Завдання для шкільної олімпіади, 11 клас

Listening

TEXT: SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME

Unexpected numbers of young adults are living with their parents. This fact is becoming abun­dantly familiar as American parents are forced to make room for their adult children. There is a naive notion that children grow up and leave home when they are 18, and the truth is far from that. Today, 59 % of men and 47 % of women between 18 and 24 depend on their parents for housing in this or that way and this is part of a major shift in the middle class.

Analysts cite a variety of reasons for this return to the nest. The marriage age is rising, a condi­tion that makes home and its amenities particularly attractive to young people. A high divorce rate and a declining remarriage rate are sending economically pressed and emotionally battered survivors back to parental shelters. For some, the expense of an away-from-home college has become so exor­bitant that many students now attend local schools. Even after graduation young people find their wings clipped by skyrocketing housing costs.

Sharing the family home requires adjustments for all. There are the hassles over bathrooms, te­lephones, and privacy. Some families, however, manage the delicate balancing act.

Still, most psychologists feel lengthy homecomings are a mistake. Offspring, struggling to es­tablish separate identities, can wind up with a sense of inadequacy, defeat, and failure. And aging parents who should be enjoying some financial and personal freedom, find themselves bogged down with responsibilities. Living with children of any age involves compromise and obligation, factors that can be detrimental to some aspects of wellbeing. All children, even adult children, require ac­commodation and create stress.

Brief visits, however, can work beneficially. They may make parents and their children much closer to each other without being a burden for either part.

Task 1. Mark sentences as true or false.

1. Leaving home after school used to be a tradition in the US.
2. Children do not want to leave their parents' houses.
3. There is a variety of choices for children to make.
4. Students nowadays have fewer options for studying than before.
5. More females than males depend on their parents for housing.
6. Living with adult children is relaxing in most cases.
7. When adult children return home, it is them who need to get used to their parents' way of life.
8. Most parents  expect their lives will  change for the better without their children  living with them.
9. Living with parents may be psychologically harmful.

10. There seems to be no possible way to handle the problem today.

Task 2. Choose the correct variant.

11. The situation described is something:

A not very well known; В not very much waited for;

С not very embarrassing; D not very naive.

12. It can be inferred from the text that:

A the life of the middle class has changed;

В middle class people have to work in two shifts;

С middle class students major in housing;

D middle class houses are different from what they used to be.

С 42; D 81.

14. Americans today tend to get married:

A earlier than before; В at the same age as before;

С later than before; D only after being forced to.

15. The text states that the cost of housing:

A is slowly getting more expensive; В remains the same;

С is going down a bit; D is increasing at a high speed.

16. It is implied in the text that:

A most families feel comfortable when living together; В a few families are able to find a compromise; С there is no problem with personal space; D no efforts to solve the problem are made.

С attitude to parents; D intentions to get married.

A friendliness; В hopefulness;

С nervousness; D ruthlessness.

19. According to the text, parents believe that they must:

A provide their children with a place to live; В improve their children's wellbeing;

С enjoy their children; D establish children's identities.

Everyone in the world knows The Beatles, a British rock music group, which revolutionized po­pular music around the world in the 1960s by leading a movement in rock music known as the British Invasion. From 1964 through 1969, the Beatles achieved unprecedented popularity with 30 songs reaching the Billboard magazine top ten popular music charts.

Formed in 1959, the Beatles were composed of four musicians born in Liverpool, England: guitarist George Harrison, guitarist John Lennon, bassist Paul McCartney, and drummer Peter Best. In 1962 drummer Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey) replaced Best. Influenced by American rock-and-roll artists of the late 1950s, such as Little Richard and Buddy Holly, the Beatles styled their songs in the sophisticated manner of the American tradition of popular music songwriting :hat peaked in the 1920s and 1930s. From the simple, fresh style of their early songs, such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (1963) and "A Hard Day's Night" (1964), the Beatles progressed to innovative, experimental works culminating in the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967). Considered the first concept album (songs unified by a common theme), Sgt. Pepper's Lone-'.y Hearts Club Band was also admired for its haunting harmony and lyrics, unconventional musi­cal phrases and rhythms, and the integrated use of electronic music and the Indian sitar. Other Beatles' albums include With the Beatles (1963), Beatles for Sale (1964), Abbey Road (1969), and Let it Be (1970).

In 1970 the Beatles split up and each member pursued another musical career, either as a solo irtist or as bandleader. Despite individual successes, members were often approached with re­quests to reunite, fueling wide speculation until John Lennon's murder in 1980. The Beatles won the Grammy Trustees Award in 1972 and the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1995 the first volume of a three-album retrospective of the Beatles, Anthology, was released, accompanied by a television miniseries of the same name. The Antho­logy album, which includes the previously unrecorded song "Free as a Bird" (written by Lennon and recorded by the surviving band members during 1994 and 1995), became one of the fastest celling albums in the history of popular music. The second album of the series, Anthology 2, was released in 1996.

Task 1. Choose the correct variant.

1. The words "the British Invasion" in line 3 most probably mean:

A a British attack on America; В conquering a new land by the British;

С spreading of new ideas; D putting something into a British vase.

2. It may be concluded from the passage that:

A no one had managed to write famous songs before the Beatles; В the Beatles became popular by making music charts; С the Billboard magazine writes on music; D the Beatles composed about 5 songs a year.

3. The composition of the group:

A was never changed; В needed changing regularly;

С was the same for about 8 years; D required much time and effort.

С the culture of a different country; D Hollywood.

5.                                                                                                                                                                The word "sophisticated" in line 9 can best be replaced with: A pervert;              В subtle; С complicated;              D urban.
6.                                                                                                                                                                It took the Beatles about ... years to get to the peak of their artistic career. A 2;              В 4;

С 6; D 8.

A song texts; В voice arrangements;

С unusual instrument combinations; D the general idea.

8. It is implied that:

A a lot of people wanted the Beatles to join together after their breakup;

В each of the Beatles wanted to become a bandleader;

С John Leimon was murdered not to let the group reunite;

D the ex-Beatles' were not very happy in their solo careers.

С in splitting up; D in reuniting.

10.  One can make a conclusion that:

A the Anthology album was released shortly after Lennon's death;

В in 25 years after the breakup the group was still very popular;

С after inducting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the group never recorded songs together;

D the album consisted of previously unrecorded songs.

Writing Comprehension

1. Computers are becoming more and more important in today s world. How do you feel people are using computers? Do you feel that they use them enough, or too much? Are there any negative effects to becoming more and more dependent on computers?
2. What do you consider to be a family? How important is family life in today s world? There are more and more divorces and single-parent families; how is this affecting today s youth? If you could make some changes to strengthen the family in today s culture, what would you do?
3. Right now, the world is becoming more and more polluted, greenhouse gases are being blamed for causing global warming, and our world population is growing. What do you consider to be the most important environmental issue? What can we do to improve this environmental problem? How much should the government interfere in order to make these changes happen?

Speaking   Comprehension

1. You are taking a job interview. What would you tell about yourself, your interests, and hobbies?
2. Which of the members of your family do you appreciate most and why?
3. What would you change in TV broadcasting if you had enough, authority?
4. What would you say to persuade your parents that the music you listen to is worth doing it?
5. If you were a personnel manager, would you demand that your staff know a foreign language?
6. Which of the school subjects will be most useful in your future career?
7. Does weather influence your performance?
8. Your English friend is going to come to Ukraine. What would you tell him to help him feel com­fortable in the country?
9. If you were to make a list of the most outstanding Ukrainians, what names would you include in it?

10.          You are to write an article about your favorite sportsman. What would you write?
11.          Where in Kharkiv would you take your guest from another country?
12.          What career are you planning for yourself in the future?
13.          What English-speaking country would you choose for living if you had a chance?
14.          What events in the recent world history impressed you most?
15.          Do you think there are holidays in English-speaking countries worth adopting in Ukraine?
16.          How would you modify the political system of Ukraine if you were asked to?
17.          What should an ideal school be like? How is your current school different from the ideal?
18.          Do you think it's impossible to be spiritually rich without being religious?
19.          Do you believe that ethnic background may affect a person's success in life?
20.          Do you agree that giving students marks at school only prevents students from studying effi­ciently?