SỞ GD & ĐT BÌNH ĐỊNH ĐỀ ÔN HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 11 NĂM 2020-

2021
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN
CHU VĂN AN
ĐỀ THI MÔN: TIẾNG ANH 11
ĐỀ ĐỀ XUẤT
Thời gian: 180 phút (Không kể thời gian giao đề)

(Đề thi gồm trang) Ngày thi: 14/4/2018

A. LISTENING
I. Part 1: CPE Practice test plus – Test 2 part 3

For question 1 to 5, you will hear an interview with a man who for many years
worked as a television newsreader. Choose the answer A, B, C, or D which fits
best according to what you hear.

1. Why did John agree to extend his contract as a news reader?

A. Audiences had asked to have him back

B. Another channel was keen to appoint him

C. He thought he’d miss being in the public eye

D. His suggested replacement was unpopular

2. What does John say about the early days of news reading?

A. News programs occurred less frequently

B. A news reader’s job was more straightforward

C. Audiences focused on style and presentation

D. Mistakes were sometimes embarrassing

3. In John’s view, competition between news programs is something which

A. irritates the viewing public

B. affects their outward appearance

C. detract from the quality of the content

D. reinforces negative views about news programs

4. In considering how opinions are formed, John points out that

A. reporters may present a biased view

B. people sometimes misinterpret the facts

C. there are pros and cons to watching the news

D. television operates under certain constraints.

5. John implies that he finds the general public’s attitude towards the news

A. disheartening

B. enlightening

C. surprising

D. appreciative.

II. Part 2: (Cambridge CPE 3- Test 3 part 3)

For question 6 to 10, you will hear part of an interview in which a professor of
sociology is talking about the subject of leisure in Britain. Decide which of the
sentences are True (T) or False (F)

6. According to professor Marshall, leisure convinces people that they have

freedom of choice

7. “Serious leisure” is an activity which is detrimental to someone’s work

8. People worry less about the rules as they become more involved in their leisure
activity

9. Television provides useful basis for social interaction

10. Wearing special clothes in leisure activity may increase people’s self-esteem.
III. Part 3: (Proficiency Exam essential – Test 5 part 2)

For question 11-15, you will hear part of a lecture on the lost city of Machu
Picchu. Answer the following questions with NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS.

11. According to Professor Harrington, what can the name Machu Picchu be
translated as?

12. What did the Inca construct to cover the mountain’s slopes?

13. By which was the compounds of different shapes and sizes linked?

14. What was the Intihuatana used for?

15. What characteristics of the Incas does Machu Picchu stand testimony to?

IV. Part 4: ( CNN 10 – 05/3/2018)

Part 4.1. For question 21-25, listen to a CNN news report and fill in the missing
information. Write NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS for each answer in the
space provided.

The Northeastern US has taken one punch from a powerful storm and it’s (16)
………………………………

People in Virginia and Massachusetts are (17)…………………………… the

damage of Nor’easter

Over the weekend, wind gusting over 90 miles per hour peeled (18)
………………………

A Nor’easter occurs within the (19)………………………………. of the United

state, most common between September and April.

Nor’easter are strongest around New England as well as (20)

…………………………

Wind direction out of the Northeast defines Nor’easter. It’s going to cause beach
erosion and (21)………………………

Coastal community in Massachusetts was pounded by (22)………………………

In Quincy, residents had to be rescued by truck and (23)……..……………. by (24)

……………………….
Near Portland, Maine, storm surge left the man’s home (25) …………………. on
the edge of Atlantic ocean

Part 4.2: For question 21-25, listen to a radio news report on “10 Technology
trends” and fill in the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS for each answer in the space provided.

The top ten (21)___________________________ are key trends that the enterprise
cannot afford to ignore.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning is a foundation component of all of the

applications and services and things in our world around us which lead us to the
two (17)_________________________: Intelligent apps and analytics and
intelligent things.

Think of intelligent user interface with things like (18) ______________________

Think of intelligent actions so your applications themselves have (19)

_________________ and look at how AI improves the business intelligence and
(20) ______________________ for end users

Think of that term AI not just as artificial intelligence and robotic things replacing
people but think (21)_______________________________ and assisting humans.

Multiple intelligent things: (22) _______, robots, __________________ working

cooperatively together.

(23)___________________ are the digital representations of the real-world things

The next trend is cloud to the edge. Edge computing and using the processing
power at the edge of these edge devices can act as (24)_______________

We’ve got to think of this distributed computing environment and finally the last
two trends are looking at conversational systems and (25)____________________
B. LEXICO & GRAMMAR
I. Part 1. Choose a word or phrase that best completes each sentence.

1. The birds are notorious for investigating and, in the..............often destroying

everything from rubbish bins to windscreen wipers.

A. procedure B. process C. measure D. technique

2. By creating in improved smile, a dental surgeon can dramatically alter a person's
whole .............of themselves

A. perception B. observation C. discernment D. consciousness

3. Mr. Newrich invited his guests to an expensive restaurant. However, he

felt ........at ease.

A. sick B. painful C. ill D. unwell

4. The Minister..................tribute to rescue workers for their '' courage in the face
of adversity''

A. sold B. paid C. lent D. spent

5. The gift, together with the flowers, was a ..........of his gratitude and
appreciation.

A. coupon B. memento C. remembrance D. token

6. If she doesn't get what she wants, she throws a.............., stamping her feet and
screaming her head off.

A. outburst B. tantrum C. steam D. rage

7. The.......workers were expecting thousands of refugees to turn up at the camps

over the next fell week.

A. social B. concern C. relief D. agency

8. The police have been ............the district for the murderer, leaving no stone
unturned.

A. brainwashing B. penetrating C. ransacking D. scouring

9. Despite the fog, we were able to discern a ..............of cottages in the distance.

A. cluster B. clutter C. congregation D. constellation

10. I'm afraid we got our ................crossed. I thought my husband would be
picking up the children and he thought I was doing it.

A. minds B. purposes C. fingers D. wires

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

II. Part 2. Identify and correct 10 errors in the passage.

Help may be in hand for those of us who want to keep the wrinkles and grey hair at
bay and slow down the process of aging. New research suggests that eating green
vegetables can ward off the signals of aging. Researchers say that broccoli,
cabbage and avocado in particular contain a compound that helps slow down the
rate at which we age. The key compound, present in green fruit and vegetables, is
called NMN. It helps slow down the physical signs of getting old. Scientists say
NMN can also rejuvenate the metabolism. It helps replenish degrees of energy
production in our body that deteriorate as we age. It also helps reduce weight loss
and the deterioration of visibility.

The research was conducted by scientists at the Washington University School of

Medicine in the USA. Researcher professor Shinichiro Imai said: "We have shown
a way to slow the physiological decline that we see in aging mice. This means
older mice have metabolism and energy levels resembling those of younger mice."
Professor Imai said tests in mice showed that NMN reduced typical signs of aging,
including a decline in the strength of skeletal muscle, poor liver function, lower
bones density and weakening eyesight. The reason our metabolism changes over
time and leads to reducing energy levels has baffled scientists for decades. This
latest research casts new lights on this mystery.
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.

III. Part 3. Complete the sentences with a suitable preposition.

1. The end-of-semester marks in each year all count _____ your final degree.

2. Many collectors are willing to pay _____the odds for early examples of his
work.

3. Her father laid ______her when she came home two hours late from a party.

4. She played _____ the fact that I'd enjoyed studying Shakespeare at school and
suggested that I audition for a part.

5. We are fighting to make peace in the Vietnam Waters, but negotiations are beset
_____ difficulties.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

IV.Part 4. Complete the passage using the correct form of the words in the
brackets.

Is hypnosis a (1. MYSTERY)………….. or an ideal way of treating many

diseases? The fact that a hypnotized individual will follow the hypnotist’s
commands to perform even the most illogical actions has always excited both the
psychologists and their clients eager for getting rid of different ailments, be it
mental or physical, be means of responding to persuasive suggestions while in the
(2. ALTERNATIVE) …………… state of consciousness.

This trance may usually be evoked by repeating monotonous commands thus

introducing an individual into a (3. CONSCIOUSNESS) ………………sphere of
his personality, which in the state of full (4. WAKE)……………. May be
suppressed or concealed. A hypnotized person appears to be more (5. RESPOND)
……………..to imposed orders and more motivated to (6. CLOSING)
……………….his (7. ROOT)…………….anxieties and worries. Controversial
though this approach may seem to be, it does contribute to curing people of their
emotional (8.STRESSFUL)………………. in the manner of positive suggestions.
Hypnosis can facilitate establishing a more profound contact with a patient’s
emotional life even reviving the forgotten events from a remote past where the root
cause of affliction may originate from.

It doesn’t necessary aim at confronting the psychological problems only. Hypnosis

can also be of great assistance the treating many addictions alleviating various
kinds of pains or even fighting skin diseases.

Without fail, hypnosis is a most useful tool in the hands of physicians and faith (9.
HEAL) …………….even though the (10. ORDINARY)
……………….phenomena that it induces cannot always be accounted for by any
scientific or logical means.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8, 9. 10.

C. READING

I. Part 1. Read the following passage and choose the words that best complete
the sentences.

A worrying question which 1._______ global attention is severe overpopulation

and its drastic effects in the countries of theThird World. In regions where the birth
rate is extremely high, poverty and starvation are 2._______ . In India, there is a(n)
3.________of thirty five infants being born every minute, yet the most shocking -
4._______ are those which 5.______the enormous number of the victims of famine
in certain African territories. Communities afflicted with acute destitution are
additionally 6._______ with illiteracy, life in appalling conditions and infectious
diseases decimating the 7._______ populations. There is an urgent need for these
problems to be solved. Unless measures are taken to 8._____ the suffering of the
impoverished underdeveloped nations, desperate crowds of immigrants will
9._____ in flooding the richer states in 10._____ of a brighter future. It's the most
challenging task for the international giants nowadays to help the poor populations
get out of the poverty snare.
1. A. insists               B. wishes               C. requires               D. asks
2. A. profuse             B. rife                     C. generous             D. predominant
3. A. ratio B. measure C. proportion D. average
4. A. figures B. digits C. scores D. totals
5. A. appear               B. refer                   C. indicate              D. comprise
6. A. conflicted B. confronted C.encountered D.inconvenienced
7. A. ingenious          B. insidious       C. indigenous         D. ingenuous
8. A. discard B. vanish C. evaporate D. ease
9. A. linger B. maintain C. persist D. remain
10. A. search B. chase C. lookout D. survey
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
II.Part 2. Fill in each blank with ONE word to make a complete passage.

The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci have always attracted controversy. Only 14

works have 1._____ been attributed to him and experts have wondered the
authenticity of several. Not even the Mona Lisa is 2._____ question. The painting
is neither signed nor dated and no bill of payment to Leonardo has ever been
found. 3._____ to be the portrait of the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del
Giaconda dating from 1502, it has been on public exhibition in the Louvre since
1804. Now housed in a bullet-proof glass case, it has always been surrounded by
safe security.

Even so, on 24th August 1911, it was stolen. Initial leads came to nothing and no
hints to the thief's motives or the whereabouts of the picture materialized 4._____
15 months. In November 1913, Florentine art dealer Alfredo Geri 5._____ a letter
from someone persuading they had the Mona Lisa and were prepared to sell it
6._____ to Italy for 500,000 lire. Geri contacted the director of the Uffizi museum
who arranged a meeting with the alleged vendor.

He 7._____ out to be an Italian carpenter Vincenzo peruggia, who made the

painting's fake wooden box for the Louvre and was 8._____ to steal it because he
knew the museum's security so well. The Mona Lisa he produced was proclaimed
genuine by the Uffizi and sent back to Paris. 9._____ a British conman, Jack Dean,
later insisted that he had help Peruggia steal the painting but substituted a copy
before Peruggia took it to Italy. 10._____ it be that the painting seen by thousands
of visitors every day in the Louvre museum is a total counterfeit ?
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

III.Part 3. Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.

Biological diversity has become widely recognized as a critical conservation issue

only in the past two decades. The rapid destruction of the tropical rain forests,
which are the ecosystems with the highest known species diversity on Earth, has
awakened people to the importance and fragility of biological diversity. The high
rate of species extinctions in these environments is jolting, but it is important to
recognize the significance of biological diversity in all ecosystems. As the human
population continues to expand, it will negatively affect one after another of Earth's
ecosystems. In terrestrial ecosystems and in fringe marine ecosystems (such as
wetlands), the most common problem is habitat destruction. In most situations, the
result is irreversible. Now humans are beginning to destroy marine ecosystems
through other types of activities, such as disposal and runoff of poisonous waste; in
less than two centuries, by significantly reducing the variety of species on Earth,
they have irrevocably redirected the course of evolution.

Certainly, there have been periods in Earth's history when mass extinctions have
occurred. The extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by some physical event,
either climatic or cosmic. There have also been less dramatic extinctions, as when
natural competition between species reached an extreme conclusion. Only 0.01
percent of the species that have lived on Earth have survived to the present, and it
was largely chance that determined which species survived and which died out.
However, nothing has ever equaled the magnitude and speed with which the
human species is altering the physical and chemical world and demolishing the
environment. In fact, there is wide agreement that it is the rate of change humans
are inflicting, even more than the changes themselves, that will lead to biological
devastation. Life on Earth has continually been in flux as slow physical and
chemical changes have occurred on Earth, but life needs time to adapt-time for
migration and genetic adaptation within existing species and time for the
proliferation of new genetic material and new species that may be able to survive
in new environments.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The variety of species found in tropical rain forests
B. The cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs
C. The time required for species to adapt to new environments
D. The impact of human activities on Earth's ecosystems
2. The word "critical" is closest in meaning to
A. essential               B. negative               C. complicated            D. interesting
3. The word "jolting" is closest in meaning to
A. illuminating              B. unknown             C. shocking                D. predicted
4. The author mentions the reduction of the variety of species on Earth in line 7-8
to suggest that
A. humans are often made ill by polluted water
B. new habitats can be created for species
C. some species have been made extinct by human activity
D. understanding evolution can prevent certain species from disappearing
5. The author mentions all of the following as examples of the effect of humans on
the world's ecosystems EXCEPT
A. damage to marine ecosystems
B. habitat destruction in wetlands
C. the introduction of new varieties of plant species
D. destruction of the tropical rain forests
6. The author mentions the extinction of the dinosaurs in the 2nd paragraph to
emphasize that ________________
A. not all mass extinctions have been caused by human activity
B. actions by humans could not stop the irreversible process of a species' extinction
C. Earth's climate has changed significantly since the dinosaurs' extinction
D. the cause of the dinosaurs' extinction is unknown
7. The word "magnitude" is closest in meaning to __________.
A. carelessness                B. extent             C. determination              D. concern
8. According to the passage, natural evolutionary change is different from changes
caused by humans in that changes caused by humans __________.
A. affect fewer ecosystems                        B. are occurring at a much faster rate
C. are reversible                                         D. are less devastating to most species
9. Which of the following can best replace "in flux" ?
A. breaking               B. producing             C. changing                       D. increasing
10.  With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to
agree?
A. The extinction of a few species is an acceptable consequence of human
progress.
B. Technology will provide solutions to problems caused by the destruction of
ecosystems.
C. Human influence on ecosystems should not be a factor in determining public
policy.
D. Humans  should be more conscious of the influence they have on ecosystems.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
IV.Part 4.

A. Question 1 – 7 

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of heading below.
Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 41-47 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

i         How CSR may help one business to expand

ii        CSR in many aspects of a company’s business
iii       A CSR initiative without a financial gain
iv       Lack of action by the state of social issues
v        Drives or pressures motivate companies to address CSR
vi       The past illustrates business are responsible for future outcomes
vii      Companies applying CSR should be selective
viii     Reasons that business and society benefit each other

1. Paragraph A

2. Paragraph B

3. Paragraph C

4. Paragraph D

5. Paragraph E

6. Paragraph F

7. Paragraph G

Corporate Social Responsibility 

Broadly speaking, proponents of CSR have used four arguments to make their
case: moral obligation, sustainability, license to operate, and reputation. The
moral appeal – arguing that companies have a duty to be good citizens and to “do
the right thing” – is prominent in the goal of Business for Social Responsibility,
the leading nonprofit CSR business association in the United States. It asks that its
members “achieve commercial success in ways that honor ethical values and
respect people, communities, and the natural environment. “Sustainability
emphasises environmental and community stewardship.

A. An excellent definition was developed in the 1980s by Norwegian Prime

Minister Gro Harlen Brundtland and used by the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development: “Meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.” Nowadays, governments and companies need to account for the social
consequences of their actions. As a result, corporate social responsibility (CSR)
has become a priority for business leaders around the world. When a well-run
business applies its vast resources and expertise to social problems that
it understands and in which it has a stake, it can have a greater impact than any
other organization. The notion of license to operate derives from the fact that every
company needs tacit or explicit permission from governments, communities, and
numerous other stakeholders to justify CSR initiatives to improve a company’s
image, strengthen its brand, enliven morale and even raise the value of its stock.

B. To advance CSR. we must root it in a broad understanding of the

interrelationship between a corporation and society. Successful corporations need a
healthy society. Education, health care, and equal opportunity are essential lo a
productive workforce. Safe products and working conditions not only attract
customers but lower the internal costs of accidents. Efficient utilization of land,
water, energy, and other natural resources makes business more productive. Good
government, the rule of law, and property rights are essential for efficiency and
innovation. Strong regulatory standards protect both consumers and competitive
companies from exploitation. Ultimately, a healthy society creates expanding
demand for business, as more human needs are met and aspirations grow. Any
business that pursues its ends at the expense of the society in which it operates will
find its success to be illusory and ultimately temporary. At the same time, a healthy
society needs successful companies. No social program can rival the business
sector when it comes to creating the jobs, wealth, and innovation that improve
standards of living and social conditions over time.

C. A company’s impact on society also changes over time, as social standards
evolve and science progresses. Asbestos, now understood as a serious health risk
was thought to be safe in the early 1900s, given the scientific knowledge then
available. Evidence of its risks gradually mounted for more than 50 years before
any company was held liable for the harms it can cause. Many firms that failed to
anticipated the consequences of this evolving body of research have been
bankrupted by the results. No longer can companies be content to monitor only the
obvious social impacts of today. Without a careful process for identifying evolving
social effects of tomorrow, firms may risk their very survival.

D. No business can solve all of society’s problems or bear the cost of doing so.
Instead, each company must select issues that intersect with its particular business.
Other social agendas are best left to those companies in other industries, NGOs, or
government institutions that are better positioned to address them. The essential
test that should guide CSR is not whether a cause is worthy but whether it presents
an opportunity to create shared value – that is, a meaningful benefit for society that
is also valuable to the business. Each company can identify the particular set of
societal problems that it is best equipped to help resolve and from which it can gain
the greatest competitive benefit.

E. The best corporate citizenship initiatives involve far more than writing a check:
They specify clear, measurable goals and track results over time. A good example
is General Electronics’s program to adopt underperforming public high schools
near several of its major U.S. facilities. The company contributes between
$250,000 and $1 million over a five-year period to each school and makes in-kind
donations as well. GE managers and employees take an active role by working
with school administrators to assess needs and mentor or tutor students. In an
independent study of Ion schools in the program between 1989 and 1999, nearly all
showed significant improvement, while the graduation rate in four of the five worst
performing schools doubled from an average of 30% to 60%. Effective corporate
citizenship initiatives such as this one create goodwill and improve relations with
local governments and other important constituencies. What’s more, GE’s
employees feel great pride in their participation. Their effect is inherently limited,
however. No matter how beneficial (he program is, it remains incidental to the
company’s business, and the direct effect on GE’s recruiting and retention is
modest.

F. Microsoft s Working Connections partnership with the American Association of

Community Colleges (AACC. is a good example of a shared-value opportunity
arising from investments in context. The shortage of information technology
workers is a significant constraint on Microsoft’s growth; currently, there are more
than 450,000 unfilled IT positions in the United States alone. Community colleges,
with an enrollment of 11.6 million students, representing 45% of all U.S.
undergraduates, could be a major solution. Microsoft recognizes, however, that
community colleges face special challenges: IT curricula are not standardized,
technology used in classrooms is often outdated, and there are no systematic
professional development programs to keep faculty up to date. Microsoft’s $50
million five-year initiative was aimed at all three problems. In addition to
contributing money and products, Microsoft sent employee volunteers to colleges
to assess needs, contribute to curriculum development, and create faculty
development institutes. Microsoft has achieved results that have benefited many
communities while having a direct-and potentially significant-impact on the
company.

G. At the heart of any strategy is a unique value proposition: a set of needs a
company can meet for its chosen customers that others cannot. The most strategic
CSR occurs when a company adds a social dimension to its value proposition,
making social impact integral to the overall strategy. Consider Whole Foods
Market, whose value proposition is to sell organic, natural, and healthy food
products to customers who are passionate about food and the environment. The
company’s sourcing emphasises purchases from local farmers through each store’s
procurement process. Buyers screen out foods containing any of nearly 100
common ingredients that the company considers unhealthy or environmentally
damaging. The same standards apply to products made internally. Whole Foods’
commitment to natural and environmentally friendly operating practices extends
well beyond sourcing. Stores are constructed using a minimum of virgin raw
materials. Recently, the company purchased renewable wind energy credits equal
to 100% of its electricity use in all of its stores and facilities, the only Fortune 500
company to offset its electricity consumption entirely. Spoiled produce and
biodegradable waste are trucked to regional centers for composting. Whole Foods’
vehicles are being converted to run on biofuels. Even the cleaning products used in
its stores are environmentally friendly. And through its philanthropy, the company
has created the Animal Compassion Foundation to develop more natural and
humane ways of raising farm animals. In short, nearly every aspect of the
company’s value chain reinforces the social dimensions of its value proposition,
distinguishing Whole Foods from its competitors.

B. Question 8-10

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage of each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 8-10 on your answer sheet.

The implement of CSR, HOW?

Promotion of CSR requires the understanding of interdependence between business

and society. Corporations workers’ productivity generally needs health care,
education, and given 8________ . Restrictions imposed by government and
companies both protect consumers from being treated unfairly. Improvement of the
safety standard can reduce the 9________ of accidents in   the  workplace.
Similarly society becomes a pool of more human needs and 10_________.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
V.Part 5. You are going to read an article containing reviews of recently-
published books. For questions 1-10, choose from reviews (A-F). The reviews
may be chosen more than once.

Book Corner
A round-up of the latest fiction and non-fiction from Beth Young.

A Reading a new novelist is a bit like asking a stranger out on a date. You never
quite know if this is the start of a beautiful relationship. You check the blurbs, the
publicity photograph, and flick through the book to look for the two essentials:
entertainment and substance. Beginner’s Greek by James Collins is certainly big
on the latter, weighing in at 400-plus pages. And the quotes on the back cover have
the effect of a bunch of friends saying to you, ‘Go on, you’ll get on brilliantly’.
Early indications are that this blind date could lead to a deeper relationship.
Beginner’s Greek is described by The New York Times as a “great big sunny
lemon chiffon pie of a novel” about romantic love amongst the American middle
classes. It is indeed delicious.

B In Manil Suri’s second outing The Age of Shiva we have a broad-sweeping, epic
novel with an unforgettable heroine so wilful yet flawed that it calls to mind that
other famous leading lady, Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind. The story
begins at a firework party in Delhi where Meera falls disastrously in love. We
follow her journey to Bombay, marriage and obsessive motherhood, with
occasional flashbacks to a childhood that was marred by political turmoil.
Mathematics professor, Suri, captures the fluidity of the role of women with a
beautiful kind of precision.
C Devotees of playwright David Mamet, whose screen work includes Wag The
Dog and the award-winning Glengarry Glen Ross may be less than enamoured of
Ira Nadel’s new biography, David Mamet: A Life in the Theatre. It may seem
churlish to question the minutia of incidents that abound in this comprehensive
tome, but whilst Nadel is clearly striving for accuracy one feels there ought to have
been more sifting, more mining for the gold amongst the biographical trivia. In
addition, Nadel’s tone is somewhat dry and academic and seems at odds with the
brilliance of David Mamet’s own writing. That said, the book offers a sound
introduction to the life and career of the man hailed as one of America’s most
outstanding writers.

D Can any Mother help me? is the true story of a desperately lonely mother who,
in 1935, appealed to other women through the letters page of a women’s magazine.
Writing under a pseudonym, the woman known as Ubique (meaning ‘everywhere’)
little realised that she would be the trigger for the launch of a new and private
magazine that would last for the next fifty years. The Cooperative Correspondence
Club was formed to offer comfort and support to wives, often well-educated
women, who craved stimulation beyond the drudgery of family life. Jenna Bailey
has done a superb job of organising and editing this compendium, adding her own
insightful commentary.

E Subtitled, The Life and Times of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, Jessie Child’s
debut historical biography, Henry VIII's Last Victim, was the worthy winner of last
year’s Elizabeth Longford Prize. Henry Howard’s victim status is owing to the fact
that he was the final person to be executed by King Henry VIII, a mere nine days
before the king himself expired. Although killed ostensibly for treason, the Earl of
Surrey’s only real crime it seems was leading an unsuccessful army campaign in
France. Only 29, he was also a distinguished poet with a fine literary voice, a
persona which refutes his reputation as the spoilt son of the Duke of Norfolk.

F This is the 25th outing for T. Keneally but he’s lost none of his writing powers.
The Widow and Her Hero takes real life events during the Second World War as
its inspiration and builds a tale of love and intrigue. Grace looks back on her life to
recall her courtship with the hero of the title, the handsome Captain Leo
Waterhouse. Leo is tragically killed whilst on a secret mission but it is many years
before Grace discovers the facts about his death. Keneally made fans galore when
Schindler’s Ark was published and later made into the award-winning Steven
Spielberg film, Schindler’s List. The Widow and Her Hero will bring him even
more fans.

A story in which someone is unaware of the impact of their action. 1.__

A description of the opening scene. 2.__

An author who exemplifies source material with their own analysis. 3.__

A humorous comparison with a real-life situation. 4.__

A character who finds out the truth about a situation. 5.__

A hint that the author’s future writing career will be positive. 6.__

A book that would be appreciated by people without much previous 7.__

knowledge of the subject.

A book which has already won critical acclaim. 8.__

A book which includes too much factual detail. 9.__

A mention of the profession of the author. 10.__

 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

D. WRITING:

Part 1: Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. You
MUST NOT copy or re-write the original. Your summary should be about 140
words long.

No hugging
In countless ways social touch is being nudged from our lives. In the UK, doctors
have been warned to avoid comforting patients with hugs lest they provoke legal
action, and a government report found that foster carers were frightened to hug
children in their care for the same reason. In the US the girl scouts caused a furore last
when it admonished parents for telling their daughters to hug relatives because “she
doesn’t owe anyone a hug”. And even teachers hesitate to touch pupils. 

According to Francis McGlone, we have demonized touch to a level at which it sparks

off hysterical responses, sparks off legislative processes, and this lack of touch is not
good for mental health. Touch is commonly thought of as a single sense, but it is
much more complex than that. Some nerve endings recognise itch, others vibration,
pain, pressure and texture. And one exists solely to recognise a gentle stroking touch.

Humans love touch. But touching each other in an age of pervasive and
historical sexual abuse and harassment no longer feels safe. Touch – even the
gentlest kind is never only about affection, warmth and care, but also about
power. The so-called “Midas touch” studies which have shown that diners
gently touched on the arm by their server will leave a generous tip, illustrate
the power of touch to persuade. Touch can retract – as well as confer – agency.
It is not a universal good.

Source: The Guardian

Part 2: The line graphs below show the farm-level prices of corn, wheat and
soybeans in the US from 1990 to 2020. Summarise the information by
selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparison where
relevant.

You should write at least 150 words.

Source:  “USDA Agricultural Projections to 2026.” Interagency

Agricultural Projections Committee (February 2017).

Task 3:

1.As more companies adopt flexible policies, the working from home option is
becoming increasingly viable. However, some opposed that this would reduce
productivity in the long run.

Give your opinion in an essay of about 350 words.

2.The Oscar Academy Awards features outrageous costumes worn by nominated
celebrities every year. Some said that this is a good way of encouraging self-
expression, while others detest that these celebrities set a bad example for young
people.

Give your opinion in an essay of about 350 words.