Olimpiada de limba engleza – clasa a VII-a
Varianta 4
SUBIECTUL I – USE OF ENGLISH (25 points)
I. Use the words in bold between brackets to form a word that fits the gap. (10 points)
The London Eye, the giant (0-observe) observation wheel, is a relatively new landmark for London. It is one of
the most popular (1-attract) ………….………………… in the world. The wheel is the largest of its kind, at a
(2-high) ……………………………….. of 135 meters. 1,700 tons of steel were used for its (3-construct)
………………………..…….. People make special journeys to see the (4-excite) …………………………….
giant wheel. 15,000 visitors can ride on the Eye every day. The architects, Julia Barfield and her husband David
Marks, were the winners of the (5-compete) ………………..………. to design a Millennium landmark. Their
design was the most (6-imagine) ……………….………. of all the projects. The first (7-draw)
………………………….…. of the wheel were made on their kitchen table in 1993. David developed the idea
for a giant wheel and Julia found the (8-idea) …………………..……. site by drawing a circle round London
and finding its centre. Not (9-surprise) …………………..……., it took about three years to do all the
groundwork to get the wheel built. In (10-recognise) ………………….……. of their work, the couple were
awarded the MBE, a special honour that is given in the UK to someone who has achieved something special.
II. Read the text and put a tick ( ), if a line is correct. If a line has a word which should not be there,
write the word down.
(8 points)
More than 80% of the Earth’s forests have been
destroyed – by the man. However, at last, we are 1 ………………
beginning to understand that the key role which 2 ………………
forests play in keeping us alive. To protecting our 3 ………………
forests is important for many of reasons. To start with, 4 ………………
plants produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide 5 ………………
from the air. Deforestation increases in the amount of 6 ………………
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, 7 ………………
carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases that 8 ………………
absorb the heat from the sun. So on, more carbon 9 ………………
dioxide means that more than heat is absorbed and 10………………
reflected on the Earth’s surface, leading to global 11 ………………
warming. But this is not at all. The plants and animals 12 ………………
of the forests also provide us with food, fuel, shelter, 13………………
and medicines! At least we are now realising how 14 ………………
many important it is to protect and save our forests. I 15 ………………
just hope it’s not too late! 16 ………………
III. Put one suitable word in each space. (7 points)
Over the last few years (1)………………………. has been more interest in the subject of history, perhaps
because historical documentaries (2)……………………. television have attracted large viewing audiences.
Historians who often complain (3)………………..……. lack of interest in their subject should be delighted at
this development, shouldn’t (4)………………..…. ? According to a survey, more people are applying (5)
………………….……. places at university, and the number of those wanting to study history (6)
………………………. increased. However, professors of history are (7)………………….……. particularly
happy about this increase and have expressed concern about the quality of their students. They claim that most of
(8)………………………. first-year students have never read a history book and don’t have the skills (9)
……………..………. study the subject in depth. TV programmes make students think that studying history is
(10)…………………..……. simple as storytelling. Documentaries oversimplify the subject and concentrate (11)
…………………….……. personalities in an attempt to attract audiences. On the other hand, traditional
historians could learn (12)…………….………. to tell a story from the makers of such documentaries. Many
historians don’t have good narrative skills, which is (13)…………………….……. so many history books are
not popular (14) …………………………….. readers.
SUBIECTUL AL II-LEA – READING COMPREHENSION (25 points)
I. Read the text and choose the right answer A, B, C or D. (30 points)
Night Shift Work
Many people have jobs that are not very interesting, but a lot of people have to work at night, and this
is very difficult. When everybody else is getting ready to go out, they have to go to work, and this puts
a lot of psychological stress on them. It is also not very healthy because the human body is designed to
be active in the day and to rest in the dark. If this cycle is reversed it can have a bad effect on a person's
health. So, why do people do the night shift?
Nowadays many businesses have to offer a 24-hour service, like hotels, delivery companies, some
supermarkets are open all night and all day, call centres and hospitals. It is true that some people only
need a few hours of sleep at night but the majority need eight hours. Humans are most active in the
middle of the day, and the time when they are least able to concentrate and be efficient is between 2 am
and 4 am.
This is the worst time to drive or to do anything that needs concentration. The body finds it very
difficult to adapt to the opposite cycle. Things are not likely to get better in the future because more and
more businesses are working 24-hour cycles to keep in step with our 24-hour society.
1. What is the writer's main aim in writing the 2. What does the writer say about night jobs?
text? A You get better working conditions.
A to describe the importance of work. B There is a variety of them.
B to help people change their way of life. C It is easier than working during the day.
C to say how working at night can be harmful. D Many people refuse to work at night.
D to suggest how to become a night shift worker.
3. What would a reader learn about sleep from 4. What does the writer say about the future?
the text? A Fewer people will work during the day.
A Everybody needs the same amount. B Many people will stop working during the day.
B It's difficult to change your sleeping needs. C Some jobs will always be done at night.
C People sleep better in the early morning. D Nobody will work at night.
D It's easy to change your sleeping habits.
5. Which of the following could also be a title for this text?
A SOCIETY IS CHANGING BUT OUR BODIES ARE NOT!
B A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
C A WORKER THAT SLEEPS MORE, WORKS MORE!
D IT'S TIME TO END THE NIGHT SHIFT!
SUBIECTUL AL III-LEA – WRITING (50 points)
Write a narrative essay beginning like this: “I suddenly found out that I was heir to a throne…”
(120-150 words)
