INSPECTORATUL

ȘCOLAR JUDEȚEAN
BRAȘOV

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Etapa locală
7 februarie 2020

CLASA a IX-a Secţiunea B

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH

I. Read the paragraph below and do the tasks (10 x 2p= 20p).
Horton
At first glance, there is little in Horton to attract people. The other nearby towns have much more to offer:
Bradfield has its river and historic buildings, while Newtown has shops and entertainment. The buildings of
Horton look dirty and unloved. For shops, there is a small supermarket, a few bargain shops, a bakery
which, strangely, does not sell bread and a florist which has one stand of sad-looking flowers. Even so,
Horton has several advantages over its neighbouring towns. Firstly, it has a country park. Four thousand
years ago, this was an important fort. There are no historic remains here now, but there are wonderful views
over the countryside. On sunny weekends you can often see kids out with their parents, kicking balls or
flying kites. There aren’t many job opportunities in Horton, and the roads to nearby cities aren’t really fast,
but there are excellent rail links. You can be in London in an hour and a half, and other cities are less than an
hour away. That means that parents can earn a good salary and still get home in time to spend the evenings
with their families. Houses in Horton aren’t pretty, but they’re functional and cheap. The streets are tranquil
and safe, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds. It has a library, three primary schools and a
secondary school, St. Mark’s. It’s not as academically brilliant as other schools in the area, but it is friendly
and offers a wide range of subjects and activities to children of all abilities and backgrounds.

A. Answer the questions: 8p

1. What advantages does Newtown have over Horton?
2. What advantages does Horton have over the neighbouring towns?
3. How can people best travel to and from Horton?
4. What is the downside of St. Mark’s secondary school?

B. Choose the right synonym: 6p

1. glance: a. trial b. deed c. sight d. attempt
2. bargain: a. souvenir b. second-hand c. antique d. low-price
3. tranquil: a. quiet b. cobbled c. friendly d. deserted

C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning, using the key word: 6p
1. On sunny weekends you can often see kids out with their parents. ARE
On sunny weekends you ………... .
2. Houses in Horton aren’t pretty, but they’re functional and cheap. THOUGH
…………………………. , they are functional and cheap.
3. Four thousand years ago, this was an important fort. TO
Four thousand years ago, this ………… .

II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each sentence (10 x 1p = 10 p)

Change happens …... 1. (CONSTANT) as the last 50 years have proved. Some changes, such as air travel,
the Internet and mobile phones, provide ease and ….. 2. (CONVENIENT). Others, like access to education,
have had a deeper impact. Nothing has had a bigger influence on our lives than recent changes in education.
Fifty years ago, education was considered by some a / an …. 3. (NECESSARY) luxury. Nowadays,
however, education isn't just a privilege for the …. 4. (CHOOSE) few. Young men and women from all
areas of life are becoming ….. 5. (PROFESSION) and improving their quality of life. This will be ….. 6.

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ȘCOLAR JUDEȚEAN
BRAȘOV

(BENEFIT) to future generations because a better-educated society is a fairer and more skilled one. ….. 7.
(IRONY), however, the change from rural to urban living that drove people to cities in search of better
opportunities has led to several modern-day problems. City dwellers have become less …. 8. (HEALTH).
They no longer eat fresh farm food, and instead, prefer ready meals and fast food. Urban ….. 9. (RESIDE)
no longer exercise by working the land. They use their cars instead of walking. Even though we are so ..…
10. (TECHNOLOGY) advanced, we are also foolish. We destroy our forests, build more cars and roads,
and eat rubbish.

III. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits in each gap. Use only one
word in each gap. (10 x 1p = 10p)

THE BEATLES
Except (1) ... their guitars, John Lennon and Paul McCartney didn't seem to have much (2) ... common when
they met that hot summer day in Liverpool. For one thing, John was almost two years older (3) ... Paul. He
was born on October 9, 1940. Paul was born on June 18, 1942. John's family was middle class. Paul's was
working class. In England at the time, these differences could mean a lot. Some people would not associate
with members of a different class. There were other differences as (4) .... . In school, Paul was a (5) …..
attentive student. John (6)... to cut class and toss erasers, getting in trouble. By modern standards, (7) ... silly
behaviour doesn't seem very bad. At the time, however, it was serious enough for John to be labelled a
troublemaker. On the (8) ... hand, the boys were similar in some important ways. Both had gone through
difficult family trials. Paul's mother died a (9) ... months before the pair met. John's father abandoned John
and his mother (10) ... after John was born.

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

Halliday's writing leaned very much back to the left. He was a nuisance in poetry lessons as he
would giggle and make faces and could never be persuaded to read aloud. His silly behaviour made me
believe that he didn’t like poetry. Halliday had a special dislike for art and I allowed him to read during this
period. Football was the one thing at which he excelled, but the sports teacher decided that he would not be
able to control and organize the team and he made another boy captain. This boy – his name was John Jones
– could hardly read or write. All attempts to make him work failed, but he captained the team with amazing
skill. I remember an occasion when he led our school eleven out of the changing rooms for a cup match
against our fiercest rivals, the team from nearby Winterton School. The Winterton girls’ hockey team had
already beaten our own girls’ team and this – plus their excellent start to the season – had raised their school
football players’ morale to a fearsome level. Even so, John played like a true professional. Our only scorer,
he made good use of Halliday’s passes and scored a goal for every two that the Winterton players could
manage between them. Though Kingston lost, the match was a triumph for Captain Jones!
In spite of all this, the pupil who impressed me most in the end was David Halliday. He gained my
admiration on a day when I had his class for art. They came into the hut shouting and pushing and I sent
them out again and told them they wouldn’t have a lesson until they walked in properly. They thought it was
fun to waste as much time as possible and they jeered and cheered outside the hut. I let them go on for a
minute. Suddenly, noise stopped and in marched Halliday. “They’re alright now,” he said. “I’ve got them
lined up.” I looked outside and sure enough the pupils of class 2D were arranged like well drilled soldiers;
they were in order of size and in perfect line – so still I could see them shivering in the chilly air. “Walk in
quietly,” Halliday commanded. They obeyed their superior officer and the lesson began. Halliday himself, as
usual, refused to work. “Can I just sit and have a nap?” he asked. After the help he had given me I could
hardly refuse.

Șirul Gheorghe Dima nr. 4, 500123 Brașov www.isjbrasov.ro

Tel: +40-268-415104 info@isjbrasov.ro
Fax: +40-268-475621
 INSPECTORATUL
ȘCOLAR JUDEȚEAN
BRAȘOV

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

1. Halliday stood out from the other pupils because of his

A. beautiful handwriting.
B. skill as a footballer.
C. love of poetry.
D. bad behaviour in class.

2. Halliday failed to be chosen as captain of the football team because

A. he was thought to be lazy.
B. Jones was better at scoring goals when under pressure.
C. Jones was bad at other things and needed encouragement.
D. he was thought to be a poor leader.

3. Who felt really confident at the start of the match?

A. the Winterton football team.
B. the Winterton girls’ hockey team.
C. the Kingson team, led by John Jones.
D. John Jones and David Halliday.

4. The match was a triumph for John Jones because

A. he didn’t make use of Halliday’s passes.
B. his team won.
C. he scored all Kingston’s goals.
D. he was chosen as Kingston’s captain instead of Halliday.

5. David Halliday’s teacher

A. admired his memory for poetry.
B. realized that he deserved to be captain of the football team.
C. admired his ability to discipline the others.
D. realized that he deserved to read during the rest of the art lessons.

II. Read the text again and write a narrative – descriptive essay (180-200 words) in which the
main character gains the admiration of a teacher.

Notă:
Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii.
Timp de lucru 3 ore.
Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.

Șirul Gheorghe Dima nr. 4, 500123 Brașov www.isjbrasov.ro

Tel: +40-268-415104 info@isjbrasov.ro
Fax: +40-268-475621