Ministerul Educaiei, Cercetrii i Tineretului Centrul Naional pentru Curriculum i Evaluare n nvmntul Preuniversitar

Examenul de bacalaureat 2008 Proba E/F Proba scris la Limba englez L1 normal L2 Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii. Se acord 10 puncte din oficiu. Timpul efectiv de lucru este de 3 ore. (30 puncte) Varianta 025

SUBIECTUL I
Read the text below and complete the following tasks.

The issue of ageing population is a long-term and global trend one that will continue (1) Some claim it is a sign of our success: as medicine, sanitation, and agricultural production have improved, life expectancy around the world has risen. This, combined with falling birth rates, is causing what experts call the "demographic transition" - the gradual change from high to low levels of fertility and mortality. (2) is population ageing. Europe now has so many elderly people and so few newborns that mortality rates have started to climb again, now reaching levels similar to some developing countries. Today, 19 of the world's 20 "oldest" countries - those with the largest percentage of elderly people - are in Europe. Ageing populations will create a number of challenges for current and future governments. One is how to sustain public pensions and social security systems as a bigger percentage of people reach retirement and live longer to enjoy it. (3), where one in four people will be elderly by 2015. This demographic shift will force Japanese policymakers and companies to rethink conventional pensions, health care schemes, and mandatory retirement ages. Another is that fewer children make demographers expect there will be fewer potential caregivers, particularly from family members. In Europe, North America, (4), the number of elderly people who live alone is increasing, particularly among women. (Valdis Wish -Global Population Ageing) 1. Four sentences/groups of words have been removed from the text. Select the appropriate sentence/ group of words for each gap in the text. There is one extra sentence/group of words which you do not need to use. 4 points A . The situation is more urgent in Japan B. for generations to come. C. The demographic transition will be much slower in the Middle East and Africa. D. One of the biggest impacts of this transition E. as well as Asia 2. Who/What do the words in bold refer to? 3. Give the synonyms of the following words. 1. transition 2. largest 3. create 4. sustain 5. enjoy 4. Answer the following questions. 6 points 10 points

6 points

A. What is the demographic transition caused by? B. What problems will ageing populations create? C. Why will the Japanese policymakers have to rethink the conventional pensions and health care schemes? 5. Explain the following sentence: Ageing populations will create a number of challenges for current and future governments. (50 words) 4 points