INSPECTORATUL

ȘCOLAR
MINISTERUL EDUCAȚIEI
JUDEȚEAN
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OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ – ETAPA JUDEȚEANĂ

26 martie 2022, Clasa a X-a, SECȚIUNEA A

TOATE SUBIECTELE SUNT OBLIGATORII.

TIMP DE LUCRU: 3 ORE
NU SE ACORDĂ PUNCTE DIN OFICIU

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 POINTS)

I. Read the following text and put the verbs in brackets in the correct form
(10x1p=10p)
When I opened the door I ……….. (1 - SEE) a man on his knees. He clearly ………. (2 -
LISTEN) to our conversation, and I wondered how much he had heard. When I asked him
what he ……… (3 - DO) he said that he had dropped a 5p piece outside the door and was
looking for it. I couldn’t see any sign of the money, but I found a small notebook which
he probably ……. (4 - DROP) when the door opened. So he was taking notes of our
conversation! The notes ……… (5 - BE) written in a foreign language, so I ……. (6 -
TURN) to the stranger and asked him to translate. But he pulled my hat over my eyes and
ran off down the corridor. By the time I……… (7 - RECOVER) from the shock he …….
(8 - DISAPPEAR) round the corner. Curiously enough when I ……. (9 - MOVE) my foot
I found that I was standing on a 5 op piece. Perhaps he …….. (10 - TELL) the truth after
all.

II. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each
gap. (10x1p=10p)
Holidays in South Carolina
Roaring across the bay in a motorised rubber boat, we were told by the captain to(0)....B..
our eyes open. With the engine turned off, it wasn’t long (1)…… half a dozen dolphins
came swimming around us. Eventually, two came up (2) …… beside the boat and popped
their heads out of the water to give us a wide grin.
Dolphin watching is just one of the many unexpected attractions of a holyday in South
Carolina, in the USA. The state has long been popular with golfers and, with dozens of
(3) …… in the area, it is (4)…… a golfer’s paradise. But even the keenest golfer needs
other diversions and we soon found the resorts had plenty to (5)…….

In fact, Charleston, which is midway along the (6)……., is one of the most interesting
cities in the USA, and is where the firs shots in the Civil War were (7)……. Taking a
guided horse and carriage tour through the quiet back streets you get a real (8) ……… of
the city’s past. Strict regulations (9) ……… to buildings so that original (10) ……. are
preserved.
0. A – stand B – keep C – hold D – fix
1. A – before B – ago C – after D – when

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MINISTERUL EDUCAȚIEI
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2. A – direct B – right C – precise D – exact

3. A – courses B – pitches C – grounds D – courts
4. A – fully B – truly C – honestly D – purely
5. A – show B – provide C – offer D – supply
6. A – beach B – coast C – sea D – shore
7. A – thrown B – aimed C – pulled D – fired
8. A – significance B – meaning C – sense D – comprehension

9. A – apply B – happen C – agree D – occur

10. A – points B – characters C – factors D – features
III. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each sentence.
(10x1p=10p)

Following swallows
Bert Cook’s job doesn’t immediately strike you as (0) EXCITING (EXCITE). He sits inside a
small construction made of cloth and wire and watches birds: swallows, in fact, whose (1)
………….. (ARRIVE) in Britain after a dangerous flight marks the (2) ………………
(BEGIN) of summer. The severe weather caused by (3) ………… (GLOBE) warming makes
their journey tougher each year.
One of the main (4) ……… (DIFFICULT) is getting enough to eat. Insect numbers have
declined (5) ……….. (SHARP), and if the birds do make it to Britain, they may still die of
(6) ……… (HUNGRY).
Farm (7) ……. (BUILD) such as barns have been converted into houses, and as a result, there
are now fewer places for birds to nest. Bert finds it (8) ……. (POSSIBLE) to say with any
precision how far the numbers of swallows have declined in the area under (9) …….
(OBSERVE). Bird populations can increase considerably if swallows have had a good
breeding season, and for the moment at least, (10) ……… (SCIENCE) are not overly
worried.

IV. Translate the following text into English:

Cu opt ani în urmă își condusese prietenul la North Wall și-i urase drum bun. Gallaher se
ajunsese. Îți puteai da seama pe dată după aerul lui de om umblat, costumul lui de stofă bine
croit și vocea îndrăzneață. Puțini aveau talentul lui și încă și mai puțini scăpau fără să li se
urce succesul la cap. Gallaher avea o inimă de aur și meritase să câștige. Era ceva să ai un
asemenea prieten. Încă de la prânz Micul Chandler nu se gândise decât la întâlnirea cu
Gallaher, la invitația lui Gallaher și la marele oraș Londra unde locuia Gallaher.

(James Joyce, A Little Cloud)

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ȘCOLAR
MINISTERUL EDUCAȚIEI
JUDEȚEAN
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SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

On an island in the middle of a quiet, slow-moving little river in the west of England, Jake
and Marianne Smith have been living like homeless people for the past thirteen months.
Living without a bathroom or running water for eight weeks, they were forced to take
showers at a local leisure centre. Yet they are very happy, and, in their words, 'on a mission
to create the perfect life'. They are one of many fearless homeowners who have set about
renovating rundown buildings in order to create unique and interesting homes.
The couple is in the process of fixing up two former mills on an island in the middle of the
town of Frome. The buildings are listed as being of historical importance, which means that
any and every piece of work they do on the buildings, has to be approved by the local
authorities. In particular, they have to retain the original external appearance of the buildings.
Homebuyers' enthusiasm for converting everything from old schools to abandoned barns is
very popular. The Ecology Building Society lists a railway signal box and a cemetery gate
building among properties purchased with the help of one of their loans. Their hope is to help
people who want to renovate old buildings, which are no longer used for their original
purpose and convert them into comfortable homes.

Buyers who want to change a building's use need to apply for a planning permission.
Some buildings come with the planning permission already in place. In other cases, buyers
should find out what needs to be done before they begin to change the original building. In
some instances, permission is refused. Often, there is much more to converting old buildings
into new homes, than simply adding a cooker and a bathroom.
Unfortunately, a lot of builders and developers do not understand the construction of older
buildings. They can make the mistake of trying to fix or change things with modern
techniques that don't always work with older materials. When this happens, the results can be
disastrous.
Although work completed on historical buildings is controlled by government rules and
regulations, there is no guarantee the renovations will be done properly. Most of the
restrictions apply to the appearance of the building rather than the actual design and structure.
Therefore, it is important to look around for builders and developers who have plenty of
experience and knowledge when you have your heart set on converting an old building.

I. For each question decide which answer (A, B, C or D) fits best according to the text.
10 points
1) The couple on the island are described as being happy because they...
A. now have a bathroom and running hot water.
B. like being isolated from other people.
C. think they have an ideal lifestyle.
D. were able to have showers nearby.

2) The couple are restricted in what they can do with the mills since...
A. the buildings are located on an island.
B. the authorities do not approve of any changes.
C. the outside of the buildings must be kept the same.

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MINISTERUL EDUCAȚIEI
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D. they must use one of the mills for business.

3) The Ecological Building Society...

A. sells old buildings to people.
B. helps people find a new home.
C. gives homebuyers technical advice.
D. lends money to homebuyers.

4) It can be a mistake to buy an old building because ...

A. the authorities may not understand your needs.
B. it may not be possible to change the use of the building.
C. the land on which it has been built might be faulty.
D. you may have to change the outer appearance of the building.

5) According to the writer, ...

A. adding a bathroom to an old building is essential.
B. nobody knows how buildings were constructed in the past.
C. using modern building materials can make problems worse.
D. builders today have not been trained to convert old buildings.
II. Read the text again and write a narrative-descriptive essay (200-220 words) about
how you spent a day stranded on an island. 50 points