OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

ETAPA LOCALĂ, 11 februarie 2024

CLASA A XII-A, SECŢIUNEA B - Bilingv/Intensiv Varianta 1

Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii.

• Pentru rezolvarea corectă a tuturor subiectelor din Partea A și Partea B se acordă 100 de puncte.
• Timpul de lucru: 3 ore.
• Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points)

I. Read the text below and do the tasks that follow. (20 points)

The city of Teotihuacán, which lay about 50 kilometers northeast of modern-day Mexico City, began its growth
by 200–100 B.C. At its height, between about A.D. 150 and 700, it probably had a population of more than
125,000 people and covered at least 20 square kilometers. It had over 2,000 apartment complexes, a great
market, a large number of industrial workshops, an administrative center, a number of massive religious
edifices, and a regular grid pattern of streets and buildings. Clearly, much planning and central control were
involved in the expansion and ordering of this great metropolis. Moreover, the city had economic and perhaps
religious contacts with most parts of Mesoamerica (modern Central America and Mexico).
How did this tremendous development take place, and why did it happen in the Teotihuacán Valley? Among the
main factors are Teotihuacán’s geographic location on a natural trade route to the south and east of the Valley
of Mexico, the obsidian resources in the Teotihuacán Valley itself, and the valley’s potential for extensive
irrigation. The exact role of other factors is much more difficult to pinpoint – for instance, Teotihuacán’s
religious significance as a shrine, the historical situation in and around the Valley of Mexico toward the end of
the first millennium B.C., the ingenuity and foresightedness of Teotihuacán’s elite, and, finally, the impact of
natural disasters, such as the volcanic eruptions of the late first millennium B.C.
This last factor is at least circumstantially implicated in Teotihuacán’s rise. Prior to 200 B.C., a number of
relatively small centers coexisted in and near the Valley of Mexico. Around this time, the largest of these
centers, Cuicuilco, was seriously affected by a volcanic eruption, with much of its agricultural land covered by
lava. With Cuicuilco eliminated as a potential rival, any one of a number of relatively modest towns might have
emerged as a leading economic and political power in Central Mexico. The archaeological evidence clearly
indicates, though, that Teotihuacán was the center that did arise as the predominant force in the area by the first
century A.D.
A. Answer the following questions, according to the text. (8 points)

1. What were the main features of the city of Teotihuacán between A.D. 150 and 700 E?
2. Why is obsidian mentioned?
3. What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about Cuicuilco prior to 200 B.C.?
4. What is another circumstantial factor implicated in Teotihuacán’s rise?
B. Choose the synonym for the words given below, according to their meaning in the text. (6 points)
1. grid: a) table b) matrix c) network
2. pinpoint: a) aim b) identify c) fix
3. ingenuity: a) cleverness b) faith c) sincerity

C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning. (6 points)

1. With Cuicuilco eliminated as a potential rival, (…) Teotihuacán was the center that did arise as the
predominant force in the area by the first century A.D.
If ______________________________________
2. Teotihuacán probably had a population of more than 125,000 people and covered at least 20 square
kilometers. Teotihuacán ___________________________________
3. It had over 2,000 apartment complexes and a great market as well as a large number of industrial workshops.
Not only _________________________________

II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in each gap. (10 points)

Jobs for the Boys and Girls American ambassadors are political 1._____________(APPOINT) a way of
thanking those who have given time and money to the 2._____________(PRESIDE) campaign. Take the
example of Della Newman, a Seattle real-estate broker and friend of George Bush, 3.
________________(EMINENT) qualified to be Ambassador to New Zealand. Her certificate of competence
from the State Department points out: "Mrs Newman's background in the real-estate business, combined with
her many civic 4.____________(COMMIT) gives her the 5._____________ (MANAGE) qualities to make her
an 6._____________ (EXCEL) candidate for Ambassador to New Zealand." 7._____________ (PROFESS)
diplomats have been appalled, and someone started to leak the competence certificates, which are supposed to
show that the ambassador will have a 8._____________ (KNOW) of "the country's principal language, and
understanding of its history, culture and political structure." A State Department official commented: "By
keeping them 9. _____________ (CONFIDE) they obviously hope to shepherd more turkeys through the
Senate." One certificate, provided to an operator of fast-food restaurants in Kansas, read in full: "Mr Wilkins's
10._____________ (EXTEND) background in business will serve him well as the next US ambassador to the
Netherlands."

III. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each
space. (10 points)

HEALTH AND CIGARETTES

In many Western countries, girls are more liable to smoke than boys. It's the girls who want to look "tough and
grown-up." The result is that while lung cancer in American men has fallen 1)____________the first time in 50
years, the disease is increasing in women. The decrease in the disease among men is attributed to a decrease in
smoking among men 2)___________the government's first warning of a connection between cigarettes and
disease in 1964. On the other hand, lung cancer is now expected to overtake breast cancer 3)_____________the
principal fatal cancer among women. 4)______________your son or daughter is a non-smoker, there is another
good 5)______________for rejecting a smoker as a lifelong mate. Smokers don't just ruin their own health by
lighting up. They are a menace to 6)______________. Second-hand smoke is lethal. 7) ________ the 18th
report on smoking by the United States Surgeon General concluded: "Involuntary smoking is a
8)______________of disease, including lung cancer, in healthy non-smokers." 9)______________to the report,
at home, the children of parents who smoke 10)______________the effects in their respiratory systems.
Smokers make their own kids sick.

SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)

I. Read the text below and do the tasks that follow.

SAFETY AT SEA
Catastrophes at sea and in the air make grim headlines: they represent a great deal of sorrow for the families of
the dead and injured. Why do they occur? Terrorists plant bombs, as in the case of the destruction of the
American airliner over Lockerbie in Scotland. Pyromaniacs light fires, as in the case of the ferry, Scandinavian
Star, sailing from Norway to Denmark. In the week following that tragedy, there were two other cases of fires
on board ferries: on one plying between Wales and Ireland, and on another between Portsmouth and Cherbourg.
In both of them, a man died.
Clearly, fire is a commonplace hazard, and a very dangerous one, at sea. Talking after the Scandinavian Star
had been towed into the small port of Lysekil, a Swedish police spokesman made it clear how awful it had been.
He said: "The toll from the blaze that engulfed the ferry south of Oslo fjord is still officially 75 dead and 60
missing but about 100 bodies have already been taken off the ship and as many as 50 to 100 could still be on
board. People tried to save themselves in the cabins and they are lying in big piles and it's difficult to figure out
how many there are. There are a lot of children."
In the immediate aftermath of such catastrophes reports of inadequate safety measures circulate. On board the
Scandinavian Star, a fireman said the ferry had only one system to pump and spray water on to the flames and
that pumping and spraying had to be done alternatively. On a wider scale, newspapers reported once again on
the world-wide system of "flagging-out" which means that ships are not registered in the countries where they
operate, and where the regulations are strict and expensive, but in places like Panama and Cyprus and the
Bahamas, where they are lax and cheap. The Scandinavian Star, although Danish-owned, was registered in the
Bahamas.
One of the most outrageous cases came to light in October 1989. A general cargo ship named the Bosun set sail
from Hamburg under the flag of the small central American state of Belize. West German police arrested and
charged two men, the ship's British master and its German owner. They were charged with flying a false flag,
and forgery of Belize government documents. A police officer said: "Belize was not the latest entrant in the
cheap flag stakes; they in fact operate no shipping whatsoever. When we contacted the Belize High
Commission in London, they were astonished to learn that a ship was pretending to be registered in their
country."
Rules are laid down for ship safety by United Nations organizations. The rules are strict, and specify that a ship
must be built with heat and fire resistant bulkheads, fire doors to passenger and crew areas, sealed cable and air
conditioning trunking to block smoke, non-combustible materials and/or sprinkler systems, smoke detectors and
alarms, and signposted emergency exits. But all these rules of ship design are meaningless according to an
expert from the Nautical Institute. He explains: "The big loophole is the lack of power to test whether these
rules are being enforced. The port state is entitled to carry out spot checks on ships to make sure their safety
certificates are in order; the lifeboats are all there and don't have holes in them; and that there are the necessary
charts, life-jackets in the racks, and fire hoses in their reels. But they don't have the power to test whether they
all work, or the crews know how to use them. I think the public has a right to be worried." He goes on to point
out that the Scandinavian Star would have been built to a very high design standard. However, it is likely that
neither her crew nor her safety equipment could have been checked in the Bahamas before she began carrying
passengers.
Why do the ship-owners do it? According to the Secretary of the National Union of Seamen, the answer is cost.
He says: "The Danish owners of the ill-fated Scandinavian Star could have registered her in Denmark and
employed ratings belonging to the appropriate union. These would have been properly trained in firefighting
and lifeboat drills and been able to communicate with their officers and the passengers in the event of an
emergency. The ship would have come under the rigorous scrutiny of the Danish port inspectorate.
"But the inspectors might have insisted on potentially costly modifications and the ratings would have asked for
Danish wages and accompanying social benefits. Much simpler (not to mention cheaper) to register her in the
Bahamas and at a stroke free the owners from such irksome restrictions. Among the survivors of this horrific
tragedy there may be some ideologues who share this free-market philosophy, but I doubt it."

1. Fires sometimes occur on board ships

A. because someone deliberately lights them
B. when there are inadequate safety measures
C. when the crew has not been trained
D. because the safety measures are inadequate

2. Flagging-out
A. is common all over the world
B. means that ships must register
C. is a matter of flying the national flag
D. helps poor nations export

3. The Belize High commission was surprised to have a ship registered in the country because
A. they had only just started registering shipping
B. it is a land-locked country, like Switzerland
C. no ships operate under the Belize flag
D. it was the first time forged Belize documents had been used

4 When are the strict rules of shipbuilding ineffective?

A. When the crew is untrained.
B. When the safety equipment does not work.
C. If regulations are not enforced.
D. If there are not enough lifeboats.
5. Being involved in a serious accident at sea is likely to make people sceptical of
A. free-market economics
B. ship builders
C. ship owners
D. government restrictions

II. Starting from the text above, write an essay giving your opinion on the following statement: Should
money be placed before people’s safety? (250-280 words) (50 p)
 OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ
ETAPA LOCALĂ, 11 februarie 2024
CLASA A XII-A, SECŢIUNEA B - Bilingv/Intensiv Varianta 1

BAREM DE CORECTARE
 Se punctează oricare alte modalităţi de rezolvare corectă a cerinţelor.

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points)

I. Read the text below and do the tasks that follow. (20 points)

A. Answer the following questions, according to the text. (4 x 2 p=8 points)

1. it probably had a population of more than 125,000 people and covered at least 20 square kilometers. It had
over 2,000 apartment complexes, a great market, a large number of industrial workshops, an administrative
center, a number of massive religious edifices, and a regular grid pattern of streets and buildings/ had economic
and perhaps religious contacts with most parts of Mesoamerica (modern Central America and Mexico).
2. as a main factor for the tremendous development of the Teotihuacán Valley
3. Its economy relied heavily on agriculture.
4. Cuicuilco, was seriously affected by a volcanic eruption, with much of its agricultural land covered by lava
B. Choose the synonym for the words given below, according to their meaning in the text. (3 x 2 p=6
points)

1. c network, 2. b identify, 3. a cleverness

C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning. (3 x 2 p=6 points)

1. … Cuicuilco hadn’t been eliminated as a potential rival, Teotihuacán wouldn’t have arisen as the ….
2. … may/could/might have had a population of more than 125,000 people and covered at least 20 square
kilometers
3. … did it have over 2,000 apartment complexes and a great market but also a large number of industrial
workshops.

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

1. APPOINTEES
2. PRESIDENTIAL
3. EMINENTLY
4. COMMITMENTS
5. MANAGERIAL
 6. EXCELLENT
7. PROFESSIONAL
8. KNOWLEDGE
9. CONFIDENTIAL
10. EXTENSIVE

III. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each
space. (10 x 1 p=10 points)

1. for, 2. since/after, 3. as, 4. If, 5. reason, 6. others, 7. As, 8 cause, 9. According, 10. show.

Subiectul B
I. For each question decide which answer (A, B, C or D) fits best according to the text. (5 x 2 p=10
points)

1) A, 2. A, 3. C, 4. C, 5.A
 MARKING SCHEME FOR THE OPINION ESSAY

Analytica Exemplary Proficient Partially Weak Incomplete Points

l criteria 10p 8p Proficient 4p 2p
6p
CONTEN The essay is The essay is The essay is The essay is The essay is
T completely fairly partially faulty, wholly
relevant to completed, relevant to including inadequate,
topic, the the opinion in topic, there is serious there is no
introduction the no opinion logical opinion in
clearly stating introduction formulated in impediments the first
opinion, being further the first in the paragraph,
whilst the developed paragraph, sequencing of while the
contents offer with which leads arguments / arguments
arguments to arguments to ideas. offered lack
support it, and relevant inconsistenci logical
followed by a ideas, the es in the developmen
counterargum counterargum logical t.
ent, leading to ent is present development
a conclusion but could be of arguments.
in which the better
opinion is substantiated,
restated. the
conclusion is
present but
the restated
opinion
might be
missing
ORGANI There is There is a There is There is Paragraphs
ZATION complete fairly partial serious are
AND logical completion of completion of inconsistency incomplete,
COHESI connection of paragraph the task. in the both linking
ON paragraphs organization Paragraphs organization devices,
due to a due to scarce are partially of the mechanics,
judicious use misuse of complete due paragraphs and length
of linking linking to unfinished due to the requirement
devices, devices, ideas and misuse of the s having
mechanics, mechanics, scarce use of linking been
and length and length linking devices, disrespected
requirements. requirements. devices, mechanics, .
mechanics, and length
and length requirements.
requirements.
VOCAB A wide range A range of The range of A limited A very
ULARY of vocabulary vocabulary is vocabulary is range of narrow
is used used adequately vocabulary is range of
appropriately appropriately used in the present vocabulary
and and essay; errors within the is present;
accurately accurately in in word essay; less errors in
throughout the essay; choice / common word
the essay; occasional formation are items of choice/form
precise errors in present when vocabulary ation
meaning is word more are rare and predominate
conveyed; choice/format sophisticated may be often ; spelling
minor errors ion are items of faulty; errors can
are rare; possible; vocabulary spelling make the
spelling is spelling is are errors can essay
very well well attempted; make text obscure at
controlled. controlled spelling can understandin times. The
The register with be faulty at g difficult. register
of the opinion occasional times The The register used in the
essay is slips. The register of the of the essay opinion
totally register of the opinion essay is essay is
relevant to opinion essay is partially inconsistent inappropriat
the task, is relevant to relevant to due to the e for this
being the task with the task with mixture of type of
organically slightly a narrow styles writing.
integrated all incongruent inconsistency
along the lapses within of style.
discourse. the discourse
STRUCT A wide range A range of A mix of A limited A very
URES of grammatical complex and range of narrow
grammatical structures is simple grammatical range of
structures is used grammatical structures is grammatical
used accurately structures is present along structures is
accurately and with present the essay; present
and flexibly some throughout complex within the
throughout flexibility the essay; language is essay; errors
the essay; along the errors are rare and may predominate
minor errors essay; present when be often ;
are rare; occasional complex faulty; punctuation
punctuation is errors are language is punctuation errors make
very well possible; attempted; errors can the text
controlled. punctuation punctuation make text obscure at
is well can be faulty understandin times.
controlled at times. g difficult.
with
occasional
slips.
EFFECT The interest The text has a The effect on The effect on The text has
ON of the reader good effect the reader is the reader a negative
TARGET is aroused on the reader. satisfactory. non-relevant. effect on the
READER and sustained reader.
throughout.