Олимпиадные задания для 9 класса

Всероссийская олимпиада школьников по английскому языку.

2014 г. Муниципальный этап.

9-10 классы

READING

Time: 45 minutes

Task 1

Read the text. The text has 7 sections, 1-7. For sections 1-7, choose the correct heading A-H from the list of headings below. There is one extra heading which you don’t need to use.

List of headings:

A. Human Resource Manager

B. Network Administrator

C. Sales Representative

D. Broadcast Technician

E. Computer Programmer

F. Shop Assistant

G. Public Relations Manager

H. Journalist

1. Would you like a challenging job? Then think about this career. You might work from home and be your own boss, or you may prefer to apply for a job with a large company. To become successful in this profession, you need good logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. You will definitely have to study at a college or university and get a good qualification in Computer Science.

2. As a key member of Advancement Services, this position is responsible for all aspects of web administration including servers, desktop systems, Internet access, communications hardware/software and office systems. The employee is required to perform technology needs analysis and assist with technology planning through ongoing research. This position reports to the Director of Services and periodically works with all development staff.

3. This is a widely spread job in the media. Common responsibilities for this type of occupation include setting up, operating, and maintaining the electronic equipment used to transmit radio and television programmes. You are also required to control audio equipment to regulate volume level and quality of sound during the programs. Tasks will vary considerably depending on whether you are working in studios or on location.

4. You will work across a range of factual, news and current affairs programmes for radio, television and the print media, reporting on local, national and international stories. You nay be expected to contribute ideas, write scripts and news bulletins, direct news items on location and interview on Camera. Vital qualities for this occupation are a good eye for a story, excellent communication skills and the ability to write well.

5. Regardless of industry, you will play an important role in the success of your company. Your primary duties will be to interest buyers and purchasing agents in the company’s goods or services and to address clients’ questions and concerns. To do this job well, you have to be outgoing, patient, persuasive, and polite and you also have to be prepared to do a lot of travelling.

6. You will be responsible for the creation and representation of a positive company image to the clients and general public. The duties of this job include writing, editing and publishing articles as well as preparation and dissemination of press releases. This position requires superior written and oral communication skills and the organizational skills necessary to manage a multitude of tasks at a fast and dynamic pace.

7. This job requires extensive knowledge of brand names and the suitability of each product for the purpose stated by the consumer. It is also necessary to be able to assess the consumer's needs and advise him on the best options available at the most affordable price. The employee will have to re-stock shelves, and tidy up the counter area and the floor whenever necessary, in a friendly, efficient manner.

Task 2

Read the text. Six sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (8-13). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

On the whole, Cambridge is much quieter than Oxford, although what really sets it apart from its scholarly rival is 'the Backs', providing exquisite views over the backs of the old colleges. At the front, the handsome facades of these same colleges dominate the layout of the town centre, lining up along the main streets. Most of the colleges date back to the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. Many of the buildings are extraordinarily beautiful, but the most famous is King's College, __8_________________________________________________.

There are thirty-one university colleges in total. Each one is an independent, self-governing body, proud of its achievements and attracting a close loyalty from its students, __9_____________________________________.

During the nineteenth century, the university finally lost its ancient privileges over the town, __10___________________________________. The university expanded too, with the number of students increasing dramatically. More recently, change has been much slower, __11____________________________________. The first two women's colleges were founded in the 1870s, but it was only in 1947 that women were actually awarded degrees. In the meantime, the city and university had been acquiring a reputation as a high-tech centre of excellence. Cambridge has always been in the vanguard of scientific research, __12____________________________________.

Cambridge is an extremely compact place, and you can walk round the centre, visiting the most interesting colleges, in an afternoon. A more thorough exploration covering more of the colleges and a leisurely afternoon on a punt will, however, take at least a couple of days. If possible you should avoid coming in high summer, __13____________________________________. Faced with such crowds, the more popular colleges have restricted their opening times and have introduced admission charges.

A. whose alumni have garnered no less than ninety Nobel prizes

B. amongst whom privately educated boys remain over-represented

C. because of the development of industry

D. whose magnificent chapel is one of the greatest statements of late Gothic architecture

E. which was expanding rapidly thanks to the arrival of the railway

F. particularly when it comes to equality of sexes

G. when the students are replaced by crowds of sightseers

Task 3

Read the text below. For items 14-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Cordia Harrington was tired of standing up all day and smelling like french fries at night. A property developer, she also owned and operated three McDonald’s franchises in Illinois, but as a divorced mother of three boys, she yearned for a business that would provide for her children and let her spend more time with them.

Her aha moment struck, strangely enough, after she was nominated in 1992 to be on the McDonald’s bun committee. “The other franchisees, all men, thought that was hilarious because of the word bun,” she recalls. “But the joke was on them. They didn't know the company would be picking me up in a corporate jet to see bakeries around the world. Every time I went to a meeting, I loved it. This was global!”

The experience opened her eyes to business possibilities. When McDonald’s decided it wanted a new bun supplier, Harrington became determined to win the contract, even though she had no experience running a bakery. “You see a tiny crack in the door, and you have to run through it,” she says. “I really believed I could do this.”

Harrington studied the bakery business and made sure she was never off executives’ radar. “If you have a dream, you can't wait for people to call you,” she says. “So I'd visit a mill and send them photos of myself in a baker’s hat and jacket, holding a sign that said “I want to be your baker.” After four years and 32 interviews, her persistence paid off.

Harrington sealed the deal with a handshake, sold her franchises, invested everything she owned, and borrowed $13.5 million. She was ready to build the fastest, most automated bakery in the world.

The Tennessee Bun Company opened ahead of schedule in 1997, in time for a slump in US fast-food sales for McDonald’s. Before Harrington knew it, she was down to her last $20,000, not enough to cover payroll. And her agreement with McDonald’s required that she sell exclusively to the company. “I cried myself to sleep many nights,” she recalls. “I really did think I was going to go bankrupt.”

But Harrington worked out an agreement to supply Pepperidge Farm as well. “McDonald’s could see a benefit if our production went up and prices went down, and no benefit if we went out of business,” she says. “That deal lived us.”

Over the next eight years, Harrington branched out even more. She started her own trucking business, added a cold-storage company, and now she has three bakeries producing fresh buns and frozen dough — all now known as the Bun Companies.

Speed is still a priority: It takes 11 people at the main bakery to turn out 60,000 buns an hour for clients across 40 states, South America, and the Caribbean.

Grateful for the breaks she’s had, Harrington is passionate about providing opportunities to all 230 employees. “Financial success is the most fun when you can give it away,” she says. “We had a project that came in under budget one year, and we gave each of our project managers a car with a big bow!”

The current economy, Harrington acknowledges, is challenging. Some of her clients’ sales have declined, but she’s found new clients and improved efficiencies to help sustain the company’s double-digit growth.

Cordia Harrington doesn’t have to stand on her feet all day anymore. Her sons are now 27, 25, and 23; two of them work for her. And she's remarried — her husband, Tom, formerly her CPA^*, is now her CFO^**.

“This is more than a job,” says Harrington. “It's a mission. I’m always thinking, “How can we best serve our employees?” If we support them, they’ll do their best to look after our clients. That’s how it works here.”

__________________________

* CPA – certified public accountant;

** CFO – chief financial officer

14. Cordia Harrington was not satisfied with her position because

A she was a divorced mother of three boys.

B she could not provide for her children.

C she owned three McDonald's franchises.

D she was very busy at work.

15. The McDonald's bun committee was intended

A to buy buns from foreign suppliers.

B to discuss global problems in baking.

C to oversee the production of buns in other countries.

D to attract franchisees to the bakery business.

16. Cordia Harrington won the contract because

A she studied the bakery business.

B she was an experienced baker.

C she was persistent in achieving her aim.

D she gave lots of interviews.

17. The Tennessee Bun Company opened

A when there was a decrease in fast-food sales for McDonald's.

B when US fast-food sales for McDonald's increased.

C later than it had been planned.

D after Harrington had spent her last $20,000.

18. Harrington didn't go bankrupt because

A she sold exclusively to McDonald's.

B she started to supply another client.

C she started her own trucking business.

D she raised prices.

19. Harrington is passionate

A to provide opportunities for her business.

B to give away all her money,

C to make her employees work fast.

D to support the people who work for her.

20. Cordia Harrington has had some difficulties because

A they had a project that came in under budget.

B she has had to sustain the company's double-digit growth.

C some of her clients' sales have decreased.

D she has remarried.

Transfer all your answers to your Answer Sheet.