CONCURSUL DE LIMBA ENGLEZA QUEST

ETAPA JUDETEANA
BAIA MARE, 23 FEBRUARIE 2013
CLASA A XI-A
I READING COMPREHENSION 20!"
Read the text below and answer the questions:
Like many people acting on the desire to eat healthy and local, Acropolis resident Eduardo Jimenez decided to
plant a garden in his backyard. He tilled the soil, he planted the seeds, and he even erected a fence to keep out the deer.
Eduardo did everything right. Or so it seems. Harvest time has come, and he has not one tomato, bean, or leaf of lettuce
to sho for his hard ork. Ho did this happen! "he anser comes in the form of a small, bron, particularly smelly
insect# the stink bug.
$nlike their fastidious cousins, stink bugs feed on some %&& species of plants, including figs, mulberries, corn,
and citrus fruits as ell as soybeans, legumes, and eeds. Although they do little damage to the plant itself, they make
the fruits and vegetables unmarketable. 'or this reason, stink bugs pose the most serious threat to the big
agriculturalists and macro farm operators. (acro farmers have more invested in their produce, and therefore have more
to lose. )hile hobbyists like Eduardo are left to face the disappointment of an unsuccessful garden, macro farmers are
forced to live ith the loss of entire tracts of cash crops*a fact that has left many barely able to clothe their children or
put food on the table. Last season alone, several +e Jersey pepper farmers sa ,-. of their crops damaged.
/ennsylvania lost half of its peach population, and, according to the $0 Apple Association, apple farmers in the mid1
Atlantic states lost 2%, million. "his year could be orse.
As a result of this decline in the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, shoppers have seen ad3ustments*
sometimes 4uite dramatic*in prices at the grocery store. /rices of apples in (aryland are up 5.. 6n the north1Atlantic
states, prices for peppers shot up an astounding 78.. +ot only are these items becoming more e9pensive, but they are
also getting harder to find. Last eek, (arge Jenkins of Athens, :eorgia reported having to check three different stores
before stumbling upon a decent batch of peas. And this, she assures us, is a regular occurrence.
Accidentally brought from Asia, the stink bug has no natural predators in America, and thus its population is soaring.
;eported sightings of stink bugs are becoming increasingly numerous, as the desiccated, bron, trapezoidal shells of
the dead bugs are ubi4uitous in some areas. "his has farmers and scientists alike scratching their heads in search of a
remedy. Hope, they believe, may lie ith an Asian parasitic asp, hich helpfully lays its eggs inside stink bug eggs.
"he larvae of the asp devour the stink bug from the inside. 6mplementation of such a solution is still several years
aay, as scientists must first determine if it is safe for the asp to be introduced into America. $ntil then, some
farmers are resorting to homemade traps. Others have even contemplated the use of peacocks and praying mantises,
hich, they hypothesize, ill gulp don the little stinkers.
Q#$%&'()%
1" I& '% &*!'+,--* , .((/ '/$, &( 0$.') , )$1 !,2,.2,!3 1'&3 , &2,)%'&'() %$)&$)+$4 T2,)%'&'() %$)&$)+$% ,2$ #%$/
&( ')&2(/#+$ , )$1 '/$,, ,)/ &( 5,6$ , %5((&3 %3'7& 72(5 &3$ !2$8'(#% !,2,.2,!3 &( &3$ )$9&4 T3'% 3$-!% !2$8$)&
&3$ 2$,/$2 72(5 .$&&'). -(%& (2 +()7#%$/4 U%'). &3'% ')7(25,&'(), 13'+3 (7 &3$ 7(--(1'). '% &3$ 0$%& &2,)%'&'()
%$)&$)+$ &( ')%$2& ,& &3$ 0$.'))'). (7 !,2,.2,!3 2:
A. An increasing number of them have been found in +orth America, occupying over half of the continental $nited
0tates as ell as (e9ico and parts of <anada.
=. $nbeknonst to Eduardo, the local population of stink bugs has increased dramatically over the last decade,
especially in and around the ton of Acropolis.
<. A member of the /antatomidae family, stink bugs surprisingly do not share the eating habits of related insects.
>. =ron marmorated stink bugs, hich first appeared in America in the late 7??&s, are no found in over %& states.
E. And this problem isn@t specific to EduardoA it is affecting a ide range of gardeners and farmers alike spanning the
continental $nited 0tates.
2" B,%$/ () '&% #%$ ') !,2,.2,!3 2, '& +,) 0$ ')7$22$/ &3,& fastidious 0$-().% &( 13'+3 (7 &3$ 7(--(1'). 1(2/
7,5'-'$%:
A. forard, assertive, proactive
=. demanding, particular, critical
<. delicate, insubstantial, frail
>. passionate, fervent, avid
E. abstemious, moderate, restrained
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A. illustrate the type of person ho plants a home garden
=. characterize the type of person ho is most likely to be affected by stink bugs
<. emphasize the idea that gardeners are relatively unskilled compared to farmers
>. 3u9tapose the impact of stink bugs on gardeners ith that on farmers
E. elucidate the similarities beteen the gardener and farmer
<" A++(2/'). &( &3$ ,#&3(2, 13,& '% &3$ 0'..$%& !2(0-$5 2$%#-&'). 72(5 %&')6 0#.%:
A. Hobbyists like Eduardo Jimenez are unable to eat healthy and local.
=. 'resh fruits and vegetables are becoming harder to find.
<. /eppers and apples are becoming increasingly scarce.
>. "he price of fresh fruits and vegetables is increasing.
E. (acro farmers are losing their crops.
=" B,%$/ () &3$ ')7(25,&'() ') !,2,.2,!3 3, '& +,) 0$ ')7$22$/ &3,& ,) ')+2$,%$ ') %#!!-* 2$%#-&% ')
A. a decrease in price
=. an increase in demand
<. lo availability
>. reduced importance
E. higher values
>" ?3'+3 (7 &3$ 7(--(1'). %&,&$5$)&% 1(#-/ &3$ ,#&3(2 5(%& -'6$-* ,.2$$ 1'&3:
A. "he fight against stink bugs is hopeless.
=. "here is a possible remedy to the stink bug problem, but it is unlikely to succeed.
<. 6n hopes of eradicating stink bugs, several solutions are in the orks.
>. )hile the stink bug problem is difficult, most believe it to be short1lived.
E. 0cientists have arrived at a foolproof method for eliminating stink bugs.
@" U%'). &3$ !,%%,.$ ,% , .#'/$, '& +,) 0$ #)/$2%&((/ &3,&
6. (acro farmers commonly use pesticides, artificial hormones, and other synthetic materials.
66. $ntil a solution to the stink bug problem is found, it is probably not a good time to start a home garden in
)ashington ><.
666. 6ntroducing foreign insects to closed environments can cause hazardous imbalances.
A. 6 only =. 66 only <. 6 and 66 only >. 66 and 666 only E. 6, 66, and 666
A" A% #%$/ ') &3$ 7'),- !,2,.2,!3, 13'+3 (7 &3$ 7(--(1'). /$%+2'0$% %(5$&3'). &3,& '% ubiquitous:
A. On Balentine@s >ay, our school as littered ith little pink love notes. 6 even found one stuck to my shoe hen 6 got
home.
=. 6gnacio counted eight purple trucks on the ay to ork today. He is in the market for a ne truck and ould like to
get a colour that nobody else already has.
<. "he copier malfunctioned and shoered paper all over the room. 6t took Earnest tenty minutes to clean it up.
>. $pon taking the hot dogs from the fire, flies sarmed the campers. Jaime ished he had brought bug spray.
E. 6n 758?, droves of gold miners fled to <alifornia in hopes of striking it rich. $nfortunately, many
arrived too late and found nothing but hard times.
B" H(1 5#+3 (7 &3$ !$!!$2 7,25$2%C +2(!% ') N$1 J$2%$* 1$2$ /$%&2(*$/:
A.5. =.78. <.,-. >.-&. E.%&.
10" O) 3(1 5,)* %!$+'$% (7 !-,)&% /( %&')6 0#.% 7$$/:
A. %, =. %&& <. ,- >. 78 E. 5

II ENGLISH IN USE <0!"
1 U%$ &3$ /$2'8,&$% (7 &3$ 1(2/% ') +,!'&,- -$&&$2% &( 7'-- ') &3$ 0-,)6%D 10!"
Cou come across plenty of people ho say they D&E ..dislike... computers. L6FE
"hese Gcomputer1phobesH resent hat they see as the D7EIIIII..of 6+BA>E
our lives by computer technology, hich, they say, is used for DJEIII 0"O;E
information about peopleHs private lives. (ost are D%EIIIIof the A)A;E
many benefits computers can bring to users, like ord D8EIIIIII /;O<E00
hich allos so many tasks to be done much more D-EIIII.than K$6<F
as possible in the past. "hey allo their fear to DLEIIII.them from <O$;A:E
ever finding out about the e9traordinary D,EIII..of programmes that BA;6O$0
are no available, most of hich are D5EIII..easy to operate. ;E(A;FA=LE
/<1users no perform tasks that ould have been beyond the D?EIII 6(A:6+E
of computer enthusiasts 3ust a decade agoA that surely e9plains hy there
has been an D7&EIIII.of interest in computing all over the orld. EM/LO>E
24 F'-- ') 1'&3 ONE %#'&,0-$ 1(2/D 10!"
Let me dra your attention D7EIIII.something you may not have thought about. As you are reading
these ords, you are taking DJEIIIIin one of the onders of the natural orld. 'or you and 6 belong to a
species ith a remarkable ability# e can shape events in each D%EIIIIIbrains ith e94uisite precision.
6 am not D8EIIII.to telepathy or mind reading or other obsessions of scienceA even D-EIIIIthe
depictions of believers these are blunt instruments compared to an ability DLEIIIIIis uncontroversially
present in every one of us. "hat ability is language. 0imply by making noises ith our mouths, e can count
D,EIII.causing precise ne combinations of ideas to arise in each otherHs minds. "he ability comes so
naturally that e tend to forget hat a miracle D5EIII.. Language is so tightly oven D?EIII..human
e9perience that it is scarcely possible to imagine life ithout it. "he chances are that if you find to or more
people together anyhere on earth, they D7&EIIIIsoon be e9changing ords.
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E)8'2()5$)&,- C()+$2)%
Earth is the only place e kno of in the universe that can support human life. D7E ... human activities are
making the planet less fit to live on. As the estern orld DJE ... on consuming to1thirds of the orld@s
resources hile half of the orld@s population do so D%E ... to stay alive e are rapidly destroying the D8E ...
resource e have by hich all people can survive and prosper. Everyhere fertile soil is D-E ... built on or
ashed into the sea. ;eneable resources are e9ploited so much that they ill never be able to recover DLE ...
)e discharge pollutants into the atmosphere ithout any thought of the conse4uences. As a D,E ... the planet@s
ability to support people is being D5E I.. at the very time hen rising human numbers and consumption are
D?E I.. increasingly heavy demands on it. "he Earth@s D7&E ... resources are there for us to use.
7. A. Although =. 0till <.Cet >. >espite
J. A. continues =. repeats <. carries >. follos
%. A. already =. 3ust <. for >. entirely
8. A. alone =. individual <. lone >. only
-. A. sooner =. neither <. either >. rather
L. A. 4uite =. greatly <. utterly >. completely
,. A. development =. result <. reaction >. product
5. A. stopped =. narroed <. reduced >. cut
?. A. doing =. having <. taking >. making
7&. A. natural =. real <. living >. genuine
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.'8$)4 10!"
7. 6@m sure it as Ana 6 sa in ton as 6 recognised her coat. ($0"
6t ........................................ Ana 6 sa in ton as 6 recognised her coat.
J. NHave you been on holiday recently, Jane!N asked "ony. =EE+
"ony asked Jane ........................................ on holiday recently.
%. >id you manage to get in contact ith the boss today! 0$<<EE>
>id you ........................................ in contact ith the boss today!
8. 6 donHt care hat you do. <O+<E;+E>
As ........................................ you can do hat you like.
-. "hatHs the garage here 6 left my car last eek. ;E/A6;E>
"hatHs here 6 ent ........................................ last eek.
III ?RITING 30! "
?2'&$ , 2=0-1(2/ ,2&'+-$ () &3$ 7(--(1'). &(!'+D SCHOOL ?ITHOUT EXAMS F IS IT A GOOD OR
BAD IDEA:
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7.must have been
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8.far as 6 am concerned
-.to have my car repaired
III4 ?RITING 30!"
1 organization and cohesion IIIIIIII-p.
1 language accuracy IIIIIIIIIII.Lp.
1 content IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII5p.
1 range of vocabulary IIIIIIIIII...Lp.
1 register IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-p.