Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării şi Tineretului

Inspectoratul Scolar al Municipiului Bucuresti

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZA 2008 - Etapa pe sector – clasa a IX-a – varianta 2

I. (5 points) Read the text below and decide which variant A, B, C or D best fits each space.

_____(1) a new life and hoping for a significant ______(2) in their standard of living, foreign
workers began flocking into Western Europe during the 1950s. In Britain, some of the first
immigrants arriving from the West Indies were welcomed by brass bands, but the dream of a new
life soon _____(3) sour for many.
Attracted by the _____(4) to earn good money and learn new skills, the reality they found was
often one of low wages and, in many _____(5) , unemployment.

1. A Searching B Looking C Seeking D Leading

2. A switch B change C modification D variation
3. A turned B converted C switched D changed
4. A promise B chance C goal D target
5. A occasions B examples C ways D cases

II. (7 points) Fill the gaps in the text below with ONE suitable word.

It is hard for almost everyone, but especially the young, to imagine a world _____(1) television. We
have _____(2) to expect that all the important news of the day, worldwide, will be there _____(3)
the touch of a button. In times gone by, only the literate knew _____(4) was going on in the world,
and _____(5), only after a long delay. But now it is possible for any of us to watch world events as
they occur. _____(6) has shortened the distance that divides our private lives _____(7) the
outside world to such an extent as television.

III. (8 points) Read the text below and use the words given in capitals below to form words
that fit in the gaps. The words in capitals are given in the order in which you need to use
them:

MONTH, EXPLORE, PURSUE, INTEND, PERIOD, GLOBE, PRODUCE, BEAUTY

National Geographic Magazine is a _____(1) magazine of geography, archaeology, anthropology

and _____(2), providing the armchair traveller with literary and factual accounts and unexcelled
photographs and maps to comprehend those _____(3). The original _____(4) of the National
Geographic Society was for the _____(5) to be oriented toward the United States, but the nature of
its articles soon made it a magazine with a _____(6) view. National Geographic was one of the first
magazines to _____(7) colour photographs of undersea life, views from the stratosphere and
animals in their natural habitat. The magazine became world famous for its _____(8) illustrated
articles of the various geographic regions of the world.

IV. (10 points) Put the verbs in brackets in the right tense and voice. Place the adverbs in
the right position:

When I _____(1- to be ) a little girl, my brother and I used to visit our grandparents'. In the
neighbourhood there was a mysterious house which everybody _____(2-to avoid) because it was
said to be haunted. I remember a Halloween night, when the house was cold and gloomy because
it _____(3-to rain) heavily all day; we _____(4-to sit) around the fire listening to grandma's
favourite stories when we _____(5-to hear) a tremendous crash upstairs. We all thought in horror

Olimpiada de limba engleza, etapa pe sector

Clasa a IX-a, varianta 2 -1-
 Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării şi Tineretului
Inspectoratul Scolar al Municipiului Bucuresti
OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZA 2008 - Etapa pe sector – clasa a IX-a – varianta 2

of the ghost that she _____(6-to tell) us about. We _____(7-to rush) up the stairs to discover that
a tree _____(8-to snap) in the wind smashing the bedroom window. I _____(9-to
remember/always) the expression on my grandma's face. ‘I _____(10-to be/never) so scared in
my life!’ was all she could say.

V. (5 points) Rephrase the following sentences so that the meaning stays the same:

1. They told us not to come before noon.

We ………………………………………………………
2. The thief ran out with the money before the police came.
By the time …………………………………………………………..
3. If you eat many cakes, you get fat.
The more ………………………………………………………...................
4. He denied that he had stolen her mobile phone.
He denied………………………………………………………………….
5. I don’t believe that Sue did such a horrible thing.
Sue…………………………………………………………………
VI. (5 points) Find the 5 unnecessary words in the text below. Write the unnecessary word
in the grid on the answer sheet underlining it and also writing the word that follows (e.g. the
house)

In recent years, dreaming was not ever seen as a subject worth to analyzing. The feeling was
being that dreams were such ephemeral incidents, not something to base solid science on.
However, these research has linked the creation of dreams to something more tangible – chemical
reactions in the brain.

VII. (5 points) The following text contains 5 mistakes. Find them and write the correct
variants on the answer sheet.

Everyone has seen animals in cages, even thought they may not like the idea. Then how would
you fill about the prospect of plants in cages? Believe it or no, caged plants exist. They are the
Wollemi Pine, possibly the worlds oldest plants, and had been kept for breeding and research
purposes.

VIII. (5 points) Arrange the sentences below in such a way as to build a logical paragraph.

A. All this happened in the space of seconds and I didn’t feel a thing.
B. As I helped him pick them up, a pickpocket took my wallet which was inside my buttoned- up
back pocket.
C. I made the mistake one morning of looking at a tourist map just near the entrance to the Plaza
Mayor.
D. Not until I got back to my hotel in the evening did I realize what had happened.
E. A few minutes later a young man walked towards me and dropped some coins at my feet.

IX. (25 points) Read the text below and summarize it in 75 - 80 words.

Valentine’s Day is celebrated all over the world on February 14th. This day celebrates “LOVE”.
Lovers shower their love on each other on this day. Giving cards, candy and presenting bouquets

Olimpiada de limba engleza, etapa pe sector

Clasa a IX-a, varianta 2 -2-
 Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării şi Tineretului
Inspectoratul Scolar al Municipiului Bucuresti
OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZA 2008 - Etapa pe sector – clasa a IX-a – varianta 2

are very much prevalent on this day. The day has its romantic association right from the High
Middle Ages during the bloom of courtly love.

Some people believe that Valentine’s Day owes its birth to Saint Valentine, a Roman, who refused
to give up Christianity and was martyred on 14th February 269 A.D. Legend has it that St.
Valentine became friends with the jailer’s daughter and left a farewell note for her before his death,
which was signed “From Your Valentine”.

In the 14th century, Valentine’s Day was celebrated with loved ones and a grand feast was also
arranged. Exchanging of gifts among lovers began from the 16th century. Originally the cards were
hand-made. Valentine’s Day became popular in the middle of the 18th century and brought in the
trend of exchanging handwritten love notes that are called Valentine.

Today, Valentine’s Day is a universal concept and is celebrated all over the world. Other than
flowers, chocolates and cards, jewelry has also got a place in the gift list for women on this day.

Restaurants are busy this day, as couples usually prefer a romantic candle-lit dinner to get cozy.
People even visit multiplexes and malls with their beloved ones. Others may opt for parties and
balls at many hotels and clubs to enjoy this day.

X. (25 points) Letter writing –informal-

You have come across the following job advertised in a newspaper.

If so, you could be the type of person we are looking for. We need someone to spend time with
Paul (7) and Samantha (9) over the summer holidays. They like computers, animals and bikes.
We like peace and quiet. Full board provided, plus some time off. Rural location. If you think
this sounds like you, write telling us all about yourself to:

Simon & Kate Freeman, Forest Cottage, near Mowtown, England

You decide to write a letter to your best friend in which you tell him/her about your intention to
apply for the job. Write a 250-word letter to your friend. Sign as Ioana.
Think about:
• the layout and the organisation of the letter;
• the appropriate style for the letter.

SCRIETI RASPUNSURILE PE FOAIA DE RASPUNS (ANSWER SHEET). BARATI TOATE

SPATIILE NECOMPLETATE. TIMP DE LUCRU: 3 ORE. NU SE ACORDA PUNCTE DIN OFICIU.

Olimpiada de limba engleza, etapa pe sector

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