INSPECTORATUL ȘCOLAR JUDEȚEAN

BISTRIȚA - NĂSĂUD

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ – ETAPA LOCALĂ 2020

CLASA a IX-a, A Secțiunea A

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 following text and put the verbs in brackets into the correct form. 10 points
Jane Spader 1.(not notice)........................... the dark sky as yesterday’s storm 2. (approach)............................
She 3. (not hear)............................ the thunder or see the lightning. She was too busy talking on her mobile
phone as she was walking to her car. The next thing Jane remembered was that she 4.(lie).........................on
the ground and her 12-year-old brother Tom 5. (shake)............................... her and calling her name. The
lightning 6.(strike)............................... Jane. Luckily for her, Tom 7.(see) ........................what had happened
and immediately called an ambulance. Incredibly, Jane survived. A doctor at the hospital said, “Jane was
very lucky. The lightning 8.(could / kill)................................ her.” Metal objects 9.(attract)............................
lightning. So when you’re outdoors in a thunderstorm, even holding a mobile phone can be dangerous. I’m
sure Jane 10.(not make)......................................... that mistake again.

II. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words. 10 points
1 Anyone can write an interesting story. You just have to use your__________________.
IMAGINE
2 You got a perfect score on your test? I’m very________________________! IMPRESS
3 Natalie is a very________________person. I’m sure she’ll be a famous designer one day. CREATE
4 The children ran________________________onto the football pitch. ENERGY
5 I’m training to_______________________my leg muscles. I want to run the marathon! STRONG
6 Elise Hart is such an amazing____________________________. PERFORM
7 Help the Homeless Club is a wonderful_________________________. ORGANISE
8 Do you have to_______________________the whole script? MEMORY
9 A little black kitten_______________________appeared on our doorstep. MYSTERY
10 The scientist made several interesting___________________about the experiment. OBSERVE

III. Read the following text and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits in each gap. 10p
A couple of years ago I stopped (1) to the cinema completely. I just couldn’t watch another love story or
comedy. Then one day, I read a review of a documentary about training guide dogs for the blind called
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New Eyes. It sounded really interesting. It was a new (2) and I wanted to see it as soon as possible.
I asked my friend Sarah to go with me, but she said it didn’t sound very (3) . She (4) a lot of
time reading movie star blogs and isn’t interested in documentaries at all.
The (5)_ of New Eyes decided to make a documentary about guide dogs after his sister helped
train one. These dogs go to live with a family when they are very young. The families know from the
beginning that they will have to (6) the dog after 12 months. Some of them have a very hard time
coping (7) this because they often get very attached to their pets.
In the documentary, the children in one family (8) their best not to cry when the dog is taken away.
It is a very emotional scene and because there was no (9) , all the words and actions were totally natural.
That’s one of the things that make documentaries like New Eyes (10) satisfying to watch.

1 A- to see B- enjoying C- to like D- going

2 A- research B- script C- release D-gadget
3 A- entertaining B- boring C- interactive D- successful
4 A- goes B- does C- spends D- makes
5 A- character B- producer C- musician D- engineer
6 A- give up B- look over C- make up D- hand out
7 A- on B- in C- about D- with
8 A- go B- make C- do D- find
9 A- music B- scene C- script D- solution
10 A- so B- such C- as D- too

IV. Translate the following text into English. 10 points

Cei din familia Pope sunt oameni bine adaptați, cu o vedere clară, cu o voință a gesturilor și acțiunilor care
impune ordine, chiar când concepția de viață pe care o exprimă diferă de a ta. Tatăl, funcționar la o bancă,
este tipul omului nu prea favorizat de soartă, dar care nu disperă și nu se dă niciodată bătut, glumind calm
despre ea.

(R.Rusan, America ogarului cenușiu)

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

The South Pole is so cold that you can freeze to death if you aren’t careful. Most people wouldn’t travel
thousands of kilometres to spend time there. However, Simon Daglish is not just anyone. He is a
courageous and adventurous man. He and some friends decided to hike to the South Pole along the same
route that Captain Robert Falcon Scott followed in 1912. And to make things even more interesting, they
decided to use the same type of clothing, equipment and food that the heroic British explorer had used.
They did this knowing that these things hadn’t protected Scott very well. In fact, Scott and four of his
men died, but this didn’t stop Daglish and his friends.
To get ready, Daglish and the three other men trained for 90 minutes a day. To get stronger, they pulled
old car tyres through London parks and to get used to freezing temperatures, they rode exercise bikes in a
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friend's walk-in freezer. The old-fashioned clothing was a challenge as well. They used blankets to make old-
style jackets and had boots made of reindeer-skin. However, Daglish admitted that he and his friends didn’t
know how the sledge would perform.
The team wanted to raise money for medical research. They managed to get $100,000 from Numis
Securities, their main sponsor. The Mail on Sunday newspaper also gave them money for their story.
Unfortunately, their expedition didn’t start very well at all. They started pulling the four-metre long
sledge, but it wouldn't move. ‘We couldn't believe it,’ Daglish remembers. He said that everyone had the
same look on their face; we were all thinking the same thing. ‘Which one of you isn't pulling?’ Finally,
they got the sledge moving. They pulled it for two hours at a time, eight hours a day, in −37ºC weather.
Daglish and his friends were greeted by about fifty South Pole scientists as they crossed the finishing
line. Daglish describes one way they celebrated their arrival at the South Pole. ‘We played this little trick
where you stand right at the Pole and put your hand on the marker and walk around it. You can actually
walk around the world in eight steps. It was such good fun and the scientists took a video of it!’ Not only
was the journey successful, but it also made $640,000 for research!
I. For each question decide which answer (A, B, C or D) fits best according to the text. 10 points

1 What is Sally Jones doing in the article?

a explaining how dangerous it is to visit the South Pole
b encouraging more people to travel to the South Pole
c describing a fundraising expedition to the South Pole
d giving advice on how to reach the South Pole safely

2 What does Sally say about the preparations for the expedition?
a The team prepared well for every aspect of the expedition.
b The team didn’t have to train as hard as they did.
c The team used the same training methods as Captain Scott’s team.
d The team was embarrassed to train in strange clothes.

3 What was the team’s attitude towards their problems with the sledge?
a They all thought that they needed to pull it longer.
b They argued about who was going to pull it.
c They encouraged each other to carry on pulling it.
d They started to blame each other about not pulling it enough.

4 Why did Daglish and his men do that trick?

a The South Pole scientists told them to do it.
b They thought it was an entertaining way of ending their journey.
c It’s a traditional way to celebrate reaching the South Pole.

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d It was another way of making more money for charity.

5 What might Daglish have written in his diary about the expedition?
a I hope more people will follow Captain Scott’s example. This expedition wasn’t as tough as
I’d thought.
b It would’ve been an easier expedition if I had a better team.
c There were times I didn’t think we would succeed, but I’m glad we did.
d I was really surprised to see the South Pole scientists greet us like that.

II. Write a narrative essay about an adventure you once had. (180-220 words) As you develop your
essay, narrate what your adventure was about, who was involved, what happened and how that
adventure affected you.

50 points

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OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ – ETAPA LOCALĂ 2020

CLASA a IX-a, secțiunea A

BAREM DE EVALUARE

Subiectul A Use of English 40 points

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

1. hadn’t noticed/ didn’t notice 2. was approaching 3. didn’t hear 4. was lying 5. was shaking 6. had
struck 7. had seen/ saw 8. could have killed 9. attract 10. won’t make

II. II. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words. 1p x 10 = 10 points
1. imagination 2. impressed 3. creative 4. energetically 5. stregthen 6. performer 7. organisation 8.
memorise 9. mysteriously 10. observations

III. Read the following text and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits in each gap. 1p x 10 =10p

1d 2c 3a 4c 5b 6a 7d 8c 9c 10a

IV. Translate the following text into English. 10 points

Suggested answer

Those in the Pope family are well-adapted people, with a clear view, with a will of gestures and actions that
forces order, even when their life conceptions differ from yours. The father, a bank employee, is a man not
too favoured by fate, but who doesn’t despair and never gives up, joking calmly about it.

Subiectul II Reading comprehension 10 points

2p x 5 = 10 p

1 C 2 A 3D 4 B 5 C

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Analytical criteria Exemplary
10p
CONTENT The essay is completely relevant to
topic, describing
people/places/events/atmosphere,
having a clear development and
including the final reactions of the
protagonist
ORGANIZATION There is complete logical connection
AND COHESION of paragraphs due to a judicious use
of linking devices, mechanics, and
length requirements.
VOCABULARY A wide range of vocabulary is used
appropriately and accurately
throughout the essay; precise
meaning is conveyed; minor errors
are rare; spelling is very well
controlled. The register of the
narrative-descriptive essay is totally
relevant to the task, being organically
integrated all along the discourse.
STRUCTURES A wide range of grammatical
structures is used accurately and
flexibly throughout the essay; minor
errors are rare; punctuation is very
well controlled.
EFFECT ON The interest of the reader is aroused
TARGET READER and sustained throughout
INSPECTORATUL ȘCOLAR JUDEȚEAN
BISTRIȚA - NĂSĂUD
Proficient
8p
The essay is fairly completed with the
description of
people/places/events/atmosphere,
having a clear development
There is a fairly completion of
paragraph organization due to scarce
misuse of linking devices, mechanics,
and length requirements.
A range of vocabulary is used
appropriately and accurately in the
essay; occasional errors in word
choice/formation are possible;
spelling is well controlled with
occasional slips. The register of the
narrative-descriptive essay is
relevant to the task with slightly
incongruent lapses within the
discourse.
A range of grammatical structures is
used accurately and with some
flexibility along the essay; occasional
errors are possible; punctuation is
well controlled with occasional slips.
The text has a good effect on the
reader.
Partially Proficient
6p
The essay is partially completed with slight
logical impediments in the logical
development of the description.
There is partial completion of the task.
Paragraphs are partially complete due to
unfinished ideas and scarce use of linking
devices, mechanics, and length
requirements.
The range of vocabulary is adequately used
in the essay; errors in word choice
/formation are present when more
sophisticated items of vocabulary are
attempted; spelling can be faulty at times.
The register of the narrative-descriptive
essay is partially relevant to the task with a
narrow inconsistency of style, leading to
halts in the logical development of ideas
A mix of complex and simple grammatical
structures is present throughout the essay;
errors are present when complex language
is attempted; punctuation can be faulty at
times.
The effect on the reader is satisfactory.
Weak
4p
The essay is faulty, including serious
logical impediments in the sequencing
of events.
There is serious inconsistency in the
organization of the paragraphs due to
the misuse of the linking devices,
mechanics, and length requirements.
A limited range of vocabulary is present
within the essay; less common items of
vocabulary are rare and may be often
faulty; spelling errors can make text
understanding difficult. The register of
the narrative-descriptive essay is
inconsistent due to the mixture of
styles.
A limited range of grammatical
structures is present along the essay;
complex language is rare and may be
often faulty; punctuation errors can
make text understanding difficult.
The effect on the reader non-relevant.
Str. 1 Decembrie nr.5, Cod 420080, Bistriţa, Jud. B-N
Incomplete Points
2p
The essay is wholly inadequate
the quality of the description
failing the requirements of the
task.
Paragraphs are incomplete,
both linking devices,
mechanics, and length
requirements having been
disrespected.
A very narrow range of
vocabulary is present; errors in
word choice/formation
predominate; spelling errors
can make the essay obscure at
times. The register used in the
narrative-descriptive essay is
inappropriate for this type of
writing.
A very narrow range of
grammatical structures is
present within the essay;
errors predominate;
punctuation errors make the
text obscure at times.
The text has a negative effect
on the reader.
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INSPECTORATUL ȘCOLAR JUDEȚEAN
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Str. 1 Decembrie nr.5, Cod 420080, Bistriţa, Jud. B-N

Tel: +40 (0)263 213529

Fax: +40 (0)263 216654

www.isjbn.ro