Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării şi Inovării

Centrul Naţional pentru Curriculum şi Evaluare în Învăţământul Preuniversitar

Examenul de bacalaureat 2009

Proba E/F
Proba scrisă la Limba Engleză
L1 - Intensiv 3-4 ore
SUBIECTUL I ( 30 de puncte) Varianta 038

Read the text below and complete the following tasks.

Considering how essential sleep is to life, we understand surprisingly little about it. Because we are
semi-conscious when we sleep, the whole process is veiled in myth and mystery. (1) ... . You see,
sleeping problems are caused quite simply by modern day living. As we become increasingly out of
tune with our bodies and their needs, our primary functions suffer. Insomnia is only one type of sleep
disorder. (2) ... Trouble really begins when short-term problems become chronic. So whatever type of
sleep disorder you are plagued by, it’s time to nip it in the bud. You’re not alone! (3) ... . But for some
the suffering goes on and on. You can’t always spot the typical insomniacs. They don’t yawn
constantly, or fall asleep at their desks. Sleep disorder sufferers are a silent majority.
Insomnia literally means sleeplessness and should not be confused with light or erratic
sleeping throughout the night. Insomnia falls into two categories, both of which can be short-term or
chronic. Some insomniacs can’t get sleep at night. They turn off the light and their mind races, turning
thoughts over and over, until they become so desperate to sleep and so afraid of staying awake that
their despair prevents them from sleeping, leaving them mentally exhausted by the early hours of the
morning. They fall into prolonged deep sleep which deprives them of necessary mental sleep. (4) ... .
Malsomnia means bad sleep, which can also fall into two categories, light sleeping and broken
sleeping. Malsomnia, however, is often short-term and directly related to a stressful one-off event.

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. Almost everyone suffers from some sort of sleep disorder at some time in their lives.
B. Because, sleeping disorders have reached epidemic proportions in the Western World, sleep
scientists are beginning to look more closely at the problem, not to find a cure but to eradicate the
causes.
C. Slightly less common is the insomniac who falls asleep upon turning out the light, only to awaken
again in the early hours of the morning unable to return to sleep until the next evening.
D. Start by hiding your alarm clock from view because if you don’t know the time, you won’t worry
about it.
E. Bad dreams, malsomnia, even snoring if it wakes you - they’re all sleep disorders, though mostly
short-term and usually related to a sudden change in lifestyle, an imminent event or stress.

2. Give the antonyms of the underlined words. 6 points

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

4. For the following questions, choose the answer (A, B, C, D) which fits according to the text.
6 points
1. Sleeping problems are caused by ...
A. some diseases.
B. the needs of our bodies.
C. the way we live during the day.
D. insomnia.
 Ministerul Educaţiei, Cercetării şi Inovării
Centrul Naţional pentru Curriculum şi Evaluare în Învăţământul Preuniversitar

2. Some insomniacs don’t sleep at night because ...

A. they can’t sleep with the light off.
B. insomnia is a disease.
C. they are so desperate to sleep that their despair prevents them from sleeping.
D. they are too exhausted.

3. Insomnia means ...

A. to have a light sleep during the night.
B. to nip sleeping disorders in the bud easily.
C. a state of semi-consciousness.
D. the incapacity to sleep during the night.

5. Comment on the following statement: Sleeping problems are caused quite simply by modern day
living. (100 words) 4 points