MINISTERUL EDUCAIEI NAIONALE

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZ

FAZA JUDEEAN, 01 MARTIE 2014
CLASA a XII-a

Varianta 2

Question I
(50 points)
Write a 450-word reflective essay on beauty. You should sustain your ideas with
relevant arguments and examples.
Question II

(25 points)

You see the following announcement in an international magazine:

New TV show Hall of Fame
We are planning a series of documentary programmes on famous people who have made a
positive contribution to history.
Who would you nominate from your country?
Write a 300 word proposal nominating ONE person from your country, and explaining why
this person is important to the history of your country.
Question III

(25 points)

A. Fill each of the numbered blanks in the following passage. Use only one word in each space
(10 words) (10 points)
The chance to get away from it all is often (1) ............... as a reason for choosing to live on an
island. Many feel (2) .............. there is something appealing about running up a metaphorical
drawbridge against the world. Experienced islanders laugh uproariously (3). such idealism,
reeling (4) .. a long list of reasons why it is nonsense. People, (5) .................is claimed, can feel
more isolated in deep countryside than they would on an island. One hill farmer in the north of
Scotland, whose only company in winter was the odd passing helicopter, confessed (6). feeling
suicidally lonely at times, comparing his lifestyle to living on the moon. By (7)., isolation tends
to bind island communities together. One old woman who had spent her whole life on Easdale in the
Inner Hebrides (8) .................... out that there was no place to hide on an island which meant that you
(9) ...................... to face your mistakes. (10) .....................she said, you cant avoid people when you
have to sit next to them on a ferry the following day.
B. Find one word which is appropriate for all three gaps in each of the following sentences.
(5 points)

1. The government today announced a new .................. to encourage reading among young
people.
Im not very satisfied with my new secretary as she refuses to use her own ............... and is
always asking me to give her instructions.
The home team took the ................. early in the match, forcing the other team to play a mainly
defensive game.
2. I .................... remember telling you that Id be working late at the office today.
His grammar and vocabulary are impecable, but he has a ................. foreign accent when he
speaks.
The witness says that she saw the defendants face quite ..................... even though it was dark
at the time.
3. This judge is well-known for taking a hard ................. on petty crimes.
Clasa a XII-a

MINISTERUL EDUCAIEI NAIONALE

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZ
FAZA JUDEEAN, 01 MARTIE 2014
CLASA a XII-a

Varianta 2

The lecturers argument was so complicated that few of his listeners could follow
his .................. of thought.
Whenever you ring that company, they ask you to hold the ..................... then play recorded
music to you while you wait endlessly to speak to the person you want.
4. That big field near the woods has just been .................. up, so if youre planning to take the
dog for a walk today youd better go to the park instead.
I turned to speak to my passenger for a second , and the next thing I knew Id ............. into the
car in front.
Despite her fatigue, the teacher ...............on until shed marked every childs composition.
5. I thought she was a friend, but later I discovered she was .......... under false colours and
was just using me to enlarge her social circle.
I think youre ........... a bit close to the wind by spending so much online at work.
Mary was terribly anxious about her driving test but in fact she found it plain ............ and
passed at the first attempt.
C. For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the
original sentence, but using the word given. The word must not be altered in any way (5
sentences) (10 points)

1. I feel that to brand her ideas unworkable at this stage would be wrong.
write
I dont think we......................................................................at this stage.
2. We shouldnt overstate the importance of students accuracy.
emphasis
We shouldnt ...................................................................accurate.
3. There was considerable public support for clearing the mans name.
clamoured
The public ..................................................................................cleared.
4. Standing as tall as he could, he denied any involvement in the affair.
height
Drawing himself ......................................................involved in the affair.
5. Youll have to make up your mind on this issue eventually, you know.
fence
You cant ................................................................ever, you know.

Clasa a XII-a