OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZ

ETAPA JUDETEANA
Clasa a XII-a Seciunea B
18 martie 2017

SUBIECTE

SUBJECT I: (25points)

A. Read the following text and answer the questions 1-5 below: (1x5)

It is time for bed. Behind me is a long horizontal window several feet up in the wall.
As I go to door I will have to look towards it and see my face reflected in the black glass as in
a mirror. I have never suffered from night fears. I was never, that I can remember, afraid of
the dark as a child. My mother early impressed upon me that fear of the dark was foolish and
God-trusting people did not need to be worried about it, in any case I had found my parents a
complete defence against every terror. It is just that, as I now suddenly realize, this is the first
time in my life that I have been really alone at night. My childhood home, lodgings when I
was in the theatre, London flats, hotels, rented apartments in capital cities: I have always
lived surrounded by human presences behind walls. And even when I lived in a hut for a
period I was never alone. This is the first house which I have owned and the first time that I
have really been by myself. Is this not what I wanted? Of course the house is full of little
straining noises, even on a windless night, any old house is, and cold air moves through it
from loose window frames and badly-fitting doors. So it is that I can imagine, as I lie in bed
at night, that I hear soft footsteps in the rooms on the floor above me or that the curtains on
the landing are moving gently because someone has passed through them.
Perhaps this is a foolish moment, so late at night, to choose to think about what
happened yesterday, but it has come suddenly and very clearly into my head. I was sitting,
with this notebook beside me, upon the rocks under the cliff, and looking out over the bay.
The sun was shining, the sea was calm. Shortly before I had been looking into a rock pool
and watching a long reddish, slightly hairy sea-worm which had curled itself up tightly before
disappearing into a hole. I sat up and settled myself facing the sea, shading my eyes against
the sun. Then, not at once but after about two minutes, as my eyes become accustomed to the
bright light I was sure that I saw monster rising from the waves.

1. This entry in a diary is being written by a man who

A. has rented a house for a holiday.
B. is revisiting his childhood home.
C. has just bought a house near the sea.
D. is staying with old friends for some time.

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 2. Where is the man sitting as he is writing?
A. on a bed
B. under a window
C. in front of a mirror
D. close to some curtains

3. What happens in this house at night?

A. The windows open and close in the wind.
B. The doors will not stay shut.
C. There are mysterious footsteps upstairs.
D. There are many small noises.

4. The man has always lived

A. in busy places.
B. in the same place.
C. entirely by himself.
D. with other people nearby.

5. What had the man been doing on the beach the day before?
A. Sleeping in the sun and dreaming.
B. Sitting on a rock watching the sea.
C. collecting sea-worms in a rock pool.
D. Drawing the waves in the bay.

B. You are going to read an article about risk taking. For questions 1 - 10, choose
from the sections (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once. Mark your
answers on the separate answer sheet (20
points):

Which section includes

the use of car imagery to help explain neural activity? - 1
mention of one person's interest in the history of risk taking? - 2
details of the process used to investigate the brain's mechanics? - 3
a chemical-based explanation as to why people have such varied attitudes towards risk
taking? - 4
a well-known theory that explains why people take risks during everyday activities? - 5
specific examples of what a person could lose if risk taking goes wrong? - 6
mention of a common confusion about the chemical causes of risky behaviour? - 7
a judgement of another persons stated belief about risk taking? - 8

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a reference to the fact that some people become addicted to the chemical reaction experienced
in risk taking? - 9
a description of a biological process initiated by fear in humans? - 10

A
Exploration of all sorts is rooted in the notion of taking risks. Risk underlies any journey into
the unknown, whether it is a ship captain's voyage into uncharted seas, a scientist's research
on dangerous diseases, or an entrepreneur's investment in a new venture. Some of the
motivations for taking risks are obvious - financial reward, fame, political gain, saving lives.
But as the danger increases, the number of people willing to go forward shrinks, until the
only ones who remain are the extreme risk takers. This is the mystery of risk: what makes
some humans willing to jeopardize their reputation, fortune, and life and to continue to do so,
even in the face of dire consequences? Scientists have now begun to open up the neurological
black box containing the mechanisms for risk taking and tease out the biological factors that
may prompt someone to become an explorer. Their research has centred on neurotransmitters,
the chemicals that control communication in the brain.

B
One neurotransmitter that is crucial to the risk taking equation is dopamine, which helps
control motor skills but also helps drive us to seek out and learn new things as well as process
emotions
such as anxiety and fear. Robust dopamine production holds one of the keys to understanding
risk taking, says Larry Zweifel, a neurobiologist at the University of Washington. 'When
you're
talking about someone who takes risks to accomplish something, that's driven by motivation,
and motivation is driven by the dopamine system. This is what compels humans to move
forward.' Dopamine helps elicit a sense of satisfaction when we accomplish tasks: the riskier
the task, the larger the hit of dopamine. Part of the reason we don't all climb mountains is that
we don't all have the same amount of dopamine. Molecules on the surface of nerve cells
called autoreceptors control how much dopamine we make and use, essentially controlling
our appetite for risk.

C
In a study conducted at Vanderbilt University, participants underwent scans allowing
scientists to observe the autoreceptors in the part of the brain circuitry associated with
reward, addiction, and movement. People who had fewer autoreceptors that is, who had
freer flowing dopamine were more likely to engage in novelty-seeking behaviour, such as
exploration, 'Think of dopamine like gasoline,' says neuropsychologist David Zald, the
study's lead author. You combine that with a brain equipped with a lesser ability to put on
the brakes than normal, and you get people who push limits.' This is where the discussion
often mixes up risk takers with thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies. The hormone adrenaline is
designed to help us escape from danger. It works like this: When the brain perceives a threat,
it triggers the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, which in turn stimulates the head,
lungs, muscles, and other parts of the body to help us flee or fight in a life-threatening
situation. This release generates a feeling of exhilaration that continues after the threat has
passed, as the adrenaline clears from the system. For some people, that adrenaline rush can
become a reward the brain seeks. They are prompted to induce it by going to scary movies or
engaging in extreme sports.

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D
Acclimating to risk is something we all do in our daily lives. A good example of this occurs
when learning to drive a car. At first, a new driver may fear traveling on freeways, but over
time that same driver with more experience will merge casually into speeding traffic with
little consideration for the significant potential dangers. What is commonly referred to as the
'familiarity principle' can also be applied to help explain the lack of fear associated with high-
risk situations. By practising an activity, humans can become used to the risk and manage the
fear that arises in those situations. The notion that we are all descended from risk takers
fascinates writer Paul Salopek. 'Early humans leaving the Great Rift Valley in Africa
thousands of years ago were the first great explorers,' he reasons. 'At our innermost core we
are all risk takers. And this shared willingness to explore our planet has bound our species
from the very beginning.' It's a noble idea, albeit a dopamine-based one!

Subject II (50 points)

No doubt action movies are extremely entertaining, but they are also full of
violence. If a kid or teenager starts watching such films, their behaviour becomes more
violent. Starting from the following excerpt, write an essay expressing your opinion on
this matter. (400 words)

Remember how the original John Wick snuck up and wowed us in 2014? Now he's
back and better than ever. John Wick: Chapter 2 is the real deal in action-movie fireworks
it's pure cinema, an adrenaline rocket of image and sound that explodes on contact.
Wait, say the skeptics, isn't it just Keanu Reeves, as the titular character, shooting,
stabbing, kicking and punching bad guys when he's not using assorted vehicles to go Mad
Max on his enemies? Well, yes, it's that too. And yet this sequel with the star at his absolute
best as the so-called Boogeyman who once killed three men with a pencil crashes beyond
the borders of typical B-movie nihilism. Chapter 2 finds something excitingly existential in
this tale of a loner looking to take a stand in a world gone crazy. Deliriously fast and funny,
this wild thing is set in perpetual motion by director Chad Stahelski with a choreographic
skill to rival La La Land, if that Oscar-bound musical had a body count.

SUBJECT III (25 points)

Here is a fragment from an article entitled Sensitive Planet:

This has been a dismal year for the health of our planet. Evidence of human-caused catastrophe
mounts daily with grim reports from sea, sky and land: disappearing species, the collapse of fisheries,
deforestation, the shrinking ozone layer, higher concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide,
oceanic dead zones, warming temperatures, extreme weather, rising sea levels, depleted aquifers,
melting glaciers, thawing permafrost. We have already crossed into an unimaginable new epoch, but
we seem unable to unite behind efforts to change, or even slow, our disastrous course.

Write an editorial dedicated to the subject. Your editorial will be published in an international
magazine. (220-250 words)

Not:
Toate subiecte sunt obligatorii. Timp de lucru: 3 ore

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 OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZ
ETAPA JUDETEANA
Clasa a XII-a Seciunea B
18 martie 2017

BAREM DE CORECTARE I EVALUARE

Subiect I
A. (5 points: 5 x1 each): 1. C; 2. B; 3. D; 4. D; 5. B
B. ( 20 points: 10 x 2 each): 1C; 2 D; 3 C; 4 B; 5 D; 6 A; 7 C; 8 D; 9 C; 10 C

Subiect II

Se vor consulta baremul si marking scheme.

Subiect III

Se vor consulta baremul si marking scheme.