MINISTERUL EDUCAŢIEI AL REPUBLICII MOLDOVA

COLEGIUL INTERNATINAL ULIM

Teză semestrială la limba Engleza

Clasa a X-a

 
Nume:________________________
Prenume:______________________
Punctaj acumulat:_______________
Nota:_________________________
Profesor: ______________________
COMMUNICATIVE DOMAIN
I. Assessment of Communicative Language Competences. Reading Comprehension.

Read the text and complete the tasks that follow.

HOW HUMANS EVOLVED LANGUAGE
Thanks to the field of linguistics, we know much about the development of the 5,000 plus languages in
existence today. We can describe their grammar and pronunciation and see how their spoken and written forms
have changed over time. For example, we understand the origins of the Indo-European group of languages, which
includes Norwegian, Hindi and English, and can trace them back to tribes in eastern Europe in about 3000 BC.
So, we have mapped out a great deal of the history of language, but there are still areas we know little about.
Experts are beginning to look to the field of evolutionary biology to find out how the human species developed to
be able to use language. So far, there are far more questions and half-theories than answers.
We know that human language is far more complex than that of even our nearest and most intelligent relatives
like chimpanzees. We can express complex thoughts, convey subtle emotions and communicate about abstract
concepts such as past and future. And we do this following a set of structural rules, known as grammar. Do only
humans use an innate system of rules to govern the order of words? Perhaps not, as some research may suggest
dolphins share this capability because they are able to recognize when these rules are broken.
If we want to know where our capability for complex language came from, we need to look at how our brains
are different from other animals. This relates to more than just brain size; it is important what other things our
brains can do and when and why they evolved that way. And for this there are very few physical clues; artefacts
left by our ancestors don't tell us what speech they were capable of making. One thing we can see in the remains of
early humans, however, is the development of the mouth, throat and tongue. By about 100,000 years ago, humans
had evolved the ability to create complex sounds. Before that, evolutionary biologists can only guess whether or
not early humans communicated using more basic sounds.
Another question is, what is it about human brains that allowed language to evolve in a way that it did not in
other primates? At some point, our brains became able to make our mouths produce vowel and consonant sounds,
and we developed the capacity to invent words to name things around us. These were the basic ingredients for
complex language. The next change would have been to put those words into sentences, similar to the
'protolanguage' children use when they first learn to speak. No one knows if the next step – adding grammar to
signal past, present and future, for example, or plurals and relative clauses – required a further development in the
human brain or was simply a response to our increasingly civilized way of living together.
Between 100,000 and 50,000 years ago, though, we start to see the evidence of early human civilization,
through cave paintings for example; no one knows the connection between this and language. Brains didn't
suddenly get bigger, yet humans did become more complex and more intelligent. Was it using language that
caused their brains to develop? Or did their more complex brains start producing language?
More questions lie in looking at the influence of genetics on brain and language development. Are there genes
that mutated and gave us language ability? Researchers have found a gene mutation that occurred between 200,000
and 100,000 years ago, which seems to have a connection with speaking and how our brains control our mouths
and face. Monkeys have a similar gene, but it did not undergo this mutation. It's too early to say how much
influence genes have on language, but one day the answers might be found in our DNA.

No. Items Score

1. Circle the letter corresponding to the correct variant to complete the statements. 8 points
1. According to the text, our brains became able to make our mouths produce vowel A
and consonant sounds, and we …………... the capacity to invent words to name 0
things around us. 2
a. changed
b. started
c. developed
 2. According to the text, we can express complex thoughts, convey subtle emotions and A
communicate about abstract concepts such as………………….
0
a. future and present. 2
b. mental health
c. past and future

3. According to the text, by about 100,000 years ago, humans had evolved the A
ability to create complex sounds.
0
a. to copy 2
b. to create
c. to develop

4. According to the text, brains didn't suddenly get bigger, yet humans did become A
………. and…………….
a. more interested and intelligent 0
b. more creative and independent 2
c. more complex and intelligent
2. In the text, identify the meaning of the words. Circle the letter corresponding to 4 points
the
correct variant.
1. The word ‘suddenly’ in the text means: A
a. unexpectedly; 0
b. widely; 2
c. mainly.
2. The word ‘perhaps’ is closest in meaning to: A
a. common; 0
b. convenient; 2
c. maybe.
3. Identify if the statements are true or false. Circle the letter corresponding to the 9 points
correct variant. Justify the answer by quoting the text and write it on the lines
below.
1. If we want to know where our capability for complex language came from, we need A
to look at how our brains are different from other animals. 0
a. True b. False 1
3

A
2. We don’t understand the origins of the Indo-European group of languages, which
0
includes Norwegian, Hindi and English,
1
a. True b. False 3

A
3. We can see many things in the remains of early humans, for example, the 0
development of the mouth, throat and tongue. 1
a. True b. False 3
4. Grammar: Tenses. Choose the correct answer. Open the verbs in brackets. 19
points
Last night, I __________ (watch) a movie with my friends.
a) watched b) was watching c) have watched d) had watched

He __________ (study) all day yesterday.

a) was studying b) studied c) has studied d) had studied

She __________ (visit) her grandmother last weekend.

a) visited b) was visiting c) has visited d) had visited

I __________ (eat) dinner when you called.

a) was eating b) ate c) have eaten d) had eaten

We __________ (study) for our exams currently.

a) are studying b) study c) have studied d) had studied

She __________ (cook) dinner for her family tonight.

a) is cooking b) cooks c) has cooked d) had cooked

They __________ (watch) a movie at this time.

a) are watching b) watch c) have watched d) had watched

They __________ (study) Spanish for two years before they went to Spain.
a) studied b) were studying c) have studied d) had studied

We __________ (watch) TV when the power went out.

a) were watching b) watched c) have watched d) had watched

He __________ (play) football when he was in high school.

a) played b) was playing c) has played d) had played

I __________ (read) a book at the moment.

a) am reading b) read c) have read d) had read

They __________ (play) tennis while it was raining.

a) were playing b) played c) have played d) had played

She __________ (live) in New York for five years before she moved to California.
a) lived b) was living c) has lived d) had lived

She __________ (work) on her project until midnight last night.

a) was working b) worked c) has worked d) had worked

He __________ (play) video games right now.

a) is playing b) plays c) has played d) had played

5. Grammar: Conditionals (0,1,2). Choose the correct answer. Open the verbs in 20
brackets. points
1. If I have time, I __________ (go) to the gym.
a) will go b) would go c) go d) went
2. If it rains, we __________ (stay) at home tomorrow.
a) will stay b) would stay c) stay d) stayed
3. If you study hard, you __________ (get) good grades.
a) will get b) would get c) get d) got
4. If I knew about the party, I __________ (attend) it.
a) would attend b) will attend c) attended d) would have attended
5. If he __________ (call) me, I will go to his place.
a) calls b) would call c) call d) called
6. If she __________ (have) a car, she would travel more.
a) has b) have c) had d) would have
7. If you __________ (come) earlier, we could have gone to the movie together.
a) come b) would come c) came d) had come
8. If I __________ (win) the lottery, I would buy a new car.
a) win b) would win c) won d) had won
9. If it __________ (snow), we will build a snowman.
a) snows b) would snow c) snow d) snowed
10. If you press the button, the light _____ (turn) on.
a) turns b) will turn c) would turn d) had turned
11. If I __________ (know) the answer, I will tell you.
a) know b) would know c) knew d) had known
12. If I knew how to play the guitar, I _____ (start) a band.
a) would start b) start c) could start d) had started
13. If we __________ (catch) the early train, we will arrive on time.
a) catch b) would catch c) caught d) had caught
14. If the traffic __________ (is) heavy, I will be late.
a) is b) would be c) was d) had been
15. If I __________ (see) her, I will ask about her trip.
a) see b) would see c) saw d) had seen
 II. Assessment of Communicative Language Competences. Written Production - 40 points.
Write a 180-200-word text according to the given task.
No Item Score
6. The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. – Bree Van De Camp. 40
points
When writing your essay, consider the following:
1. Describe the quote;
2. Present the pros and/or cons of it;
3. Provide 1/2 examples from what you have experienced and/or read, etc. to
support advantages and disadvantages;
4. Express your opinion;
5. Justify your opinion.
Follow the structure of an essay: introduction, body, conclusion. (Linking words!)

A
0
1

0
2
4

0
3
6

0
2
4

0
2

0
3

0
1
2
3

0
1

0
1
2
3
4
5 5
6 6

0 0
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6

0 0
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
0 0
2 2
4 4

0 0
1 1
2 2

0 0
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5

0 0
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4

0 0
1 1
2 2
3 3