OLIMPIADA NAŢIONALĂ DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ – ETAPA PE ȘCOALĂ

12 FEBRUARIE 2024
CLASA A XI-A – SECŢIUNEA B
• Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii.
• Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.
• Timpul efectiv de lucru este de 3 ore.

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (75 points)

I. Read the paragraph below and do the tasks that follow.

According to a recent survey, working from home is an idea whose time has come. Apparently,
we are all queueing up not to get the bus, but to carry our favourite coffee mug upstairs and cosy up
with the laptop. The overwhelming reason given by those questioned was that they could be much,
much more efficient if they worked from home. I can see the obvious advantages, but believe me,
working from home is not just inefficient, it’s impossible.
You may have a dedicated study in which you can barricade yourself against the general
mayhem that is family life, but many people do not. The other awkward truth about home-working is
that if – like me- you suffer from the least defect of motivation, you are placing yourself in the grip of
mental agony. First there are the household chores you really should do, and then there’s the fascinating
radio programme.
When I gave up and found a cheap office-share with other self-employees my life improved a
hundredfold. I discovered that a distinct break between work and home was crucial for psychological
health. I also realized that there is something profoundly depressing about working at home. It’s as if
you haven’t got a proper job. Most of us gain self-esteem from our identity as a working person, but
there can be no such benefit if the work takes place in social isolation.

A. Answer the following questions, according to the text. 20 points

1. How do modern people perceive the idea of working from home, according to the first paragraph?
2. How does the writer describe the relationship between work and domesticity?
3. Explain, in your own words, what the phrase “the least defect of motivation” means in this context.
4. What are the effects of not having “a distinct break between work and home” as illustrated in the
text?
B. Choose the right synonym for the words given below, according to their meaning in the text. 9p
1. queueing up a. delineating b. edging up c. standing in line d. aligning
2. mayhem a. destruction b. havoc c. anarchy d. trouble
3. break a. breach b. recess c. discontinuity d. division
C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning. You must use between three
and six words. 15points
1. I wanted to stay in last night but my flatmate insisted we go out. SOONER
I……………………………………..in last night but my flatmate insisted we go out.

2. After arriving at the airport, we realized that our passports were still at home. UNTIL
It………………………………………at the airport that we realized our passports were still at
home.

3. It's possible that the shops will sell all their bottled water so we should buy all we need now.
CASE We
should buy all the bottled water we need now ………………………………out of it.

II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each gap.
The 21st century workplace
The economy of the 21st century is based on skills and (1) ...........( KNOW) according to a
recent report. The study shows that throughout this century there will be more jobs for those
with the right qualifications and the right skills, and fewer jobs for those with none. The best
employee will be one with a (2) ............ (DEMONSTRATE) level of academic
or (3) ………..... (VOCATION) achievement that can enable the individual to support their
CV with evidence of desirable personal qualities.
As (4) ...........( GLOBE) increases and technological advances make typical working practices
redundant, (5) ..............( PROSPECT) employees will need to show various personal
attributes. As well as wanting people who are flexible, companies are also looking for evidence
of (6) ...................( ADAPT). It is also increasingly necessary to be an excellent communicator
as the majority of companies make their profits from the skills of people selling their goods as
much as from the producers themselves.

III. Think of ONE word which can be used appropriately in all three sentences. Write only
the missing word on the answering sheet. 9 points

1. John accepted his new position would……………………. a lot of hard work.

A red sky in the morning tends to …………………. bad weather is on the way.
I didn’t …………….. to tell him. It just slipped out.

2. Hotels tend to ……………… their prices in the summer season.

We’re hoping that the show we’re putting on next month will……………. a lot of money for
charity.
The advertising campaign ought to …………….. the profile of the company.

3. Your work has not been up to standard in the last three months, but we are prepared to let you
make a ……………….. start.
Write the report today while the events are still……………. in mind.
You will find that Professor Stanton has an entirely ……………………. approach to this
problem.
SUBIECTUL B –
Read the text below and do the tasks that follow. 10 points

I. For each question decide which answer (A, B, C, D) fits best according to the
text.
Advertising agencies and their clients
Advertising agencies have long been viewed by their clients with a mixture of
wariness and envy. Fat pay cheques and fast cars remain an enduring image. But
things have changed. British advertising agencies are turning to training: not just for
their own staff but for their clients as well. Role reversal has become a novel way of
educating companies which use advertisements in the advertising agency's darkest
arts.
The agency LHS last month staged its first role reversal course. It involved 19
managers from 15 different companies and their task was to plan and create an entire
campaign within 48 hours, culminating in a pitch for the £5m advertising business
for a fictitious product launch. Participants were divided into groups of five or six.
Their first job was to create a brief to advertise a new ice cream bar. Briefs were then
swapped and each group became an 'agency'. The agencies' first task was to interpret
the brief.
'These were of decidedly mixed quality,' Kevin Duncan of LHS said. 'Clear briefs
elicit no questions. Poor briefs generate many - and no answers.' They then had to
decide their strategy. They were given market and media data, though some of this
was erroneous, 'to illustrate how a good brand manager sifts information in
advance'.
The next step was to develop a creative approach and by the end of the first full day
the agencies were expected to be in a position to test their ideas with research groups
made up of members of the public. Interpreting the results of qualitative research
is critical, Mr. Duncan said. 'People wilfully interpret research findings to post-
rationalise their ideas.'
1. On the LHS agency's course, what did participants have to do?
A design a new product
B try to win a contract
C move from group to group
D negotiate a budget

2. What is said about research groups?

A People in advertising get confused by what they say.
B People in advertising pay too much attention to them.
C People in advertising pretend that they have been proved right by them.
D People in advertising change their strategies as a result of what they say.
II. You see this notice in an English-language magazine. 25 points

We’re looking for articles about ADVERTISING.

Write an article telling us about the way in which advertising influences people’s
shopping habits. Include information about how people might buy goods that they
don’t really need and the fact that some advertisments aimed at children should not
be allowed.

Write your article. (220-250 words)