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            Speaking Comprehension Test for 9^th Form Students

1. Mobile phones are very popular with teenagers. Do you have a mobile phone?

§           What is a mobile phone used for?

§           Does this invention make your life easier?

§           Does the use of mobile phones have any disadvantages?

§           Do you know any rules how to use a mobile phone with the least possible harm to you and the environment? Mention some of them.

2. Your friend invited you to go on a skiing holiday.

§           Describe the place you were staying at and what  the weather  was like                                                            

             during your stay;

§           Is skiing your hobby? What do you like most of all about skiing?

§           What are your impressions from the holiday?

§           What other active hobbies do you have to stay in shape?

3. Family is your blessed shelter. It holds the secret of your character.

§           What does your family   mean to you? What are your family values?

§           What makes a good family?  

§           Are your family members different or alike? Who do you take after?

§           Who in your family do you usually speak with if you have a problem? Does it help to solve it?

4. A new shopping centre has been opened in your town/city.

§          Where is the shopping centre situated? How can you get there?

§          What shops are there? What can you buy there? 

§          Are there any places for shoppers to relax in the shopping centre?

§          If you had to make an advertisement about the shopping centre, what slogan would you use to describe it?

5. The wide variety of plants, animals and birds in forests, oceans and grasslands that make our planet habitable are under threat.

§          What is the cause of it?

§          Can we change the situation? What way?

§          Can you name any environmental disasters that were caused by climate changes or   by the results of the human activities?

§          What can you being a teenager do to help the environment?

  

6. Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Industriousness is the mother of good luck.”

§           How do you interpret this statement? Do you agree with Benjamin Franklin?

§           Are you an industrious person? Among your responsibilities which do you like to take most?

§           How do you award yourself for having done some difficult and serious work?

§           Do   you remember an example from your life when you benefitted from your industriousness? 

7. Books have a positive influence on many peoples’ lives.

§          What childhood books influenced you most?

§          What do you think are the most important elements of a good story?

§          Is it easier to write a book or a script of a film?

§          If you could be any character from literature, who would you be and why?

8. Have you chosen your future profession yet? Is it a question that makes you feel uneasy?

§           What professions are very popular nowadays? Why?

§           What are the professions of your parents? Do your parents’ jobs influence your  family daily routine?

§           What profession(s) are  traits of your character suitable to?

§           Why would you like to work with or for people in the future? Do you want to be in the public eye?

9. You study various subjects at school. Each one is important and knowledge of every subject is necessary.

§          What subject is your favourite one? Why are you keen on it?

§          What interesting methods and approaches does your teacher use to make you interested in this subject?

§          Do you think the knowledge you acquire at your favourite lessons will be useful in the future?

§          If you can choose 4 –5 main subjects to study in the 10th form what subjects will it be? Why?

§           

10. Studying at school is not easy, is it? However we can make the process of learning less difficult.

§          What is your learner’s style? Do you learn faster by watching, listening or moving?

§          What are your study habits? Do you like working in groups, pairs or individually? Why?

§          Do you use any technologies to make projects, reports or researches?

§          If we think about time management, what helps you to cope with your homework  quickly?

11. Remember the last party you visited.

§          Who had the party? What did you celebrate?

§          Where did the party take place? What were you doing at the party?

§          What clothes did you and the invited people wear for the party? Did you make any costumes?

§          Did you enjoy the party? What excited you most of all there?

12. The importance of speaking any foreign language can’t be overvalued.

§          What opportunities does the knowledge of English give you?

§          What other foreign language(s) are you currently studying? Would you like to learn a language spoken in eastern countries?

§          What  activities do you usually do at your English lessons? Which of them do you like most? Did activities that you had in a primary school differ from today’s ones?

§          In your opinion, which of communicative skills - auding, reading, speaking or writing are you not good at? How can you improve it?

13. September 19-25 was a TV-Turnoff Week  in the English-speaking countries.

§         In your opinion, why did they have it?

§         Do you like watching TV? What programme is your favourite? Why?

§         Are there any channels your parents prefer watching? If your favourite  TV programme is on at the time while  your parents’ favourite one how do you solve a problem?

§         If you can start a new reality show on TV what will it be about?

       

14. Many people like cinema immensely. Do you?

§         What is your favourite film? When and where do the events in the film take place?

§         Who is the main hero of the film? Who starred in the film? Do you think his/her acting was brilliant?

§         Whose work – of a director, a camera man, etc. contributed greatly to the success of the film? Why do you think so?

§         Whom would you advise this film to watch to?

15. Your pen-friend is going to visit you on Christmas holidays.

§          What sightseeing places will you advise him/her to visit? Why are they worth visiting?

§          What means of transport will you use to travel around Lviv region or Ukraine?

§          What interesting   traditions and customs can he/she observe on Christmas Day  in our region?

§          What souvenirs or things will you present him/her with?

16. Music makes you feel sad or cheerful, it reveals your character.

§           Do you play any instruments, sing or dance?

§           What kind of music do you like or dislike? Have your tastes in music changed since early childhood?

§           Who is your favourite singer? Is he/she popular with teenagers? What events or features of character helped your favourite singer to become popular?

§           If you can make a music band what music will you play and what will be your songs about?

  

17. Every nation has its cuisine. Eating habits of the Englishmen are world- known.

§          What are they? Which of their traditional eating habits is the most outstanding?

§          Do you think English traditional cuisine is good for health?

§          How have traditional   English meals changed for centuries?

§          Which of the  traditional Ukrainian meals would you advise to the Englishmen to try?

18.  People enjoy decorating their room in a way that reflects their personality.

§          What is your favourite room? Why do you like it?

§          How does this room reflect your personality?

§          Is your room a high –tech one with a TV-set with many channels, a laptop, a computer or any other gadgets?

§          Would you like to live in another flat or house? How would you decorate your room then?

19. Leisure is time for rest and for doing something useful for yourself. Do you think so?

§          Which activities do you take part in after school?

§          Which activities are necessary for pupils? Why?

§          If you could start any afterschool club or programme what would it be?

§          What do you like doing at weekends?

20. Computers, cell phones, microwave ovens, solar panels…The list of modern inventions and equipment is enormous.

§           In your opinion, do scientists invent more at present than they did in the past?

                 How can you explain this fact?

§           Which of the modern inventions has changed our lives completely?

§           Which of the modern inventions do you often use in your everyday life?

§           If you could travel back in time which invention would you get rid of?

      

 Завдання

I етапу Всеукраїнської учнiвської олiмпiади

з англiської мови

В 2014/2015 навчальному роцi

Listening Comprehension Test for 11^th Form Students

Text: From "Welcome to Toronto" editor Chris Lumsdon, Official Toronto Visitor Guide 2007.

Built by the imaginations of residents and visitors alike, Toronto is a city of rare openness, energy, style, and surprise. Where else but in this new creative city can you find a fairytale castle, the world's tallest building, a museum with a crystalline facade and even a school built on stilts in the sky? Toronto is an unfolding city - where a world-renowned arts community thrives on the mosaic of culturally diverse neighborhoods, and where the unlimited potential of everyone is celebrated wholeheartedly through food, music, festivals, and the everyday.

Toronto is now the fifth-largest city in North America. Its continual growth and constant renewal brings a lot to the visitor experience - every time you return to Toronto, there's something new. The waterfront is being revitalized, new growth is encouraging neighbourhoods such as Leslieville, Liberty Village, Gerrard India Bazaar, Cabbagetown, and Roncesvalles to thrive, and the city is undergoing an architectural renaissance that can be seen across the cityscape. From the Art Gallery of Ontario's expansion to the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum and the newly opened Four Seasons Centre for the performing Arts, Toronto is changing dramatically to reflect the creative spirit of our time. The result is an imaginative place that, as it grows, never ceases to surprise.

The city's cultural diversity is a hallmark of open-mindedness; here, Torontonians embrace their differences to create a world within a city where experience is a collaboration of 100 cultures, the millions of people who celebrate in our street festivals and the unique personalities expressed in each of our neighbourhoods.

Toronto is also a city built from the limitless imaginations of the people who come here to visit. It's a centre of openness and experimentation, where guests to Toronto contribute to the energy of the streets, the dynamic vibe in our restaurant and a thoughtful appreciation for the art in theatres, parks, galleries, and attractions. You'll soon discover that the city's spirit sings, dances, draws and rises to many occasions in different forms. All of Greater Toronto is a stage. Whether you find yourself in one of the city's three theatre districts, or exploring one of our many museums and galleries, Toronto will inspire you as it unfolds. You could find yourself learning the complete history of footwear at the Bata Shoe Museum, on stage at the original Second City Comedy Club, on a nature trail, marveling at Group of Seven works, or in the middle of an impromptu jam session of your favourite rock band at the Horseshoe tavern. Never tried sushi? Never ridden a streetcar? Never canoed through the Toronto Islands, sat behind home plate at a Toronto Blue Jays game, touched the Stanley Cup, toured a working castle and stood on the glass floor inside of the CN Tower, the world's tallest building, all in one day? You can do it here. And once you do, you won't be the same.

Listening Comprehension Test for 11^th Form Students

DO NOT WRITE IN THIS BOOKLET.

Text: From "Welcome to Toronto" editor Chris Lumsdon, Official Toronto Visitor Guide 2007. Statements 1 through 10 (on your answer sheet circle + if the statement is true, - if it is false).

1. Toronto is an imaginative and creative city.

2.      The city of Toronto has stopped growing.

3.      People of 100 different cultures live in Toronto.

4.      The city is encouraging its different neighbourhoods to thrive.

5.      The city of Toronto is trying to keep the same architecture.

6.      According to the author, there's always something new in Toronto.

7.      There are four different theatre districts in Toronto.

8.      There is a Shoe Museum in Toronto.

9.      Visitors to Toronto contribute to the energy and vibe of the city.

10.  According to the author, Toronto is Canada's number one tourist destination.

STOP. WAIT FOR THE SECOND READING OF THE TEXT. Questions 11 through 20 (on your answer sheet circle the correct letter A, B, C, or D).

11.  Toronto is NOT a city of...

A.  openness.

B.  energy.

C.  disappointment.

D.  surprise.

12.  According to the reading, Toronto is built on...

A.  experience.

B.  imagination.

C.  stilts.

D.  open-mindedness.

13.  Which of the following is NOT the name of a neighbourhood in Toronto?

A.  Leslieville

B.  Cabbagetown

C.  Independence Village

D.  Gerrard India Bazaar

14.  Where is Toronto ranked among North American cities by size?

A. Third

B.  Fourth

C.  Fifth

D. Sixth

15.  What are people from Toronto called?

A.  Blue Jays

B.  Torontons

C.  Torontomoes

D.  Torontonians

16.  People of Toronto "embrace" differences to achieve cultural diversity. In this case another word
for "embrace" would be...

A. hold.

B.  love.

C.  accept.

D. squeeze.

17.  The Toronto Blue Jays are...

A.  a rock band.

B.  a motorcycle gang.

C.  a sports team.

D.  a theatre group.

18.  What can you do in Toronto you that can't do anywhere else in the world?

A.  Go canoeing.

B.  Tour a castle.

C.  Ride a streetcar.

D.  Visit the world's tallest building.

19.  The reading described all of the following EXCEPT...

A.  museums.

B.  factories.

C.  a comedy club.

D.  theatres.

20.  From what you've heard, the reading is an attempt to...

A.  convince people to visit Toronto.

B.  attract new people to live in Toronto.

C.  bring more businesses to Toronto.

D.  present the pros and cons of living in Toronto.

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?

WRITTEN 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?

READING COMPREHENSION

TEXT

The term "artificial intelligence" was first used by Professor John McCarthy in 1956. However, the idea of creating "thinking machines" appears over and over again throughout history. In the 3rd century BC, a Chinese engineer called Mo Ti made mechanical birds, dragons and soldiers and much later, in 18th century Europe, the nobility were delighted by mechanical figures which moved by clockwork. It seemed that making machines that moved and looked like human beings was easy: the difficult part would be to create a machine that cotild think like a human being.

When computers appeared in the 1950s, many people thought that it would not be long before these impressive machines started talking, thinking for themselves and taking over the world. Peo­ple predicted all kinds of things, from robot servants to computerized houses. None of it happened. Despite the billions of dollars and years of research given to developing artificial intelligence, com­puters are still unable to hold a normal conversation with a human being. In fact, although comput­ers today can process information thousands of times faster than they could fifty years ago, they are only two or three times better at using human language than they were back then. In addition, the huge increase in computer use has proved that today's computers, with their windows, mice, icons and commands, do not operate in the same way as the human brain. If this were not true, there would be no need for the thousands of tech support staff employed by call centres.

The trouble is that, even though computers can turn speech into text, recognise objects by using cameras, search through endless amounts of data and even use robot mechanisms to move like hu­man beings, they are unable to put all these abilities together and actually think and function like human beings. One of the reasons for this is that scientists still do not know much about how the human brain works, so it is impossible to program computers to copy the brain's processes. As for language, there is not much hope of computers ever being able to chat with human beings. Human language is complex and does not follow clear enough rules for computers to understand. A machine may be able to work out the grammar of a sentence, but it still cannot understand its meaning. It looks like the science fiction fans who dream of robots which look and act just like us had better keep on dreaming.

  task 1. Mark the sentences as true or false.

1. It is not very difficult to create a human-looking machine.

2.    Mechanical birds and soldiers appeared in 18th century Europe.

3.    In the 1950s people believed that robots would take over the world.

4.    According to the text a lot of money has been spent in vain so far.                     . .

5.    Artificial intelligence cannot ensure chattering to human beings yet.

6.Modern computers are based on the same principles as the human brain

7.Today computers cannot think for themselves.

8.The greatest success has been increasing the speed of processir.r ;r.:':

9.Abilities to walk and talk are successfully imitated by rr.ocerr. ::~r:
10. Dreams of science fiction fans have been realized.

Task 2. Choose the correct variant.

11. According to the text, people have been trying to create thinking machines
A since the third century BC.                                B since the 1950s.

C since the 18th century.                                       D since history began.

12. In the 18th century, mechanical figures

A were operated by engines.                                 B amused wealthy people.

C were difficult to make.                                      D could be used as clocks.

13. People expected computers to be able to talk because

A they were very expensive.                                 B they were impressed by computers.

C they were afraid of silent mechanical servants.   D they believed in computerized houses.

14. Fifty years ago, computers were

A thousand of times worse at using human language.

B two or three times slower at processing information

C thousand of times slower at processing information.

D two or three times worse at understanding human language.

15. We need technical support staff because
A today's computers have icons and mice.

B so many people use computers these days .

C computers and people do not work in the same way.

D we have so many call centres these days.

16. Computers cannot think like human beings because
A scientists can't program them to do so.

B we do not know enough about the human brain. C computers can't copy human thought processes. D computers do not have robot mechanisms.

17. Computers cannot use human language because

A they do not understand different grammar structures.

B humans speak with different accents.

C they cannot work out what sentences mean.

D humans don't want to chat with computers.

18. What was NOT mentioned about computers is that they

A can look for specific information.                      B can turn a written text into speech.

C can use optical recognition.      .                         D can process data fast.

19. We cannot use computers to

A model human thinking processes.                      B create moving machines.

C translate separate words.                                    D find specific information.

20. According to the text, the ability of computers to talk is

A quite possible.                                                    B rather doubtful.

C taken for granted.                                              D never spoken about.