OLIMPIADA NAȚIONALĂ DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ – ETAPA LOCALĂ

27 IANUARIE 2018
CLASA a XII-a SECȚIUNEA B

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH

I. Read the paragraph below and do the tasks (10 x 2p= 20p).

For millions of people coming to America from Europe, the first proof that they had reached a new
world was the moment when they first caught sight of the skyline of Manhattan. Surrealistic,
superhuman, the skyline was like nothing they had ever seen in the old world — a concentration of
tall buildings, their tops scraping the sky, hundreds of feet above the ground. These were New
York's famous skyscrapers! This was America! The first skyscrapers, however, did not develop in
New York, but in Chicago, in the late nineteenth century. Chicago at that time was the boom town of
the United States — New York was just the front door. Chicago was at the centre of the new
American adventure.

In the year 1871, a large part of booming Chicago was destroyed as a major fire engulfed much of
the downtown area. The fire, however, was a great stimulus to architects: not only did it show them
the need to design modern buildings that would not be liable to burn very rapidly, but it also gave
them plenty of opportunities to put their new theories into practice. Until the nineteenth century, the
height of buildings had been limited to a maximum of about ten stories as a result of the building
materials used — wood, brick or stone. With the exception of churches and cathedrals, few earlier
buildings went higher than this, because they could not do so. And even the great churches of
mediaeval Europe had to respect basic mechanical constraints. The walls needed to be terribly thick
at the bottom, and often supported by complicated systems of buttresses and flying buttresses, to
stop them falling down.( from https://linguapress.com/advanced/skyscrapers.htm)

A. Answer the questions:

1. Which are the characteristics of a skyscraper presented in the text?

2. Which was the first city where skyscrapers were erected?
3. Why was Chicago “the centre of the new American adventure”?
4. Explain in what way the fire destructing Chicago downtown could stimulate architects?

B. Choose the right synonym:

boom: a. rush b. collapse c. arson d. progress

engulf: a. bury away, b. plate up, c. swallow up, d. buoy up
support: a. hold up, b. hold on, c. keep up, d. keep out
C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning:

1. No one knew a great deal about the new world.

Little …………………… the new world.
2. But for the fire, Chicago would not have been rebuilt.
If it………………………, Chicago would have never been rebuilt.
3. And even the great churches of mediaeval Europe had to respect basic mechanical constraints
And even the great churches of mediaeval Europe…………………… basic mechanical constraints

II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each sentence (10 x 1p = 10 p)

The development of the sport of skateboarding can be traced back to the early 1890s, when children
in California first used wooden boards to „surf‟ the streets. During the 1950s, the popularity of the
sport increased and manufacturers began producing the first factory-made boards. By the 1960s, the
sport had gained an (1)……… (IMPRESS) following, not just in the USA, but
(2)...............(WORLD). However, by 1965, concerns about safety resulted in
(3)..............(REGULAR) being introduced to ban skateboarding in most public places in the USA.
This (4)..............(EFFECT) killed the sport there for the next decade. Companies that had been
making a fortune selling skateboards suddenly faced huge (5)..............(LOSE) and many went out
of business. Over the next eight years a few (6)..................(ENTHUSIASM) continued practising
the sport but, although they tried hard to raise its profile, they were (7)...............(SUCCESS) in
their efforts. The invention of new materials meant that manufacturers could
(8)..................(STRONG) the boards but at the same time make them lighter and more
manoeuvrable. Such (9).................(IMPROVE) also made the boards less dangerous and
(10).................(PRESS) from an increasing number of users led to the installation of special
skateboarding parks.

III. Translate the following text into English (10 p)

„-Asta-i tare curios! Zise el, scuturând din cap. Acasă s-a venit?
Vitoria înălță din umeri, jignită de întrebare.
-Poate-i la iernat cu oile.
-De ce nu mi-a trimis răvaș? De ce nu a venit niciun fel de știre? strigă cu năduf munteanca.
-Eu de unde pot ști? Eu nu sunt vinovat cu nimica, zise neamțul ridicându-și în lături
palmele. Eu cred așa că, dacă nu i s-a întâmplat ceva neplăcut, se întoarce el singur acasă.
Vitoria holbă ochi răi.
-Eu nu înțeleg ce vrai să spui dumneata.
-Dacă nu i s-a întâmplat ceva neplăcut, repetă mai încet bătrânul.
Gheorghiță pricepea ce vrea să-i spună slujbașul. I se părea că maică-sa nu pricepe. Nu
îndrăznea să se amestece și să lămurească. Dar deodată, privind pieziș la ochii săi, avu înțegerea că
demult bănuiește toate. Nu numai bănuiește, ci știe tot. De aceea se și află aici, la Vatra Dornei.
-Acuma ce-i de făcut?întrebă cu [...] umilință slujbașul.
Cu mâinile apăsându-și tâmplele, Vitoria se cumpănea încet într-o parte și-n alta. Închise
ochii. Apoi îi deschise și privi în juru-i. Cu mirare, bătrânul o văzu zâmbind. Nu înțegea ce gând
are.” (Mihail Sadoveanu, „Baltagul”)

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

In Britain, as children‟s rights to citizenship have strengthened over recent years, a strong
presumption in favour of involving children in decisions on matters that directly affect them has
developed in a number of areas of law, public policy and professional practice (school councils).
Yet surprisingly little is known about how far children‟s participation extends to their home lives
and the routine business of everyday life. Studies examined how and to what extent the children
were involved in shaping their own and their families‟ domestic lives.

Many of the findings were illuminating. The ways in which families made decisions involved a
subtle, complex and dynamic set of processes in which children could exert a decisive influence.
Most families operate democratically but children accepted the ultimate authority of their parents,
provided that their parents acted „fairly‟. For children, „fairness‟ had more to do with being treated
equitably than simply having the decision made in their favour. Children could use claims to
fairness as a moral lever in negotiations with parents. Family precedent, especially that set by older
brothers and sisters, was an influential factor in good decision making and was a more common
point of reference than the experience of peers and other families.

I. For each question choose the correct letter A, B, C or D (5 x 2p= 10p)

1. The main idea of the text is that:

A. Children‟s rights to citizenship are stronger
B. Children appreciate being treated fairly.
C. Children are more involved in the family decision making process.
D. Children agree decisions made in their favour.

2. In the first paragraph, the writer implies that

A. the involving of children is damaging the quality of public decision making
B. greater understanding of domestic decision making involving children would be beneficial
C. children would make better decisions if they understood the decision making process better
D. children are keen to become more involved in domestic decision making.

3. Involving children in decision making

A. improved some public domains
B. affected directly the way children are treated in the family
C. was supported by school councils.
D. was favoured by their involvement in social life.

4. According to the second paragraph, children tended to accept decisions that

A. were made in a way that conformed with their sense of justice.
B. were similar to decisions made by other families.
C. children would make better decisions if they understood the decision making process better.
D. children were keen to become more involved in domestic decision making.

5. For children “fairness”

A. means what is just and right.
B. means the right to negotiate with their parents.
C. means being favoured
D. means being unbiased .

II. Starting from the text above, write an opinion essay on the importance of children’s
involvement in family decision making . (280-300 words) (50 p)

Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii. Timp de lucru 180 de minute.

 BAREM DE CORECTARE:

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH

I. Read the paragraph below and do the tasks (10 x 2p= 20p).

A. Answer the questions:

1. It was tall- hundreds of feet-, scraping the sky with their tops
2. Chicago 3. It was a boom town, able to regenerate after the fire.
4. The architects had to be inventive, use new materials and paid attention to technical details.

B. Choose the right synonym: 1. d 2. c 3. A

C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning:

1…..was known about………
2….hadn‟t been for the fire…………..
3……were to comply with ……….

II. 10 x 1p = 10 p

1. IMPRESSIVE
2. WORLDWIDE
3. REGULATIONS
4. EFFECTIVELY
5. LOSSES
6. ENTHUSIASTS
7. UNSUCCESSFUL
8. STRENGTHEN
9. IMPROVEMENTS
10 PRESSURE

III. 10 x 1p = 10 p Se vor lua în considerare orice variante corecte care îndeplinesc

criteriul expresivității.

„It‟s very strange!‟ he said shaking his head. ‟So he didn‟t come home?‟
Vitoria shrugged her shoulders, hurt by the question.
„Maybe he is wintering the sheep.‟
„If so, why hasn‟t he sent me a letter? Why haven‟t I had any news from him?‟ the woman of the
mountains cried out in her sorrow.
„How can I know that? I‟m not to blame in this matter‟, the German said, throwing up his hands.
„To my thinking if nothing untoward has happened to him, he‟ll come back home.‟
Vitoria glared at him.
„I don‟t understand what you mean.‟
„If nothing untoward has happened to him‟, the old man repeated in a lower voice.
Ghorghiță understood what the clerk meant. It seemed to him that his mother didn‟t understand.
Looking sideways at her, he suddenly realised that she had long suspected. Not only does she
suspect, but she knows everything. And that‟s why she is here, in Vatra Dornei.
 „What‟s to be done now?‟ the clerk asked with humility.
Vitoria swayed gently from side to side, her hands clasping her temples. She closed her eyes. Then
she opened them and looked around. The old man, in wonder, saw her smile. He did not understand
what was going on in her mind.’

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS

I. For each question choose the correct letter A, B, C or D (5 x 2p= 10p)

1.C 2. B 3. D 4.B 5.A

II. The essay should include lexis related to the topic, vocabulary to express the required
functions and approach the topic.

The 50 points for this subject will be given for the following areas (0-10 points per area):
CONTENT- relevance to the topic and task
ORGANIZATION AND COHESION- paragraphing, linking devices, mechanics, length
requirements.
VOCABULARY –range of vocabulary, meaning conveyed, spelling, register
STRUCTURES- grammatical structures, punctuation
EFFECT ON TARGET READER

Please see the marking scheme