Etapa locală a olimpiadei de limba engleză

Probă scrisă
9 februarie 2025

CLASA a XII-a - SECȚIUNEA A-Standard, Varianta 1

• Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii.

• Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.
• Timpul efectiv de lucru este de 3 ore.

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points)

I. Read the following text and fill in the blanks with ONE word only. 10 points

Slacklining
Slacklining is an increasingly popular activity in London’s parks. ___(1) you need if you want to ___(2) a go at
slacklining is two trees about fifteen metres apart, a five-centimetre-wide strap of around the ___(3) length and
the equipment to attach the strap to the trees.
The slackline is not a rope, ___(4) a flat piece of strong webbing material. The aim is to try to walk along the
line without losing your balance. ___(5) the line is usually positioned about a metre or so above the ground,
there is ___(6) great risk of injury if you don’t manage to stay on the line. Other street sports, ___(7) as
skateboarding and parkour are much more dangerous.
Basically, slacklining requires quite a lot of practice, but it is something you can learn to do. At first, most
people like to hold ___(8) to a friend’s hand ___(9) get used to the feeling of the moving line ___(10) their feet.

II. Choose the best option A, B, C or D. 10 points

1. Acest automobil nu a fost folosit de mult timp și de aceea arată atât de ruginit
a) This automobile wasn’t used for years and that’s why it looks so rusty.
b) This automobile hasn’t been used for years and that’s why it looks so rusty
c) This automobile had been used by nobody for years and that’s why it is so rusty.
d) This automobile wasn’t used for years and that’s why it looked so rusty.

2. _____________ the light on, the old man _____________ that chair.
a) Unless she hasn’t left/stumbled over
b) if she would have left/hadn’t stumbled over
c) Even if she left/would have stumble over
d) Had she left/wouldn’t have stumbled over

3. It’s no use ________ ________ her. You’ll have ______ till she stops _____ .
a) to try/to advise/to wait/to cry
b) trying/advising/waited/crying
c) trying/to advise/to wait/crying
d) to try/advising/to wait/crying

4. N-ar fi mai bine să faci ceva în loc să trândăvești în pat?

a) Wouldn't it be better to do something instead of lying in bed?
b) Wouldn't it be better to do something instead of laying in bed?
c) Wouldn't it be better do something instead of lying in bed?
d) Shouldn't it be better to do something instead of lying in bed?

5. Vecinul nostru a vopsit gardul în verde.

a) Our neighbour died the fence in green.
b) Our neighbour dyed green the fence.
c) Our neighbour painted the fence green.
d) Our neighbour painted the fence in green.

6. She knew that the ________ was big and she could ___________for it if she studied __________.
a) award/stand/hardly
b) reward/stay/diligently
c) prize/apply/more
d) scholarship/sit/hard

7. The trouble with you is that you ________, so I doubt whether you _________ what you have started.
a) complaint each time/might finish
b) complain all the time/shall end
c) are forever complaining/would finish
d) will complain forever/will put an end to

8. Fancy him ________ a lot and _____ a single lie!

a) to speak/not to tell
b) speaking/not saying
c) to talk/to don’t tell
d) talking/not telling

9. Dealul era atat de abrupt, incat a trebuit sa cobor de pe bicicleta si sa merg pe jos.
a) The hill was such a steep one, than I was forced to get down the bike and walk.
b) Such a sheer hill it was, that I must dismount my bike and walk.
c) It was such a steep hill that I had to get off the bike and walk.
d) The hill was so precipitous, that I had to get down of my bike and walk.

10. Look ________ and tell me please what _________ .

a) out/the weather’s like
b) outwards/is the weather like
c) outside/the weather is like
d) over/is like the weather
III. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word
given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word
given. 10 points

1. You really should learn to drive. HIGH

It’s ____________________to drive.
2. The suspect couldn’t explain why he had sand in his boots. ACCOUNT
The suspect ________________sand in his boots.
3. Why haven’t you signed this form at the bottom? SIGN
Weren’t you __________ at the bottom?
4. A famous architect designed their new house. HAD
They __________ their new house.
5. I hardly ever travelled abroad when I was a student. TRAVEL
Rarely __________ I was a student.

IV. Translate the following text into English. 10 points

Își privea în oglindă chipul nou, fără mustață, parcă era o rudă îndepărtată a propriei persoane, semănând
oarecum. Se hotărâse greu, erau la mijloc – înțelesese contabilicește – douăzeci de ani de obișnuință. Îl
convinsese Ema, la o cafea, întrebându-l brusc, jumătate ironic: “ce mare lucru să-ți atârne sub nas o mustață?”
Râsese cu poftă de spontaneitatea întrebării-îndemn, apoi, după câteva zile a înțeles că, uite, îl obsedează
amărâta asta de mustață, tocmai când avea atâtea pe cap, când gâfâia prin toate încâlcelile pe care singur le
“organiza”, se gândea mereu la “podoaba” feței lui; el care nu mai avea nici o plăcere să se privească, să se
admire, să se studieze; obligația bărbieritului ajunsese să-l irite de multe ori și, apoi, în rarele momente când se
privise în oglindă mai cu atenție, constatase un fel de degradare generală a chipului său (…)
Mihai Dragolea, De departe spre aproape, 2001

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points) I. Five sentences have been removed from the
article below. Choose from the sentences A-F the one which fits each gap (1-5). There is one extra
sentence which you do not need to use. 10 points

If you grew up in Southern California, you don’t need a weather person to know which way the Santa Ana
winds blow. These dry winds originate in the Great Basin and sweep down the mountains toward the Southern
California coast. They lower the humidity and raise the temperature, creating critical fire weather conditions.
“The wind shows us how close to the edge we are,” Joan Didion once observed in her essay “Los Angeles
Notebook.” The Santa Ana winds typically occur during the fall. But more and more often, they’re happening
this time of year — and the changing climate is making Southern California drier. ____(1). The fires have
forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes, destroyed more than 12,300 structures and killed at least 25
people. Some victims died while trying to protect their homes, such as Victor Shaw, 66, found outside his
Altadena house clutching a garden hose.

The fires have ravaged lower-income communities, historic Black neighborhoods in Altadena and cultural
landmarks such as actor Will Rogers’ historic ranch house in the Pacific Palisades. Mass displacement is
exacerbating the housing crisis in Los Angeles County, where roughly 75,000 unhoused people are now directly
exposed to toxic smoke. Wildlife and pets haven’t been spared either. Many UC Berkeley students also suffered
from these devastating fires, with a majority of first-year undergraduates coming from California and Los
Angeles County as a top county, the county that experienced the most damage from both the Palisades and
Eaton Fires. ____(2)

The climate emergency has worsened this destruction. As the fires burned, scientists confirmed that 2024 was
the world’s warmest year on record. Dramatic swings between intensely wet and dry weather — described by
climate scientist Daniel Swain as “hydro climate whiplash” — are increasing worldwide, resulting in more
dangerous floods along with droughts that amplify wildfire risks. _____(3).

Disturbingly, President Donald Trump, a climate change denier, intends to gut even the inadequate measures
that the United States has already taken. ____(4)

Communities across the Southeast are still reeling from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in September and
October, which killed more than 250 people and caused more than $100 billion in damages. Warmer ocean
temperatures are super charging these and other storms. Measures such as controlled burns, increased funding
for fire departments and more thoughtful residential planning in wildfire-prone areas can help California going
forward, but it will take more to slash emissions and address the climate emergency. _____(5)

Through community organizing, people can take on the systems that are accelerating climate catastrophe and
create campuses and communities that are truly safe — that starts with you!

A. He’s widely expected to withdraw our nation — the biggest historical emitter of carbon dioxide — from
the Paris Agreement, as he did during his first administration, and he’s said he intends to cancel former
president Joe Biden’s historic investments in green jobs. The result of these actions will be more heat
and extreme weather.
B. The fire tore through the steep hillsides on either side of the Temescal Ridge Trail, which runs north-
south, roughly the same direction as the fierce winds that propelled the Palisades fire soon after it ignited
on Tuesday, Jan. 7, just before 10:30 a.m.
C. This January, ferocious gusts up to 100 mph overlapped with a months-long drought to create the
conditions for the apocalyptic infernos now devastating Greater Los Angeles. The Eaton and Palisades
Fires — among the most destructive in California history — have together consumed more than 37,000
acres. Losses could top $100 billion, according to AccuWeather. Seeing the Eaton Fire’s menacing
flames from my family’s San Gabriel Valley home, driving past thick smoke and fallen palm fronds on
the freeway and receiving a mistaken evacuation alert showed me what “close to the edge” can look like.
While we’ve been spared for now, many others have lost their homes, livelihoods and a part of their
families’ history.
D. Amid Angelenos banding together and vowing to rebuild what they’ve lost, the fires are yet another
tragic reminder of how people and our planet pay the ultimate price for climate inaction.
E. Many students may have lost their homes or know members of their childhood community who have
lost their homes. The UC Berkeley community will also feel the intense loss that many of its students
have felt. As a school committed to sustainability, it is crucial to educate students about the factors that
made these fires so devastating. Additionally, students should learn how to stay informed about the
 impacts that unsustainable companies and organizations, such as big oil companies, have on climate
events such as wildfires.
F. Average global temperatures have now exceeded the Paris Agreement threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius
— 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit — above preindustrial levels. To avoid further catastrophe, fossil fuel
emissions must be slashed by 43% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, according to the United Nations.

II. Starting from the text above, do the following task. You see this announcement in an international
student magazine. We are a popular international student magazine and we are preparing a special
edition on the effects of global warming. Which are the most important aspects of this issue as it affects
people in your country? Email us your articles! Write your article in 220-250 words. 50 points
 Etapa locală a olimpiadei de limba engleză
Probă scrisă
9 februarie 2025
CLASA a XII-a – SECȚIUNEA A-Standard, Varianta 1

BAREM DE EVALUARE ȘI DE NOTARE

• Se punctează oricare alte modalităţi de rezolvare corectă a cerinţelor.

• Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points)

I. Read the following text and fill in the blanks with ONE word only. 10 points
10 x 1p = 10 points

1. All , 2. have, 3. same , 4. but, 5. As, 6. no, 7. such, 8. on , 9. until, 10. under

II. Choose the best option A, B, C or D. (10 points)

10 x 1p = 10 points

1- b, 2- d, 3- c, 4- a, 5- c, 6- d, 7- c, 8- d, 9- c, 10- c

III. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word
given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word
given. 10 points
5 x 2p = 10 points

1. HIGH time you learnt

2. could not ACCOUNT for the
3. supposed to SIGN this form
4. HAD a famous architect design
5. did I TRAVEL when

IV. Translate into English. 10 points

grammar structures 4 points
vocabulary 4 points
fluency 2 points

SUGGESTED ANSWER

He was looking in the mirror at his new face, without a moustache, as if he were a far relative of his own
person, still resembling it a little. It had been a hard decision for him to take, it was a matter of a – he had taken
a bookkeeper’s account of them – twenty years’ habituation. Ema had persuaded him over a cup of coffee,
suddenly asking him, half seriously, half ironically: “What’s the big deal in having a moustache hanging under
your nose?” He had burst out laughing at the spontaneity of the urge-question, and, after a few days, he
understood that, well, he was obsessed by this wretched moustache, right now when he had so many things on
his mind, when was gasping his way through the tangled web he himself “organized”, he kept thinking of the
“ornament” on his face; he who took no more pleasure in looking at himself, in admiring and examining
himself, even the obligation of shaving had come to annoy him many times and then, in the rare moments he
had been examining himself more carefully in the mirror, he had noticed a kind of general decay of his face.
Mihai Dragolea – From Afar Towards Nearby, 2001

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)

I. Choose from the sentences A-F the one which fits each gap (1-5). There is one extra sentence which you
do not need to use. 10 points
5 x 2p = 10 points

1. C; 2. E; 3. F; 4.A; 5. D.

II. WRITING: ARTICLE (50 points)

Use the Marking Scheme