OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZA

ETAPA LOCALA
CLASA a VIII-a
22 februarie 2020
Varianta 1
SUBIECTUL I

1. Read the following text and choose the correct answer: A, B, or C. (5x5p=25points)

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year (or generally referred to as Lunar New Year globally) is the Chinese festival that
celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. The festival is usually referred to
as the Spring Festival in mainland China, and is one of several Lunar New Years in Asia. The first day of
Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February. In 2019, the
first day of the Chinese New Year was on Tuesday, 5 February, initiating the Year of the Pig.
Chinese New Year is a major holiday in Greater China and has strongly influenced lunar new year
celebrations of China’s neighbouring cultures, including the Korean New Year (seol), the Tết of Vietnam,
and the Losar of Tibet. It is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries with significant Overseas
Chinese populations, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, the
Philippines, and Mauritius, as well as many in North America and Europe. The festival was traditionally a
time to honour divinities as well as ancestors. Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the
celebration of the New Year vary widely, and the evening preceding Chinese New Year’s Day is frequently
regarded as an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for
every family to thoroughly clean their house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for
incoming good luck. Another custom is the decoration of windows and doors with red paper-cuts and two-
line poems. Popular themes among these paper-cuts and two-line poems include that of good fortune or
happiness, wealth, and longevity. Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red
paper envelopes. For the northern regions of China, dumplings are featured prominently in meals celebrating
the festival. It often serves as the first meal of the year.
 Adapted from www.wikipedia.org
1 The people in China call Chinese New Year...
A. 'Chinese New Year'.
B. 'Spring Festival'.
C. 'Lantern Festival'.
2. The Korean New Year, the Tết of Vietnam, and the Losar of Tibet are...
A. similar to Chinese New year.
B. very different from Chinese New year.
C. the celebration of Chinese New Year in different countries.

3. Chinese New Year...

A. is celebrated in different ways depending on the region.
B. is a very religious celebration nowadays.
C. was celebrated with music in the past.

4. The Chinese clean their house...

A. to decorate it.
B. to be happy.
C. to have good luck.

5. The text talks about traditions in the northern regions of China related to...
A. parties.
B. food.
C. music.

2. Read the text below and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) for each space. There is an example
at the beginning (0). (10x2p=20points)
Many people have tried (0)…B….. smoking at some point in their lives, and these days many of us are
attempting to stop taking (1)…….. substance which is not cigarettes, but which (2)…….. be killing the same
number of people (3)……..  tobacco, or even more. I am talking about sugar.
When I went to the doctor five years ago, he told me that sugar (4)…….. kill me one day if I didn’t avoid (5)
……..  it. My only chance of long-term survival, said the doctor, was cutting out all sugar from my diet.
Before that day, I (6)……..  to quit anything; (7)……..  , I didn’t think it would be too difficult. “I have
achieved difficult things in my life, much more difficult than that,” I thought. It wasn't true.
I didn't know how difficult it was to stop smoking, or drinking alcohol, because I had never been addicted to
anything, but when I stopped eating sugar, I realised that sugar is a very powerful drug. I think it would have
been easier if I had been addicted to nicotine, instead of sugar. The first few weeks or months I (8)……..
that I was eating chocolate or cakes, and then I woke up in the morning and my body was crying for sugar.
It's been 3 months now, and I (9)…..very, very little sugar. I am very happy because I don't crave sweet
things any more, and I feel (10)….. healthier and energetic than a few months ago.

0 A. giving up B. to give up C. putting down D. to put down

1 A. another B. other C. others D. the other
2 A. can B. should C. is able to D. might
3 A. that B. so C. as D. than
4 A. will B. shall C. would D. was
5 A. to eating B. eating C. to eat D. eat
6 A. had never tried B. was never tried C. has never tried D. was never trying
7 A. so B. even though C. although D. however
8 A. have dreamt B. used to dream C. used to dreaming D. dream
9 A. have been eating B. ate C. have eaten D. was eating
10 A. many B. much C. very D. a

3. Fill in the blanks with the correct word derived from the words in capitals. (10x2p=20points)
1. There is no…………….proof that there might be life on other planets. SCIENCE
2. Have you seen my handbag? It seems to have …………….. APPEAR
3. The babies were put up for …………….after their mother had decided not to keep them.
ADOPT
4. The doctor told her that she is becoming …………….thin. She has to start eating!
DANGER
5. Jimmy had a very difficult …………….. He was brought up by his stepfather.
CHILD
6. A week after winning in the lottery the young man …………….lost a court case in which he had to
pay millions. FORTUNE
7. The south-western part of Spain is said to be the …………….part of the Iberian peninsula.
SUN
8. You are too ……………., wait a little, will you! PATIENT
9. My mum is the new chairman. She has a lot of …………….. RESPONSIBLE
10. I have an important …………….to make. ANNOUNCE
4. Each of the following sentences contains a mistake. Write the correct sentences on your answer
sheet. (10x1p=10points)
1. She is really selfish, she only cares about her.
2. Is too crowded here. let's go!
3. Oh, you need the report? OK, I send it right away.
4. They didn't think that the house was enough big.
5. I had to think about the problem for a while, but I finally figured out it.
6. They wouldn't let me to leave early today.
7. Maybe I'm going to finish this letter today.
8. Despite I was tired, I came to work today.
9. I always try to check my spelling very careful.
10. I would rather to work form home than come to the office.

SUBIECTUL II

Write a story ending with the sentence given below. Do not forget to add a title to your story. Use 150
– 180 words. (25 points)

And I fell asleep listening to the sound of the crashing waves.

TOTAL: 100 PUNCTE

TOATE SUBIECTELE SUNT OBLIGATORII!
TIMP DE LUCRU: 120 MINUTE
NU SE ACORDĂ PUNCTE DIN OFICIU

KEY
S1 S2 S3
1-B 0-B 1- scientific
2-A 1-A 2- disappeared
3-A 2-D 3- adoption
4-C 3-C 4- dangerously
5-B 4-C 5- childhood
5-B 6- unfortunately
6-A 7- sunniest
7-D 8- impatient
8-B 9- responsibility
9-C 10- announcement
10-B
S4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.