Biletul nr.

Read the following text and answer the questions:

A huge explosion is taking place at this very moment. You can’t hear it. But it’s more
powerful than any other explosion in history. It’s an explosion of knowledge. In fact, if you are
14 years old, more knowledge has been gained in your lifetime than in all the previous history of
the earth. Two tools have contributed greatly to this knowledge explosion. They have helped to
develop knowledge and they have helped to put it to use. These tools are the computer and the
laser. Now they seem indispensable, yet they hardly existed when your parents were young. The
computer is one of the most important developments of this century and it has come a long way
since it first appeared. In fact, the first computer, built in the 1940s, weighed 30 tons and filled a
large room. Today, a small personal computer can do more jobs than that 30-ton giant. Yet some
are smaller than a big book.

1. What kind of explosion does the text mention?

2. What was the weight of the first computer?
3. How have the computer and laser contributed to this explosion?
4. Could you live without your computer? Why(not)?

Biletul nr. 2

Read the following text and answer the questions:

What exactly do computers do? They store huge amounts of information and process it in
a very short time. They analyse and organise the information and they can provide a computer
operator with answers to almost any problem. Like the computer, the laser has also become a
vital tool in today’s world. Laser beams do important jobs in science, industry and medicine.
Laser lights cut, mend, guide, transmit, measure, and vaporize. Laser beams can measure the
distance of far-away planets or clean particles of dirt from precious oil paintings. A single beam
can transmit a million kilowatts of laser power in a pulse. With the help of these two tools,
scientists are developing new ways to build things, to produce energy, to improve means of
travel and communication, to fight diseases and to learn more about space. Almost too fast to
imagine, science is changing our world.

1. What are the two tools mentioned in the text?

2. What can lasers do?
3. In what way is science changing our world?
4. What do you use your computer for?
 Biletul nr. 3

Read the following text and answer the questions:

What is New York City? It’s the Big Apple, a fantastic skyline; it’s dangerous streets, it’s
hustle-bustle, flash and dance, and it’s lots of energy! And most of all, New York is more than
seven million people that call it home…New York is where Justin, 14, lives and goes to school.
He lives in the heart of the city, Manhattan, and he loves it! “I think New York is a great place to
live in – there’s always something to do. There are always hundreds of movies, old and new,
theatres and good museums and it never stops being on the move. Everywhere you look, you can
see people rushing to work, shoppers hurrying from one department store to the other, and the
yellow cab drivers going like crazy. There are street performers and rappers dancing in parks or
along the streets, elegant business people in dark clothes, and homeless and poor people living in
shelters and begging on the streets.”

1. Where is the heart of New York?

2. Why does Justin think that “New York is a great place to live in” ?
3. How does the author describe New York?
4. Would you like to live in this city? Why (not)?

Biletul nr. 4

Read the following text and answer the questions:

The game of football began in England in the middle of the 19 th century. But the Chinese
played a game like football over 2,000 years ago. Before there were rules, it was very violent and
dangerous. There was no limit on the numbers of players and there was always a lot of fighting.
In 1863 The Football Association was formed to bring rules to the game. Since then, millions
have played football, making it the world’s most popular spectator sport. It is strongest in Europe
and South America, but it is popular in Africa as well, and is now played also by women;
women’s football is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. The World Cup is the most
important trophy in international football. The contest takes place every four years at different
locations around the world. The first competition was held in 1930 and the winner was Uruguay.

1. Who were the first to play football?

2. Why was the Football Association formed?
3. Who won the first World Cup contest?
4. What is your favourite sport? Why?
 Biletul nr. 5

Read the following text and answer the questions:

Australia is a huge land mass on the other side of the world from Europe. A jumbo jet
takes about 21 hours to get there! It is in the southern hemisphere between the Indian and Pacific
oceans. Being the only large piece of land in the continent of Australasia, it is sometimes
considered a continent itself. Together with the state of Tasmania, it is the world’s smallest
continent. It is almost as big as the USA, and is about 25 times bigger than Britain and Ireland. It
is also the flattest, the driest and the lowest of all continents. It is a land of great contrasts. Its
climate ranges from hot and tropical in the north, to cool and wet in the south. The inland region
is called the outback, a huge dry area where cattle and sheep graze, and wild animals such as
kangaroos and emus live. Very few people live there and life is very isolated.

1. Where is Australia?
2. How big is Australia?
3. Why do very few people live in the outback?
4. Would you like to live in Australia? Why (not)?

Biletul nr. 6

Read the following text and answer the questions:

Yesterday police were joined by more than 20 volunteers in the continuing search for the
two missing teenagers, Vicky Gray and Tom Hunter, and their guide, Gavin Jones. The police
said that they had disappeared during an adventure tour to Cape York Peninsula. This was the
second day of the search and the police are now very concerned for the safety of the three
missing people. The police said that the search had covered a wide area, but the rain forest was
thick and their work was made more difficult by the recent rain. The three travellers left
Cooktown very early on Saturday Morning in a Toyota land cruiser. They took a small dirt road
that runs down a dangerous river full of crocodiles. Chief Inspector Fleet said that the tourists
wouldn’t have got into trouble if they had stayed on the main road.

1. How many people were missing?

2. What made the police work difficult?
3. Why did the tourists get into trouble?
4. Have you ever got lost?