Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării, Tineretului și Sportului

Inspectoratul Școlar al Municipiului București

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZA 2011-2012 - Etapa pe sector – clasa a XII-a – varianta 1

I. (10 points) Read the texts below and decide which variant (A, B, C or D) best fits each space:
Parrots and macaws have become so (1) _____ that special varieties of these birds are (2) _____ up
to £9,000 each on the black market in Britain. Macaws from Brazil cost from £1,000 and parrots from
Australia can cost £7,500 a pair.
The demand for parrots, cockatoos and macaws has led to a (3) _____ increase in thefts from zoos,
wildlife parks and pet shops. London and Whipsnade zoos are among the many places from which
parrots have been stolen. Some thefts have not been (4) _____ in an effort to prevent further (5)
_____. Parrot rustling, as it is known among bird fanciers, has increased rapidly in Britain since 1976
when imports and exports of exotic birds became (6) _____ controlled.
Quarantine controls, (7) _____ with the scarcity of many types of parrots in the wild in Africa,
Australia, Indonesia, and South America, have caused a shortage of birds which can be sold legally
under licence. This has sent prices to (8) _____ levels.
Working at night and equipped with wire-cutters, nets and substances to dope the birds, the rustlers
are prepared to (9) _____ serious risks to capture the parrots they want. At Birdworld, a specialist zoo,
thieves stole two parrots after picking their way through an enclosure containing cassowaries. The
cassowary is a large flightless bird, related to the emu, which can be extremely aggressive, and has
been (10) _____ to kill humans with blows from its powerful legs.
1. A. costly B. extinct C. outlandish D. rare
2. A. raising B. reaching C. lifting D. fetching
3. A. acute B. peak C. sharp D. high
4. A. published B. publicised C. advertised D. told
5. A. happenings B. incidents C. acts D. activities
6. A. tightly B. hardly C. toughly D. grimly
7. A. coupled B. doubled C. attached D. accompanied
8. A. unknown B. unheard C. record D. highest
9. A. sustain B. assume C. take D. make
10. A. heard B. known C. considered D. able

II. (10 points) Fill the gaps in the text below with ONE suitable word:
When it (1) _____ to violent nationalism, the Welsh are not in the (2) _____ league as the Basques or
the Northern Irish, but they can be bad (3) _____ .The Welsh (4) _____ have a distinct nationality, (5)
_____ a language and literature of their own. Indeed, they have their own cultural festival, with music
and singing, (6) _____ an Eisteddfod, which dates back to 1176. At the Eisteddfod, the poets, or
bards, wear long white, flowing robes, and (7) _____ themselves very seriously.
Like Brittany, Wales is rather isolated. It is a mountainous lump between England and the Irish Sea.
Because it is isolated, and because it contains little (8) _____ stealing, the place has been (9) _____
to its own devices, so that half a million people still speak the ancient Welsh language. However, the
proportion of the population who speak Welsh (10) _____ fallen since 1960 from about 30 per cent to
about 20 per cent.

III. (10 points) Read the text below and use the words given in capitals below 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- PREVAIL, 2- STATE, 3-PROBABLY, 4- AMBIENCE, 5- SOUND, 6- DEAD 7- PRIVATE, 8-
RESTRICTED, 9- THINK, 10 - RATION
For most investigations into paranormal phenomena, the following hints and tips should be of some
use. First and foremost, the ghost hunter should be aware of (1) _____ weather conditions as the
effects of climate on equipment cannot be (2) _____ . In all (3) _____ it will not be possible to work in
an environment with a total lack of (4) _____ sounds but wherever possible, sources of external noise

Olimpiada de limba engleza, etapa pe sector 1

Clasa a XII-a, varianta 1
 Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării, Tineretului și Sportului
Inspectoratul Școlar al Municipiului București
OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZA 2011-2012 - Etapa pe sector – clasa a XII-a – varianta 1

should be kept to a minimum. The site of the haunting is likely to be a heavily (5) _____ recording
studio but many of the recording devices we recommend will only work in conditions approaching (6)
_____ silence.
First-time ghost hunters should also be aware of (7) _____ issues related to the use of digital or
analogue voice recorders and video and depending on your location, the use of these in public areas
could be subject to (8) _____ .
Finally, we cannot stress enough the importance of remaining sceptical at all times. It would be (9)
_____ for a professional ghost hunter to publish an account of a supernatural occurrence without first
considering every possible (10) _____ explanation you can give for what you have recorded.

IV. (20 points) Rephrase the following sentences so that they contain the words in capitals, and
so that the meaning stays the same:

1. The travel agent recommended our staying near the airport. SHOULD
The travel agent recommended ____________________________ .
2. Initially, everybody believed his story but now they think he was lying. UP
He is now _____________________________the story.
3. Somebody is bringing cold drinks to the party. ARE
_______ to the party.
4. My wish is to have been told the truth. ONLY
If______ the truth!
5. I never sunbathe because I get sunburnt easily. WOULD
If I _________________________ sunbathe.
6. I’m sure I have met this man before. HAVE
I ______________ this man before.
7. Your car needs servicing. GET
You ___________________ serviced.
8. The kids dived straight into the pool when we arrived. SOONER
No _________________________the kids dived into the pool.
9. The heavy downpour brought their picnic to an abrupt end. CUT
They had to ___________________because of the heavy downpour.
10. There are at least five passwords to type before you can get into the system. FEWER
Entry to the system _____________________________ five passwords.

V.(50 points) - REPORT WRITING – 280-300 words

The TV company you are working for needs a report about young people television-watching habits.
Write your report for the company.

Think about:
 sections with subheadings;
 introduction and conclusion.

SCRIETI RASPUNSURILE PE FOAIA DE RASPUNS (ANSWER SHEET). BARATI TOATE SPATIILE NECOMPLETATE.
TIMP DE LUCRU: 3 ORE. NU SE ACORDA PUNCTE DIN OFICIU.

Olimpiada de limba engleza, etapa pe sector 2

Clasa a XII-a, varianta 1