Welcome to the English

Language Contest!
Be sharp, be keen, be smart!
Good luck!

Subject I (50 points):

A. (2px10=20 points) Read the text and fill in the gaps with the correct verb forms. Write your
answers on the Answer Sheet.
It’s 10 o’clock at night. The offices of “The Daily News” 1)________ (buzz) with excitement. The deadline for
the paper is in half an hour and they are frantically trying to finish the front page. Everyone 2)________
(work) all evening without a break. Some of the journalists 3)________ (be) at the office since early
morning. They have all been trying to get an exclusive story, to find out something that no other journalist
has discovered. The main story is a big one. The Prime Minister 4)________ (just/resign). Everyone
5)________ (know) that his government has had lots of problems in the last year but his resignation is
nonetheless a big surprise. Rumours have been going round all day about the real reason for the
announcement. Some journalists have come across some documents revealing that he 6)________ (be)
involved in some financial scandal before being appointed Prime Minister. Others say he 7)________ (faint)
while he 8)________ (argue) with his councillors during his visit to France last month. He was even taken to
hospital for further investigations and that the results showed that he 9)________ (have) a stroke. All the
papers have been trying to get the best story. The whole day has been very tense. Suddenly the editor
10)________ (ask) everyone to be quiet. There is a telephone call from the Prime Minister’s office.

B. (2px10=20 points) Read the text and fill in the gaps with the appropriate word A, B, C or D. Write
your answer on the Answer Sheet.
From the arrival of the first modern humans to the beginning of recorded history is a 1) ____ of about 100
centuries, or 400 generations. We know very little about what 2) ____ at this time because these 3) ____
people left no written records of themselves. What we know about them comes from the 4) ____
archaeologists have found at different 5) ____.
We know that throughout prehistoric times there were many small-scale societies, and a lot of different 6)
____ living in the British islands. These groups were often in 7) ____ with their neighbours and frequently
attacked each other. They also had contact with peoples in other parts of Europe and 8) ____ trade with
them. The many objects found in tombs and burial chambers 9) ____ this.
The first written accounts of Britain 10) ____ from the time when Julius Caesar invaded Britain just over two
thousand years ago.

1. A. spell B. term C. period D. stretch

2. A. went on B. passed out C. went through D. passed by
3. A. elderly B. ancient C. antique D. old
4. A. marks B. proof C. evidence D. signs
5. A. sites B. positions C. settings D. grounds
6. A. families B. dynasties C. tribes D. classes
7. A. contest B. fight C. battle D. conflict
8. A. did B. were C. made D. kept
9. A. try B. prove C. test D. check
10. A. belong B. exist C. begin D. date

C. (1px10=10 points) Read the sentences below and use the words given in capitals at the end of the
row to form words that fit in the gaps. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet.
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? Then come to the Burnaby
Village Museum in Canada! This full-scale reconstruction of a 1920s
village offers a truly authentic (1) ________ experience. Among the many (1) HISTORY
(2) ________ are an old-fashioned barbershop, a working black-and- (2) ATTRACT
white silent film theatre and a(n) (3) ________ vintage merry-go-round (3) IMPRESS
that you can actually ride! There are even (4) ________ dressed staff (4) TRADITION
within shops and homes to show you the (5) ________ of life in the (5) REAL
1920s. This (6) ________ museum was founded in 1971, but (6) FASCINATE
(7) ________ contained only a few exhibits. Since then, the site has seen (7) INITIAL
a great deal of (8) ________ and has now expanded to more than double (8) DEVELOP
its original size.
Today, it is one of British Columbia’s biggest and most popular tourist
hotspots, attracting thousands of (9) _______ each year. So what are you (9) VISIT
waiting for? Come to Burnaby Village Museum for a(n) (10) ________ (10) FORGET
journey into the past!
Subject II (5px5=25 points) Read the text and choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) to the
questions. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet.

Tom Avery is the youngest Briton to have reached both poles. He and his team recently followed the route
taken by Robert Peary in his 1909 expedition to the North Pole.
Both men left from Cape Columbia in Canada but Peary’s team was larger. Peary also had four support
groups and every 160 kilometres a group would leave food behind and turn back. This meant the team
decreased in size as he went north. Avery’s team didn’t have the extra men, but they had food dropped by
plane at four locations.
Although Avery’s team had the benefit of modern technology, Avery thinks this did not make much
difference. ‘Your speed depends on the dogs and how quickly you can get a sledge through the ice. We also
had to deal with the same dangers. At the end of winter, some ice is only 7 centimetres thick and it can break
easily under your weight. Peary was also more experienced than us and had been on several expeditions to
the Arctic.’
Avery believes they owe their success to the 16 Inuit dogs that pulled the sledges. ‘Our dogs worked in
teams of 8. They kept us going. In the evenings, I would thank every one of them.’
‘Travelling with dogs is the best form of Arctic transport. You cannot do the journey in that time by any other
method.’
Some historians say that Peary could not have reached the North Pole in 39 days. But Avery’s team actually
beat this time, becoming the fastest to reach the North Pole on foot. Avery says, ‘We told everyone it could
be done so it was important not to fail. But it was hard, especially towards the end when the ice was melting
quickly’.

1. What is the writer trying to do in the text? 4. What was Avery’s attitude towards the Inuit
A. explain why people travel to the North Pole dogs?
B. suggest possible ways of reaching the North Pole A. He regretted not taking more dogs.
C. describe two challenging journeys to the North B. He thought they were very well trained.
Pole C. He was very grateful to the dogs.
D. compare the characters of people who went to D. He was very surprised by their speed.
the North Pole
2. How was Avery’s North Pole expedition 5. What is the best title for this text?
different from that of Peary’s? A. How to lead a team
A. Avery’s team was larger. B. An accident in the Arctic
B. Avery’s team was supplied by air. C. Discovering new routes
C. They did not take the same route. D. Proving it’s Possible
D. They did not leave from the same place.
3. Avery believes that having modern technology
A. was of limited importance.
B. helped them to travel faster.
C. improved the safety of the whole team.
D. prevented them from experiencing the real North
Pole.

Subject III (25 points) Write a narrative essay ending like this:

“So, the stone had worked… Who would have thought? And Richard knew no one would ever believe him if
he tried to tell its story.”

Write your story in 150 - 180 words (15-18 lines) and give it an appropriate title. Pay attention to the
following:
 you don't need long descriptions;
 use dialogues only if they are relevant for your characters or events;
 you should use this plan:

1. Introduction (paragraph 1 - set the scene)

2. Main body (paragraph(s) 2/3 - develop the story)
3. Conclusion (paragraph 4 - end the story)

Don’t count the words given!

SCRIEŢI RĂSPUNSURILE PE FOAIA DE RĂSPUNS (ANSWER SHEET). BARAŢI TOATE SPAŢIILE

NECOMPLETATE. TIMP DE LUCRU: 90 MINUTE. NU SE ACORDĂ PUNCTE DIN OFICIU.