BAC ENG 2008, SCRIS, 3-4 H, SB 1, VAR 2, SUB SI REZOLV

[musa paradisiaca]

Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării şi Tineretului
Centrul Naţional pentru Curriculum şi Evaluare în Învăţământul Preuniversitar

Examenul de bacalaureat 2008
Proba E/F
Proba scrisă la Limba Engleză
L1 - Intensiv 3-4 ore

SUBIECTUL I ( 30 puncte) Varianta 002

Read the text below and complete the following tasks.

Listening to an iPod while walking across the street could soon become illegal in New York. State Senator Carl Kruger wants a law introduced that outlaws crossing roads while listening to music, talking on a mobile phone or using video games and personal organizers. The fine for breaking this law could be as much as $100. The Senator said he had witnessed too many near misses whereby pedestrians had not heard or seen oncoming traffic because (1) … Mr. Kruger told reporters: "Government has an obligation to protect its citizens. This electronic gadgetry is reaching the point where it's creating an atmosphere where we have a major public safety crisis at hand." (2) …

Kruger may have a point. (3) … They all walked into busy traffic because they were distracted by an electronic device of some sort. In one case, bystanders shouted at someone to be careful seconds before they were knocked down and became another traffic accident statistic. Despite the alarming increase in deaths caused by distractions from iPods etc, New Yorkers are likely to ignore any new law forbidding their use in the streets. Many residents believe Kruger is going too far and that (4) … Brooklyn resident Mary Alberto was outraged at Kruger’s proposal. She said: “Enough is enough. I have been able to cross the street since I was eight.” She also joked that one day people might be fined for not looking both ways.

1. Four 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.
4 points

A. Three pedestrians have been killed in the past four months in New York’s Brooklyn district.
B. He is concerned that it’s becoming a nationwide problem.
C. It is now illegal to use music players in New York streets.
D. the law treats people as though they had no sense.
E. they were too involved in gaming, chatting on their phone.

2. Match the words in bold with their synonyms.
6 points

penalty, onlookers, disturbing, furious, preoccupied, bans.

3. Sum up the text in about 50 words.
10 points

4. Read the article again and decide whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F).
6 points

A. A US senator has seen many near misses on New York’s streets.
B. Three people died on roads because they were using gadgets.
C. One person died because he could not hear a shouted warning.

5. Comment on the following statement:

Listening to an iPod while walking across the street should become illegal.
(100 words)



PROPOSED SOLUTION

Sub. 1, Var 2, R 1

2. 1. 1. – E;
2. 1. 2. – D;
2. 1. 3. – A;
2. 1. 4. – B;

Sub. 1, Var 2, R 2

2. 2. 1. -- outlaws = bans ( it is a verb here );
2. 2. 2. -- fine = penalty;
2. 2. 3. –- distracted = preoccupied;
2. 2. 4. –- bystanders = onlookers;
2. 2. 5. –- alarming = disturbing;
2. 2. 6. –- outraged = furious;

Sub. 1, Var 2, R 3

New York Senator Carl Kruger tries to persuade his Senate to introduce a law which should punish any New Yorker listening to an iPod while crossing the street. While Kruger’s argument is considering his co-citizens’ street security, his personal views are not shared by his colleagues, nor by New Yorkers, who are unlikely to be preoccupied with their Senator’s issue. ( 60 words )

Sub. 1, Var 2, R 4

4. 1. 1. – T;
4. 1. 2. – T;
4. 1. 3. – F;

Sub. 1, Var 2, R 5

The issue whether listening to an iPod should become illegal is an exaggeration. How could we punish a dead person ? Or why should we bring more pain upon a street crossing injured person, no matter what the causes ? So only uninjured persons will be sanctioned ? It is sure that people do not intend to commit suicide by listening to an iPod while crossing a highly-trafficked street. In most of ( if not all ) the cases people are so absorbed in their pleasant personal activities, that they forget to get disconnected from their iPods while street crossing. So, Kruger’s exaggerated concern could be some sort of a trick aiming to gain his co-citizens’ acclaim. ( 112 words )