Ministerul Educaţiei

Inspectoratul Scolar Judetean Gorj

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ
Etapa locala 05.02.2023
clasa a VIII-a

● Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii.

● Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.

● Timp de lucru: 2 ore.

SUBJECT I (5px5=25 points)

Read the text and choose the correct answer (A,B,C or D) to the questions. Write your answers on the Answer
Sheet.
JACQUES COUSTEAU: A REMARKABLE MAN
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was an explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, inventor, and conservationist. He was a man who spent
nearly his whole life underwater exploring the hidden depths of the ocean and who did more to educate the world
about the mysteries of the deep sea than any other scientist before or since.
He was born in June 1910 in the village of Saint-André-de-Cubzac, in southwestern France. Jacques was a sickly boy
and spent much of his time in bed, reading books and dreaming about a life at sea. In 1920, Jacques' family moved to
New York, and he was encouraged to start swimming to build up his strength. It was the beginning of his fascination
with water, and the more he learnt through his own experiences, the more passionate he became about "looking
through nature's keyhole."
Nevertheless, his career in underwater exploration came about by accident. After entering France's naval academy and
travelling around the world, he was involved in an almost fatal car accident that left him seriously injured with two
broken arms. He began swimming in the Mediterranean Sea to strengthen his arm muscles as part of his recovery
process and rediscovered his love for the ocean.
Cousteau developed a pair of underwater breathing apparatus that allowed him to stay underwater for long
periods. His experiments led to the development of the first Aqua-Lung, which was a huge commercial success.
During World War II, he worked for the French Resistance and experimented with underwater photographic
equipment. He helped get rid of German mines and was awarded the Legion D'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre
medals for his bravery. In 1942, he filmed his first underwater film Sixty Feet Down. It was 18 minutes long and
entered the Cannes Film Festival
1 What is the writer trying to do in the text?
A. teach readers how to make films
B. explain how Jacques-Yves Cousteau has made a lot of money
C. introduce readers to the filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau
D. describe particular films directed by Jacques Cousteau
2 Being a child, Cousteau had ....
A. strong will
B. bright mind
C. heart attacks
D. delicate health
3 In a car accident he ...
A. burnt both of his arm
B. broke his extremities
C. injured his leg
D. hurt his eyes
4 Cousteau developed underwater breathing equipment
A. to extend his underwater investigations
1
 B. to gain fame
C. to achieve commercial success
D. having no certain goals
5 During World War II Cousteau collaborated with ...
A. Polish resistance movement
B. German antifascists
C. American troops
D. underground resistance fighters in France

SUBJECT II (50 points)

1 Read the text and fill in the gaps with the correct verb forms. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet.
(2px20=20 points)
Herbie loves trains! He first (1) ..... (SEE) a train when he was five years old and he was absolutely fascinated. He
(2) .... (GO) to a different train station every week and writes down the engine number of every train he sees. He
(3) .... (DO) this since he was seven. By the time he left school, he (4) ... (COLLECT) over 5000 different engine
numbers from all over the world. At one time, while he (5) ... (STAND) at a station, he saw something very strange.
He (6) ... (WAIT) for a train for an hour when he suddenly saw an old steam locomotive coming down the tracks. It
(7) .... (NOT STOP) at the station and, when it (8) ... (PASS), Herbie saw that all the passengers (9) ... (WEAR) old-
fashioned clothes. He told the station manager about this, but the manager said that no steam locomotive (10) ...
(PASS) through the station for years, and that the last one had crashed, killing everyone on board.

2 Read the text and fill in the gaps with the appropriate word A, B, C or D. Write your answer on the
Answer Sheet. (2p x 10=20 points)
Even if you take good (1) ... of your body, you can still get sick sometimes. Germs can (2) ...... even a healthy body!
Getting sick can make you feel miserable, but there are some things that you can do to help yourself get (3) ... quickly
and be more comfortable. The first thing to do when you are not feeling well is to (4) ... your parents know.
1. A) care B) responsibility C) attention D) trouble

2. A). visit B) invade C). knock D) pass

3. A) good B) well C) better D) worse

4. A) admit B) permit C) let D) allow

5. A) - B) a C) some D) the

6.. A) do B) put C) carry D) follow

7. A) case B) model C) symbol D) example

8. A) have B) will C) is D) had

9. A) for B) from C) of D) in

10. A) B) sick C healthy D) badly

happy
Sometimes it is hard to tell whether you have a cold, (5) .... flu, or something more serious. So your parents may take
you to the doctor. Your doctor can (6) ... tests that will let you know what is making you sick. You may be ill because
of bacteria. Strep throat is a/an (7) ... of an illness caused by bacteria. If bacteria has made you sick, your doctor (8) ...
give you antibiotics. Antibiotics are medicines that are designed to help your body get rid (9) ... the bacteria that are
making you(10) .... .

2
 3 Read the text and fill in the gaps with the appropriate word. Write your answer on the Answer Sheet. ( 1p
x 10=10 points)
Becoming an adult is a very important phase in every person's life . However, when this happens can be very different
depending (1) .... where you live or which culture you (2) ..... to. Most countries have laws on when adolescents are
allowed to do certain things.
In the US, for example, adulthood starts at the age of 16, when a person can get employment or a driving licence.
Even (3) .... American youngsters have the right to vote at 18, they can't legally drink alcohol (4) .... they reach the age
of 21.
In Japan young men and women transfer to adulthood at 20, when they are (5) .... to vote and drink alcohol. The
Japanese even have a special day for this event (6) .... "Coming-of-Age Day" , the second Monday of January. On this
day, the new adults celebrate (7) .... their families and attend speeches given by politicians.
Until recently young people in Saudi Arabia (8) .... considered adults at the age of 15 - a time when they started
showing physical signs (9) .... becoming an adult. However, a (10) .... years ago the country raised this age to 18.

SUBJECT III (25 points) Write a narrative essay ending like this: “„It turns out, love comes in all shapes and
sizes, even a teeny, tiny treasure box from a wonderfully silly lady who believes in elves.”
Write your story in 150 - 180 words (12-15 lines) and give it an appropriate title. Pay attention to the following:
● you don't need long descriptions;

● use dialogues only if they are relevant for your characters or events;

● you should use this plan:

1. Introduction (paragraph 1 - set the scene)
2. Main body (paragraph(s) 2/3 - develop the story)
3. Conclusion (paragraph 4 - end the story)