ОЛИМПИАДА ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ
2014-2015 учебный год
USE OF ENGLISH
(time 60 minutes)
Page 1
TASK 1
A NEW DIRECTION FOR TOURISM?
Below the mountains of Oman lies one of the world's most spectacular caves. Gregory Crouch joins Louise Hose, who is investigating whether it could bring new wealth to this Arabian kingdom
Louise Hose is a geologist who has explored North America's deepest caves. Now an unlikely task has brought her to Oman. She has been asked to examine the country's spectacular cave systems. The authorities want her to investigate ways into the caves, measure how big they are and check them for harmful gases.
Some day Oman's oil will run out, so planners in the country are looking ahead and searching for ways of generating other sources of wealth, from copper mines to biscuit factories. They hope that the caves can be developed to make them centres for underground tourism. 48 ............ . Her results might show that the caves are too dangerous, or their ecosystems too fragile, to sustain tourism. On the other hand, it is possible that the caves could be the focus of a new national park, attracting vital tourist dollars to Oman.
I go from the capital, Muscat, to join Louise in her camp high up in the mountains. She is about to explore an underground chamber called Majlis al Jinn - the meeting place of the spirits. We stand shivering by the camp fire with our local helper, 18-year-old Salim al Ghadani and his younger brother, Said. Soon their elderly father arrives with a load of water he's brought up by donkey from the river far below. 49 ............ . 'In winter it is too cold,' he says. 'In summer it is too hot.' He makes a living by herding goats. 'I have many hopes for my sons,' he explains. 'But mostly I hope that they will be able to find jobs.'
Louise and I put on our rucksacks and walk to the entrance to the cave. Louise has already set up the rope to allow us to descend the 70 metres to the floor of the cave. She goes first. It's ten minutes before I hear her give the signal on the radio to say she's got to the bottom. 50 ............ . I begin to climb slowly into the hole. The sky becomes a small circle as I gradually lower myself down on the rope. 51............ . It feels as if I am hanging under the dome of a huge nbeams from the entrance hole cut through the darkness. Glancing down, I can't make out much detail in the dim light. I can only just see Louise looking up from the bottom of the cave 50 metres below me.
Several minutes later, I am finally standing next to her. Louise has years of experience of caves all over the world. 52 ............ . 'This place is huge – and day-lit,' she says. Directly beneath the entrance hole there is a high pile of stones that has fallen through. I am amazed by the sheer size of the chamber – nearly two of the Great Pyramids of Egypt would fit inside. I follow Louise around the cave as she investigates it. It is one of the world's largest underground chambers, she tells me. Eventually, I begin the heart-pounding rope climb to the surface. 53............ . We watch a pair of eagles soar across the sky. Goat tracks criss-cross the fields below.
I ask Louise whether she thinks that development of this cave could provide opportunities for Mohammed's children. 'It's certainly possible,' she says. 'A road could be built. And a tunnel could be made through the rock to get visitors into the cave.' 54............. And even if it succeeds, she adds, it will be years before the tourists roll up in their air-conditioned buses. In the meantime, sadly, only a few adventurers are likely to have the chance to explore the underground world beneath the mountains of Oman.
USE OF ENGLISH, page 2
Task: Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which best fits each gap (48-54). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
A) Forty minutes later, we're sitting side by side on a rock overlooking the cave entrance, in the open air.
В) But she is as amazed as I am.
С) Sixty-year-old Mohammed shakes his head when I comment on the beauty of the mountains.
D) And if the cave floods, there's no way of escape.
E) However, the cost of doing all this would be huge.
F) The idea might sound crazy, but Louise plans to test it thoroughly.
G) Now it's my turn.
H) The giant chamber slowly opens up around me.
TASK 2
Task: Complete the following sentences using a word from the box in the correct form. The words are all in the text.
amaze spectacle wealth attract unlike harm watch |
55. Oman is a.......... kingdom located on the west of the Arabian peninsula.
56. It contains some of the most.......... caves in the world.
57. Louise Hose, a geologist, was invited to carry out the.......... task of investigating the caves' potential for tourism.
58. She the size of the cave called Majlis al Jinn.
59. Luckily, she found that this cave does not contain any.......... gases.
60. For the local people, the idea of cave tourism may be very.........., as it will lead to increased job opportunities.
61. However, the authorities will need to keep a .......... eye on developments, in order to protect the caves and their environment.
TASK 3
Task: For questions 62-65, think of one only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.
62. a) You can't leave yet! For a______ we haven't cut the cake!
b) The play didn't get off to a good ________, there was a power cut, and the lights went out!
c) Well, we've only saved €5,000 so far, but it's a ______________
63. a) John soon realised that he wasn't _____ out to be a lawyer, and became a teacher instead.
b) We were chatting on the phone when suddenly were _____ off!
c) So, anyway, to _____ a long story short we ended up staying the night in an awful hotel.
64. a) Although we sorted a lot of things out, this discussion is by no ____ finished уet.
b) Which _____ of transport do you intend to travel by, bus or train?
c) Although it's boring, I see revision as a _____ to an end.
65. a) No sooner had I answered the phone than the on the other _____ hung up!
b) Walthamstow! This is the ____ of the line! All passengers must leave the train here!
c) At the _____ of the day, I think you have to weigh up the pros and cons.
USE OF ENGLISH, page 3
TASK 4
Task: For questions 66-77, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, С or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
HAPPY TO BE AVERAGE
At a dinner party I was at recently, conversation was (0)......A......fever pitch. A group
of very boring parents were (66) ................ about just how exceptional their children were.
'Little Rosie was walking almost before she was born,' said one. "That's nothing! Little
Bobby was using conditional tenses at thirteen months and was even (67) .................. his
mother,' said another.
Then came the (68) ................ of a woman who had, until then, chosen to (69) ...............
silent. What (70) ................. was her child bringing into the world? The table hushed as she
spoke. 'Well, Theo's entirely average,' she said. 'But I love him.'
How brave she was to value the average, thereby elevating it to the extraordinary. The
ironic thing, (71) .............. , was that the rest of the dinner guests then started to compete
all over again, saying that actually their child was (72) ............... more average than hers
because, etc., etc. It made me (73) ............... that being confident enough to say you are
entirely average (74) ................. that you're actually anything but.
The world is full of superlatives. We have become (75) ................. to everything being
new, brilliant, fabulous, the latest or the best ever. So much so that we too (76) ...............
talking like the advertisers who are always telling us that things are glamorous, fairytale, glittering and wonderful. I'm sure that I'm not (77) ............... in feeling very tired of it all.
0 A reaching В raising С getting D making
66. A applauding В praising С boasting D complimenting
67. A altering В correcting С amending D revising
68. A attempt В go С turn D try
69. A remain В repose С rest D resist
70. A gifts В donations С presents D contributions
71. A therefore В even though С nonetheless D of course
72. A effectively В considerably С eventually D constructively
73. A perceive В imagine С realize D suppose
74. A means В tells С speaks D points
75. A acknowledged В accepted С accustomed D acquainted
76. A fall back В come down С get round D end up
77. A individual В unique С single D lonely
