Ministerul Educaţiei și Cercetării

Centrul Naţional de Evaluare şi Examinare

Etapa județeană/sectoarelor municipiului București a olimpiadelor naționale școlare -

2020

Probă scrisă

Limba engleză

CLASA a IX-a - SECȚIUNEA B

• Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii.

• Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.
• Timpul efectiv de lucru este de 3 ore.

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points)

I. Read the paragraph below and do the tasks that follow. (20 points)

Wilson was nine years old and living in Washington, D.C., he got excited about the idea of
expeditions to far-off jungles to collect the sorts of things he saw in National Geographic. He
decided he would do some expeditions to a park, and he began collecting whatever he could fit
in a bottle. Originally, he wanted to collect flies but could not get the appropriate equipment
during those years due to World War II. As he got older he began researching ants.

Over time, Wilson's collections have grown tremendously. Are they valuable? Wilson realized
that many occasions arise when people need unexpected things and as the body of information
on the natural world grows, scientists will have unexpected needs. “For instance, someone
might say, 'What I need for my work is an ant that hunts underwater and walks around
submarine fashion and then comes out and goes back to a dry nest. Does any such thing exist?'
It turns out, yes!” In fact, he says, there is an ant, called the submarine ant, that goes
underwater to get food in the Nepenthes plant. More recently Wilson has been working with
younger ant specialists, and they are discovering new ant species at every mountain site.
Currently only about ten percent of ant species are known, so there is still much work and
exploration needed.

A. Answer the following questions, according to the text. 8 points

1. When did E.O. Wilson get interested in ants?

2. Why couldn’t Wilson collect flies as a boy?
3. What did Wilson realize about the scientists’ needs?
4. Who has Wilson been working with lately?

B. Choose the right synonym for the words given below, according to their meaning in
the text. 6 points

1. appropriate: a. near b. suitable c. true d. correct

2. tremendously: a. effectively b. threateningly c. terribly d. enormously
3. currently: a. actually b. presently c. often d. usually

Probă scrisă la limba engleză clasa a IX-a secțiunea B

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 Ministerul Educaţiei și Cercetării
Centrul Naţional de Evaluare şi Examinare

C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning. 6 points

1. As he got older he began researching ants.
By …………………….., he had begun researching ants.
2. “Does any such thing exist?” he asked.
He asked …………………….. .
3. They are discovering new ant species at every mountain site.
New …………………….. mountain site.
II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each gap. 10 points
You might not think of the ant as a great 1.______________( WAR), but in fact army ants
exemplify the fighting spirit. They are not solitary 2._____________ (FIGHT). Instead, they
battle together in swarms of more than a hundred-thousand which only makes them more
3.___________( FEROCITY). Army ants use strategies many prey cannot tolerate. They do not
permit anything to stop them, and as a group can inflict fatal attacks. In turn, their enemies have
developed strategies to avoid attack. One is to fake their 4.________(APPEAR). Army ants
have poor vision, so, for example, an insect might become still, 5.________(ESSENTIAL)
persuading the army ants that they are a stick or vegetation.
The life of an army ant is violent. However, even though they are 6.___________(KILL), these
ants are important for the environment. They turn soil and organic matter, and help to provide
7.____________(HABIT) for other species. For these reasons,
8.___________(ENVIRONMENT) urge governments to protect their army ants so the ants will
protect the environment.
9.___________(FORTUNE), there are now a number of charities who are working to raise
10.__________(AWARE) of this issue.
III. Translate the following text into English. 10 points
După ce am ajuns acasă mi-am dat seama că mă gândisem la toate, afară de lucrul cel mai
important: locul unde se va adăposti prietenul meu. Îmi vorbise de o cabană în munţi, dar
trebuia găsită această cabană şi trebuia să ajungem la ea înainte de a se lumina de ziuă ca să
nu atragem atenţia. Planul nostru părea copilăresc: trebuia să urcăm pe munte cărând o duzină
de pături în spinare, cu merinde, fără să ştim încotro ne îndreptăm, riscând ca prietenul meu să
se oprească după câteva sute de metri, pentru că nu mâncase de o săptămână.
SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)
Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.
There is certainly no denying that, while a holiday or trip to another country leaves you with a
sense of longing and excitement, moving to another country is something entirely different.
Speaking from experience, one of the most worrying questions that plays on everyone’s mind is
always: how will I make friends?! What’s more is that this concept of ‘making friends’ becomes
even more daunting when a foreign language is thrown into the mix. What if people think you’re
boring because you can’t contribute to the conversation? What if your jokes don’t translate very
well and your sense of humour is non-existent? What if you make a horrific grammatical mistake
that terribly offends somebody? The answer: music.
It is a long-known fact that music creates bonds. For good reason, many people have fallen in
love or established lifelong friendships based on a mutual appreciation for a band or genre. One
of the many benefits of our globalised society is the overlap in music tastes that exist across
cultures: chart music, especially within Europe, is often the same (N.B.: unsurprisingly,
everybody in the world loves Ed Sheeran). No matter who you are, or where you come from,
everyone listens to music in some way.

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 Ministerul Educaţiei și Cercetării
Centrul Naţional de Evaluare şi Examinare

So: you’ve met people, you’re making friends, but you’ve only just overcome the ‘small talk’
stages of these friendships. The next bit can sometimes be tricky. But, I always find, as soon as
someone breaks the ice with the age-old ‘what type of music do you listen to?’ the language
barriers seem to fall away. Music is something that everyone can speak passionately about. It is
also something where differing opinions create interest, not conflict.

Music is one of the most important forms of self-expression and individuality, but, above all, it is
a means of communication. Let’s also not forget that glowing sense of pride you feel when you
introduce someone to a new song that they like (despite the fact that this then makes you super-
protective of that song: ‘but I heard it first!’). Music is a universal language that everyone can
understand, and one that everyone enjoys understanding. Whether you’re playing, singing or
just listening, your mother tongue and cultural background become unimportant; so if you’re
ever at a loss for something to say, say it with music.

I. For each question decide which answer (A, B, C or D) fits best according to the text. 10 points

1. When moving abroad, music can help you

A. decrease the level of stress.
B. boost your linguistic skills.
C. form friendships.
D. avoid awkward situations

2. According to the text, one benefit of the globalised society we live in is related to
A. widespread access to remote cultures.
B. the overlap in music tastes that can be found elsewhere.
C. the opportunity for economic growth.
D. mutual appreciation for any band.

3.The writer says that music may break down barriers since
A. people listen to it on a daily basis.
B. it can help you overcome shyness.
C. there is no conflict of interests.
D. people tend to speak with excitement about it.

4.The author claims that music is the primary form of

A. knowledge.
B. communication.
C. entertainment.
D. relaxation.

5. Music can be regarded as a universal language because

A. you can communicate across cultural and linguistic boundaries.
B. you can express only emotions of happiness and sadness.
C. you can convey social status.
D. it enables you to understand other people.

II. Starting from the text, write a narrative-descriptive essay about your first live concert
experience. (180-200 words) 50 points

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