FINAL TEST 1 LMA (PRACTICAL COURSE)

Allotted time: 90 minutes

1. Translate into Romanian:

I’M SENTIMENTAL ABOUT MANY things: the lumpy feel of a baby’s unused
feet, the metallic smell of the air before the first snow, the last scene in IT’S A
WONDERFUL LIFE. But Valentine’s Day leaves me cold. It’s a holiday that has
no idea of what it’s really celebrating. Or at least no idea of whom it celebrates:
Saint Valentine could be any of half a dozen of Christian martyrs whom the early
church recruited to clean up and bless pagan fertility festivals. Of the top
candidates, the best known is a priest known as Valentinus, who was beheaded
by Emperor Claudius the Cruel, on February 14, anno domini 269. Upon slim
evidence, whole layers of legend are stacked: that Valentinus performed secret
weddings after Claudius banned marriage to prevent soldiers from deserting his
armies; that he refused to deny Christ and so was thrown in prison, where he
healed the jailor’s blind daughter; that he fell in love with her and left a note in
the cracks of his cell, the night before his execution, “From your Valentine”.

2. Fill in the blanks with a suitable word or phrase practising modals:

a. You ------------ you couldn’t come. I waited for ages.
b. If it snows, we --------------skiing.
c. He ------------ on time, but I doubt it.
d. This room ----------- ; look at the state of the walls.
e. She -------------- ; she looks exhausted this morning.
f. He -------------- at the cinema that evening, although no one is quite sure.
g. You ------------ me a present; you could have just sent a card.
h. You ------------ all night. I didn’t think you’d finish the work in time!
i. Do we ---------------- or have you got enough to feed everyone?
j. They -------------- here by now; I wonder what’s happened.

3. Discuss pros and cons for the practice of tabloid reading using at least 5 new
words/phrases learned in the classroom on this particular topic (underline those
words/phrases).

4. Translate into English paying attention to modal verbs/expressions:

N-ar fi trebuit să am o asemenea încredere neţărmurită în Fedra. O văzusem
devenind din zi în zi mai plină de farmece. Nu se putea să nu semene cu mama
ei, nu trebuia să îmi fac iluzii în privinţa asta… nu m-am gândit decât prea târziu
că Fedra s-ar putea îndrăgosti de Hipolit. Ar fi trebuit să bănuiesc acest lucru,
căci Hipolit era aidoma mie, vreau să spun celui care fusesem la anii lui.
începusem să îmbătrânesc, iar Fedra era nemaipomenit de tânără. S-ar fi putut să
mă iubească încă, dar trebuie să mă fi iubit mai mult ca o fiică.