OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZ

ETAPA JUDETEANA
Clasa a X-a Seciunea B
18 martie 2017

Subject I: (25p)

A. Read the text and answer the questions choosing the correct variant: (5p)

Personal Technology: a powerful learning tool!

Its common knowledge that schoolchildren cant bring their mobile phones into the classroom. If
they do, they may be taken away from them until the end of the lesson. Not so in Forsyth County
Schools in Georgia, USA, however. In 2010, they introduced a new educational approach called
BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology). Under this scheme, students were able, for the first time,
to use their own personal technology in class smartphones, netbooks, iPods, handheld games
consoles anything, in fact, which could connect to the Internet. As the Chairwoman of the South
Forsyth High School science department expressed it: I thought we were behind the times, not
allowing the students to use something that was such a part of their lives and such a powerful tool
for instruction.
You might think BYOT is not really that helpful in the learning process, apart from activities
such as doing calculations or online research. In fact, though, BYOT is particularly useful for
project-based learning. For example, in a maths class, students can video a group while it solves a
maths problem and then post the video online for future reference. In a Biology lesson, they can
take photos of experiments, which they can label and discuss at a later time. In one high school
Literature class, students watched a film version of Shakespeares Othello after having read the
play. They were able to answer their teachers questions about the differences between the two by
instant-messaging each other in a chat room, in real time, while the film was showing.
It cant have been easy for schools to adapt to this new scheme. Obviously, there were several
major challenges. Schools had to invest in a good Wi-Fi networking infrastructure to cope with
the extra demand. Moreover, they needed to install filters to prevent access to inappropriate
websites. Then there was the question of training teachers to adapt their lessons to the new
technology. However, it wasnt necessary for them to learn how to actually use all the different
devices that students might bring to class; more often than not, the students were the experts and
could teach the teachers! What teachers do have to ensure is that students follow the rules: no
listening to music and no sending text messages or making calls during class time. Nevertheless,
as Forsyth County Schools Chief Technology and Information Officer Bailey Mitchell explains:
The instructional benefits [of BYOT] far outweigh any concerns we may have had.

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 How do parents and the students themselves react to BYOT? The main parental concern seems to
be how much educational value personal technology really has and how exactly it is used in the
classroom. In response, Forsyth County Schools hold meetings where teachers can demonstrate
some practical activities to reassure the parents. Teachers also stress the value of using
technology in class, as it equips children for success in the job market later on. As for the
students, BYOT must be working for them. Children who bring their own technology to school
produce higher quality work, get better test marks and attend classes more regularly. Not only
that, but there are fewer discipline issues, as their handheld devices are now an approved part of
the lesson!
Tim Clark, Forsyth County Schools Coordinator of Instructional Technology, says that
youngsters should be encouraged to tackle a project using whatever device appeals to them. As he
points out, It gives students more control and freedom in the classroom. This student-oriented
approach to education may be the key to BYOTs popularity. Since 2010, schools in many other
US states have followed Forsyth Countys example, and with proper guidance it may soon
become a worldwide trend.

1 BYOT was introduced because educators felt the need to

A improve student/teacher relationships.
B keep up with new developments.
C provide a break from studying.
D help students in Science subjects.
2 Students in the high school Literature class
A made a video of a famous play.
B shared comments after watching a film.
C screened a film using their own equipment.
D took part in an interactive discussion.
3 When teachers are using the new technology,
A they find it difficult to adapt.
B they have to call in techno-experts.
C they are able to learn from their students.
D they are amazed at some of the devices.
4 Some parents are worried that their children
A arent receiving quality teaching.
B may end up unemployed.
C dont do enough hands-on activities.
D bring too many devices to class.
5 What is the writers conclusion about young learners?
A They demand a trendier teaching approach.
B They should be allowed to design their own lessons.
C They are in need of better class supervision.
D They benefit from having a measure of independence.

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B. You are going to read an article containing reviews of sightseeing tours. For questions 1
10, choose from the reviews A D. The reviews may be chosen more than once. (20p)

Which tour or tours would you recommend for someone who:

enjoys murder stories? 1. ..................
likes visiting churches? 2. .................. 3. ...................
enjoys things to do with the theatre? 4. .................. 5. ...................
wants to stay in London? 6. ..................
would like to see the finest castle in England? 7. ..................
likes ancient history? 8. ..................
is interested in the British Royal family? 9. ..................
is interested in classical history? 10. ................

Sightseeing Tours

A. Ghosts and Ancient Taverns

Tonight we explore the crooked alleyways and ancient buildings of the city. Come with us and
discover the streets haunted by the infamous Jack the Ripper. With a superb guide and a coach
driver who knows every winding alley, explore those parts denied to most tourists. Walk down a
medieval street to follow the route of the death cart and hear the cry, "Bring out your dead" echo
once more through the lanes of the old city. Visit a plague pit where 50,000 victims of the Black
Death lie in their awful tomb. Listen to excerpts from Shakespeare's plays and Dickens' novels
set in the very places which we visit. Follow the Jack the Ripper murder trail and learn the true
identity of the Ripper.

B. Windsor Castle

Leaving central London we go direct on the motorway to Windsor. We visit Runnymede

Meadows, where in 1215 King John signed magna Carta, which gave the people of England the
right of trial before punishment. We cross over the Long Walk with magnificent views of the
Castle and are soon at Windsor Castle. We see the Guard before visiting the State Apartments
and St george's Chapel. Windsor Castle has been a royal residence since the eleventh century,
when William the Conqueror built the fortifications on the site. During your visit many treasures
will be seen. If the Queen is in residence, we will visit Queen Mary's Doll House instead. After
the visit there will be time for shopping before rejoining the coach.

C. Salisbury, Stonehenge and Bath

Salisbury Cathedral, dedicated to St Mary and founded in 1220, has a beautiful spire which
dominates the surrounding countryside. This gothic cathedral is a classic of architecture and
mustn't be missed. We continue to Stonehenge, whose stones have stood for over 4,000 years
amongst the burial mounds of a prehistoric community. We are left to wonder at the reasons and
intelligence which built this structure so many centuries ago. Our next stop is the ancient Roman

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city of Bath, whose distinctive Palladian style buildings create to this day the atmosphere of
Georgian England.

D. Oxford, Stratford and Warwick Castle

We will have a guided tour of a college before going to Woodstock, passing thatched cottages en
route to Stratford upon Avon, where we will have time for a meal and a visit to Shakespeare's
birthplace in Henley Street. We take a short tour of the town to see the Memorial Theatre on the
banks of the Avon and also Shakespeare's grave. We then leave for Warwick Castle, dating back
to the fourteenth century and reputed to be the most impressive in Britain. We will see the State
Rooms in their original splendour. You may also explore the DUngeons, The Ghost Tower and
stroll with the peacocks in the gardens.

Subject II (50 p)

You have read the following excerpts on a site about aliens. Write a for and against essay on
the existence of aliens. Use between 250 and 300 words.

Much of the public believes that UFOs are alien spacecrafts. Today, believers are talking about
actual alien contact, with alien bases on the Moon and Mars, and their concerns receive
reinforcement from radio, TV, and Internet blogs. On one level UFOs are real, of course; many
people occasionally see objects in the sky that are not immediately identifiable as planes, balloons,
planets, stars, or unusual atmospheric phenomena.

If UFOs are alien spacecraft visiting Earth, then it seems reasonable that evidence of alien
civilizations might be seen by astronomers or the radio signals from alien spacecraft might be picked
up by the sensitive receivers we use to communicate with our own spacecraft. Perhaps astronauts
who venture into space would be among the first to make reliable observations of alien spacecraft or
artifacts. Perhaps we should look for alien bases on other worlds. Indeed, the Internet carries many
stories of such encounters.

One well-documented report comes from an interview in which astronaut Buzz Aldrin who describes
seeing a UFO during the Apollo 11 mission. In an interview on the Science Channel, Aldrin stated that
he, Neil Armstrong, and Mike Collins saw unidentified objects that appeared to follow their Apollo
spacecraft. (http://www.csicop.org)

Subject III (25 p)

You have seen this article on Boxing Day in the UK, which gives information on this important
annual activity. Write a letter to the editor of THE TELEGRAPH complaining about all the
negative aspects of this years poorly organised event. Use 180-200 words.

For many people Boxing Day is a time to recover from the excesses of Christmas Day and an
opportunity to spend time with family, friends, and neighbours. Some people choose to go for a walk in
the countryside, while others flock to the post-Christmas sales that often begin on Boxing Day. Some

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people even spend part of the night and early morning queuing to get into the stores when the best
bargains are still available.
Boxing Day is also an important day for sporting events. Traditionally, fox hunting was a popular sport
in the upper class. Pictures of hunters on horseback dressed in red coats and surrounded by hunting
dogs are often seen as symbolic of Boxing Day. Nowadays, fox hunting is outlawed. Horse racing and
football (soccer) are now popular sports.
There are a number of stories behind the origin of the term Boxing Day. It used to be customary for
employers to give their employees or servants a gift of money or food in a small box on this day. This is
still customary for people who deliver letters or newspapers, although the gift may be given before
Christmas Day. In feudal times, the lord of the manor would gather all those who worked on his land
together on this day and distribute boxes of practical goods, such as agricultural tools, food, and cloth.
This was payment for the work that they had done throughout the year.
Other stories relate to servants being allowed to take a portion of the food left over from the Christmas
celebrations in a box to their families and the distribution of alms from the Church collection box to poor
parishioners. These traditions have evolved into the Christmas baskets that many large employers
distribute, although these are now often distributed in the week before Christmas.
(www.timeanddate.com)

NOT! Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii. Timp de lucru: 3 ore. Nu se acorda puncte din
oficiu.

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 OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZ
ETAPA JUDEEAN
Clasa a X-a Seciunea B
18 martie 2017

BAREM DE EVALUARE I NOTARE

Subject I 25 p

A. 5 p = 1p x 5
1.B; 2.D; 3.C; 4.A; 5. D

B. 20p = 2p x 10

1.A; 2. B/C; 3. B/C; 4. A/D; 5. A/D; 6. A; 7. D; 8. C; 9. B; 10. C

Subject II (50 points) Marking scheme-for and against essay

Subject III (25 points) Marking scheme-