OLIMPIADA NAȚIONALĂ DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

ETAPA LOCALĂ
FEBRUARIE 2025
CLASA a IX-a -SECȚIUNEA A

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points)

I. Read the text below and put the word in brackets into a suitable tense.
(10 x 1p = 10p)
Mastering Swimming
Last month, I accomplished something incredible—something I 1. ___________ (start) to believe was
unattainable. I actually 2. ___________ (complete) a full lap of the swimming pool! I know it 3.
___________ (appear) to be a major accomplishment since swimming is a skill most people 4.
___________ (seem) to pick up effortlessly. But for me, it just wasn’t working. And it wasn’t as if I 5.
___________ (make) an effort.
Besides all the swimming sessions I had at school, I also practiced with my dad every week. Yet,
despite all the training I 6. ___________ (receive), I still couldn’t swim.
Then one day, when I 7. ___________ (assume) my dad 8. ___________ (support) me in the water as
usual, I suddenly realized—he wasn’t! I was swimming independently, without assistance! After that, I
succeeded in swimming multiple laps of the pool.
So, if you 9. ___________ (find) it difficult to grasp something, don’t quit! One day, it 10___________
(click), without a doubt!

II. Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word
that fits in the space in the same line. (10X1p=10 points)

LIFE EXPECTANCY

The longest-living person (1)……. recorded lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. OFFICIAL
In general, the number of people who live to be over one hundred is increasing,
(2) ………….among women, yet there isn’t a single scientist who can fully explain SPECIAL
this phenomenon.
Some of them claim that it’s purely a (3)…………….. fact. BIOLOGY
However, in the developing countries, where (4)………….progress is slower, life SCIENCE
expectancy is much less. According to (5)…………... records, life expectancy for MEDICINE
these people is about forty years. (6)…………. reasons are mainly responsible for ECONOMICS
this and as a result a high percentage of the population suffers from malnutrition.
One must also (7 )……………. the fact that sanitary conditions in developing EMPHASIS
countries are rather (8 ) ……………… HYGIENE

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 To (9)…………….. , proper housing and sanitation, adequate healthcare and a(n) SUMMARY
(10) ………………. diet play an important part in a person’s life expectancy. NUTRITION

III. Read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each space.
( 5 x 2p = 10p)

A NIGHT AT THE THEATRE

Going to the theatre brings back happy memories, as it (1)____ me of my very first performance on
stage, (2)______ was thirty years ago. Parts of that particular night are so vivid that I can still
picture myself as though it were yesterday. The excitement amongst the actors, the (3)________
applause and the party after the opening night are memories which will remain with me for
(4)_______ . I don’t know how we managed to do so well. The rehearsals were far from
satisfactory because we thought that we could just have two rehearsals a week (5)_________ in fact
we needed more. The background (6)___________ to the last act weren’t ready until an hour before
the beginning of the play despite the set builder’s best (7)____________ .The director was not
satisfied (8)________ anything and he didn’t even want to show up on the first night. Admittedly, I
wouldn’t have wanted to either. When the night finally arrived, we were all a bit worried. I
remember (9)__________through the curtain ten minutes before the start and being amazed
(10)___________ the sight of a full house. Finally, it was time for the curtain to go up. In the end,
we proved the director wrong and everything went like clockwork.

1 A recognises B reminds C recalls D memorises

2 A which B when C where D who
3 A onlookers’ B viewers’ C audience's D spectators’
4 A life B ages C a while D time
5 A where B when C which D whenever
6 A images B visions C scenes D sights
7 A attempts B efforts C trials D tries
8 A by B in C at D with
9 A glancing B noticing C staring D watching
10 A in B at C on D for

IV. Rewrite the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including
the word given. ( 5 x 2p = 10p)
1. You should have finished that report, not John! WERE
You …………………………..that report, not John!
2. I am sorry I told you the truth. WISH
I.............................................you the truth.
3. He arrived home and immediately he started to learn. HAD
Hardly ................................he started to learn.
4. I wrote a lot when I was a student. TO
I ..................when I was a student.
5. Jeremy doesn’t run as fast as Jonathan. SO
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Jeremy is not………………………………Jonathan.

SUBIECTUL B- INTEGRATED SKILLS – 60 points

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

I. Reading comprehension
For each question choose the correct letter A, B, C or D (5x2p=10 points)
Island Life
We live on the island of Hale. It's about four kilometres long and two kilometres wide at its broadest
point, and it's joined to the mainland by a causeway called the Stand - a narrow road built across the
mouth of the river which separates us from the rest of the country. Most of the time you wouldn't know
we're on an island because the river mouth between us and the mainland is just a vast stretch of tall
grasses and brown mud. But when there's a high tide and the water rises a half a metre or so above the
road and nothing can pass until the tide goes out again a few hours later, then you know it's an island.

We were on our way back from the mainland. My older brother, Dominic, had just finished his first
year at university in a town 150 km away. Dominic's train was due in at five and he'd asked for a lift
back from the station. Now, Dad normally hates being disturbed when he's writing (which is just about
all the time), and he also hates having to go anywhere, but despite the typical sighs and moans - why
can't he get a taxi? what's wrong with the bus? - I could tell by the sparkle in his eyes that he was really
looking forward to seeing Dominic.

So, anyway, Dad and I had driven to the mainland and picked up Dominic from the station. He had
been talking non-stop from the moment he'd slung his rucksack in the boot and got in the car.
University this, university that, writers, books, parties, people, money, gigs¦. And when I say talking, I
don't mean talking as in having a conversation, I mean talking as in jabbering like a mad thing. I didn't
like it ... the way he spoke and waved his hands around as if he was some kind of intellectual or
something. It was embarrassing. It made me feel uncomfortable - that kind of discomfort you feel when
someone you like, someone close to you, suddenly starts acting like a complete idiot. And I didn't like
the way he was ignoring me, either. For all the attention I was getting I might as well not have been
there. I felt a stranger in my own car.

As we approached the island on that Friday afternoon, the tide was low and the Stand welcomed us
home, stretched out before us, clear and dry, beautifully hazy in the heat - a raised strip of grey
concrete bound by white railings and a low footpath on either side, with rough cobbled banks leading
down to the water. Beyond the railings, the water was glinting with that wonderful silver light we
sometimes get here in the late afternoon which lazes through to the early evening.

We were about halfway across when I saw the boy. My first thought was how odd it was to see
someone walking on the Stand. You don't often see people walking around here. Between Hale and
Moulton (the nearest town about thirty kilometres away on the mainland), there's nothing but small
cottages, farmland, heathland and a couple of hills. So islanders don't walk because of that. If they're
going to Moulton they tend to take the bus. So the only pedestrians you're likely to see around here are

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walkers or bird-watchers. But even from a distance I could tell that the figure ahead didn't fit into either
of these categories. I wasn't sure how I knew, I just did.

As we drew closer, he became clearer. He was actually a young man rather than a boy. Although he
was on the small side, he wasn't as slight as I'd first thought. He wasn't exactly muscular, but he wasn't
weedy-looking either. It's hard to explain. There was a sense of strength about him, a graceful strength
that showed in his balance, the way he held himself, the way he walked.

1) In the first paragraph, what is Caitlin's main point about the island?
A. It can be dangerous to try to cross from the mainland.
B. It is much smaller than it looks from the mainland.
C. It is only completely cut off at certain times.
D. It can be a difficult place for people to live in.

2) What does Caitlin suggest about her father?

A. His writing prevents him from doing things he wants to do with his family.
B. His initial reaction to his son's request is different from usual.
C. His true feelings are easily hidden from his daughter.
D. His son's arrival is one event he will take time off for.

3) Caitlin emphasises her feelings of discomfort because she

A. is embarrassed that she doesn't understand what her brother is talking about.
B. feels confused about why she can't relate to her brother any more.
C. is upset by the unexpected change in her brother’s behaviour.
D. feels foolish that her brother's attention is so important to her.

4) In the fourth paragraph, what is Caitlin's purpose in describing the island?

A. to express her positive feelings about it.
B. to explain how the road was built.
C. to illustrate what kind of weather was usual.
D. to describe her journey home.

5) What do we learn about Caitlin's reactions to the boy?

A. She felt his air of confidence contrasted with his physical appearance.
B. She was able to come up with a reason for him being there.
C. She realised her first impression of him was inaccurate.
D. She thought she had seen him somewhere before.

II. You have seen this advertisement for a job in the USA in an international magazine.
Write a letter of application for the job as described below. (180-200 words)
(50 points)

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 USA SUMMER CAMPS
If you can speak English and you are cheerful, energetic and hardworking, you are the right person
for us. Food and accommodation are provided. You just pay air fare.
You will -look after children aged 8-12
-help organise sports and evening activities
-work in the kitchens
Write to the manager, Mrs Connor, and explain why you would be a suitable person for the job.

NOTĂ: Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii!

Punctaj total: 100p.
Timp de lucru 3 ore.
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