Олімпіада з англ.мови 10 клас (шкільний етап) 2024-2025 н.р.

Read the texts below and match choices A-H to the texts 1-6. There are two choices you don't need to use. 

Old-fashioned ways of keeping time

1. Sundial

As the sun moves across the sky, shadows change direction and length, a simple sundial can measure the length of a day. It was quickly noticed that the length of the day varies at different times of the year. Another discovery was that sundial had to be specially made for different latitudes because the Sun's altitude in the sky decrease at higher latitude, producing longer shadows than at lower latitudes.

Which time-tracking device ..........?

2. Obelisk

Obelisk aren't just impressive monuments, they also have long shadows that are perfect for timekeeping. In Paris, you can still see an obelisk being used as a sundial: The Luxor Obelisk in the centre of the Place de la Concorde aligns its shadow with points on the pavement to show pedestrians the time.

Which time-tracking device ..........?

3. Water clock

A sundial becomes rather useless after sunset, so another ancient timekeeping device appeared. The water clock dates back to at least 1500 BC, basically it's a device that uses the reliable flow of water to represent the passing of time. Water clocks appear throughout the ancient world, from Egypt to Greece to the Arabic world and became quite incredible in their complicated designs.

Which time-tracking device ..........?

4 Church bells

Before every household had a clock, communities could keep track of time by listening for the local church bells. The word clock actually comes from clocca - Latin for bell - as many of the church clocks that began to built in the 14th century involved striking bells. If you live near a church that still rings the bell every hour, you're getting the time like a medieval person.

Which time-tracking device ..........?

5. Hour glasses or sandglasses

As the technology of glass-blowing developed, somewhere in the 14th century it became possible to make sandglasses. Originally, sunglasses were used as a measure of periods of time, but then sandglasses were adjusted to measure specific periods of time, and to decide the correct duration of university lectures and even periods of torture.

Which time-tracking device ..........?

6 Candle clocks

Marked candles were used for telling the time in China from the 6th century. There is a popular story that King Alfred the Great invented the candle clock, but we know they were in use in England from the 10th century. However, the speed of burning depends on air blowing, and the quality of the wax. This is why candles were used to passage of time from one event to another, rather than to tell the time of day.

Which time-tracking device ..........?

Read the text below and choose the correct answer.

What is the official language of the US?

Do you know what the official language of the United States is? If you answered English, guess again. Although at the moment English is the most widely spoken language in the nation, Spanish is catching up with over forty million Hispanics speaking their native language at home, at work and in their daily lives.

This brings us to another point: Why does the US, which is considered an English-speaking country, feel obliged to offer services for Spanish speakers and those speaking many other languages, some of which you might not even know about?

Well, let's not forget that since 1776 the US has been - and continues to be - a multilingual nation. Back then, it wasn't uncommon to hear up to 20 different languages spoken in daily life.

Today 322 languages are spoken in the country. So having one official language would limit the rights of individuals who cannot communicate in English, individuals who are paying taxes and who should have the same rights as those who speak English.

Nevertheless, in 1780, John Adams proposed to the Continental Congress that English should be declared the official language of the United States. Debate over the official language has been going on for years, with people on both sides of the fence, but si far a decision has not been made. This doesn't mean that the individual states have not declared an official language because many already have. Twenty-seven states, to be exact, have declared English as their official language.

But, to protect the rights of those speaking any other languages, there is something called Title of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although twenty-seven states have declared English as their official language, in order to receive federal financial assistance these states still have to follow Title VI, which requires that important materials be available in the language the person speaks if they want to be subsidised by the Federal Government.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 2000 Executive Order No. 13166 require that public organisations receiving federal funds must have all vital documents available in every language that their clients speak, every language, not just Spanish. Why? Because the US has never declared an official language and because of this, the Title VI of the Rights Act of 1964 still applies.

1. What is NOT true about the Spanish language in the US?

Read the text below and choose the correct answer.

What is the official language of the US?

Do you know what the official language of the United States is? If you answered English, guess again. Although at the moment English is the most widely spoken language in the nation, Spanish is catching up with over forty million Hispanics speaking their native language at home, at work and in their daily lives.

This brings us to another point: Why does the US, which is considered an English-speaking country, feel obliged to offer services for Spanish speakers and those speaking many other languages, some of which you might not even know about?

Well, let's not forget that since 1776 the US has been - and continues to be - a multilingual nation. Back then, it wasn't uncommon to hear up to 20 different languages spoken in daily life.

Today 322 languages are spoken in the country. So having one official language would limit the rights of individuals who cannot communicate in English, individuals who are paying taxes and who should have the same rights as those who speak English.

Nevertheless, in 1780, John Adams proposed to the Continental Congress that English should be declared the official language of the United States. Debate over the official language has been going on for years, with people on both sides of the fence, but si far a decision has not been made. This doesn't mean that the individual states have not declared an official language because many already have. Twenty-seven states, to be exact, have declared English as their official language.

But, to protect the rights of those speaking any other languages, there is something called Title of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although twenty-seven states have declared English as their official language, in order to receive federal financial assistance these states still have to follow Title VI, which requires that important materials be available in the language the person speaks if they want to be subsidised by the Federal Government.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 2000 Executive Order No. 13166 require that public organisations receiving federal funds must have all vital documents available in every language that their clients speak, every language, not just Spanish. Why? Because the US has never declared an official language and because of this, the Title VI of the Rights Act of 1964 still applies.

2. Why isn't there an official language in the US?

Read the text below and choose the correct answer.

What is the official language of the US?

Do you know what the official language of the United States is? If you answered English, guess again. Although at the moment English is the most widely spoken language in the nation, Spanish is catching up with over forty million Hispanics speaking their native language at home, at work and in their daily lives.

This brings us to another point: Why does the US, which is considered an English-speaking country, feel obliged to offer services for Spanish speakers and those speaking many other languages, some of which you might not even know about?

Well, let's not forget that since 1776 the US has been - and continues to be - a multilingual nation. Back then, it wasn't uncommon to hear up to 20 different languages spoken in daily life.

Today 322 languages are spoken in the country. So having one official language would limit the rights of individuals who cannot communicate in English, individuals who are paying taxes and who should have the same rights as those who speak English.

Nevertheless, in 1780, John Adams proposed to the Continental Congress that English should be declared the official language of the United States. Debate over the official language has been going on for years, with people on both sides of the fence, but si far a decision has not been made. This doesn't mean that the individual states have not declared an official language because many already have. Twenty-seven states, to be exact, have declared English as their official language.

But, to protect the rights of those speaking any other languages, there is something called Title of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although twenty-seven states have declared English as their official language, in order to receive federal financial assistance these states still have to follow Title VI, which requires that important materials be available in the language the person speaks if they want to be subsidised by the Federal Government.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 2000 Executive Order No. 13166 require that public organisations receiving federal funds must have all vital documents available in every language that their clients speak, every language, not just Spanish. Why? Because the US has never declared an official language and because of this, the Title VI of the Rights Act of 1964 still applies.

3. What language was suggested to be made the official language of the US in the 18th century?

Read the text below and choose the correct answer.

What is the official language of the US?

Do you know what the official language of the United States is? If you answered English, guess again. Although at the moment English is the most widely spoken language in the nation, Spanish is catching up with over forty million Hispanics speaking their native language at home, at work and in their daily lives.

This brings us to another point: Why does the US, which is considered an English-speaking country, feel obliged to offer services for Spanish speakers and those speaking many other languages, some of which you might not even know about?

Well, let's not forget that since 1776 the US has been - and continues to be - a multilingual nation. Back then, it wasn't uncommon to hear up to 20 different languages spoken in daily life.

Today 322 languages are spoken in the country. So having one official language would limit the rights of individuals who cannot communicate in English, individuals who are paying taxes and who should have the same rights as those who speak English.

Nevertheless, in 1780, John Adams proposed to the Continental Congress that English should be declared the official language of the United States. Debate over the official language has been going on for years, with people on both sides of the fence, but si far a decision has not been made. This doesn't mean that the individual states have not declared an official language because many already have. Twenty-seven states, to be exact, have declared English as their official language.

But, to protect the rights of those speaking any other languages, there is something called Title of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although twenty-seven states have declared English as their official language, in order to receive federal financial assistance these states still have to follow Title VI, which requires that important materials be available in the language the person speaks if they want to be subsidised by the Federal Government.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 2000 Executive Order No. 13166 require that public organisations receiving federal funds must have all vital documents available in every language that their clients speak, every language, not just Spanish. Why? Because the US has never declared an official language and because of this, the Title VI of the Rights Act of 1964 still applies.

4. Where in the US is English the official language?

Read the text below and choose the correct answer.

What is the official language of the US?

Do you know what the official language of the United States is? If you answered English, guess again. Although at the moment English is the most widely spoken language in the nation, Spanish is catching up with over forty million Hispanics speaking their native language at home, at work and in their daily lives.

This brings us to another point: Why does the US, which is considered an English-speaking country, feel obliged to offer services for Spanish speakers and those speaking many other languages, some of which you might not even know about?

Well, let's not forget that since 1776 the US has been - and continues to be - a multilingual nation. Back then, it wasn't uncommon to hear up to 20 different languages spoken in daily life.

Today 322 languages are spoken in the country. So having one official language would limit the rights of individuals who cannot communicate in English, individuals who are paying taxes and who should have the same rights as those who speak English.

Nevertheless, in 1780, John Adams proposed to the Continental Congress that English should be declared the official language of the United States. Debate over the official language has been going on for years, with people on both sides of the fence, but si far a decision has not been made. This doesn't mean that the individual states have not declared an official language because many already have. Twenty-seven states, to be exact, have declared English as their official language.

But, to protect the rights of those speaking any other languages, there is something called Title of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Although twenty-seven states have declared English as their official language, in order to receive federal financial assistance these states still have to follow Title VI, which requires that important materials be available in the language the person speaks if they want to be subsidised by the Federal Government.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 2000 Executive Order No. 13166 require that public organisations receiving federal funds must have all vital documents available in every language that their clients speak, every language, not just Spanish. Why? Because the US has never declared an official language and because of this, the Title VI of the Rights Act of 1964 still applies.

5. What language must all important documents be in?