CONCURSUL DE LIMBA ENGLEZA “QUEST”

ETAPA NATIONALA , 23 Martie, 2018

CLASA a X-a

I. READING COMPREHENSION. Read the following text and choose the correct variant A, B or C
(10 x2p=20p)

I. READING COMPREHENSION. Read the following text and choose the correct variant A, B or C. (10
x2p=20p)
The city of Detroit, in the USA, was once compared to Paris. It had a broad river, grand boulevards and
historically significant architecture. Then, in the 20th century, it became ‘Motor City’. For a time, most of the
world’s cars were made here. There was steady work and a good salary in the motor industry. An autoworker
could own a home, plus a boat, maybe even a holiday cottage. Some say America’s middle class was born in
Detroit – new highways certainly made it easy for workers to move from the city centre to the suburbs in the
1950s. But in the early years of the 21st century, Detroit became America’s poorest big city. In less than five
decades, the once vibrant Motor City lost more than half its population. It gained a reputation as a failed city, full
of abandoned buildings, widespread poverty and crime. Newspapers and magazines told stories of derelict homes
and deserted streets. Photographers even went especially to Detroit to record the strange beauty of buildings and
city blocks where nature was taking over again. What went wrong in Detroit? The city is now 69th in population
density (people per square mile) among US cities. Detroit’s population fell for several reasons. Partly it was
because people moved to the suburbs in the 1950s. Then there were devastating race riots in 1967, which scared
even more people away from the city. Then there was the dramatic decline in car manufacture as companies like
General Motors and Chrysler struggled to survive. And finally, in 2008, came the global financial crisis. The
problem of Detroit was basic but hard to solve. Many of Detroit’s people are poor: half of the city’s households
live on less than 25,000 dollars a year. They are spread across different neighbourhoods of this huge city (it’s big
enough to fit in Manhattan, Boston and San Francisco). In 2013, the city did something unusual: it declared itself
bankrupt. It was the largest city bankruptcy in US history, estimated at 18-20 billion dollars. Now that the city is
free of debt, it has money to do some of what needs to be done. It has replaced about 40,000 streetlights so that
places feel safer. Police response time has shrunk from almost an hour to less than 20 minutes. And roughly a
hundred empty houses are demolished each week to make space for new buildings. With the nation’s biggest
urban bankruptcy behind it, Detroit is also attracting investors, innovators and young adventurers. New
businesses have been encouraged with the New Economy Initiative. This gave grants of 10,000 dollars to each of
30 winners with ideas for small businesses. It seems that every week a new business opens in Detroit – grocery
stores, juice bars, coffee shops, even bicycle makers. Finally, the city is working again.
1. Detroit is a city ...
A. that has had several identities B. where the population grew very rapidly. C. with a massive crime problem.
2. Detroit ...
A. is not able to recover from its past problems. B. is richer now than it has ever been.
C. seems to have a better future ahead.
3. Why was Detroit known as 'Motor City'?
A. because of all the roads that were built B. because of its connections to Paris
C. because of the type of industry there
4. According to the first paragraph, factory workers ...
A. had a high standard of living B. had to travel a long way to work C. took regular holidays
5. What defined Detroit at the start of the 21st century?
A. cars B. poverty C. the suburbs
6. Which statement is true, according to the second paragraph?
A. The change in Detroit happened relatively quickly. B. The environment was important for Detroit’s population.
C. The media showed a false picture of Detroit and its people.
 7. Why did people leave Detroit?
A. Because too many people lived in the suburbs. B. The motor industry moved to a new area.
C. There was a combination of causes.
8. The main problems facing Detroit were ...
A. financial. B. environmental. C. social.
9. How did bankruptcy affect the city?
A. It allowed it to make a new start. B. It gave it an important place in history.
C. It meant Detroit could spend billions of dollars.
10. Which statement is true?
A. Bankruptcy makes it hard for new businesses in Detroit. B. Detroit today is attractive to small businesses.
C. Old industries want to return to Detroit.

II..USE OF ENGLISH (40 p)

A. OPEN CLOZE. For questions 1-10, read the text below and fill in with ONE word that best fits
each gap. (1p x 10 = 10p)

Throughout history people have worn clothing of (1) …….... description or another. Apart (2) …….... protection
against the weather, clothes were also often used to show the wearer’s status and wealth. Over the years,
numerous fashions in clothing have come and gone. (3) …….... some of these have been popular for relatively
short periods, others have lasted longer.
Until the first half of the 20th century, the ability to follow fashion was limited to those (4) …….... hadthe
money to (5) …….... so. But following fashion did not only demand money, it also required large amounts of
leisure time.Wealthy people took fashion very seriously and close attention had to be paid to detail. Wearing the
correct clothes for different occasions was very important, despite the (6) …….... that this often meant changing
clothes five or six (7) …….... a day.
More recently, fashionable clothes have come within the reach of ordinary people. The traditional craft
of dressmaking, (8) …….... usually involved sewing (9) …….... hand, was both costly andslow.But today, large-
scale manufacturing has made it easier for people to keep upwith changes in fashion (10) …….... having to
spend a great amountof money.

B. WORD FORMATION.For questions 1-10, use the word given in capitals at the end of the lines to
form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. (1p x 10 = 10p)
Over the past few years, tourism in the East African ………..country of Tanzania has been growing
fast.Tanzania has a really 1. FASCINATE ………. multi-cultural history and is home to many different
tribes.They livepeacefully together and have a wide range of 2. OCCUPY….………. , such asfarming and
making traditional 3. JEWEL………. . Visits to tribal villages,notably to those of the Masaai in the
north of the country, are often ahighlight of travel itineraries.Last year, Tanzania welcomed about290,000
visitors, which made tourism the 4.THREE ………. most importantsource of foreign exchanges; only coffee and
cotton brought in more revenue.
Tourists are attracted to Tanzania because of its 5.GOLD ………. beaches and its unusual
6.GEOGRAPHY ………. features.It has lakes of amazing 7.DEEP………., and in Mount Kilimanjaro
boasts the highest mountain onthe African continent. Tanzania also has more land devoted to naturalparks and
game reserves than any other wildlife destination in theworld.Everything, including
thecoralreefs,isprotectedbygovernment law.
Tanzania is 8. IDEAL ………. placed to increase its tourist trade by offeringa 9.VARY ………. of activity
holidays.At the same time, it aims to avoid the ‘mass tourism’ that has been a rather 10.
FORTUNATE………. development inother areas of similar beauty.
C . KEY-WORD TRANSFORMATION. For questions 1 -5, complete the second sentence, so that it has a
similar meaning to the first, using the word given. Do not change the word give. You must use between
three and six words, including the word given.(2p x 5 = 10p)

1. I think Robert is too young to look after his brother. CARE

I think Robert isn’t ……………………………………………… of his brother.
2. Tomas put up a fence so that people didn’t walk on his garden. PREVENT
Tomas put up a fence ……………………………………………… on his garden.
3. The twins are eager to see their cousins again in the summer. LOOKING
The twins ……………………………………………… their cousins again in the summer.
4. Luckily, we had enough glasses at the party. RUN
Luckily, we ……………………………………………… glasses at the party.
5. Nicholas finally managed to get his new video recorder to work. SUCCEEDED
Nicholas finally ……………………………………………… his new video recorder to work.

D.MULTIPLE CHOICE. For questions 1 -10, read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C or D) best
fits in each gap (1p x 10 = 10p)
A wildlife cameraman
I earn a living as a freelance wildlife cameraman working all over the world. It is my job to provide the (1) …..
material from which a natural history programme is (2) ….. up. If the lifestyle agrees with you, the travel and
the filming can be great. There is fantastic variety: I often do not have the slightest (3)…..where I am going or
what I will see. There is also a certain pleasure in (4) ….. some of the film you take on TV, though as I am often
away working, I do not always (5) ….. theprogrammes when they are shown.It is unusual to get an ‘easy’ filming
job. One of the most challenging things is (6) ….. your sense ofhumour under sometimes difficult
circumstances. I (7) ….. to work in the region of 300 days a year and I often (8) ….. I had more time to play my
guitar or see friends. Sometimes there is no (9) …..even unpacking, when I get home.
But it is an amazing job, even though there are frustrations. What I hate most is flying – I really cannot (10) …..
with that.

1. A.pure B. plain C. raw D.bare

2. A.made B.set C.taken D.put
3. A. idea B.thought C. purpose D.sense
4. A.noticing B. viewing C.looking D. regarding
5. A.catch B.glimpse C.glance D.remark
6. A.guarding B.hol di n g C.keeping D. saving
7. A.expect B.suppose C.imagine D. rely
8. A.hope B.desire C.wish D.want
9. A.reason B.point C.purpose D.matter
10. A.suffer B. stand C. tolerate D.cope

III. WRITING – 30p

You see this announcement in an English-language college prospectus.

Scholarships
Every year, two scholarships are offered to candidates from overseas who can show how our one-year course in
English and American studies would help their career.Scholarships cover fees, accommodation and food, but not
transport or personal spending money.

To apply, write a letter explaining why you think you deserve a scholarship.
Write your letter in 140-190 words in an appropriate style
 CONCURSUL DE LIMBA ENGLEZA “QUEST”
ETAPA NATIONALA , 23 Martie, 2018
CLASA a X-a
BAREM

I READING COMPREHENSION (2p x 10 = 20p)

1. A 2.C 3.C 4.A 5.B 6.A 7.C 8.A 9.A 10.B

II A. OPEN CLOSE ( 1p x 10 = 10p )

5. do
1. One 6. fact
2. from 7. times
3. Although/While/Whereas/Whilst/tho 8. which
ugh 9. by
4. who/that 10. without

B. WORD FORMATION ( 1p x 10 = 10p )

1 fascinating 6 geographic(al)
2 occupations 7 depth(s)
3 jewellery/jewelry 8 ideally
4third 9 variety
5 golden 10 unfortunate

C. KEY-WORD TRANSFORMATION (2p x 5 = 10p)

1………………….. old enough to take care
2…………………… to prevent people (from) walking
3……………….. are looking forward to seeing
4………….. didn’t/did not run out/short of
5……………succeeded in getting

D. MULTIPLE CHOICE ( 1p x 10 = 10p )

1C
2A
3A
4B
5A
6C
7A
8C
9B
10 D

III. WRITING (30p)

- organization and cohesion ……………………5p.
- language accuracy …………………………….6p.
- content …………………………………………8p.
- range of vocabulary …………………………...6p.
- register …………………………………………5p.
Se acordă 10p din oficiu.