Дополнительные материалы для 7-8 классов
олимпиадные задания по английскому языку (8 класс) по теме

Part 1

Writing

Your class has been discussing the role of zoos in the modern world. Your teacher has asked you to write a composition giving your opinion on the following statement.

 “Zoos no longer serve a useful purpose”

You should write between 150-200 words

Writing time – 30 minutes

Part 2

Use of English

Task 1

For questions 1- 6, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

Example: The food was so hot that we didn’t really enjoy it.

                TOO

                The food was too hot for us to really enjoy it.

1. We didn’t get a table at the restaurant because it was too full.

   SO

The  restaurant______________________________________________________________

2. I’ve given up using public transport to travel to work.

    USED

I ______________________________________________ by public transport, but I’ve given it up.

3. Could you please turn your mobile phone off?

    MIND

Would ______________________________________________ your mobile phone off?

4. “I won’t be late for the show,” said Lucy.

    ARRIVE

Lucy promised that she __________________________________________________________

time for the show.

5. I shouldn’t wear shoes inside the house.

    SUPPOSED

I______________________________________________ off my shoes before I enter the house.

6. “You haven’t been paying attention to me,” our teacher told us.

    ANY

Our teacher accused us _________________________________________notice of  him.

Use of English

Task 2

For questions 1- 12, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning. Fill in the table below.

Charles Dickens' childhood experiences

Charles Dickens was one of the greatest nineteenth-century English novelists.  At the time of (0) ...his.... death in 1870 he was a wealthy man, in contrast to the poverty of his early days.  His parents (1)        ……their best to look after him but were always in difficulties (2)…….money.

Eventually, his father owed (3)        a large amount of money that he was sent to prison for

three months.

Two days after his twelfth birthday, Dickens was taken away from school by his parents and

made (4)        work in a factory to increase the family income.  Factories could be dangerous

places in (5)         days and some employers were cruel. Charles was not (6)        

extremely unhappy, but also ashamed of working there, and he (7)         never forget that

period of his life. In his novels Dickens showed just how shocking working and living conditions were.

Working in the factory affected him so deeply that he found (8)……         much too painful to

speak about in  later life.  His  own wife and children knew (9)…..  at all about the

unhappiness of his childhood while Dickens was still alive, (10)..         shortly after his death a

biography was published in (11)         Dickens' terrible childhood experiences in the factory

were revealed (12)        the first time.

Part 3                                       Reading

Task 1

The people below all want to watch a film on TV. On the opposite page, there are reviews of eight films. Decide which film would be the most suitable for the following people. Fill in the table below, matching figures (1-5) with the letters (A-H).

1. Ryan likes watching old-fashioned films on TV. He prefers comedies, particularly those with famous actors. He is not keen on musicals or thrillers.

2. Tom's hobby is reading and he enjoys watching films on TV whose stories are taken from literature. His favourite books are those by famous authors of the past. He reads books about the cinema, too, and likes watching famous actors.

3. Elena likes to relax by watching the latest romantic films on TV, especially if they make her laugh. She particularly likes those which have some music in them.

4. Belinda enjoys watching thrillers. She prefers adventures which actually happened to people in real life, as she is interested in the lives of other people.

5. Carol loves listening to pop music and reading magazines about it. She doesn't mind what sort of film she sees, if it's a new one about pop stars or their music.

Darius Alexander reviews this weeks films on TV

A       See you in Sicily        

This is about a journey across Europe in the 1960s. A group of young people travel across Europe in an old van, but nothing really exciting happens to them and it isn't actually very funny. It's a weak comedy film with singing. I had never heard of the actors before, although some of them could certainly sing.

B       The moon and stars        

This follows the usual love story - boy meets girl, they fall in love and sing some songs about it. It's an enjoyable film, although there's nothing special about the singing, and it has its amusing parts. It comes to the TV screen very quickly, as it was only made a year ago.

C       Mad for music        

This film came out last month, and all the young people are queuing to see it. There will be a whole generation of fans watching because the music of this group, Sure Fire, is everyone's favourite at the moment.

D       The house by the lake        ..        

Although the main roles are all acted by well-known stars of film or TV, I got bored by the dialogue which seems so slow compared to modern films. However, people who like Henrietta Browne's writing will enjoy it because it is beautifully filmed, and the story keeps perfectly to the novel written two hundred years ago.

E       Seaside story        ,.        

This funny film was made in the past, but is still as good as it was 25 years ago when I first saw it. The main actors, who were already famous when it was made, made several more films together later on. The story takes place in a very unusual hotel at the seaside where the guests have lots of problems.

F       Shooting for freedom        

Photographer Valerie Maine planned to work in a dangerous part of the world for six weeks. This adventure film tells how she escaped from the people who held her prisoner for over a year. It is difficult to believe that this actually happened to someone who is still alive.

G       Escape to Jupiter.......        

This film about adventures in space isn't supposed to be funny, but I'm afraid I wanted to laugh sometimes. Although this is one of several very similar films made recently, it's one of the better ones, as it certainly holds your attention.

H       Another part of town        

This film manages to show some serious problems of a family in modern Britain without depressing the audience. If you haven't read Michael Stone's book of the same name yet, you'll be pleased to watch this excellent film. And you'll still enjoy the film if you have already read it. There is some excellent acting from some completely unknown actors.

.

Reading

Task  2

Look at the sentences below about collecting stamps. Read the text and decide if each sentence (1-10) is true or false. If it is correct, put “T” by the number. If it is not correct, put “F”.

1. Collecting postcards is generally believed to be more popular than collecting stamps

2. Visitors will be able to buy postcards from 120 different trades at the Picture Postcard Show

3. Harry Taylor has helped to run the Picture Postcard Show for ten years

4. People choose to collect  postcards partly because they are affordable

5. Collectors expect to pay a maximum of 30 pounds for an unusual postcard

6. Collectors are particularly interested in postcards that were printed between 1900 and 1918

7. It was possible to receive mail seven times a day in London between 1900 and 1918

8. Before 1902, the Post Office  only accepted postcards with senders` messages written next to

    the picture.

9. Postcards of popular seaside towns that were printed in the early 1900s are valuable.

10. A card without a message is worth more than the same card with writing on it.

                                              Collecting Picture Postcards

          It is thought to be second only to stamp collecting as a collector`s interest, and each year in August the biggest show of its kind worldwide takes place in London. Collecting postcards

is a growing market, with fans all around the world, thousands of whom will be in England for this year`s  Picture Postcard Show. There will be exhibitions of a wide range of postcards and many will be on sale from the 120 UK and international trades who will also be there.

          “Postcards collecting  is growing very fast”, says Harry Taylor, who collects postcards of ships and, as chairman of the Postcard  Traders`` Association, has been one of the organizers of the London show for the last ten years. The price is one of the reasons why collectors are attracted to postcards. Although the special cards cost more, you can spend anything between  5p

and 30 pounds for the typical cards on the market. “This means you can put a wonderful collection together for very little”, he says.

            Sports, transport, buildings and animals are the most popular, but there are other less well-known subjects as well. One American collector recently started a website showing his collection of postcards on the early history of cotton. The site has already had more than 1000 visitors.

            Postcards that appeared between 1900 and 1918 are the ones that attract the most attention. “ At that time, the cost of sending a letter or postcard was less than a penny. They emptied the boxes every hour in London and the post would sometimes be delivered seven times a day”, says Paul Marshall, who works at Asquith`s Auctioneers, which holds three postcard sales a year. Picture postcards, as opposed to blank cards, came to Britain from other European countries, but it was not until the 1890s that they were accepted by the Post Office. In 1902, Mr Marshall says, the rules were changed again, allowing both message and address to be put on the same side. Before that, the message had  to be written beside the picture.

           Just before a postcard is old it does not mean it is valuable. For example, seaside views produced in large quantities at the beginning of the last century are not likely  to be worth very much. Whatever the subject of the postcard , the condition is very important. The value of the postcard also increases if there is  a message, which then gives it more social or historical value.