OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ – ETAPA PE ȘCOALĂ
20 ianuarie – 2020
CLASA a VIII-a
I. READING COMPREHENSION (25 p)
Read the following text carefully and decide if the sentences are T (true) or F (false). (10x2.5p=25p)
Free-diving in the Caribbean
Tanya Streeter holds four world records in free-diving, the sport in which competitors reach
extraordinary depths on only one breath of air.
In 2003, Tanya Streeter made history when she became the first person to dive 120 metres into the ocean
while holding her breath, and come back up to the top without help. She had been deeper a year before but
on that occasion, she swam back up by using a balloon. This time, however, she held her breath for over
three and half minutes, which made her the only female in any sport to break the world record of a man. A
team of fourteen safety divers at different depths watched the dive.
Following reports of several serious accidents involving other divers, some people have complained
that free-diving is too dangerous a sport, but Tanya doesn’t agree, insisting that safety is the most important
thing, followed closely by training. Most free-divers concentrate on one or two types of event within the sport,
but whatever Tanya is training for, her practice timetable remains the same. Two thirds of the programme is
spent doing land-based training at the gym, with the rest divided between the pool and the ocean. She uses
an exercise bike to help improve the fitness of her heart. However, she doesn’t run whether outdoors or on
running machines, because she doesn’t want to injure her knees. Instead she finds that fast walking is a very
good way to build her fitness. When she starts doing practice dives, she generally travels away from home.
She aims to do fourteen dives over a four-week period, with a rest day between each diving day. It is
essential that she doesn’t get tired because that could ruin all the preparation. When Tanya is not practising
for an event, she makes frequent public appearances, mainly to advertise sports products. She has also
supported environmental organizations, for example doing research projects or making films. Spending her
childhood on the Caribbean island of Grant Cayman, she went swimming whenever she could, and long
afternoons were spent exploring rock pools in order to watch the sea life. Tanya says that her life today is like
living her childhood dreams. Because she is well-known in some countries, she thinks people are prepared to
listen to her when she is talking about environmental issues.
As for the future, Tanya, who is now in her thirties, says she plans to keep breaking her own world
records, as she didn’t take up free-diving until she was twenty-five, Tanya is keen to stress that she doesn’t
intent to retire from the sport for many years to come.
1. Tanya’s world record in 2003 was the deepest she had ever dived. T/F
2. There were other people in the water with Tanya during her record-breaking dive. T/F
3. Tanya accepts that free-diving can be an extremely dangerous activity. T/F
4. Tanya’s training programme depends on the event she is preparing for. T/F
5. Most of Tanya’s training takes place in the water. T/F
6. Tanya is careful to limit the number of training dives she does in a month. T/F
7. Tanya spends more time helping environmental organisations than appearing in advertisements. T/F
8. Tanya’s interest in the natural world started at an early age. T/F
9. Tanya has found that being famous has its advantages. T/F
10. Because she started free-diving fairly late, Tanya feels her sports career may be short. T/F
1
II. USE OF ENGLISH (50 p)
1. Read the text and think of the best word for each gap. Write ONE word only. There is an example.
(10x2p = 20p)
Caravanning in Wales
The sea cliffs and sandy beaches of Wales are hard (0) to beat. Add to
(1) ______________wild, romantic scenery, ancient castles, modern theme parks and cheap accommodation
and you've got a great family holiday. Of course (2) ______________makes Wales so green is the rain. Even
in mid-summer, you can expect a couple of wet and windy days. But don't let that put (3) ______________
off. There are (4) ______________of indoor activities, so you can enjoy (5) ______________ whatever the
weather. For (6) _____________ people, Wales is a caravan country. If you didn’t stay in a caravan
(7) _____________ you were little, it's time you tried (8) ______________. Standards of comfort are much
higher (9) ______________a decade ago, with facilities such (10) ______________ laundries and kids' play
areas.
2. For questions 1-10, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
There is one example. (10x1p=10p)
Deep sleep is important for (1) _____. The actual (2) _____ of sleep you need depends (3) _____
your age. A young child (4) _____ to sleep ten to twelve hours, and a teenager about nine hours. Adults differ
a lot in their sleeping (5) _____. For most of them, seven to eight hours a night is (6) _____ but some sleep
longer, while others manage with only four hours. For a good night, having a comfortable (7) _____ to sleep
is very important. Also, there should be (8) _____ of fresh air in the room. A warm drink sometimes helps
people to sleep, (9) _____ it is not a good idea to drink coffee immediately before going to bed.(10) _____
you have to travel a very long distance, try to go to bed earlier than usual the day before the journey. This will
help you feel more rested when you arrive.
1 A everyone B someone C each D both
2 A sum B size C amount D number
3 A of B to C on D in
4 A could B needs C shall D need
5 A habits B ways C actions D manners
6 A enough B less C well D few
7 A point B feeling C part D place
8 A many B much C plenty D enough
9 A even B as C although D because
10 A Until B Since C After D If
3. Use the word given in capitals at the end of the lines to form a word that fits in the space in the
same line. (10x2p=20p)
1. I am positive our team can win this ___________________. COMPETE
2. I don’t have the ____________________ to do this job properly. ABLE
3. True ____________________ is worth more than money. FRIEND
4. We came to the ____________________ that she was lying to us all. CONCLUDE
5. We were ____________________, as we didn’t find him at home. LUCK
6. You’ve been ____________________ helpful with the project. EXTREME
7. Steve is very ____________________ you can never trust him. RELY
8. The children took part in ____________________ activities at the funfair. VARY
9. A meeting of the world ____________________ will take place in Geneva next month. LEAD
10. The skirt was too long, so I had to ____________________ it. SHORT
III. WRITING (25 p)
Write a story (150-180 words) that has the following ending: “It’s not always a good thing to let your
imagination run wild.”
Notӑ: Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii; timpul de lucru: 120 minute; nu se acordӑ puncte din oficiu.
