OLIMPIADA NAȚIONALĂ DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

ETAPA JUDEȚEANĂ
SUCEAVA, 26 MARTIE 2022
CLASA A IX-a, Secțiunea B (regim de studiu intensiv / bilingv)

VARIANTA 2

 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 paragraphs below and do the tasks that follow. 20 points

The UK's Queen Elizabeth II marked her platinum jubilee on Saturday by holding a reception for members of her
local village. The Queen, 95, ascended to the British throne on February the 6th 1952 following the death of her
father King George VI. The Queen will mark her 70-year anniversary as the UK monarch at her country estate.
One attendee at Saturday's reception said the Queen was in "sparkling" form. She added: "Seventy years on the
throne shows the Queen has been a moving example to absolutely everyone in all walks of life. She has been
constant, compassionate and stoic - everything that makes a perfect human being. She has great strength of
character and has overcome so many things."
The Queen was on safari in Kenya 70 years ago when she received news of the death of her father. The then 25-
year-old Princess Elizabeth was immediately elevated to being the sovereign. She is Britain's longest serving
monarch. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria, was Queen
for 63 years. She died in 1901. Queen Elizabeth has been an ever-present part of UK life for almost a century. She
has seen 14 Prime Ministers and 14 US presidents come and go. She has also owned more than 30 corgis (her
favourite dog) during her reign. Fox News wrote that the Queen has had, "an unprecedented reign that has made
her a symbol of stability as the United Kingdom navigated an age of uncertainty".

A. Answer the following questions, according to the text. 8 points

1. Who attended the Queen's reception on Saturday?
2. Who was the Queen's father?
3. What kind of form did someone say the Queen was in?
4. What did Fox News say the Queen has navigated?

B. Choose the right synonym for the words given below, according to their meaning in the text. 6
points

1. estate: a) condition b) manor c) status d) position

2. stoic: a) impatient b) apathetic c) unruly d) tolerant
3. unprecedented: a) unheard-of b) conventional c) traditional d) unused

C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning. 6 points

1. Elizabeth II, 95, ascended to the British throne on February the 6th 1952.
Elizabeth II, 95, has…………………………………….70 years.

2.“The Queen has had an unprecedented reign” Fox News wrote.

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Fox News………………………………………………………..
3. She prefers corgi to any other dog.
She would…………………………………….than any other dog.

II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each gap. 10 points

NASA has announced the 1. ……………… (DISCOVER) of the eighth planet of a star system, similar to our solar
system. The star, Kepler-90 is over 2,500 light years away and larger and hotter than our sun. It is the first star 2.
………………. (KNOW) to have as many planets as our solar system. The Kepler-90 star system is much more
compact than our solar system. The outermost planet orbits the star at about the same 3. …………………..
(DISTANT) as the earth orbits the sun. Its inner planets are small and 4. ………………. (ROCK) while the outer
ones are larger and made up of gas. The 5. ..…………… (NEW) discovered planet, Kepler-90i, is the third
celestial object in the star system. It is probably similar to our earth, but because of its 6. ……………………
(CLOSE) to its home star has an average surface temperature of about 400° C. It moves around the star once every
14.4 days. The findings were made 7. ………………… (BASE) on data provided by the Kepler Space Telescope.
Launched in March 2009, the telescope has 8. …………………. (CONSTANT) been scanning certain sections of
the universe in search of new stars and 9. …………… (PLANET) systems. Up to now, over 2,000 new worlds
have been discovered. To help analyse the data, NASA has been relying on artificial 10.
………………..(INTELLIGENT) software supplied by Google. This software examines weak signals of light
when objects pass in front of a star.

III. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits in each gap. Use only ONE word in each gap.
10 points

Some say you can do it in seven days, others promise success in 24 hours, or you may prefer to take (1) ........ time
and do it in 5 weeks. What are we talking about? Believe it (2) ........ not, these periods (3) ........ time refer to
language learning courses that promise excellent results in less time (4) ........ it takes to say 'Bonjour'!
However, the advertisements of these companies are not necessarily the best guide and if you don't know what to
look for in a good course you could be left with little (5) ........ than a large bill.
A complaint was recently made to a consumer rights group against WhizzLearn Systems, a language school chain,
and the company has been forced to remove its claim that its technique is ten times better than any (6) ........
method. The Managing Director of WhizzLearn Systems said (7) "........ we still believe our claim is true, we are
willing to change our advert. But the fact remains, (8) ........ you spend 3 hours per day for 5 weeks on our language
course you will soon be speaking the language. What we (9) ........ have done was to make (10) ........ clearer in the
advert."

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

In Britain children start school in their fifth year. Some are nearly five whilst others have already reached their fifth
birthday. The first class known as reception and, for some children, it is a daunting experience. Five-year olds love
to be physically active and move around, run, jump and dash about all day. When they are in a group of 20 or more,
they have to learn to follow instructions from the adult in charge. Sit down, listen and take turns is an unfamiliar
situation.
Once a child has settled into the reception class, the first year is usually a very happy one. Lots of new skills are
introduced. Communal activities and socialising with the other children, learning to take turns, these are all part of
the first-year experience. As they paint, draw, bake, mould and enjoy sand and water play, they interact with other
children and language skills develop. When they have music and movement lessons or activities in a gym, they
learn to control their body movements as they stop, balance, roll-over, stretch and step slowly. Children learn to co-
operate with others. In music, they have to listen for a rhythm and try to copy it using percussion instruments and
join in simple tunes singing the melody. Sitting down and listening to stories and answering questions about the
story are all skills that are introduced and learnt in a child's first year at school.

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Breaks in the school day, play times, can be shared with older children who are also playing at the same time.
Chasing, catching, hiding, using balls and skipping ropes, falling over and getting back up, all help to get rid of
pent-up energy. In some play grounds, lines and numbers are painted on the ground. Children can jump and skip
along the lines and into spaces. Sometimes there are climbing frames to explore. If a child does not go home for a
meal at lunch time, the school provides hot and cold food to be eaten in the dining hall. Alternatively, a packed
lunch can be brought from home.
In primary schools, the mornings are normally devoted to number work, reading skills and recording. The
afternoons are less formal and more creative. Young children love dressing up in costumes and acting out adult
situations. They have 'pretend' tea parties, make little cakes from plasticine and pour cups of tea for those involved.
At the end of a busy day, young children are ready to go home with a parent and tell them all about their day at
school.

I.For each question decide which answer (A, B, C or D) fits best according to the text. 10 points

1.At what age do children start formal schooling in Britain?

A They start at seven years.
B They begin school at six.
C They start school in their fifth year.
D They start school when they are seven.

2. What name is given to the first class a five-year-old enters?

A It is reception.
B It is year one.
C It is beginners' year.
D It is starters' year.

3. What activity encourages language development?

A Reading books
B Creative activities, painting, drawing
C Singing
D Movement lessons

4. According to the passage how are outside playtimes made more fun?
A Children can play on grass.
B Children can sit on benches.
C They can climb trees.
D There are lines painted on the ground.

5. What types of learning do children take part in before lunch?

A Number work, reading and writing
B Painting
C Running around
D Listening to music

II. Starting from the text, write a narrative-descriptive essay about your first day of school experience. (180-
200 words) 50 points