INITIAL TEST

Clasa a IX a
Varianta A

I Read the following text and mark the sentences T (true) or F (false).

A Short History of the Bagel

The bagel is known around the world as a typically New York type of food. But it
has a surprising and unusual history that goes back many years.
The basic idea of a bread roll with a hole is centuries old. In Roman times, soldiers ate
hard bread called buccellatum, and in China there is similar-shaped traditional bread
called girde. The ancient Egyptians ate a bagel-like snack, too, and there are even more
examples from around the Mediterranean area.
But it was in Poland that todays bagel really began. According to legend, it was the
product of the 1683 Battle of Vienna. The Polish king, Jan Sobieski, had saved Austria
from the Turkish invaders. To celebrate, the Jewish bakers of Krakow made a roll in the
shape of the kings stirrup the metal objects you put your feet in when you ride a
horse and called it a buegel (from the German word for stirrup). There is, however,
no evidence to show whether this was true or not, but the story still remains today.
It is unclear when the first bagels made their way to the United States, but by 1900, 70
bakeries which sold bagels existed on the Lower East Side district of New York. What is
also certain is that immigrants from Eastern Europe, with their cravings for the foods of
the old country, sparked the New York bagel craze.
It was the 1950s that were the real turning point. As Jewish people began to move to
other parts of New York, they started to share their traditional food with the rest of the
city. Bagels were mentioned in a popular cookbook of the time, and demand started to
grow across America. To meet this demand, a baker called Murray Lender began to use
recent inventions like the freezer and plastic packaging to distribute freshly-made
bagels across America. Soon, Lenders bagels were available in almost every
supermarket, and today they are part of a traditional American diet and available all
over the world.
But why has the bagel endured through all this time? Possibly because of its heroic
legend, but also because it has the advantage of lasting longer than freshly-baked bread.
If it gets slightly stale, it can be dunked in hot liquid to soften it. So it lasts long, can be
eaten in many ways, and of course tastes delicious.
1 People made bread in the shape of bagels in many different cultures. ...........
2 Bagels were first made in Austria. ..........
3 They were made by Jewish bakers. ..........
4 Bagels were first made in New York in the Brooklyn area. ..........
5 They became popular all over America in the 1960s. ..........
6 New inventions were used to sell bagels across America. ..........
7 One of the reasons bagels are popular is because they stay fresh for a long time. .......
7 x 2 = 14p

II Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense.

1 I .............................................. (live) in this town since I was born.
2 Everybody knows that kangaroos .......................................... (not/live) in Spain.
3 These days everything ................................................ (change).
4 They ..................................................... (move) house next October.
5 Alice ...................................................... (normally/cut) her hair herself.
6 Sarah is very happy. She .............................................. (win) a poetry competition.
7 While the dog ....................................................... (dig) in the garden, it found a bone.
8 The teacher ................................................... (teach) the children a song yesterday.
8 x 2 = 16p

III Correct the following sentences by taking out the inappropriate word.
1 He has an uncle who he likes fishing.
2 Sharon did has met many famous film stars.
3 The car who they had rented broke down after half an hour.
4 This jumper it is too small for me.
5 The children had a great fun at the fair.
5 x 2 = 10p

IV Fill in the correct word derived from the words in bold.

1 Because there was no ........................., the suspect was found not guilty. PROVE
2 Everyone at the meeting made ............................ about how to raise money.SUGGEST
3 His job is very ................................ as it involves a lot of responsibility. STRESS
4 He has changed .................................. since the last time I saw him. DRAMATIC
5 Thailand is a ..................................... country which is well worth visiting. BEAUTY
5 x 2 = 10p

V Complete the sentences using the words in bold. Use two to five words.
1 Samantha is prettier than Julia. AS
Julia ................................................................................................. Samantha.
2 He hasnt worked for six months. WAS
The last time ................................................................................. six months ago.
3 Its a two-hour drive to the seaside. TAKES
It ............................................................................................... to the seaside.
4 Paul lived in Mexico when he was young. LIVE
Paul ............................................................................... in Mexico when he was young.
5 Ive never seen such a pretty girl. EVER
Shes the .......................................................................................... seen.
5 x 3 = 15p

VI Imagine you have some British friends in the UK, and you stayed with them for a
week last month.
Write a letter to thank them. Write 80 100 words.

25 p

BAREM DE CORECTARE
I 1T 2F 3T 4F 5F 6T 7T

II 1 have lived / have been living 2 dont live 3 is changing 4 are moving
5 normally cuts 6 has won 7 was digging 8 taught

III 1 who 2 did 3 who 4 it 5 a

IV 1 proof 2 suggestions 3 stressful 4 dramatically 5 beautiful

V 1 is not as pretty as 2 he worked was 3 takes two hours to drive

4 used to live 5 prettiest girl I have ever

VI 25 points A very positive effect on the target reader. The content is relevant and the topic is fully
developed. Information and ideas are skilfully organised through a range of cohesive devices. A wide
range of complex structures and vocabulary is used effectively. Errors are minimal. Register and format
are consistently appropriate to the purpose of the task and the audience.
20 points
A positive effect on the target reader. The content is relevant and the topic is developed. Information and
ideas are clearly organised through the use of a variety of cohesive devices. A good range of complex
structures and vocabulary is used. Some errors may occur with vocabulary and when complex language is
attempted, but these do not cause difficulty for the reader.Register and format are usually appropriate to
the purpose of the task and the audience.
15 points
A satisfactory effect on the target reader. The content is relevant with some development of the topic.
Information and ideas are generally organised logically, though cohesive devices may not always be used
appropriately. A satisfactory range of structures and vocabulary is used, though word choice may lack
precision. Errors which do occur not cause difficulty for the reader.Register and format are reasonably
appropriate to the purpose of the task and the audience
10 points
A negative effect on the target reader. The content is not always relevant. Information and ideas are
inadequately organised and sometimes incoherent , with inaccurate use of cohesive devices . The range of
structures and vocabulary is limited and/or repetitive, and errors may be basic or cause difficulty for the
reader. Register and format are sometimes inappropriate to the purpose of the task and the audience
5 points
A very negative effect on the target reader. The content is often irrelevant. Information and ideas are
poorly organised and often incoherent and there is minimal use of cohesive devices . The range of
structures and vocabulary is severly limited, and errors frequently cause considerable difficulty for the
reader. Register and format are often inappropriate to the purpose of the task and the audience

MODEL ANSWER
rue de la Tour 9
 1207 Geneve
Switzerland
10 September

Dear Stephanie and David,

Sorry for not writing earlier but Ive been incredibly busy since I got back!
Im writing to thank you for letting me stay with you in August. I had a fantastic time.
The weather was perfect and I really think my English got better. I hope you think so
too!
It was very nice to meet Claire and Emma. There were a lot of memorable days, but Ill
never forget the open air concert we went to it was amazing or the visit to
Edinburgh Castle.
For the last three weeks Ive been very busy organixing everything for my next year at
university. I have to matriculate for my subjects and choose the optional ones I want to
do. Ive also been doing a lot of exercise as I put on three kilos while I was in Glasgow!
Ive been going swimming every day and playing football with my friends. Talking of
football, I was sorry to see that Celtic lost on Saturday. Lets hope they play better next
week.
Anyway, thats all for now. Thanks again for everything. Dont forget my invitation to
come to Geneva my family would love to meet you. Spring would be a great time as
its warm and not too crowded.

Give my love to Claire and Emma.

Best wishes

Christelle
PS I enclose a photo I took of the girls in Edinburgh.