Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării şi Tineretului

Centrul Naţional pentru Curriculum şi Evaluare în Învăţământul Preuniversitar

Examenul de bacalaureat 2008

Proba E/F
Proba scrisă la Limba engleză
L1 normal – L2

• Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii. Se acordă 10 puncte din oficiu.

• Timpul efectiv de lucru este de 3 ore.

SUBIECTUL I (30 puncte) Varianta 085

Read the text below and complete the following tasks.

„Having spent the 1980s inventing even more sophisticated forms of performance-related pay
(PRP), business are rediscovering the merits of an older way of motivating people: performance-
related gifts (PRGs). … (1) In Japan, where promotion depends on seniority companies might
have to show their appreciation with foreign holidays and golf-club membership. … (2) In fact,
paying people what they are worth is not always enough.
Many managers are turning against performance-related pay complaining that it is
expensive, clumsy and demoralising. Gifts seem to allow a show of appreciation for one person”s
outstanding work without annoying everyone else. …(3) Consider Avon products, a company
specialising in beauty products.They tried to give up in-house prizes: reducing travel awards,
cutting commissions and stopping the practice of spending birthday presents to high performers.
The result was widespread anger and hostility among the company”s crack force of 400,000 ,,Avon
ladies” who sell beauty products. … (4) Levi-Strauss, a leisurewear firm, gives everyone at its San
Francisco headquarters a small number of ,”You are Great” coupons which they can hand out to
any of their colleagues doing a particulary good job.

1. Four sentences have been removed from the text. Select the appropriate sentence for
each gap in the text. There is one extra sentence that does not fit. 4 points
A. And they are usually pretty cheap.
B. Firms are using presents, from Caribbean cruises to colour television, to reward outstanding
work.
C. Other companies are embracing the gift-giving habit.
D. In a growing number of Western countries, companies could surely pay people what they are
worth.
E. Recipients can trade in the coupons for twenty-five dollars or a gift certificate.

2. Who / What do the following words refer to? 6 points

3. Give synonyms for the following words. 10 points

1. cruise 2. growing 3. clumsy 4. hostility 5. crack

4. Answer the following questions. 6 points

A. How did managers use to reward outstanding work in the 80’s?

B. What are the advantages of gift-giving to show appreciation?
C. Why do the ,,Avon ladies” represent a smashing force?

5. Comment on the following sentence: In fact, paying people what they are worth is not always
enough. (50 words) 4 points