English Olympiad

Are you interested in learning English? Check yourself and do English Olympiad Year 10 Reading Test 1

Reading Comprehension Test for Year 10 Students

Text 1

Read the text and complete the gaps (1 – 7) with the extracts (A-H). There is one extra extract.

Memories of a Man I Won’t Forget!

I wish you’d met my Uncle Bill. He was a tall man – so tall that he could change the bulbs in light sockets while hardly reaching above his head. He said that he wasn’t supposed to reach so up – it was something to do with a heart condition – and that being tall made life much
easier. _1_ Those accessible bulbs were an easy target for that lofty, blundering head of his.

I realized from the start that his problem was not so much tallness as clumsiness. He blundered into anything and everything and often had injuries (though not in fact burns) to prove how “accident-prone he was.

A miserly man, my uncle always stuck replacement soles on his shoes as the old ones wore through, no matter how shabby the uppers became – or how badly he injured himself in the process. _2_Well, strictly it wasn’t the sticking that did it but the razor blade adjustments that followed. In his clumsiness, he nearly always stuck the soles slightly out of position. Once firmly glued they couldn’t be moved but at least the protruding parts could I neatly trimmed away. _3_

I can see him now in my mind’s eye! There was the sole, slightly out of position, and there was my uncle his fingers encrusted with firmly set glue. _4_ Then he’d blunder round his house in search of lint and sticking plasters. Vases would topple, ornaments would get knocked off walls. He lived alone but his frequent visitors were used to the commotion my uncle made as he hurried round his untidy house. _5_ Even going to answer the phone could cause calamities and a trail of damage.

_6_No, they were due to injured fingers, banged heads and falls down stairs. As a matter of fact he survived so many serious injuries that in the end I came to doubt that there was anything wrong with his heart at all.

_7_

A I think he preferred to claim a bad heart than admit to bad eyesight or total and utter clumsiness!

B He would set to work with his razor blade, and a minute later we’d hear his cry of pain and frustration.

C My uncle’s visits to hospital never resulted from that famous heart condition of his.

D But how could even a clumsy man suffer injuries sticking soles on his shoes?

E And that’s where the razor blades came in, and all the consequent injuries to fingers and thumbs.

F However, it also created problems for him.

G The slightest haste was enough to cause an accident.

H You should have seen him when he really got going!

Text 2

For questions 1-15, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example: 0 A given B owned C asked D claimed

Dog Training

If you’ve ever (0) owned an untrained dog you’ll be able to sympathize with the thousands of other owners in the same (1) …. Most people when they take on the (2) … of having a pet know very little about what the job entails. The best advice is to (3) … your knowledge on the four-legged friend you have purchased (4) … reading books or by talking to other dog owners who will be able to tell you all the (5) … of the trade.

The first 6 months are the crucial ones when you must start with basic (6) … as well as (7) … training to ensure your dog knows that the house is not its toilet. Obedience training is crucial from the start if you expect to have a good working (8) … with your dog. (9) … the fact that not all dogs are easily trainable, most owners would agree that the results are extremely positive and rewarding for both (10) ….

Training can be (11) … on a one-to-one basis or in a group led by a qualified and

experienced dog (12) …. Basic commands start with “sit”, “stay”, “down” and “come” as these are monosyllabic words, which will be easy for the dog to react to. Obedience is rewarded with lots of patting, praise and even the odd (13) …, which give the dog the message that they are doing the right thing. A lot of time and patience needs to be invested in order to produce the desired effects and (14) … you know it your dog will be eating out of your (15) ….

1 A kayak B boat C ship D canoe

2 A responsibility B role C occasion D problem

3 A push up B clean up C bring up D brush up

4 A with B about C by D while

5 A secrets B tricks C games D lessons

6 A remarks B orders C commands D functions

7 A house B patience C endurance D polite

8 A friendship B team C relationship D relative

9 A however B although C despite D Even

10 A parts B sections C friends D parties

11 A conducted B convinced C concerned D conceived

12 A handler B juggler C walker D fan

13 A meal B punishment C treat D threat

14 A after B then C before D soon

15 A bowl B hand C arm D control

Text 3

Read the text below. Use the word at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.
There is an example at the beginning (0)

Example: 0 fondest

Sweet Shops of the Past

My (0) fondest memory of my grandmother’s town, where fond

we spent our holidays, was the (1) … sweet shop chant

on the corner next to the church. It was owned by an

old man who was always (2) … under his breath and whistle

the (3) … of sweets was out of this world. The old man select

would take a paper bag and fill it up with your (4) … choose

sweets, then place it on his ancient (5) … scales. He weigh

was so accurate and he rarely made a mistake. However,

one day in the late afternoon, when he must have been

tired, he (6) …and gave me double the amount calculate

of sweets I had actually (7) … for. He was such a nice man pay

that I decided to not to be (8) … so I told him. honest

He was so happy he gave me two (9) … bags add

for having told the (10) …. I was very popular with my true

friends that day.