MINISTERUL EDUCAŢIEI NAȚIONALE

INSPECTORATUL ȘCOLAR AL MUNICIPIULUI BUCUREȘTI

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ 2018-2019, ETAPA PE SCOALA,
SECȚIUNEA B - CLASA A IX-A - VARIANTA 1

QUESTION I (75 POINTS): USE OF ENGLISH

I. READING COMPREHENSION (25 p)

Read the following text and complete the tasks:
It was a rather small and genteel town. The sort of place where people like to retire, in order to spend their final years
taking a walk in a nice park full of roses and with a boating lake. (1) _______. There were plenty of tea shops with
tempting cakes and lots of bookshops and antique dealers. A place where no one ever said a cross word and smiles
were worn by all.
Harry Pratchett had lived there all his life and he hated it. He owned a small antique shop tucked away on one of the
little back lanes of the town. Not many people wandered into the dusty, dimly-lit shop, or certainly not many locals, who
knew it was better not to provoke his terrifying bad temper. (2)________. They would venture to see if they could find
any hidden gems to add to their collection of antique ornaments at home.
But as soon as anyone came into the shop, Harry would glower at them and bark out gruffly, 'What do you want?'. This
was usually enough to send any unfortunate potential customer scurrying back out the door. The immediate retreat
was the only thing to bring a smile to Harry's face.
It was a mystery to many just how Harry had managed to survive all these years with no customers to sell to. (3)
_______. Nobody gave too much thought to Harry's financial slate. Harry was just accepted as one of the town's more
'colourful' characters. (4) _______.
When the door to his shop opened, Harry couldn't see who had entered. (5)________. He was just about to bark out
his usual question when she stepped forward where he could see her. His voice died in his throat and all he could do
was stare at her open-mouthed. Her reappearance, after fifty years, had had the remarkable effect of stunning Harry
into silence.

A. (2px5=10 points) Five sentences have been removed from the text. Select the appropriate sentence for each
gap in the text. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

A. It was decided that his father must have left him enough to live on.
B. It came with all the necessities for a civilized life.
C. Her face was in shadow.
D. He wanted to ask her a million questions.
E. It was only tourists, who occasionally stumbled on his little shop.
F. But someone who could be safely ignored.

B. (3px5=15 points) For the following questions, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits according to the
text.
1. In the first paragraph, what impression does the writer give of the town?
A People led comfortable lives there.
B Most residents were bored of the place.
C There were no young people at all.
D It was located in the countryside.
2. Why didn't Harry's shop have many local customers?
A No one knew where the shop was.
B Most townspeople knew he was irritable.
C It was too dark to see in the shop.
D The shop looked like it was closed.
3. In the third paragraph, the writer implies that
A customers never went into the shop.
B the shop had nothing of value in it.
C Harry enjoyed frightening customers.
D Harry never spoke to customers.
4. What was the attitude of the townspeople to Harry?
A They believed he was very poor.
B They enjoyed gossiping about him.
C They worried about his finances.
D They didn't give him much thought.
5. How did Harry feel about his wife returning home?

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Clasa a IX-a_Sectiunea B_V1
 MINISTERUL EDUCAŢIEI NAȚIONALE
INSPECTORATUL ȘCOLAR AL MUNICIPIULUI BUCUREȘTI
OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ 2018-2019, ETAPA PE SCOALA,
SECȚIUNEA B - CLASA A IX-A - VARIANTA 1

A He thought it was hilarious.

B He was very angry about it.
C He needed time to think about it.
D He was quite shocked by it.

II. (2.5px10=25 points) Rephrase the following sentences so that the meaning stays the same, using the word
in capitals. You must not change the word in capitals.

1. My teachers disliked the way I dressed. APPROVED

None __________the way I dressed.
2. I didn’t work hard enough and now I am facing bankruptcy. WOULDN’T
If I ____________ bankruptcy.
3. Jim was not promoted. That’s why he resigned. AS
Jim resigned ______________ promoted.
4. The heavy summer rainfall has caused severe floods. BROUGHT
Severe floods ___________________the heavy summer rainfall.
5. I realised I had forgotten my wallet only after I left. WHEN
It was only ______________ I had forgotten my wallet.
6. Is there a danger of having the climate irreversibly changed? RUN
Do ____________ the climate irreversibly changed?
7. I am not strong enough to climb that steep path without a walking stick. TOO
That path is _________________________ climb without a walking stick.
8. I am sure he did not believe her lies! CAN’T
He ________________ her lies!
9. You ought to apologise to Bill for having let him down. BETTER
You_____________ to Bill for having let him down.
10. If only you spoke Chinese! SOONER
I __________________________ Chinese!

III. (2.5px10=25 points) Read the sentences below and use the words given in capitals to form words that fit in
the gaps. The words in capitals are given in the order in which you need to use them.
1 - ENCOURAGE; 2 - ASSUME; 3 - GUIDE; 4 – SIGNIFY; 5 - ART; 6 - DAUNT; 7 – COME; 8 - EVER; 9 -
EMPHASISE; 10 - HEIGHT

Creative children who have a good imagination, whether in writing or speaking, benefit from (1)_____ . Many parents
wrongly make the (2)_____ that this should occur in the classroom only, giving teachers sole responsibility for this. But
parental (3)_____ is important, too. A good suggestion is to get your child to enter writing competitions which will give
writing a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Making young minds realise the (4)_____ of keeping a diary is useful,
too. However, the best idea is to encourage your child with dramatic storytelling and enjoyable game playing. Having a
child who is (5)_____ gifted can prove a (6)_____ task for many parents who should (7)_____ their fears that the
children might not meet their potential. Both teachers and parents should show more support for self-expression - in
(8)_____ form it takes, laying more (9)_____ on judgment of pupils’ performance and less on ticking boxes. To be
(10)_____ creative you first need the right creative mindset, but, whether you’re a child or JK Rowling, writing is hard
for everyone. You’re making yourself vulnerable.

QUESTION II (25 POINTS) - PARAGRAPH WRITING

Write an 8 -10-line narrative paragraph to continue the story:

‘He really did look like a tourist, with a camera around his neck and a bottle of sunscreen sticking out of his tote bag.
The portly man sat on the terrace, sipping lemonade and pretending to look at a glossy cruise brochure. His
sunglasses masked his eyes, but I knew he wasn't looking at the brochure: he hadn't turned a page for the last ten
minutes. As I brought him his clam chowder, he coughed up a "thank you" and looked at me briefly. I tried not to stare
at the tiny scar across his left eyebrow. I walked back inside with my empty tray, shaking my head. He looked familiar,
but I couldn't quite place him. Then it hit me.’
TOTAL 100 PUNCTE

TOATE SUBIECTELE SUNT OBLIGATORII. TIMP DE LUCRU 3 ORE. NU SE ACORDĂ PUNCTE DIN OFICIU.

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