You will have to comment on the quotation:
"The important thing is not what you know, but what you can do with what you know"
Write 150 - 180 words in the lines provided below.
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KEYS
READING
task 1
1- I, 2- C, 3- G, 4- B, 5- D, 6- A, 7- E, 8- H;
task 2
9- A, 10-F, 11-D, 12-B, 13-E, 14-C;
task 3
15 – NO; 16 - YES; 17 – NOT GIVEN; 18 – YES; 19 – YES; 20 – NO
USE OF ENGLISH
task 1
1 – C: 2 – A; 3 – C; 4 – D; 5 – B; 6 – B; 7 - A; 8 – B/D
task 2
9 – do; 10– such/these; 11-no/little; 12- less/smaller; 13-is; 14-of; 15- although/though;
16- just/but; 17- makes; 18- among;
task3
19 – C; 20 – C; 21 – C; 22- A; 23- C
task 4
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 -
speaker
debates
Opposition
Prime Minister
ministers
Cabinet
Foreign Secretary
Home Secretary
Budget
Chancellor of Excheque
Leader of the Opposition
Shadow Cabinet
task 5
36 37 38 39 40 -
the Old Bailey
10, Downing Street
the City
the West End
Fleet Street
8