9th grade/7th year of study

Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii. Timpul efectiv de lucru este de 3 ore.

1. WRITING (25 points) Write the middle paragraph of this narrative. (120-150 words)

It was raining heavily yesterday as I was walking to work. I reached the building and, as usual, I went up to the security office and changed into my uniform. I was in a good mood and I figured that I could easily finish my first patrol before 9 p.m. I had only just begun my security patrol when ___________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ When a chunk of debris was moved and I saw the dim lights, I knew I would be safe. As the rescuer climbed down carefully and pulled me out, I felt relieved. Although my leg was hurting terribly, I was happy to be safe and sound.

2. READING COMPREHENSION (2,5px10=25 points)

Read the articles below and then choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

A.
Of all Barry H. Landau's anecdotes about his friendships with presidential dogs, perhaps the best is the one about the time the Clinton White House called to postpone his playdate with Buddy. Yes, Landau is both human and an adult a 60-year-old author, presidential historian, former White House protocol officer and memorabilia collector. But so enamored is he of dogs, and so well connected to a succession of presidents, that he had an appointment for a South Lawn romp one day with Buddy, Bill Clinton's Labrador retriever.
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Logistics got in the way, though, and hence Clinton secretary Betty Currie's apologetic voice mail left at the Smithsonian Institution, where Landau was doing research: "I'm sorry, but we'll have to reschedule Mr. Landau's playdate with Buddy." Not surprisingly, this is a happy week for Landau, with the new Obama family dog, Bo, joining a White House tradition that dates to George Washington. It's one that Landau feels is invaluable to a presidency. "Having a dog just makes a president more humane," he says. "It completes the picture. It's something people can relate to." And Landau has related to the best of them. He's known about 25 White House dogs since the Eisenhower administration. Among the presidential-pooch memorabilia in his Manhattan apartment are matching orange inaugural dog coats worn by LBJ's (Lyndon Baines Johnson -the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969) twin beagles, Him and Her, and a photo of Landau kissing Clipper, JFK's German shepherd. 1. Who's "Buddy"? A. Barry Landau's friend B. Betty Currie's cousin 2. Which of the following is NOT true about Barry Landau? A. He uses to work as a gardener for George W. Bush B. He's a writer. presidential dogs 3. Who was the first president to have a dog in the White House? A. Bill Clinton B. John F. Kennedy 4. Where does Landau live? A. Washington, DC B. Manhattan, New York City C. Bill Clinton's dog C. He has played with many

C. George Washington C. Baltimore, Maryland

5. According to Landau, why is it important for a president to have a dog? A. It increases his chances of being reelected. B. It humanizes the president. C. It shows that the president can care for an animal.

B.
Japan's 24-hour convenience stores, already struggling with lagging sales and growth, may soon face yet another threat - moves to limit business hours and close the stores late at night. The prefecture of Saitama, which borders Tokyo, may follow in the footsteps of the western city of Kyoto and urge convenience stores to close during late night hours in an effort to limit carbon dioxide emissions, Japanese media reported. Kyoto, a former capital, wants to persuade convenience and other 24-hour stores to close late at night so as to improve evening views of the city and cut down on energy use. The Nikkei business daily said closures could last from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. The move is strongly opposed by the industry, which fears a withering impact on an already troubled sector also grappling with the spectre of a higher tobacco tax, which could hit overall sales. "Even if we only operate the stores for 16 hours, we can't stop the refrigerators," said Toshiro Yamaguchi, the president of Seven-Eleven Japan Co, which is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, at a news conference in Saitama on Tuesday. He said such cuts in operating hours would reduce each store's profit by 20 percent. "If this happens, our current business model will lose its foundation." Analysts said that while it is difficult to estimate the potential impact of the move without a concrete plan, their overall impression was that it was likely to be negative. "This could cut profits and lead to less efficient operations and the increased loss of opportunities," said Masafumi Shoda, an analyst at Nomura Securities. "But it depends on the store - urban stores do better than others. There are some in the countryside that are inefficient." Some have suggested that if governments were sincere about reducing carbon emissions, there were much more efficient methods, such as cutting back on the huge number of automatic vending machines. 1. Which Japanese city was the first to try to limit convenience store hours? A. Saitama B. Tokyo C. Kyoto 2. What's the main goal behind the proposal? A. To give employees more free time. B. To limit carbon dioxide emissions. C. To sell more tobacco products.
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3. How's the convenience store sector doing in Japan? A. The article doesn't say. B. It's doing great. Business is booming. 4. According to the article, lagging sales means : A. sales in big cities. B. sales in the countryside using marketing online. C. sales delay resulting from high ping or latency.

C. Not very well.

5. According to the convenience store industry, the withering impact on the overall sales would: A. cause a 10% increase in sales. B. cause a minimal decrease in profits. C. cause a serious decrease in profits.

3. USE OF ENGLISH (50 points) A. OPEN CLOZE (1px10=10p)

Read the text below. Use one word to fill in the blanks :
Our energy resources

There are two categories of energy resources: renewable and non-renewable. Non-renewable energy resources cannot be replaced once they (1) . been used up. Renewable energy resources, on the other hand, never run out. Non-renewable energy comes from fossil fuels (2) ... as coal, oil and natural gas. They were formed over millions of years from the remains of living things, and it would take millions of years to replace (3) .. . Fossil fuels release energy when they are burnt, but they (4) ... release large amounts of carbon dioxide, (5) ...... pollutes the atmosphere and increases global warming. Renewable energy resources include wind, water and solar power. The Earth has an endless supply of these forms of power, and using them causes little or (6) pollution. The power of the wind is converted into electricity using wind turbines. The power of moving water, whether from dams (7) the ocean waves, can drive hydroelectric turbines, while energy (8) the sun can provide heat or be turned into electricity. Cutting down (9) the amount of fossil fuels we use would reduce pollution and conserve the Earths resources before they disappear completely. We can all help. For example, we can slow down when driving and walk to school (10) than travel by car, and we can turn off the lights when we leave the rooms.

B. MULTIPLE CHOICE(1,5px10=15p)
Choose the right answer : 1. William is considered to be an authority ________ matters such as this one, but this doesnt mean that he cant be ________ good terms with everybody. A. in / in A. advise / pray / wrights C. advice / prey / rights 3. Care este cel mai mare dintre cei doi frai? A. Who is the older of the two brothers? C. Who is older from the two brothers? B. Who is the oldest of the two brothers? D. Who is the oldest among the two brothers? B. on / on C. in / on B. advise / prey / writes D. advice/ pray / rights D. on / in 2. Take my ________. Dont become an easy ________! Stand up for your ________!

4. As soon as he ______ a good look at the catalogues, he ______ them back to his secretary. A. will have / will send B. has / will have sent C. has had / will send D. will have had / will send

5. ________ of the two sisters ________ the answer. A. None / didnt know B. Neither / didnt know C. None / knew
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D. Neither / knew
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6. I pleaded ________ Mary to join our team, but she wouldnt listen. She is always priding herself ________ her independence. A. of / with B. to / of C. with / on D. for / in

7. Diane ________ her nose as two days ago she ________ a bad cold, although she is not that kind of a person who ________ with flu while ________. A. is blowing / caught / would come down / travelling B. is blowing / cought / will come down / traveling C. has been blowing / caught / is coming down / travelling D. blows/has caught / should come down / traveling 8. Ann said that, right then, her mother ________ the soup to see if she ________ enough salt in it, as she ________ to add any. A. was tasting / has put / is always forgetting C. tasted / put / always forgets B. was tasting / had put / was always forgetting D. tastes / had put / always forgot

9. People considered that, lately, political parties ________ for a lot of criticism mainly because they ________ as if they ________ to the community they ________ in. A. have come in / continually behave / didnt belong / live B. had come in / were continually behaving / didnt belong / lived C. had come on / continually behaved / hadnt belonged / lived D. had come in / were continually behaving / dont belong / were living 10. If you ________ your umbrella with you, you ________ soaked to the skin now that it ________ cats and dogs for almost an hour. A. had taken / wouldnt have been / is raining C. would take / werent / is raining B. would have taken / wouldnt be / has rained D. had taken / wouldnt be / has been raining

C. WORD FORMATION (1px10=10p)

Fill in the correct word derived from the words in bold. Mind that they are listed in the right order. 1-INFLUENCE 2-HAPPY 3-INSPIRE 4-GENEROUS 5-REST 6-SURGERY 7-FICTION 8-ADMIRE 9-DEDUCE 10-CRY

Famous the world over as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 into an Irish family who were (1) ________________ in the art world. Unfortunately, Arthurs father was an alcoholic, and his behaviour caused the family much (2) _________________. Arthur probably inherited the ability to tell stories from his mother, who was a source of (3) _________________ to him. Thanks to the (4) _______________ of some relatives, Arthur was able to study medicine at Edinburgh University. He was a bright student, but (5) ________________, and his zest for adventure led him to accept a contract as ships (6) ___________________ aboard a whaler. Returning home, he completed his medical studies in 1881. He eventually settled in the south of England. Telling stories had always been a part of his life, but the creation of a (7) _______________ detective called Sherlock Holmes turned Conan Doyle into a popular writer. It is believed that he based Holmess character on one of his university tutors, Dr Joseph Bell, whom he regarded with respect and (8) _________________ for his logic and powers of (9) _________________. The first Sherlock Holmes was so well received that Doyle was encouraged to write more. In 1893 he killed off his hero in order to concentrate on writing what he saw as more serious work, but this caused a public (10) ___________, and he was forced to bring Holmes back to life.

D. IDIOMS AND PHRASES (1,5px10=15p)

Choose the right answer. 1. Don't worry about her, she always gives herself airs and graces means: .......... (a) She always walks like that. (b) She always moves around like a cloud. (c) She always thinks she's very important. (d) She always gives herself plenty of time.
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2. Our holiday plans are up in the air at the moment means: .......... (a) indefinite (b) scheduled (c) postponed 3. When I told him the news, he went up in the air means: .......... (a) He jumped up. (b) He fell over. (c) He became dizzy.

(d) delayed

(d) He became angry.

4. "Hi, Jim. This is Inspector Walters. Just wanted you to know that we have verified your alibi and removed you from our list of suspects. You are all in the ..........". (a) blue sky (b) clear (c) good standing (d) innocence 5. She had been waiting for the appointment to the review committee for a very long time and now she was in the .......... . (a) command position (b) shot caller (c) controlling view (d) driver's seat 6. "Hi Julia, I'm Mark. I know we've talked a lot on the phone and by e-mail but I am glad to finally meet you in the .........." (a) face (b) body (c) presence (d) flesh 7. "I am sorry, Tina, I will have to call you later today. I am working on fixing the software in use and I am in the .......... . I will give you my full attention as soon as I am done with this segment," Link said. (a) intensity (b) focus (c) one-track mind (d) zone 8. "Hi Zack. During the presentation, I want you to make sure to ask each representative, in ........., if he or she have any questions. Is that clear?" Marcie asked. (a) line (b) attendant (c) turn (d) question 9. It's like hitting your head against a brick wall trying to get him to see sense because he takes no notice. (a) very painful (b) almost impossible (c) almost damaging (d) very hurtful 10. I know you're keen but I don't want you to jump the gun. Just relax. (a) fire the bullet (b) shoot the target (c) start too soon

(d) shoot too soon

Total score : 100 points

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