INSPECTORATUL ŞCOLAR JUDEŢEAN

BRĂILA
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OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZᾸ

ETAPA LOCALᾸ, 16 FEBRUARIE 2019
CLASA a XI-a, SECȚIUNEA A
SUBIECTUL A –USE OF ENGLISH -40 p

I. Read the following text and put the verbs in brackets into the correct form. (10 x 1 =10p)

I went to the doctor’s yesterday. I (1)……(to have to) wait for an hour before he (2) ……..(can) see
me. “I (3)……..(to go) abroad next week. But I (4)…….(to have) a pain for two days. (5)……(you/
to think) I’ll be well enough to go? “When I (6) ……(to examine) you, I’ll be able to tell you” the
doctor said. “I (7) .... ( to work) in the garden when I suddenly felt the pain”, I told the doctor. “If I
(8)…….(to stop) immediately, it would have been all right, I suppose. But I hardly ever (9)…….(to
get) any exercise in my job so I went on working.” After examining me carefully, the doctor said:
“You (10)…..(to hurt) a bone in your back.

II. For questions 1-10, read the text below and think of the word which fits each gap.
(10 X 1= 10 p)
Alex Rawlings is twenty years old and he is a university student. But there is something special
about Alex; he can speak 11 languages. As a small child, Alex learned Greek, English and French
1)……… his parents, but the value of language really became clear to Alex 2)……… the family
moved to Japan for four years 3)…….. a result of his father’s job. Being in a place where you do
not understand the language 4)……… make you feel lonely and insecure and Alex always felt
frustrated 5)………. he couldn’t speak Japanese to other children . After they moved back to
England, Alex’s family visited Holland 6)………. a holiday. Alex decided that, unlike in Japan,
next time they went to that country he would be able to communicate 7)……… people. He taught
himself Dutch using books and CDs and when he returned to Holland, he could speak the language.
German, Spanish, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Catalan and Italian followed, and Alex is now learning
Russian. Learning languages makes Alex happy because, 8)……… only is it an important skill, but
it is 9)………….. a hobby he enjoys, as well as the subject he studies and it eventually is part of
10)……….. job.

III. Choose the correct answer A, B, C or D. (10 X 1= 10 p)

1. “Probabil ca a fost un soc pentru barbat sa afle despre accident deoarece isi pierduse nu
doar sotia, ci si fiica.”
A. It must have been a real shock for the poor man to hear about the accident as he’d lost not only
his wife but also his daughter.
B. The poor man must have collapsed upon hearing that he’d lost both his wife and his daughter in
the accident.
C. When he heard that both his wife and daughter had died in the accident , the poor man collapsed
in despair
D. The poor man felt so desperate as he’d lost not only his wife but also his daughter in the
accident.

2. Complete the following sentence: ”I look forward……………….you”

A. for seeing
B. to see

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C. seeing
D. to seeing

3.Complete the following sentence: “ No sooner ….. a degree in Italian ….she went on to study
Spanish.
A. had Alice completed /than
B. has Alice completed/after
C Alice has completed/that
D Alice will complete/than

4. “Am cumparat o pereche de cizme de calarie negre, de piele, scumpe.”

A. I have bought a pair of riding black expensive leather boots.
B. I have bought a pair of leather expensive black riding boots
C. I have bought a pair of black riding expensive leather boots.
D. I have bought a pair of expensive black leather riding boots.

5. Report the following sentence: “ I wish you good luck and God help you!’ Jane told John.
A. Jane wished good luck to John and added that God may help him.
B. Jane wished John good luck, adding that she hoped God would help him.
C. Jane wished John had luck and that God would help him.
D. John was wished good luck by Jane and was told that God would help him.

6. Complete the following sentence: “It’s sad to see how this Renaissance building …..in about
an hour.”
A. is been pulled down
B. is being pull down
C. is being pulling off
D. has been pulled down

7. “He had better hand me his report today or I’ll inform the manager.” means:
A. He was supposed to hand me his report today, but he didn’t, so I’ve told the manager.
B.I had no alternative but to tell the manager because he failed to give me his report again
C. I’ll let the manager know if he fails to give me his report today.
D.I would rather not inform the manager but I think I have to because he won’t give me his report
today.

8. Complete the following sentence: “We are trying to save for our holidays so we are…….some
money weekly.”
A. putting in
B. putting aside
C. putting behind
D. putting up

9. Choose the correct sentence:

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A. The business peoples are faster than other people in making decisions.
B. The business people are faster than other people in taking decisions.
C. The business people are faster than the other people in making decisions.
D. Business people are faster than other people in taking decisions

10. Complete the following sentence: “Which would you like with your steak pie, peas or beans
?”….., thank you”
A. Not one
B. Neither
C. None
D. Neither ones

IV. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each gap. (10 X 1= 10 p)

Students learning English as a second language are sometimes given a word by their teacher and
asked to give an (1)… (EXPLAIN) as to what that word means: in other words, to provide a
(2)……(DEFINE). The (3)……..(ASSUME) is that if you know a word, you can define it.
(4)……(LOGIC) that might make sense, but in reality is not always (5)……..(REASON) to assume
that. There are words and phrases that even native speakers use in conversation without
much(6)…….(THINK) which can lead to (7)…………….(CONFUSE) when you ask a native
speaker to define them. Take the (8)……….(CONCEIVE) of “zeitgeist”, for example, which has
entered English from German. It’s (9)………(DOUBT) much easier to use than it is to define. With
a word like “zeitgeist” it may be more (10)………..(SENSE) to test the student’s understanding in
ways other than asking them to define it.

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS -60 p

I. Read the text below and choose the right variant: (5 x 2p = 10p)

Dirty Britain
Before the grass has thickened on the roadside verges and leaves have started growing on
the trees is a perfect time to look around and see just how dirty Britain has become. The pavements
are stained with chewing gum that has been spat out and the gutters are full of discarded fast food
cartons. Years ago I remember travelling abroad and being saddened by the plastic bags and
discarded bottles at the edge of every road. Nowadays, Britain seems to look at least as bad. What
has gone wrong?
The problem is that the rubbish created by our increasingly mobile lives lasts a lot longer
than before. If it is not cleared up and properly thrown away, it stays in the undergrowth for years; a
semi-permanent reminder of what a tatty little country we have now.
Firstly, it is estimated that 10 billion plastic bags have been given to shoppers. These will
take anything from 100 to 1,000 years to rot. However, it is not as if there is no solution to this. A
few years ago, the Irish government introduced a tax on non-recyclable carrier bags and in three
months reduced their use by 90%. When he was a minister, Michael Meacher attempted to
introduce a similar arrangement in Britain. The plastics industry protested, of course. However, they

B-dul Al. I Cuza, nr. 172, 810025 Brăila; Tel: +40(0) 239 61 91 60; Fax: +40(0) 239 61 40 60
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need not have bothered; the idea was killed before it could draw breath, leaving supermarkets free
to give away plastic bags.
What is clearly necessary right now is some sort of combined initiative, both individual and
collective, before it is too late. The alternative is to continue sliding downhill until we have a
country that looks like a vast municipal rubbish tip. We may well be at the tipping point. Yet we
know that people respond to their environment. If things around them are clean and tidy, people
behave cleanly and tidily. If they are surrounded by squalor, they behave squalidly. Now, much of
Britain looks pretty squalid. What will it look like in five years?
(https://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/29.html)

1. The writer says that it is a good time to see Britain before the trees have leaves because
A Britain looks perfect.
B you can see Britain at its dirtiest.
C you can see how dirty Britain is now.
D the grass has thickened on the verges.

2. According to the writer, things used to be

A worse abroad.
B the same abroad.
C better abroad.
D worse, but now things are better abroad.

3. For the writer, the problem is that

A rubbish is not cleared up.
B rubbish last longer than it used to.
C our society is increasingly mobile.
D Britain is a tatty country.

4. Michael Meacher
A followed the Irish example with a tax on plastic bags.
B tried to follow the Irish example with a tax on plastic bags.
C made no attempt to follow the Irish example with a tax on plastic bags.
D had problems with the plastics industry who weren't bothered about the tax.

5. The writer thinks

A it is too late to do anything.
B we are at the tipping point.
C there is no alternative.
D we need to work together to solve the problem.

II. Read the text again and write a for-and-against-essay whether recycling really makes a
difference or not. (220-250 words) (50 p)

TOTAL-100 PUNCTE.
TOATE SUBIECTELE SUNT OBLIGATORII. TIMP DE LUCRU 3 ORE.
NU SE ACORDA PUNCTE DIN OFICIU.

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www.isjbraila.ro, brailaisj@gmail.com