OLIMPIADA de LIMBA ENGLEZĂ pentru GIMNAZIU - ETAPA JUDEȚEANĂ

03 martie 2018
CLASA a VII-a

I.READING COMPREHENSION
Read the following text and decide if the sentences are T (true) or F (false). (10 x 2.5p = 25p)
Wonder - A review
Wonder tells the story of August, a ten-year old boy who lives with his parents and sister in New
York. August, or Auggie as his family call him, is an ordinary boy in many ways. He rides a bike and likes
playing with his Xbox. But Auggie was born with deformities of the face and looks very different from other
kids. At the start of the book, he tells us 'My name is August. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever
you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.' Auggie’s appearance shocks people. People look at him for a long
time or sometimes they look away as soon as they see him.
Auggie’s had 27 operations on his face and has spent a lot of time in hospital. His mother has
taught him at home, but now that he’s ten, she thinks he should go to school. At first, Auggie hates the
idea of school and doesn’t want to go. He worries that other kids will look at him strangely or call him
horrible names, but his parents persuade him to visit a school and meet the headteacher. After the visit,
Auggie decides that, yes, he will go to school.
Like many kids, Auggie is really anxious on the first day. Because of his face, nobody wants to sit
next to him and he notices other kids looking and talking about him behind their hands. Fortunately, he
makes friends with Jack, a boy in his class, and Flower, a girl he chats with at lunch. But after surviving the
first day, Auggie soon learns that his classmates are saying they will catch 'the plague' if they touch
him. Wonder tells the story of Auggie’s first year at school and how other kids treat him. It’s a difficult year
with good and bad times. But towards the end, a frightening and dramatic event at a school camp changes
things completely.
Wonder is an excellent book that tells a moving and inspiring story. It’s fast-moving and gripping
too. I found myself reading it on the bus even if I only had time to read a couple of pages. It appeals to all
age groups and is very popular with teenagers and adults. Auggie is a very likeable central character. He’s
got a good sense of humour, so the book is both funny and sad at times. It’s a fascinating story about a
regular kid who’s living in a world that’s not used to people who look different.
One great thing about the book is that it’s told from the point of view of different characters. We
begin with Auggie, but then the story is told by his sister, Via, and his schoolmates till we come back to
Auggie at the end. This works really well as we find out what it’s like for Via to have a younger brother who
takes a lot of her parents’ attention. We also learn how Jack is left out of the 'popular group' at school, just
because he is Auggie’s friend.
Wonder is RJ Palacio’s first novel. On her website, she explains that the idea for the book came to
her after seeing a girl with facial deformities on the street one day. Wonder has been a bestseller in the
United States and has won several awards. Many schools are using it to start discussions about bullying,
friendship and being different. A film version is being made, and many, including me, are looking forward
to seeing what RJ Palacio writes next.

Roberta Marks

1. Auggie is an ordinary boy who looks different. T/F

2. Before going to school, Auggie was taught by his father.T/F
3. Nobody talks to Auggie on his first day at school. T/F
4. The reviewer didn’t enjoy the book. T/F
5. The reviewer read the entire book on the bus. T/F
6. The book makes you want to continue reading. T/F
7. The story is told through the eyes of different characters. T/F
8. Auggie’s sister is avoided by the students in the ”popular group” at school. T/F
9. 'Wonder' is now being studied in schools. T/F
10. In the future, you’ll be able to see a film of the book. T/F

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II.USE OF ENGLISH
1. Read the article and think of the best word for each gap. Write ONE word only. There is an
example provided (0). (10 x 1p = 10p)
A walk in the forest
Going through (o) the forest (1) _____ my favourite part (2) _____ the walk. Benji loves it too.
(3) _____ are rabbits to run after and old leaves to smell. Benji’s (4) ____ dog, by the way, and
I’m Grace. I live on a farm (5) ____ my parents and take Benji for a walk most days after
school.

While Benji runs ahead, I stop (6) ____ take a photo of a butterfly. A new Facebook photo?
Maybe, but my friends already call me 'Nature Girl', so perhaps not. (7) ____, I hear Benji’s
bark. I look up and see Benji jumping (8) ____ running round a boy. The boy’s about my age
and looks worried. 'Benji, stop! Come here!' I call and reach (9) _____ my pocket for his ball.
I’m about to apologise to the boy, (10) _____ he’s gone, disappeared between the trees.

2. For questions 1-10, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each
gap. (10 x 1p = 10p)
Animals in the city
Recently, (1) ___ have been many reports in newspapers and on TV (2) ____ big animals
coming into towns and cities. There (3) _____ bears in Vancouver parks, leopards on the
streets of Mumbai and wild pigs in gardens in Berlin. (4) _____ happens when big
animals come into our cities? Is it a good thing or (5) ______ dangerous for us and the
animals?

Wild animals (6) _____ come into cities to look for food. In Cape Town, South Africa,
baboons sometimes come into the suburbs. They eat fruit from gardens and go into
people's kitchens and take food from cupboards and fridges! Baboons are strong
animals and sometimes they scare children and fight with pet dogs. (7) ____ people do
not like them, but the city can be dangerous for baboons too. Sometimes, baboons are
hurt in car accidents and the sugar in human food (8)_____ be very bad for their teeth.
The city council in Cape Town has a team of Baboon Monitors. (9) ____ job is to find
baboons in the city and take them back to the countryside. This makes the city safer for
people and it is (10) ____ for the baboons. The problem is that a lot of baboons will
come back to the city to find food again.

1. A. it B. there C. they D. we
2. A. of B. with C. in D. about
3. A. have been B. has been C. were D. was
4. A. Why B. When C. What D. Which
5. A. is it B. it is C. it’s D. is
6. A. usually B. when C. every day D. in the evening
7. A. All B. Many C. More D. Much
8. A. must B. has C. should D. can
9. A. They B. They’re C. They D. Their
10. A. healthiest B. healthier C. the healthier D. unhealthy

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4. For questions 1-10, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line
to form a word that fits in the space in the same line. (10 x 0.5p = 5p):
Teenagers of the world
While the population of Europe and America is growing older ,
those in (1) ____________ countries are becoming younger. In the 1. (DEVELOP)
non-Western world, (2) _____________ India, China and Brazil 2. (PARTICULAR)
there is a new generation of teenagers (3) ________ up. These 3. (GROW)
young people’s tastes are influencing (4) ___________ habits in 4. (CONSUME)
our world today.
In terms of language , English is dominant throughout the
world. It is a way with which teenagers across the world can
communicate with each other and share a common culture. The
(5) __________ of graffiti written in English in so many countries 5. (EXIST)
is one example of this.
The (6) _________ force in international youth culture today is 6. (STRONG)
pop music. It has a (7) _____________ appeal and is driven by pop 7. (UNIVERSE)
music stations like MTV and others. They broadcast pop music
to every corner of our planet, and while most of the music is
English, kids from all over the world learn to sing English too.
Youngsters these days can communicate online with friends in
(8) ___________ places . In fact, a teenager in India may feel they 8. (DISTANCE)
have more in common with an Internet friend in Brazil than
with other young people in their (9) ____________ . Young people 9. (NEIGHBOUR)
around the globe are beginning to hang around together on the
Internet as they used to on the street.
More and (10) _________ people are learning English from their 10. (MUCH)
friends on the Internet and it is not always the same as the
English they learn in school.

III. WRITING (50p)

This is part of a letter you receive from your penfriend, Jason.
For my homework project I have to write about a special day that people celebrate in your
country. Which special day should I write about? What information should I include?
Now, write a letter answering your friend’s questions.

Your name is Dan. Write your letter in 60 - 80 words.

NOTĂ: TOATE SUBIECTELE SUNT OBLIGATORII.

TIMPUL DE LUCRU ESTE DE 90 DE MINUTE.

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