INSPECTORATUL

ȘCOLAR
MINISTERUL EDUCAȚIEI
JUDEȚEAN
BOTOȘANI

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ – ETAPA JUDEȚEANĂ, BOTOȘANI, 2022

Probă scrisă

Limba engleză

CLASA a IX-a - SECȚIUNEA B

• 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 paragraph below and do the tasks that follow. (20 points)

Power and possession have been central pursuits of modern civilization for a long time. They blocked
out or distorted other features of the Western renaissance’ (revival) which promised so much for
humanity. What people have been and are still being taught to the prize is money, success, control over
the lives of other acquisition of more and more objects. Modern social, political and economic systems,
whether capitalist, fascist or communist, reject in their working the basic principle that the free and
creative enfoldment of every man, woman and child is the true measure of the worth of any society.
Such enfoldment requires understanding and imagination, integrity and compassion, cooperation
among people and harmony between the human species and the rest of nature. Acquisitiveness and the
pursuit of power have made the modern man an aggressor against everything that is non-human, an
exploiter and aggressor of those who are poor, week and unorganised, a pathological type which hates
and distrusts the world and suffers from both acute loneliness and false pride. The need for a new
renaissance is deeply felt by those sensitive and conscientious men and women who not only perceive
the dimensions of the crisis of our age but who also realize that only through conscious and cooperative
human effort may this crisis be met and probably even overcome.

A. Answer the following questions. 8 points

1. What do the modern value systems encourage?

2. Why has modern man turned out as an enemy of everything that is non-human?
3. According to the author what are the requirements that bring out the best in a man?
4. According to the author’s hopes, how can the present crisis be solved?

B. Choose the right synonym. 6 points

1. distorted: a. crooked b. altered c. undeformed d. censored

2. enfoldment: a. embrace b. setting c. engagement d. imprisonment
3. block out: a. lay out b. cover c. cover d. conceal

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 INSPECTORATUL
ȘCOLAR
MINISTERUL EDUCAȚIEI
JUDEȚEAN
BOTOȘANI

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

1. Power and possession blocked out or distorted other features of the Western renaissance.
Other features of the Western renaissance .......................................... power and possession.
2. People realize that only through cooperative human effort may this crisis be met and
overcome.
People realize that if they cooperate.................................. met and overcome.
3. The need for a new renaissance is deeply felt by sensitive and conscientious men and women.
Sensitive and conscientious men and women ........................... for a new renaissance.

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

After the recent floods, conservationalists are calling for beavers to be reintroduced to Britain. You may
wonder how animals that build dams prevent floods when 1. ( SURE ) ............ the opposite is true.
However, beavers construct dams in upland areas, creating small pools and 2. ( DIVERSE ) ......... that
retain water and release water to lowland areas much more 3. ( GRADAUAL ) ............. . Until the 16th
century, Beavers lived wild in parts of Britain, but they were hunted to 4. ( EXTINCT ) ............... or
their fur. However, recently 5. ( VARY ) ........... . British wildlife organisations have applied to
reintroduce beavers to the countryside. Along with their potential value in flood 6. ( PREVENT ) ...........
, they would create wetland habitats and promote 7. ( TOUR ) ............. . But such measures are 8. (
CONTROVERSY ) .......... . Beavers recently reintroduced to Estonia have flooded large areas of forest
and 9. ( AGRICULTURE ) ............... land, and this, in turn, has damaged crops. As a result, it has
been necessary to cull beavers when the population becomes too large. Many people think it 10. (
ETHIC ) ............ to reintroduce a species which will then be killed.

III. Translate the following text into English. 10 points

Izabella, care era foarte nervoasă și pe care o înspăimânta orice incident, cât de neînsemnat, nu știa dacă
să-și ducă planul până la capăt sau nu. Dar teama de Manfred era mai puternică decât orice teroare. Chiar
faptul că persoana o evitase îi insuflase puțin curaj. Nu putuse fi, se gândea ea, decât un servitor
aparținând castelului. Blândețea ei le era cunoscută tuturor și era sigură că nu-și făcuse printre ei nici un
dușman, astfel încât, în naivitatea ei, nădăjduia că, în afara că prințul le ordonase saă o caute, servitorii
mai degrabă ar ajuta-o decât să încerce să o împiedice să fugă.

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

Most children at the tender age of six or so are full of the most impractical schemes for becoming
policemen, firemen or train drivers when they grow up. But when I was that age, I could not be bothered
with such mundane ambitions. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, I was going to have my own zoo. At
the time, this did not seem to me, and still does not seem, a very unreasonable idea. My friends and
relatives, who had long found me strange because I showed little interest in anything that did not have
fur or feathers, accepted this as just another manifestation of my strangeness. They felt that, if they
ignored my often-repeated remarks about owning my own zoo, I would eventually grow out of it.

As the years passed, however, to the bewilderment of those friends and relatives, my resolve to have
my own zoo grew greater and greater, and eventually, after going on a number of expeditions to bring
back animals for other zoos, I felt the time was ripe to acquire my own.
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 INSPECTORATUL
ȘCOLAR
MINISTERUL EDUCAȚIEI
JUDEȚEAN
BOTOȘANI

From my latest trip to West Africa, I had brought back a considerable collection of animals which were
living, temporarily I assured her, in my sister’s suburban garden in Bournemouth. But after a number of
unsuccessful attempts to convince the local councils in various areas to support my plans, I began to
investigate the possibility of starting my zoo on the island of Jersey in the English Channel.

I was given an introduction to a man named Hugh Fraser who, I was told, was a broad-minded, kindly
soul. He would show me around the island and point aut suitable sites. So, I flew to Jersey and was met
by Hugh Fraser who drove us to his family home, probably one of the most beautiful old houses on the
island. There was a huge walled garden with lots of outbuildings all built in the beautiful local stone
which was the colour of autumn leaves glowing in the sunshine. Turning to my wife, I said: ” What a
marvellous place for a zoo.”

If my host had promptly fainted on the spot, I could not have blamed him. The thought of creating the
average person’s idea of a zoo, with all the grey cement and iron bars, in such a lovely spot was horrible.
To my astonishment, however, Hugh Fraser did not faint, but merely cocked an enquiring eyebrow at
me and asked whether I really meant what I said. Slightly embarrassed, I replied that I had meant it, but
added hastily that I realised that it was impossible. Hugh said he did not think it was as impossible as
all that.

He went on to explain that the house and grounds were too big for him to keep as a private individual,
and so he wanted to move to a smaller place in England. Would I care to consider renting the property
for the purpose of establishing my zoo? I could not imagine more attractive surroundings for my
purpose, and by the time lunch was over, the bargain had been sealed.

The alarm displayed by all who knew me when this was announced can be imagined. The only exception
to the general chorus of disapproval was my sister. Although she thought it a mad scheme, at least it
would rid her back garden of the assorted jungle creatures who were beginning to put a great strain on
her relationship with her neighbours.

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

10 points

1. How did the writer’s friends and family react to his childhood ambition?
A. They took no notice of it.
B. They encouraged him in it.
C. They tried to talk him out of it.
D. They tried to interest him in other things.

2. Why didn’t the writer start a zoo in England?

A. He had too many animals.
B. His sister was against it.
C. Nobody wanted to help him.
D. He couldn’t get permission.

3. Why was the writer introduced to Hugh Fraser?

A. Hugh knew a lot about zoos.
B. Hugh owned a number of houses.
C. Hugh knew the island very well.
D. Hugh had offered land for rent.

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 INSPECTORATUL
ȘCOLAR
MINISTERUL EDUCAȚIEI
JUDEȚEAN
BOTOȘANI

4. What did the writer particularly like about the place he chose for his zoo?
A. its size
B. its price
C. its setting
D. its facilities

5. How did the writer’s sister feel about the establishment of the zoo in Jersey?
A. alarmed
B. relieved
C. supportive
D. disappointed

II. Starting from the text, write a narrative-descriptive essay about a visit to the zoo. (180-200
words)
50 points