OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ - 2023-2024

Etapa pe școală - clasa a VIII-a

WRITE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE ANSWER SHEET. TIMP DE LUCRU: 120 MINUTE

Subject I (50 points):

A. (2px10=20 points) Read the text and fill in the gaps with the correct verb forms.

John came home and closed the door behind him. As he (1) _______ (hang up) his coat, he (2) _______ (hear)
a strange noise. A tap (3) _______ (run) in the kitchen. He walked into the kitchen and turned it off. Then he (4)
_______ (freeze). Someone was standing behind him. He (5) _______ (take) a deep breath and turned around.
His flatmate, Steve, was leaning in the doorway. 'You really (6) _______ (give) me a fright, Steve. I thought you
(7) _______ (go) to London today,' John said. 'I know, I wish I (8) _______ (be) there,' replied Steve,
'Unfortunately, I missed the train. If I (9) _______ (leave) in time, I (10) _______ (not/miss) it.'

B. (2px10=20 points) Read the text and fill in the gaps with the appropriate word A, B, C or D.

How to Be a Good Student

Being a successful student can't be taken for granted. In many cases, you have to work hard to get there. Here
are a few qualities you will need to have success and perform well at school. First of all, you should know what
kind of person you are. Look at your strengths and (1) _______. That way you will quickly find out what aspects
you should concentrate (2) _______ to get better. Time management is a very important aspect of learning life.
As a student, your everyday life will tend be very (3) _______ and organising your daily workload will surely prove
to be (4) _______. Try to avoid the (5) _______ of daily life. You should work and study in places where you aren't
interrupted (6) _______. Turn off mobile phones and other electronic (7) _______ when working. As a student, it
is important to (8) _______ life and school. You should take care of your health, get enough sleep and eat the
right things. Start the day with a (9) _______ breakfast that gives you the energy you need. Getting exercise is
important as it (10) _______ the brain with the oxygen and fresh air it needs to get things done.

1. A. disadvantages B. faults C. mistakes D. weaknesses

2. A. to B. at C. on D. over
3. A. anxious B. stressful C. nervous D. worried
4. A. beneficial B. useless C. cooperative D. caring
5. A. distractions B. anxieties C. confusions D. intervals
6. A. easy B. easily C. ease D. easiness
7. A. instruments B. tools C. machines D. devices
8. A. balance B. settle C. mix D. steady
9. A. modest B. correct C. proper D. usual
10. A. delivers B. offers C. gives D. provides

C. (1px10=10 points) Read the sentences below and use the words given in capitals at the end of the row
to form words that fit in the gaps. Write your answers in CAPITAL LETTERS on the Answer Sheet.

1. There was no _______ regarding the fire that broke out on the farm. EXPLAIN
2. Steve suffers from serious _______ after the accident. INJURE
3. In 2023 there were over 500.000 _______ in Manchester. INHABIT
4. Her skin is very _______ to the sun. SENSE
5. They were alarmed by the species' _______. APPEAR
6. Elon Musk is the most _______ entrepreneur of his generation. SUCCESS
7. I really admire him. He is so _______. AMBITION
8. Your brother’s jokes are extremely _______. He makes everybody laugh. AMUSE
9. During the marathon, _______ from around the world raced through the city streets. COMPETE
10. It isn’t _______ to play computer games for hours. ADVICE

1
Subject II (5px5=25 points) Read the text and choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) to the questions.
Grandma's Secret Story
It’s amazing how sometimes there is a family story that no one talks about. One summer when I was about 10
years old, I found out something that really surprised me. At the time, I was staying with my grandparents on their
farm. I loved spending time with them, but Grandad was pretty busy working every day and Grandma didn’t always
talk very much. I know they loved me by the way they smiled at me all the time, and they always told me that I
took after my dad. However, I don’t think they were always comfortable being around an energetic girl. So I had
to find ways to entertain myself.
I used to love going up to the attic. I would spend hours looking through all the old stuff stored up there. There
were boxes of books and papers and a lot of other interesting things. My mum had told me I would probably inherit
most of it someday. One day, while I was looking around in the corner of the room, I came across a chest full of
old-fashioned dresses. They looked expensive – the kind of thing a woman would wear to a fancy party. A lot of
them were made of silk. ‘Who do they all belong to?’ I wondered. For the next few days, I kept thinking about the
clothes. I finally told my grandmother what I had found. For a moment, she sat there not saying anything. Grandad
looked up from his newspaper and smiled. ‘Well, you can’t keep it a secret,’ he said. Grandma looked down at
her hands and sighed. ‘I guess you’re right,’ she said.
This is what she said. ‘When I was young, I liked to sing and people said that I had a good voice. My mother had
told me many times. When I was about 17 years old, I decided I wanted to become a professional singer. But
there was a problem. I had fallen in love with your grandfather. I didn’t want to be separated from him, but I had
to leave to become a successful entertainer. I finally decided that if I didn’t do it, I would always regret it. I was
away for four long years.’ Grandad looked up and said, ‘I only saw her once when I went to see her perform. She
didn’t know I was in the audience; I told her about it later. I didn’t want her to think about coming back until she
was ready.’ ‘About six months after his visit, I was ready,’ Grandma said. I went over and hugged Grandma.
‘That’s so sweet!’ I said. ‘I want to know more about it!’ Grandma smiled at me and replied. ‘Maybe I’ll tell you
more another day.’ That was fine with me, but the next day I was back up in the attic looking at all Grandma’s
wonderful clothes and thinking about what her life must have been like then.
1. Who discovered the chest full of old-fashioned 4. How did Grandad react when he saw Grandma
dresses in the attic? perform?
A. The narrator A. He went to see her perform multiple times.
B. The narrator's mother B. He pretended not to know her.
C. The narrator's grandmother C. He stood up and cheered loudly.
D. The narrator's granddaughter D. He felt embarrassed and left early.

2. What was the narrator's reaction upon finding
the chest of dresses?
A. She felt angry and frustrated.
B. She felt indifferent and uninterested.
C. She felt fearful and nervous.
D. She felt surprised and curious.
3. Why did Grandma leave for four years when
she was young?
A. She needed to travel for her studies.
B. She had to take care of her sick mother.
C. She wanted to pursue a career as a professional
singer.
D. She was on a secret mission for the government.
5. What was Grandma’s reason for not returning
until six months after Grandad's visit to her
performance?
A. She needed to feel fully prepared to return.
B. She wanted to see if Grandpa would come back for
her.
C. She was waiting for her mother to recover.
D. She was still unsure about her future husband’s
commitment.

Subject III (25 points) Write a story ending with this sentence: “Eventually, everything turned out well for
Chris, in spite of all the accusations. The police found out that it was not Chris the one who had announced the
fake party on the school website, but his best friend, so they arrested him and made him pay for all the damage.”

Write 200 words (20-30 lines) and give the story an appropriate title.
• you don't need long descriptions;
• use dialogues only if they are relevant for your characters or events;
• you should use this plan: Introduction (paragraph 1 - set the scene)
Main body (paragraph(s) 2/3 - develop the story)
Conclusion (paragraph 4 - end the story)