OLIMPIADA NAȚIONALĂ DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ – ETAPA LOCALĂ

5 MARTIE 2022

CLASA a XI-a SECŢIUNEA B

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH

I. Read the paragraph below and do the tasks (2x10=20p).

You‟re staring mindlessly into space at the traffic lights when shock waves of sound dent the car‟s
side panels. If you‟re under thirty, you will take it in your stride and, with uttermost cool, give a barely
perceptible nod of recognition. But if your heart starts pounding and you have an overwhelming desire to hit
something, then the chances are you‟re either the wrong side of forty or completely out of touch or extremely
bad-tempered. Or in my case, all three. This is where the story ends for most people, but I wanted to see what
would happen if I asked the other driver to turn down the volume. I spotted a white Ford whose stereo was
several decibels louder than the aircraft flying overhead, and waited till it had parked up. As soon as the man
had got out of his taxi, I realized he was wearing a striking yellow vest. „Why should I turn it down‟ he said.
„I‟ve paid for it; it‟s legal.‟ I try another track. „So how loud can it go?‟ „Deafening loud‟, he laughs. „I‟ve
spent serious money on this system. Most car stereos just have a lot of bottom; this has got middle and top,
too. I‟ve entered competitions with it.‟ I wouldn‟t have discovered that the cars with the best acoustics are
hatchbacks if it hadn‟t been for that conversation. Thus, bigger cars, such as BMWs, have so much more
steel in them that you have to spend a great deal to get the bass to penetrate through the boot. I thank him –
it‟s been an illuminating conversation.

A. Answer the questions:

1. According to the text, how do people under thirty react when they hear loud music in a passing car?
2. What kind of people are disturbed by loud music in the traffic?
3. Why did the writer want „to try another track?‟
4. How did the writer feel after talking to the man in the yellow vest?

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 B. Choose the right synonym:
1. stare: a. gaze b. peep c. look out d. glimpse
2. uttermost: a. mild b. extreme c. g least d. nearest
3. striking: a. imperceptible b. attractive c. ordinary d. noticeable

C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning. Use between three to five
words including the given ones. Do not change them in any way.
1. As soon as he had got out, I realized he was wearing a striking yellow vest. (than)
No sooner ...................................I realized he was wearing a striking yellow vest.
2. Why should I turn it down? (it)
Why……………...............turn it down?
3. I wouldn‟t have discovered that if it hadn‟t been for that conversation. (for)
But………………………….not have discovered that.

II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each sentence. (10 x 1p=10p)
Rising temperatures and a hotter climate?

Well, if you are (1)----------------(FORTUNE) enough to live in a country with a (2)-----------------

(MISERY) climate, it sounds great, doesn‟t it? But there is a dark side. This climate might bring with it
visitors of a particularly (3)--------------------(HAZARD) kind-anopheles mosquitoes, (4)-------------------
(CARRY) of malaria. Despite the fact that no one has caught malaria from a British mosquito for
several decades, (5)-----------------------(SCIENCE) believe that this tropical disease may become more
widespread. It seems that malaria in our modern world would be much more endemic if any
mismanagement by the authorities were to occur. The disease breeds in countries with particular (6)-----
------------(ENVIRONMENT) conditions. Nevertheless, there are many parts of the world where
malaria would exist were it not for (7)---------------(INTERVENE) by the authorities to keep it in check
and prevent it from spreading. In spite of their warm climate, places such as Italy and Spain do not have
problems with malaria because they have (8)----------------------(EXPERT) managed their medical
resources. It is important to remember that malaria is not an (9)-------------------(CURE) disease
providing it is dealt with promptly. So if you should come back from the tropics feeling ill, it is
essential to receive medical (10)---------------------(TREAT) as quickly as possible.

III. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each
space. (10x1p = 10p)

Kazutoshi Endo has been making the Japanese fish and rice delicacy known as sushi for thirteen years.
He comes from a hard-working family in the port city of Yokohama and is a third generation sushi chef.

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Although as a child he was (1)…… encouraged to follow (2)……his father‟s footsteps, and actually trained
to be a PE teacher instead, it was always Endo‟s ambition to (3)…… so. Yet he was never taught (4)…… to
do. The way you learn in Japan is to watch. It takes some concentration to (5)……an eye on Endo‟s hands as
he makes sushi. All it takes is just a (6)……quick cuts with his knife and a neat pile of perfectly sliced
octopus sits on the counter. A sushi roll may look (7)……a piece of rice, but apparently it takes years to get
the touch, to be (8)……to roll rice (9)……exactly the right amount of pressure. As Endo says: „Sushi
(10)……to be mastered. I can‟t explain the process in words.‟

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

Family life is changing, but not in the way you might expect. You might think that people‟s closest
relationships are suffering as a result of the decline in traditional family structures. But here is the surprise.
People are actually becoming more optimistic about their family‟s future; more people are describing their
family as “close” and are more likely to say their parents have done their best for them. Despite all the
changes, we remain remarkably happy with family life- 93% of us describing it as fairly or very happy. The
results don‟t seem to make sense when we look at academic data which link looser family structures to
poorer health and happiness. We are often told, after all, that marriage levels are decreasing, and divorce
rates rising. Cohabitation is becoming more and more common- with or without children. So how does one
explain this apparent contradiction? One possible factor is technology. Most people have access to a car or
good public transport, making increased distances between family members less problematic than they
would have been 50 years ago. The ubiquitous nature of telecommunications –particularly mobile phones-
has made family contact easier, although the internet has not yet become a major method of family
communication. In the poll, less than a third of internet users said they used it to contact their family every
week, and only 8% made contact every day.

Perhaps the most intriguing explanation for the upbeat view of family life discovered in this poll is that this
attitude reflects the increasing importance we place upon it. The global fascination with genealogy and
family trees may stem from the same psychological need to understand who we are in a world where
identities can easily become blurred. Despite the changing nature of family life, perhaps we value those ties
more than ever.

I. For each question choose the correct letter A, B, C or D (5 x 2p= 10p)

1. People

A. are generally satisfied with their family life

B. have no prospects about their family life.

C. are quite pessimistic.

D. don‟t appreciate family life.

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2. Living together without being married

A. isn‟t of much interest nowadays

B. happens only due to technology

C. appeals to most people

D. has become quite natural

3. ‘Ubiquitous’ in line 12 means

A. widespread B. rare C. appalling D. dull

4. People have become interested in genealogy because they want to

A. discover mysteries

B. find out what their ancestors were like

C. bring history to light

D. find their own identity

5. A suitable title for this fragment would be

A. Family life in the past

B. How family life is changing

C. Cohabitation nowadays

D. Family

II. Starting from the text above, write an opinion essay on the importance of family life in today’s
society. (250-280 words) (50 p)

NOTĂ

TOTAL 100 PUNCTE

TOATE SUBIECTELE SUNT OBLIGATORII.

TIMP DE LUCRU 3 ORE.
NU SE ACORDĂ PUNCTE DIN OFICIU.