OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ 2019-2020, 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:

Have you ever seen a car without a driver? It sounds crazy, but these computer-driven driverless cars will
soon be filling roads near you. Companies like Google and Tesla have been designing and testing these
cars, and the technology is there – they just need to see if they’re value for money, work out insurance
issues, and run final tests to check if they can run alongside human-driven cars on the road.

So how do they work? (1) _______. Sensors on the wheels also help when parking, so the car knows how far
it is from the kerb or other parked cars. Road signs are read by cameras, and satellite navigation systems
are used so the car knows how to get to your destination. (2)________. Finally, a central computer system
takes in all the information it receives from the sensors and cameras, and processes this to work out when
to accelerate, brake and steer.

Sounds like your idea of heaven? Sitting back, looking out of the windows and even watching a film or
reading a book while ‘driving’ would be possible with this new technology. (3)_______. In addition,
computers are generally more efficient drivers than humans, meaning emissions would be reduced. They
would also drive more safely than people – they don’t get distracted by music or friends, they would obey
the speed limit and they have quicker reaction times in case of an emergency.

(4)_______. Computers would have difficulties making ethical decisions; if a child ran into the road, would
the computer choose to hit the child or swerve and potentially kill the car’s passengers? Moreover, I
personally find driving fun – I’d miss never being behind the wheel myself. (5) ________. Should children,
or drunk people, be allowed in a driverless car by themselves? Or would there need to be a responsible
adult with a driving licence in the car at all times?

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. However, there are many drawbacks of driverless cars.

B. There would also be many legal decisions to be made.
C. The cars have sensors all around which can detect other cars and obstacles in the road.
D. You wouldn’t have to worry about remembering directions to where you’re going.
E. Driverless cars won't crash, saving tens of thousands of lives.
F. All you have to do is type in the address!

B. (3px5=15 points) For the following questions, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits
according to the text.

1. What sort of issues are currently being faced by Google and Tesla when it comes to driverless
cars?
A People are doubtful about their quality and reliability.
B Such cars may not be effective in driving together with ordinary cars on the road.
C There is legislation which limits the amount of driverless cars.

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SECȚIUNEA B - CLASA A IX-A - VARIANTA 1

D The roads need extra lanes.

2. Which is the technological element that lies behind the success of driverless cars?
A the wireless component
B the computer in the car
C the sensors in the road
D the multiple sensors that equip the driverless cars

3. What does this new technology allow passengers to do while the car is running?
A taking short naps
B enjoying fun activities like reading and watching films
C playing board games
D surfing the web

4. According to the text, computers are more likely to be efficient drivers than humans because
A they display no emotional intelligence
B they are designed to protect drivers and passengers
C they can’t be diverted by music or friends
D they react suitably to any potential danger

5. One downside of “driving” such cars lies in

A their failure to make ethical and legal choices
B crashing human beings when they go through a red light
C their taking over when they think you’re making a mistake.
D the use of cameras to check on you

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. Remember to return the videos you have rented. BACK

Don’t ______________ the videos you have rented.
2. “Was it Paul’s idea to go to the cinema?” CAME
Was it Paul ______________ the idea of going to the cinema?
3. I never find time to tidy my desk. ROUND
I never ______________ my desk.
4. I am not tall enough to reach the top of this cupboard. TALLER
If I ______________reach the top of this cupboard.
5. I am sure Maria finds reading interesting because she has lots of books. MUST
Maria ______________ reading because she has lots of books.
6. Do you happen to know the time of the next train to London? COULD
I wonder ______________ me the time of the next train to London.
7. They are moving our oral examination to an earlier date. FORWARD
Our oral examination ______________ to an earlier date.
8. The house was not very attractive in appearance when we first saw it. MUCH
The house was ______________ at when we first saw it.
9. Fog delayed my flight to Moscow this morning. UP
My flight to Moscow ______________ this morning.
10. Olivia did not concentrate so she made a lot of mistakes. WOULD
If Olivia ______________ made fewer mistakes.

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SECȚIUNEA B - CLASA A IX-A - VARIANTA 1

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) TAKE; (2) GLOBE; (3) AWARE; (4) FACT; (5) EDIT; (6) RELY; (7) ACCURATE; (8) EXPERT; (9) MASK;
(10) ALTER

Most would agree that the golden age of the library has well and truly passed and that the internet has
(1)_______as provider of (2)________ information. At the same time there is growing (3)_______ that online
articles which seem to be based on scientific research and academic study, are not as (4)________ as they claim.
An online writer has the kind of (5)________ powers that no ordinary journalist or author would ever have,
forcing the reader to distinguish between what is actually objective or what is mere opinion. Thus, even sites
which were once thought to be (6)________, now suffer from attacks carried out by internet vandals who
deliberately cause (7)________ . In other cases, writers claim to have academic background or (8)________ in an
area, when they do not. For example, before he was (9)_________, a student was able to make thousands of
(10)_________ to the entries people had posted on an encyclopaedia.

QUESTION II (25 POINTS) - PARAGRAPH WRITING

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

“As luck would have it, I was the happy winner of a marvellous Christmas holiday in Jamaica, the Caribbean
island. This goes beyond anybody’s wildest dreams: lush vegetation, reef-lined beaches, and snorkelling
sites! A brand new type of Christmas, good-bye New York freezing cold! After successfully passing the ordeal
of packing and leaving Pooky, my cat, with my paws-loving neighbour, I boarded on my flight to paradise, not
knowing what fate had in store for me. The moment I touched the ground, I realized something was terribly
wrong! People dressed in warm clothes, snowdrifts and a dazzling notice which read “Welcome to Jamaica”,
Vermont USA.

TOTAL 100 PUNCTE

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

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SECȚIUNEA B - CLASA A IX-A - VARIANTA 1

INSPECTORATUL ȘCOLAR AL MUNICIPIULUI BUCUREȘTI

OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ, 2019-2020
ETAPA PE ȘCOALA – CLASA A IX-A – Sectiunea B

PUNCTAJ SI BAREM
VARIANTA 1

I. READING COMPREHENSION (25 p)

A. (2px5=10 points)
1-C; 2-F; 3-D; 4-A; 5-B

B. (3px5=15 points)
1-B; 2-D; 3-B; 4-C; 5-A

II.REPHRASING - 2,5X10 (25 POINTS)

1. forget to take/bring BACK

2. who/that CAME/up with
3. get ROUND/ to tidying
4. were/was / TALLER I could
5. MUST be interested/ in
6. if you COULD tell
7. is being / brought/moved FORWARD
8. not MUCH / to look
9. was held UP by fog
10. had concentrated, / she WOULD have

III.WORD FORMATION - 2,5X10 (25 POINTS)

1. overtaken
2. global
3. awareness
4. factual
5. editorial/editing
6. reliable
7. inaccuracy/inaccuracies
8. expertise
9. unmasked
10. alterations

IV. QUESTION II (25 POINTS) - PARAGRAPH WRITING - Use the Marking Scheme

NOTA: Pentru subiectul II se acceptă orice altă variantă corectă.

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SECȚIUNEA B - CLASA A IX-A - VARIANTA 1

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