BILET NR.

I. Read the following text aloud:

What then are the effects of Global warming? Well, first a rise in sea levels. Second, an
increase in severe weather conditions, and third, an increase in the frequency of outbreaks of
infectious diseases - such as malaria and dengue fever. These are considered to be the main
effects, although there are many, many others.
Looking at the rise in sea levels - we know for certain that over the past 100 years - sea levels
have globally risen by over a foot and continue to rise at an alarming rate. If global warming
is not slowed down some cities and coastal areas and indeed whole island nations will be
completely covered in water by the next century. Global warming also leads to extreme
weather patterns such as El Nino - we’ve seen on the TV news the heavy storms, droughts and
floods caused by these weather patterns. As mentioned before, insects that carry infectious
diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are now on the increase. This is due in part, to their
ability to survive in places that were previously too cold or too hot for them. This has lead to
an increase in the percentage of the world’s population exposed to these diseases from 45 to
65%. This increase, is also in part, due to the rising global population itself.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the main effects of global warming?
2. How fast are weather phenomena influenced by global warming?
3. Why do infectious diseases spread more?
4. Is there a connection between the world’s population and global warming? Explain.

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

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 BILET NR. 2

I. Read the following text aloud:

Fifty per cent of the reason for rock climbing is to be out in the bush. And the same reason
forfishing: to be in a nice, nice environment. So I was drawn towards rock climbing because
of mylove for the natural world. The first time I went I actually hated it. I thought it was
dreadful. Ifound it scary and it hurt my fingers and I think initially - thanks to the thrill effects
– it was quiteexciting. And that kept me coming back. But it’s something I’ve done over the
course of anumber of years quite a bitand I have climbed in lots of different places in
Australia, and, to be honest, I lovebeing in the bush. Rock climbing is very interesting
because it’s technically demanding andit’s also very intense. And you have to take it seriously
because there’s potential risk,althoughthe dangers - objective dangers - are pretty small.
Nevertheless, they’re real and you have totake them seriously. So it is incredibly absorbing
when you do it. It really focuses the mind andyou don’t tend to think about much else when
you’re rock climbing other than what you’redoing right there and then.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What other reasons does the author give for rock climbing?
2. What was the author’s reaction when he first went rock climbing ?
3. How does the author consider rock climbing? Explain
4. Where did the author do most of his rock climbing?.

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 BILET NR. 3

I. Read the following text aloud:

When I visited the New CityAcademy one Saturday, I didn’t expect to meet many
students. I got a big surprise! Saturday school started as a punishment, but on the day that I
visited, only seven students were wearing school uniform, a sign that they were in detention.
All the other students were at school on Saturday because they wanted to be there.
Everywhere I looked, people were working hard, but not many activities had anything
to do with the school curriculum. A rock’n’roll band was practising in the canteen. The band
started coming to Saturday school two years ago. ‘We wanted somewhere to practise.
Rock’n’roll is noisy, but at school, it doesn’t matter,’ they told me.

II.. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did most students go to Saturday school?
2. What did Saturday school mean initially?
3. What were the Saturday school activities like?
4. How would you describe the attitude of the students present at school on Saturday?

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Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 4

I. Read the following text aloud:

Today, millions of people want to learn or improve their English but it is difficult to find the
best method. Is it better to study in Britain or America or to study in your own country?
The advantages of going to Britain seem obvious. Firstly, you will be able to listen to the
language all the time you are in the country. You will be surrounded completely by the
language wherever you go. Another advantage is that you have to speak the language if you
are with other people. In Italy, it is always possible, in the class, to speak Italian if you want to
and the learning is slower.
On the other hand, there are also advantages to staying at home to study. You don't have to
make big changes to your life. As well as this, it is also a lot cheaper than going to Britain but
it is never possible to achieve the results of living in the UK. If you have a good teacher in
Italy, I think you can learn in a more concentrated way than being in Britain without going to
a school.
So, in conclusion, I think that if you have enough time and enough money, the best choice is
to spend some time in the UK. This is simply not possible for most people, so being here in
Italy is the only viable option. The most important thing to do in this situation is to maximise
your opportunities: to speak only English in class and to try to use English whenever possible
outside the class.

II.. Answer the following questions:

1. What is one of the advantages of going to the UK to learn English?

2. What is one of the advantages of staying in your country to learn English?
3. What should people who don't have a lot of time and money do?
4. How would you learn English?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 5

I. Read the following text aloud:

Ralph is an attractive boy and a natural leader, the sort of intelligent, well-adjusted, athletic
boy who easily might become the idol of his schoolmates. We meet him in the first chapter as
he leads the way out of the jungle while Piggy lumbers after him. That he is fair-haired
suggests that he is a child of fortune, one who is blessed by nature with grace, strength and
luck. There is recklessness to his manner. He seems happy at the prospect of living on a
deserted island, away from the influence of adults. The setting fosters dreams of heroic
adventure in which he is the protagonist. He will overcome all the difficulties present in his
surroundings, lead a joyously exciting jungle life, then optimistically await a glamorous
rescue by his naval-officer father. Unfortunately, his dreams are frustrated when nature and
his fellow youths refuse to cooperate with his romantic vision. And, as his dream becomes
more difficult of attainment, he loses confidence and calmness and begins to indulge himself
in escape fantasies and dreams of the past.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. What qualities does Ralph have?

2. Why does he seem happy?
3. Why are his dreams frustrated?
4. What difficulties might someone encounter if she/he finds himself/herself alone on a
desert island?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 6

I. Read the following text aloud:

The things humans leave behind, whether thrown away or stored, can tell us a great deal about
how people lived. Archaeologists reconstruct entire cultures by studying the material remains
of past human life, from artefacts such as tools, weapons, pottery shards, jewellery, or other
human-made things, to food leftovers, campsites, skeletons, and fossils.
Archaeologists are detectives. They analyse all the clues they find, including cooking
implements, papyrus and other writing materials, ruins of buildings and ships, trash, fossilized
plants and pollen, and human and animal bones. Then they can determine where people lived
in the past, what they ate, how they got their food, how their society was organized, and who
their trading partners were.
Archaeologists are interested in answering a wide range of questions, such as when
agriculture started and why cities developed. They work with many different time periods and
places on Earth. Some archaeologists study the beginning of human life, more than 3 million
years ago, and others sift through today’s garbage to gain knowledge about modern cultures.
Today there are archaeological studies going on all over the world.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What do archaeologists investigate?

2. Why do archaeologists analyse material remains?
3. What historical periods are usually investigated by archaeologists?
4. How might an archaeologist of the future interpret ‘today’s garbage’?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 7

I. Read the following text aloud:

Comic books have been a part of American culture since the early 1900s. They had humble
beginnings, containing reprints of comic strips from newspapers. Soon they took on a life of
their own. They became a huge industry and inspired movies and television shows. The first
American comic book was called Funnies on Parade. It was exactly what the title suggested,
a reprint of the funnies from the daily papers. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, comic books
sold for ten cents each on news-stands.
As the popularity of comic books grew, publishers began to hire artists to draw original
material for them. They usually featured heroes with special powers, called pulp heroes. One
of these heroes was Popeye. In 1938, a character named Superman was introduced in a book
called Action Comics. He became so popular that he eventually got his own series. This was
the first time a comic book focused on a single character.
In 1940, the first sidekick was created. Robin the Boy Wonder was featured in Detective
Comics alongside Batman. The character was a hit, and soon almost all the superheroes had
sidekicks. There are many characters that have lasted through the decades. Batman, Wonder
Woman, The Flash, and Green Lantern are just a few.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What did comic books originally contain?

2. What were the general characteristics of a comic book character?
3. When did comic book characters change into what they are today?
4. Why do you think comic book characters (superheroes) became so popular?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 8

I. Read the following text aloud:

Can you imagine what our lives will be like in the year 2050? Here are some answers to
this question. Friendship, one of the most important human relationships, will have changed
dramatically. People will make friends through the Internet. What is more, a large number of
people will even come across their future husbands and wives in this way! Computers will
have become absolutely essential by 2050. Even now, some people describe them as their best
friend! Others, however, say that we will become much more isolated from each other
because we will have little real human contact. Education will have changed a lot, too. As
more and more pupils will be using computers in schools, certain abilities, such as mental
arithmetic, won’t be necessary since there will be computer programs for most calculations.
Even writing by hand will have become a thing of the past.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. How will people get to know each other in the future?

2. Why will mental arithmetic cease to be necessary?
3. In what respects will computers change our lives?
4. Why do some people believe that our lives will change for the worse in the future?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 9

I. Read the following text aloud:

One thing I know is that I wouldn’t like to have occupation that has anything to do with
physics, chemistry or math; I am not the scientific type at all. In fact, at school I was a
complete failure in these subjects. Neither am I very good at dealing with people nor am I
ambitious, so jobs in business, administrations and management don't really interest me either.
Moreover, I find it irritating to be surrounded by a lot of people; I would much rather have a
job involving creative work or artistic skills of some sort. I’d like to have the chance to work
outdoors occasionally and perhaps do a bit of travelling too. I am not particularly concerned
about becoming rich but I would like to have a reasonable income – enough to live
comfortably.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of person is the one speaking in the text?

2. What are his/her interests? Why?
3. What is his/her greatest ambition?
4. What are your dreams and ambitions?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 10

I. Read the following text aloud:

A recent report on the eating habits of children in Britain suggests that children from age
three to sixteen show a strong dislike for vegetables and only eat sufficient amounts of fruit
and vegetables at Christmas. One researcher says not eating properly may have serious
consequences on a child’s speech and physical development, resulting in poorer performance
at school.

One solution is to give children extra iron and vitamins but in the long run it is more
effective if children get the right ingredients in their daily diet. Unfortunately, parents choose
food for their children that is quick and convenient to prepare, rather than food which is fresh
and healthy; consequently, it is difficult later to get children to change their habits.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the consequences of not eating properly?

2. What is the right solution in this case?
3. Which are the most frequent mistakes that parents usually do?
4. Do you eat healthy?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 11

I. Read the following text aloud:

Most of us are always forgetting important dates, apart from the lucky few who are blessed with a
good memory or the ability to organize themselves so they don't forget important obligations.
How many times have we all said, “I wish I had remembered!” How often have we offended
people by failing to remember their birthday or name days? Although they say it doesn't matter, we
know, deep down, that we have hurt their feelings. We can always try to make it up to them next
time but unfortunately the damage has been done and our relationships with that person can never
quite be the same again.

On the other hand, we sometimes do too much for someone else because we want to please them
and then feel we have damaged our own interests in doing so. When friends are involved we may
find it difficult to say “no” when they ask us to do them a favor, but true friendship should mean
that we can say “no” without risk to the relationship.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the things that people usually forget?

2. How do people feel when their friends foget their birthdays?
3. What does real friendship mean to you?
4. What do you mostly appreciate in a friend?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 12

I. Read the following text aloud:

Recently, a London gallery held an exhibition to celebrate the carrier bag. They asked thirty
top artists and designers to design a carrier bag for thirty shops which took part in the
exhibition. The show was a tremendous success because it seems we are all secret carrier bag
collectors. Some people go into expensive designer shops and buy the cheapest thing- just to
get one of their bags. Others don’t even bother buying anything. They just ask straight out for
a free bag for their collection. It seems that it’s not the bag we want. It’s what it represents.
That’s why we throw away our boring Tesco and Marks and Spence bags, but make sure our
Harrods or Louis Vuitton ones remain in perfect condition.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What makes a classy carrier bag?

2. Which was the purpose of this exhibition?
3. Do you ever wear any designer clothes? Why?/ Why not?
4. Do you collect anything else which might seem strange to other people?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 13

I. Read the following text aloud:

Have you heard the story of the woman who dried her cat in the microwave after it had got
wet, or the one about the woman who opened a bag of prepared salad and out popped a fully-
grown frog? Whether they are true or not, we love telling each other scary stories.
Unfortunately, the story that follows is definitely true.

Recently, a woman living in Kent in southern England went to her doctor. For days she hadn’t
been able to sleep because of noises in her ear. The doctor told her that this was not unusual.
Lots of people have noises in their ears. However, when he looked into her ear, he got the
shock of his life. He could see legs and something moving. It was a large spider! The woman
was absolutely terrified of spiders. The doctor was able to remove it quickly and set it free.
When speaking to a colleague a few days later, the doctor mentioned that that was the first
time he had ever found a spider living in someone’s ear. His colleague suggested that the
spider was probably looking for somewhere warm in order to lay its eggs.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What would you do if you found a spider in your bath?

2. Have you ever heard of a scary story before?
3. What was the doctor’s attitude towards this fact?
4. Has anything like this ever happened to you or anyone you know?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 14

I. Read the following text aloud:

Tattooing is an old art. In ancient Greece, people who had tattoos were considered to be
members of the upper classes. On the other hand, tattooing was banned in Europe by the early
Christians who considered it to be a sinful thing. It was not until the late 18 th century, when
Captain Cook saw South Sea Islanders decorating their bodies with tattoos, that attitudes
began to change. Sailors came back from this islands with pictures of Christ on their backs
and from then on, tattooing gained in popularity. A survey by the French army in 1881
showed that among the 378 men questioned, there were 1,333 designs.

Nowadays, not everybody finds tattoos acceptable. Some people think that getting one is silly
because tattoos are more or less permanent. There is also some concern about catching blood
diseases from unsterilised needles. Even for those who do want a tattoo, the process of getting
one is not painless, but the final result, in their eyes, is worth the pain.

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What does the article tell us about the history of tattooing?
2. What are the disadvantages of tattooing mentioned by the writer?
3. When did Captain Cook visit the South Sea Islands?
4. Would you consider getting a tattoo?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 15

I. Read the following text aloud:

Somehow I felt it impossible - too discourteous to a fellow human being – to walk away
from him. Besides, he might have followed me, though I didn’t believe he would have done.
And where could I have gone ? Only up or down the village street, the street that was his
village, his home. In my mind I urged the coach driver to sound his horn to indicate that that
we should all return to the vehicle, that it was about to move off and on to Gulmarg.
In a still, quiet voice – as if he was confinding in me – he began to talk again. ‘Last year
my wife died and was left to bring up our three children. For six months one of them was in
hospital, with a badly injured leg.’ He paused, before going on. ‘There is hardly any work
here, in Tangmarg.’

II. Answer the following questions

1. What is the text about ?
2. How do you think the speaker is feeling ?
3. Do you think the people in the village have an easy life ?
4. Have you ever been hospitalised ?

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Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 16

I. Read the following text aloud:

Six hours later the coach returned. I’d prayed that it wouldn’t halt at Tangmarg but it
did, as in the morning on the way up. During the day, walking miles in the relentless and
joyous air of the mountains, I found that my encounter with the man at Tangmarg kept coming
back to me, nagged and fretted at the edges of my mind. Because I hadn’t provided him whit
work, even for a short period of time, an hour or two, he had no money and therefore couldn’t
buy rice for his children and himself. On the other hand, so I tried to rationalize, I was hardly
the only person he could have asked. There had been thirty or forty coaches at Gulmarg, and
they all must have stopped at Tangmarg in the morning on the upward climb. I didn’t owe the
man a living, or no more than anyone else did. I wasn’t his keeper.

II. Answer the following questions

1. What is the text about ?
2. How do you think the author is feeling ?
3. Why do you think he has this feeling ?
4. Have you ever felt like this ?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 17

I. Read the following text aloud:

For many years people would rather stay at home and watch television rather than go
to the movies. The new science fiction, war, romance and spy thrillers have brought people
back to the theatres. Once again, on Friday and Saturday nights audiences stand in long lines,
buying tickets, and laughing and crying over new creations. The habit of going to theatres is
making a big coming back today. The theatre fascinates the audience because people can see
the actors in flesh and blood and live “the life” of the characters. You cannot forget the
atmosphere of the theatre hall, the curtain rising and the applause at the end of the
performance.

II. Answer the following questions

1. What is the text about ?
2. What attracts people to the theatre today ?
3. On which days are theatres full ?
4. What kept people at home in the past ?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 18

I. Read the following text aloud:

Visiting a supermarket is like taking a trip around the world. Over here is a mountain of
oranges from sunny Israel. Over there are heads of lettuce from Turkey and wonderful
vegetables from Romania. The frozen fish comes all the way from various oceans of the
world, the mustard from France and the chicken from the States. What happened to the old
farm where you could find almost all of these things ? People still think that it was better
old way, but there is no way back. It seems as if it is on the verge of disappearing and of
being replaced by the huge supermarket.

II. Answer the following questions

1. What is the text about ?
2. What does the modernization of agriculture mean ?
3. Why isn’t everyone happy with the modernization of agriculture ?
4. How are fruits and vegetables grown today ?

BILET NR. 19
Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

Prof. _____________________

Prof.______________________
 I. Read the following text aloud:

Teenagers do not spend as much money as their parents suspect- at least not according to
the findings on a recent survey. The survey included three hundred teenagers, 13-17 years old,
from all over Britain. Worry about debt is increasing among teenagers. Therefore the majority
of children make an effort to save for the future. Greater access to cash among teenagers does
not mean that they are irresponsible as a result. The economic recession seems to have
encouraged cautious attitudes to money even in the case of children at these ages. Instead of
wasting what pocket money they have on sweets or magazines, the teenagers who took part in
the survey seem to respond to the situation by saving more than half of their cash.

II. Answer the following questions

1. What is the text about ?
2. How many teenagers did the survey include ?
3. What has encouraged a cautious attitude to money ?
4. How much money do teenagers generally save ?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

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Prof.______________________
 BILET NR. 20

I. Read the following text aloud:

The Scots celebrate Hogmany on the night of December 31 st. It is a time for people to
welcome the coming of the New Year. Preparations for Hogmany begin at the end of
November when Christmas trees are decorated with colourful ornaments and lights. On New
Year’s people dress smartly and gather in town squares and wait till midnight. At midnight,
the clock strikes twelve and people cheer, shout and sing. They kiss one another and drink a
glass of Scotch whisky. Then people go to visit their friends to wish them a Happy New Year.
It is believed that it is good luck if the first foot to enter someone’s house in the New Year
belongs to a tall, dark, handsome man. Visitors carry a piece of coal with them as a good luck
present.
Hogmany is a great time for everyone. It’s the best time of the year to have fun and
enjoy yourself.

II. Answer the following questions

1. What is the text about ?
2. When do the preparations for Hogmany begin ?
3. What is believed to be good luck in Scotland, according to the text ?
4. When do people gather in town squares ?

Preşedinte de comisie, Comisia de examinare,

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Prof.______________________