SỞ GIÁO DỤC & ĐÀO TẠO TP HỒ CHÍ MINH ĐỀ THAM KHẢO KỲ THI THPT QUỐC GIA 2021

CỤM CHUYÊN MÔN 4 THỜI GIAN: 60 phút

ĐỀ 1
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other
three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.
1. A. survived B. maintained C. determined D. started
2. A. campus B. disadvantage C. candidate D. challenge

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position
of primary stress in each of the following questions.
3. A. inflation B. proposal C. diversity D. influence
4. A. technique B. nature C. culture D. measure

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
5. This is Paul’s bag, ____________?
A. isn’t this B. does it C. doesn’t this D. isn’t it
6. Only one of our gifted students ______ to participate in the final competition.
A. has been chosen B. have been chosen C. were choosing D. chosen
7. Michael Phelps ______ broken several world records in swimming.
A. said that he has B. is said he had C. is said to have D. has said to have
8. That song was popular ____________ people from my father's generation.
A. for B. with C. to D. about
9. The better the quality of health care, __________________________ .
A. the most the life expectancy B. the higher the life expectancy
C. the more high the life expectancy D. higher the life expectancy
10. The Robinsons live in a _________________ house.
A. little modern square brick B. square little modern brick
C. modern little square brick D. little square modern brick
11. The boys ___________ football when suddenly one of them broke the window.
A. were playing B. are playing C. played D. play
12. A large number of workmen have been laid off ____________ the economic recession.
A. despite B. in spite of C. because D. because of
13. The Red Cross is sending emergency aid to _____________.
A. a famine-stricken B. famine-stricken
C. the famine-stricken D. some famine-stricken
14. It’s too late now. I think they will have already left ______________.
A. as soon as we arrive B. when we arrived
C. by the time we arrive D. after we had arrived
15. Rivers ____________ into the Baltic Sea are much cleaner now than ten years ago.
A. flowing B. which flows C. flowed D. that flowing
16. There’s increasing demand for cars which are _____________ on fuel.
A. economic B. economical C. economist D. economics
17. My application was ______________ by the postal strike.
A. given up B. set up C. taken up D. held up
18. Prestel customers will be able to buy a wide ___________ of goods and services using their credit cards.
A. range B. level C. bargain D. board
19. Whenever he had an important decision to make, he would light a cigar to calm his ___________.
A. brain B. soul C. nerves D. mental
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the
following exchanges.
20. John: “Would you like to have noodles, spaghetti, or something different?” Mary: “______________”.
A. I’m afraid not B. Yes, please C. Never mind D. Anything will do
21. Tom: This job is time-consuming, I think. Lucy: ____________.
A. Thank you! B. Absolutely! C. Any time! D. Another time, perhaps.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word in
each of the following questions.
22. The rains of 1993 causing the Missouri river to overflow resulted in one of the worst floods of the 20th century.
A. stopped B. lessened C. caused D. overcame
23. Many young children are spending large amounts of time watching the TV without being aware of its detriment to
their school work.
A. harm B. advantage C. support D. benefit

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined
word(s) in each of the following questions.
24. After five days on trial, the court found him innocent of the crime and he was released.
A. innovative B. naive C. guilty D. benevolent
25. The young are now far more materialistic than their precedents years ago.
A. monetary B. greedy C. spiritual D. object - oriented

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the
following questions.
26. "Get out of my car or I'll call the police!," Jane shouted to the strange man.
A. Jane threatened to call the police if the man didn't leave her car.
B. Jane plainly said that she would call the police.
C. Jane politely told the man she would call the police if he didn't leave her car.
D. Jane informed the strange man that she would call the police.
27. The demand was very great. They had to reprint the book immediately.
A. They demanded that the book be reprinted immediately.
B. The book would be reprinted immediately if the demand was great.
C. So great was the demand that they had to reprint the book immediately.
D. They demanded to reprint the book immediately.
28. It was wrong of you to criticize your son before his friends left.
A. You shouldn’t have criticized your son in front of his friends.
B. If you had criticized your son after his friends had left, he wouldn’t be so upset now.
C. You must be careful not to embarrass your son when he is with his friends.
D. Your son could have been embarrassed when you criticized him in front of his friends.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in
the following questions.
29. Her living conditions were not good. However, she studied very well.
A. Difficult as her living conditions were, she studied very well.
B. She studied very well just because she lived in difficult conditions.
C. Living in difficult conditions forced her to study very well.
D. Living in difficult conditions, she had no choice but to study well.
30. No one but the expert was able to realize that the painting was an imitation. It greatly resembled the original.
A. No one, like the expert, was able to realize that the painting was fake because it greatly resembled the original.
B. The expert was the only person who was able to realize that the painting was an imitation although it greatly
resembled the original.
C. No one was able to realize that the expert’s painting was an imitation as it was identical to the original.
D. Anyone including the expert was able to realize that the painting was an imitation though it greatly resembled the
original.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or
phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 31 to 35
(31) __________ adults are familiar with children feeling that parents are much older and clueless about the way kids and
teenagers operate. While this is an exaggeration, Tronshaw urges parents to recognize that there is some truth to the notion
and encourages them to (32) ___________ an honest effort to remain involved in their children's lives. It is important for
parents to keep lines of communication open with children so that feelings of isolation and secrecy do not permeate family
relationships. It is especially crucial for parents of children raised in the digital age to educate themselves about the way
children are interacting and using technology.
Parents run the (33) __________ of alienating their children when they scrutinize the differences between each generation's
cultural upbringing. Tronshaw recommends that parents maintain a flexible attitude and foster a home environment (34)
___________ embraces change. Siblings often mature differently from (35) ___________, and each child presents his or
her own set of challenges to the parents. In these cases, parents must be willing to take varying approaches and avoid
enforcing a strict and immutable style of authority.
31. A. Almost B. Most of C. Most D. Majority
32. A. make B. do C. give D. have
33. A. lack B. notice C. challenge D. risk
34. A. where B. who C. that D. when
35. A. together B. one another C. the other D. others

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each
of the questions from 36 to 40.
Virtually any night of the year, a person can look up at the sky and see the moon. The moon is the Earth’s only
natural satellite. It takes slightly more than twenty-seven days for it to orbit the Earth. And it does so from a little more than
380,000 kilometres away. Despite being the Earth’s closest celestial neighbor, there is much about the moon that scientists
do not know.
For instance, no one is exactly sure when the moon was formed. The Earth is estimated to have been created around
4.5 billion years ago. No later than 100,000 years after that, the moon was in orbit around the Earth. Yet the question
remains: How did the moon form? There are several theories, but astronomers have thus far failed to prove any of them
correct.
The most widely accepted idea is the collision theory. It states that the moon formed when an object crashed into
the Earth. According to this hypothesis, when the Earth was first created, it had no satellite. But, at some point in time, an
object approximately the size of Mars collided with the Earth. This caused part of the planet to break off. The largest part
eventually transformed into the moon.
Another theory is that the Earth and the moon formed at the exact same time billions of years ago. However, many
astronomers discount this theory. They point out that the Earth and the moon are comprised of different substances. They
claim that if the two bodies were formed at the same time, then they should be composed of the same materials. Yet, as an
example of their differences, the moon has much less iron than the Earth does.
A third theory proposes that the moon formed somewhere else in the solar system. As it wandered past the Earth, it
was captured by the Earth’s gravity and began to orbit the planet. A fourth theory declares that, when it first formed, the
Earth spun much more rapidly than it does at the present time. Due to its swift rotation, part of the crust was stripped away
from the planet and cast into space. This material then formed the moon.
Each of the four theories has its supporters and detractors. Thus far, however, no astronomer has been able to prove
one theory while disproving all of the others. (Perfect TOEFL Junior)
36. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The Moon: Everything You Need to Know about It B. The Changing Phases of the Moon
C. Theories on the Creation of the Moon D. How Long Ago Did the Moon Form?
37. In paragraph 3, the phrase “crashed into” is closest in meaning to ____________
A. hit B. passed C. interfered with D. affected
38. Which of the following is true regarding the collision theory?
A. It points out that the Earth’s orbit changed a great deal.
B. It declares that Mars collided with the Earth at one point.
C. It states that the Earth once had multiple satellites.
D. It is believed by the greatest number of astronomers.
39. In paragraph 5, the word “proposes” is closest in meaning to ____________
A. suggests B. insists C. promises D. denies
40. In paragraph 5, the word “it” refers to ____________
A. the solar system B. the planet’s gravity C. a fourth theory D. the Earth

Read the following passage and mark the letter A,B,C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each
of the questions
Smart cards and mobile phones are becoming an increasingly popular way to make all sorts of payments. Even now, in
Japan thousands of transactions, from paying rail tickets to picking up the groceries, take place every day with customers
passing their handsets across a small flat-screen device. And predictions in the world of finance reckon that payments using
mobile phones will have risen to more than $50 billion in the very near future.
What's the appeal of e-cash? Compared to cheques or credit cards, it offers the speed of cash, but more so. It takes just one
tenth of a second to complete most transactions and as no change is required, errors in counting are eliminated. Fraud and
theft are also reduced and for the retailer, it reduces the cost of handling money. Sony's vision of having a chip embedded in
computers. TVs and games consoles means that films, music and games can be paid for easily and without having to input
credit card details.
And what about the future of the banks? Within their grip on the market, banks and credit-card firms want to be in a
position to collect most of the fees from the users of mobile and contactless-payment systems. But the new system could
prove to be a "disruptive technology" as far as the banks are concerned. If payments for a few coffees, a train ticket and a
newspaper are made every day by a commuter with a mobile, this will not appear on their monthly credit card statements
but on their mobile phone statements. And having spent fortunes on branding, credit-card companies and banks do not want
to see other payment systems gaining popularity. It's too early to say whether banks will miss out and if so, by how much.
However, quite a few American bankers are optimistic They feel there is reason to the suspicious of those who predict that
high-street banks may be a thing of the past. They point out that Internet banking did not result in the closure of their high-
street branches as was predicted. On the contrary, more Americans than ever are using local branches. So, whether we'll
become a totally cash-free society remains open to contention.
41. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. The absence of traditional payment methods B. Predictions of future payment methods
C. Japan's advanced forms of payment D. The increasing popularity of new payment methods
42. Why does the author mention "a small flat-screen device" in the first paragraph?
A. to exemplify the e-cash system B. to criticize the e-cash system
C. to praise the e-cash system D. to inform the e-cash system
43. Which of the following is NOT true about the strong point of e-cash?
A. faster speed B. no fraud  C. fewer mistakes  D. reduced cost
44. The word "embedded” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ____________.
A. manufactured B. isolated C. integrated D. generated
45. The author mentions the case of commuters in the third paragraph to illustrate ____________.
A. the modern technology of the e-cash system B. a possible drawback of the system
C. the banks' cooperation with credit-card companies
D. the transferability of the system
46. What does the author think may happen in the future?
A. Daily expenses on drinks and tickets will appear on phone statements.
B. Banks will collect their fees through credit-card companies.
C. Americans will no longer go to their local bank branches.
D. Credit-card companies and banks will want to promote cash.
47. How does the writer seem to feel about the future of banks?
A. neutral B. uncertain C. optimistic  D. pessimistic
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the
following questions.
48. Even if somebody asked me about what happened that day, I will not reveal the truth to a single person.
A B C D
49. Their neighbours thought they were too permissible with their children, letting them stay up so late at night.
A B C D
50. Despite America’s affluence, many people are without jobs, on welfare, and have a lot of debts.
A B C D
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