MODEL DE SUBIECTE BAC PROBA SCRISA- PARTEA I, SUBIECT I

1. Letter of application
I would like to apply for the post of Personnel Officer with Anglia Bank, as advertised
in the Daily News on 10 October.
I have a BA in French from the University of London. I am following a part-time
course in Personnel Management at the Oxford College of Management, and I hope to pass
the Diploma in Personnel Management at the end of December.
When I left university, I worked for a year in a computer company near Cambridge.
Then I moved back to London to work as a French teacher in a large school, where I stayed
for two years. During this time, I did some part-time work as a language trainer with factory
managers, which I very much enjoyed.
Three years ago, I joined Carters Bank, where for the past year I have worked as
Assistant Personnel Officer, dealing mainly with complaints from members of staff.
Having worked in a similar organization to yours, I feel I am fully prepared for the
challenges of this job.
Yours faithfully
Angela Varley
1. She obtained a Diploma in Personnel Management in December.
A. ? Right
B. ? Wrong
C. ? Doesnt say
2. In her present job, she has responsibility for internal personnel problems.
A. ? Right
B. ? Wrong
C. ? Doesnt say
3. Ms Varley thinks she would be suitable for the job because of her previous
experience.
A. ? Right
B. ? Wrong
C. ? Doesnt say
4. She worked as a computer operator after university.
A. ? Right
B. ? Wrong
C. ? Doesnt say
5. While Ms Varley was a school teacher, she also taught company executives.
A. ? Right
B. ? Wrong
C. ? Doesnt say
6. She enjoys working at Carters Bank.
A. ? Right
B. ? Wrong
C. ? Doesnt say
7. Ms Varley is applying for the job with the Daily News.
A. ? Right
B. ? Wrong
C. ? Doesnt say
1

2. Japan's most famous dog

In front of the enormous Shibuya train station in Tokyo, there is a life-size bronze
statue of a dog. Even though the statue is very small when compared to the huge neon signs
flashing, it isn't difficult to find. It has been used as a meeting point since 1934 and today you
will find hundreds of people waiting there for their friends to arrive.
Hachiko, an Akita dog, was born in 1923 and brought to Tokyo in 1924. His owner,
Professor Eisaburo Uyeno and he were inseparable friends right from the start. Each day
Hachiko would accompany his owner, a professor at the Imperial University, to Shibuya train
station when he left for work. When he came back, the professor would always find the dog
patiently waiting for him. Sadly, the professor died suddenly at work in 1925 before he could
return home.
Although Hachiko was still a young dog, the bond between him and his owner was
very strong and he continued to wait at the station every day. Sometimes, he would stay there
for days at a time, though some believe that he kept returning because of the food he was
given by street vendors. He became a familiar sight to commuters over time. In 1934, a statue
of him was put outside the station. In 1935, Hachiko died at the place he last saw his friend
alive.

Q1 - The statue of Hachiko is small.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q2 - The statue is difficult to find because there are so many people there.
A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q3 - The professor worked in a school.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q4 - The professor died at work.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q5 - The dog waited every day at the station.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q6 - Nobody gave the dog any food.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q7 - The dog died before the statue was put outside the station.
A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say
2

3. McDonalds

The first McDonalds franchise restaurant that Kroc was responsible for opened in
1955, in Illinois. Like the earlier franchises, the building was red and white, and used the
Golden Arches logo. Both Kroc and the McDonald brothers wanted to control the company,
but in 1961 the brothers sold their interest in the business to Kroc, although they felt he was
forcing them out of the company. Two years later McDonalds one billionth hamburger was
served on national TV, and by 1965 the number of restaurants had grown to over 700.
McDonalds was floated as a public company in the same year. There was great demand for
its shares, and their price more than doubled within a few weeks. The clown character Ronald
McDonald first appeared in a national TV commercial in 1966. The companys international
expansion began in 1967, when its first Canadian store opened.

1 The Golden Arches logo was first used in 1955.

A Right B Wrong C Doesnt say
2 The McDonald brothers retired from business when they left the company.
A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

3 The first time that the public could buy shares in McDonalds was in 1965.
A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

4 After a few weeks, McDonalds share price was lower than it started.
A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

5 The character Ronald McDonald was Ray Krocs idea.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

6 The company started advertising on TV in 1966.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

7 Until 1967 all the companys restaurants were in the USA.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

4. Robot Birds

Liverpool city council want to clear the city of fat pigeons. They say that that people
are feeding the birds, which makes them fat. The pigeons get bigger because their normal diet
would consist of seeds and insects, not high-fat junk food they are eating in the city centre.
The council want people to know that everyone who feeds the pigeons is responsible
for the streets being so crowded with these birds. They hope to encourage the birds to move
away from the city centre and into parks and open spaces.
Ten robotic birds have been brought into the city centre to scare the pigeons away and
visitors are asked not to give the pigeons any food. The mechanical birds - known as 'robops'
- will sit on the roofs of buildings. They can be moved around to different locations. They
look like a peregrine falcon, which is a bird that kills pigeons. They even make noises and
flap their wings to scare the pigeons. They hope that the pigeons will go away before the city
becomes the European Capital of Culture in two years.

Q1 - Pigeons are fatter in Liverpool than in other cities.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q2 - Pigeons get fat because they eat seeds and insects.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q3 - According to the council, everyone is to blame for the numbers of pigeons.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q4 - They want the pigeons to move out of the city centre.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q5 - Visitors shouldn't feed the pigeons.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q6 - The robotic birds can move around the city centre.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q7 - Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

5. Intelligence pills

Some scientists have predicted that healthy adults and children may one day take
drugs to improve their intelligence and intellectual performance. A research group has
suggested that such drugs might become as common as coffee or tea within the next couple of
decades.
To counter this, students taking exams might have to take drugs tests like athletes.
There are already drugs that are known to improve mental performance, like Ritalin, which is
given to children with problems concentrating. A drug given to people with trouble sleeping
also helps people remember numbers.
These drugs raise serious legal and moral questions, but people already take vitamins
to help them remember things better, so it will not be a simple problem to solve. It will
probably be very difficult to decide at what point a food supplement becomes an unfair drug
in an examination.

Q1 - Only children will take pills to improve their intellectual performance.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q2 - Intelligence pills are already as common as coffee or tea.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q3 - Coffee is as common as tea.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q4 - Students could have to take intelligence drugs tests.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q5 - A sleeping pill helps people remember numbers.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q6 - Vitamins to help people study are illegal.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

Q7 - Food supplements are unfair.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

6. Twin Sisters

Something very strange happened to Tamara. She never knew she had a twin sister
until she started university! Tamara was born in Mexico. Her parents could not look after her
so she went to live with a family in Manhattan, USA.
When Tamara was twenty years old, she started university in Long Island. She
enjoyed her university life. But one day she was walking home from class, and a student
smiled at her. Hello Adriana! said the student. Im not Adriana, said Tamara.
This happened to Tamara again and again. People Tamara didnt know kept calling
her Adriana. It was very strange. One day, when a woman called her Adriana, Tamara asked
Why do you keep calling me Adriana?
The woman replied, You look like my friend Adriana. You have the same face and
the same hair. Is Adriana your sister? Tamara said that she did not have a sister called
Adriana. But she was interested in this girl Adriana. Finally she asked someone for Adrianas
email address.
When Tamara wrote to Adriana, she found out that they both had the same birthday,
they looked the same and both of them were from Mexico.When Tamara went to live with
the family in Manhattan, Adriana moved to Long Island to live with a family there. It had to
be true! Adriana and Tamara were twin sisters!
1 Tamara and her sister were both born in Mexico.
A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

2 Tamaras parents moved from Mexico to Manhattan.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

3 People called Tamara Adriana many times.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

4 Adriana wrote to Tamara first.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

5 Adriana always knew she had a twin sister.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

6 Adriana is Tamaras only sister.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

7 Adriana was a student at Long Island University.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

8 Adriana had only recently arrived in Long Island.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesnt say

7. Euro Payments
The 13 members of the euro area may share the same money. But payments in this
common currency cannot circulate fluently between them. Ideally a wire transfer, card
payment or direct debit from Berlin to Barcelona should cost no more than one from Berlin to
Bielefeld. In fact, there are many problems of financial translation. For three years after the
introduction of the euro, banks faced little pressure to reduce the cost to customers of bank
transfers from one member to another. Then in 2002 a European regulation forced them to
charge no more for cross-border transfers within the euro area of up to 12,500 than they did
for domestic ones. Their average fee for a transfer of 100 fell dramatically from 23.60 in
2001 to an average of just 2.46. In five countries the charge fell to less than a euro.
1. There are 3 ways of moving money in the euro area.
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say
2. Banks always wanted to reduce the cost of moving money in the euro area.
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say
3. Bank transfers within the E.U. cost more than they did in 2002.
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say
4. It now costs the same to make a domestic or cross-border transfer of over 12,500
A Right B Wrong C Doesn't say

8. WEB shopping
Web-weary shoppers tiring of buying at the click of a mouse may be heading back to
the hustle and bustle of the high street. Researchers claim some customers are staring to find
Internet shopping more of a chore than an escape and are unhappy about increasing shipping
costs. As a result, online sales have lost steam in America with growth slowing sharply in
major sectors such as books, tickets and office supplies. Analysts suggest British shoppers
will follow the trend. With a total of 100billion spent online in the UK over the past 12
years and growth boosted by a 55% rise since last year, Britons are still enamoured by the dot
com shopping boom.
1. Americans are getting tired of shopping on the Internet.
A True B False
2. Britons are getting tired of shopping on the Internet.
A False B True
3. People who shop on the Internet are facing higher postal charges.
A True B True
4. Internet sales have just risen sharply in the U.K.
A False B True
7

9. OUR HOLIDAY IN NEW ZEALAND

Last year, my husband Mike and I decided to visit New Zealand. We wanted to tour
the country, but we both hate long car journeys. The travel agent suggested a 13-day coach
trip. It was a good price, so we booked it with our plane tickets. We made a good choice. The
coach journeys passed quickly and our driver told us about each place. We learned a lot from
him.
We flew from London to Christchurch and had a free day there before the coach trip
started. We werent at all tired, so we walked round the city from morning till night. It has
good museums, many restaurants and lovely shops. The best place we visited on the trip was
Queenstown. You can choose to do almost anything, from sailing to climbing. We had three
days there, but it wasnt enough.
All the hotels were good. My favourite one was the Puka Park Lodge. It was on a hill
above a beach and there were trees everywhere. We woke up and listened to the birds
singing. Now, when were eating breakfast at home and we hear the noise of the traffic, we
think of those beautiful mornings in New Zealand!

1 Jenny and Mike prefer travelling by car

A Right B Wrong C Doesnt say
2 They paid for the coach tour when they got to New Zealand.
A Right B Wrong C Doesnt say
3 Their coach was a fast one
A Right B Wrong C Doesnt say
4 The driver gave them useful information
A Right B Wrong C Doesnt say
5 They wanted to stay longer in Queenstown.
A Right B Wrong C Doesnt say
6 Their house is near a busy road.
A Right B Wrong C Doesnt say

10. Young farmer

At the age of four, Gavin Clark knew the names of each one of his neighbour's cows.
By ten, he was selling milk and cheese to other neighbours, and was winning prizes at farm
shows. Now, at thirteen, he still loves farming andhas his own animals. Presents for Gavin
are not a problem every year he gets another animal from his parents and brother.Gavin's
father, Steven, works for an international company and travels all over the world. Gavin has
visited manyexciting places in Europe with his father. But he is much happier spending each
weekend working on hisneighbour's farm! Steven's company wanted him to move to Portugal
with the family. Everyone liked the idea of living in a new country but not Gavin! He said
he wouldn't leave his animals!In his free time, Gavin plays tennis and football. He goes out
with his friends and enjoys computer games, just likeother teenagers. But every morning, he
gets up at half past five to give his animals food and water, before he goesto school. His
parents want him to go to college and get a diploma when he is sixteen. 'Let's wait and see,'
he says,'because I will have my own farm by then!

1. Gavin's family never know what presents to give him.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

2. Steven enjoys working in different countries.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

3. On Saturdays and Sundays, Gavin has a job near his home.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

4. Gavin didn't agree with his parents about moving to Portugal.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

5. Gavin is too busy with his animals to have any other hobbies.
A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

6. Mr. and Mrs. Clark get up at the same time as Gavin in the morning.
A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

7. Gavin has decided to study for a diploma at college.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

11. THE RING AND THE FISH

Thomas and Inger, who live in Sweden, are the happiest couple in the world. Two
years ago, they were on a boat a few kilometres from the beach. Thomas asked Inger to marry
him and he gave her a gold ring. He wanted to put the ring on Inger's finger, but he dropped it
and it fell into the sea. They were sure the ring was lost forever.
That is, until last week, when Mr Carlsson visited them. He has a fish shop and he
found the ring in a large fish which he was cutting up for one of his customers. The fish
thought the ring was something to eat. Mr Carlsson knew that the ring belonged to Thomas
and Inger because inside the ring there were some words.
They were, 'To Inger, All my love, Thomas'. And so Mr Carlsson gave the ring back
to them. Inger now has two rings. When they lost the first one, Thomas bought Inger another
one. But they think the one the fish ate is the best one.

1. Thomas and Inger's home is in Sweden.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

2. Thomas asked Inger to marry him when they were on a boat.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

3. Thomas put the gold ring on Inger's finger.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

4. They returned from their boat trip without the ring.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

5. Mr Carlsson often visited Thomas and Inger.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

6. Mr Carlsson caught the fish.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

7. Mr Carlsson found the ring when he ate the fish.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

8. Thomas and Inger prefer the first ring.

A Right

B Wrong

C Doesn't say

10