MOCK TEST 5

A. LISTENING (50pts) HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI NGHE HIỂU

• Bài nghe gồm 4 phần; mỗi phần được nghe 2 lần, mỗi lần cách nhau 05 giây; mở đầu và
kết thúc mỗi phần nghe có tín hiệu. Thí sinh có 20 giây để đọc mỗi phần câu hỏi.
• Mở đầu và kết thúc bài nghe có tín hiệu nhạc.
• Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh (bằng tiếng Anh) đã có trong bài nghe.

Part 1: You will hear part of a discussion on a current affairs programme between Nick
Barnes and Alison Tempra about the performance of the company Facebook since it floated
on the stock exchange, hosted by Emily Dunne. Choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits
best according to what you hear. (10 pts)
1. What does Alison think is cause for optimism?
A. The company kept its costs low.
B. The loss generated was less than expected.
C. There appears to be good revenue potential.
D. The company hasn't started to advertise yet.
2. According to Nick, the increasing popularity of smaller devices ______
A. represents untapped potential for Facebook.
B. is a significant challenge to Facebook increasing its revenue.
C. puts Facebook at a competitive advantage.
D. gives the company an opportunity to advertise more.
3. In what situation does Alison believe Facebook users might abandon the company?
A. if they are given the option of watching adverts on the certain apps and sites
B. if a free social network becomes available on the net
C. if the company pushes advertisements onto users too forcefully
D. if sites and apps start to appear which put users of using Facebook
4. What do we learn about the company's performance?
A. The share price has now dropped by over one-third.
B. There has been a 6% improvement in the share price overnight.
C. $38 has been wiped off the share price.
D. It has become the biggest flop in history.
5. Nick believes that Google _______.
A. will inevitably prevail over Facebook in time.
B. was short-sighted to invest everything it had into one project.
C. technology will be made redundant by what Facebook offers users.
D. will become profit-making in a matter of time. Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Part 2: You will hear the minister talking about crime. Are these statements true or false?
Write T (true) or F (false). (10 pts)
6. Peter Miles appointed a new head of the police service.
7. The government has spent a lot of money on CCTV.
8. The government copied the Make Amends scheme from another country.
9. More people get mugged now than ten years ago.
10. The figures in the report are completely accurate.

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Your answers:
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 3. You will hear a student called Tina asking Professor Van Diezen for advice on
choosing courses. Listen and answer the following questions, using NO MORE THAN FIVE
WORDS for each answer. (10 pts)
11. What is the defining characteristic of a specialised course?
_________________________________________________________________________
12. For whom the Microbiology courses are available?
_________________________________________________________________________
13. Who are interested in Microbiology courses?
_________________________________________________________________________
14. Why will a Medical Science course be opened next year?
_________________________________________________________________________
15. Which is the quickest increasing subject in enrolment?
_________________________________________________________________________
Part 4. Listen to the news and fill in the following blank with a suitable phrase. Write NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS in each blank. (20 pts)
Today the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a (16) __________ to American business and an
equally sweeping defeat to American workers. The (17) __________upheld and extended the
growing practice adopted by American businesses, namely requiring workers to agree as a
condition of employment not to go to court over wage and hour disputes but to instead submit
their claims to (18) __________ individually. Lawyer Ron Chapman, who represents
management in (19) __________, said he expects small and large businesses alike to
immediately move to impose these binding arbitration contracts in order to eliminate the fear of
costly class-action (20) __________ from juries.
The lead (21) __________ in the case was an IT worker at Epic, the giant health care
software development company. That law guarantees the rights of workers to engage in activities
for the purpose of (22) __________ or any other concerted activities. Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, in a (23) __________ from the bench, called out the majority for what she said was an
egregiously wrong decision. Labor law experts said today's decision likely will present
increasing problems for the #MeToo movement and for other civil rights class actions claiming
discrimination based on (24) __________. There's no transparency in most binding arbitration
agreements, and they often include (25) __________. Yale law professor Judith Resnik observes
that today's decision applies to all manner of class actions.
Your answers:
16. 21.
17. 22.
18. 23.
19. 24.
20. 25.

B. LEXICO AND GRAMMAR (30 points)

Part 1. Choose the answer A, B, C, or D that best completes each of the following sentences.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (10 points)
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1. I’m sure there’s a definite __________ of envy in her nasty comments about you.
A. factor B. ingredient C. component D. element
2. She had an unclear __________ of him in her mind, although she knew he would be old.
A. sight B. picture C. vision D. figure
3. Derek had no experience of white-water canoeing, so it was extremely__________ of him to
try and shoot the rapids.
A. hazardous B. intrepid C. perilous D. foolhardy
4. Money was short and people survived by __________ and saving.
A. scrimping B. scavenging C. scouring D. scrounging
5. The matter has been left in __________ until the legal ramifications have been explored.
A. recess B. suspension C. abeyance D. waiting
6. He was absolutely __________ with anger when he found that I had scratched his car.
A. burned B. carmine C. fickle D. livid
7. In these times of high unemployment everyone thought my giving up my job was______
madness.
A. sheer B. steep C. high D. deep
8. Most teenagers go through a rebellious __________ for a few years but they soon grow out of
it.
A. stint B. span C. duration D. phase
9. I knew my mother would __________ a face the minute she saw my new hair cut.
A. drag B. lift C. pull D. race
10. The president was eventually __________ by a military coup.
A. disposed B. despised C. deposed D. dispersed

Part 2. The passage below contains 5 mistakes. Identify the mistakes and write the corrections
in the corresponding numbered boxes. There is an example at the beginning.
(5 points)
The key ingredient in the body’s psychological response to danger is adrenaline. The body
produces this chemical in the center of the adrenal glands atop the kidneys. When a physically or
mentally stressful situation rises, a flood of adrenaline into the blood flow prepares the body to
act swiftly and forcefully to protect it. The heart beats faster. Blood is directed away from the
skin and toward such structures as the skeletal muscle and the brain- all to provide the oxygen
necessary to run fast, lift heavy objects, and think quickly. This physiological reaction to risk is
the well- known “flight- to- flight”. Although activated by a threat, the sudden release of
adrenaline and the body’s responses to it produce a distinctively pleasurable feeling once the
danger has passed. Even people who are not seeking danger but who confront it accidentally will
speak afterwards or an exciting “adrenaline rush.” To some people, the pleasure of such an
experience is so intensive that they rate it among life’s most desirable sensations. This hints at a
likely biochemical- psychological mechanism motivating some, perhaps most, risk-seeking
individuals.
Your Answers:
Number Mistakes Corrections
1 Such structures Structures such
2 or of
3
4
5

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Part 3. Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable preposition or particle. Write
your answers in the space provided. (5 points)
1. Don’t try to palm me __________ with your lies and excuses.
2. He is a leader __________ name only: his deputy has effectively taken over.
3. This will go __________ in history as the most important event of the century.
4. It might be a good idea to butter __________ the boss before you ask for a rise.
5. My mum draws heavily __________ her teaching experience each time she gives a
presentation.
Your answers:
1. off 2. in 3. down 4. up 5. on
Part 4. Give the correct form of each bracketed word in the following passage. Write your
answers in the space provided. (10 points)
The University of Southern California rescinded the admissions of a half-dozen students,
and several other colleges and universities pledged to take a closer look at their admissions
processes as (1. FALL)_____________continued from an admissions scandal that implicated
coaches, athletic department administrators and 33 wealthy, well-connected parents who
allegedly schemed to get their children admitted to prestigious colleges.
A (2. CLASS) _____________ lawsuit was filed Wednesday on behalf of applicants who
were denied admission to several universities affected by the scandal. It alleged that those
schools failed to take adequate steps to (3. SAFE) _____________ against fraud, depriving the
applicants of a fair shot. And it emerged that the genesis of the FBI investigation came when an
investor tipped off agents to the admissions scheme after he was caught (4. COMMIT)
_____________ securities fraud.
On Tuesday, 50 people were charged or indicted in connection with the scheme,
including actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin and Loughlin’s husband, clothing designer
Mossimo Giannulli. Other parents charged include the owner of a Napa Valley
(5. WINE)_____________, the wife of an NFL legend, (6. RANK) _____________ lawyers,
private equity investors, real estate moguls and a media company owner.
Questions remain about what will happen to the college students who were admitted
under circumstances being scrutinized by the FBI. According to the criminal complaint in the
case, their parents paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to submit fraudulent test scores and fake
athletic (7. CREDENCE) _____________ on their behalf. Prosecutors say that with the help of
a corrupt college consultant, the parents paid off coaches so their children could pose as athletic
(8. RECRUIT) _____________, allowing them to attend selective schools despite (9. LACK)
_____________ academic records.
Court documents allege the man at the (10. CENTER) _____________of the scandal,
William “Rick” Singer, has been helping parents get their children into selective schools this
way since at least 2011.
Your answers:
1. failure 6. high-ranking
2. classified 7. credentials
3. safeguard 8. recruitment
4. committing 9. lacking
5. winery 10. epicenter
C. READING (60 points):
Part 1. Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (10 points)
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 OK
The word OK is ubiquitous in modern English but its origins remain (1) __________ in mystery.
Over the years, many theories have been (2) __________ regarding its derivation but none of
them is (3) __________ convincing. The first recorded written use of OK was in 1839, when it
appeared in a newspaper article in Boston, Massachusetts. There was a (4)
__________ for wacky acronyms at the time, just as today's text messages use things like 'LOL',
and OK allegedly originated as a misspelling of All Correct. But (5) __________ many of these
acronyms flourished briefly and then gradually (6) __________ out of use, OK has proved to be
remarkably (7) __________. It first reached England in 1870, where it appeared in the words of
a popular song, and today is in (8) __________ use across the English-speaking world. As part
of a phrase ' …. rules OK', it has been a mainstay of urban graffiti since the 1930s and in 1969 it
had the (9) __________of being the first word spoken on the moon. In short, it's a (10)
__________ useful word.
1. A. shrouded B. smothered C. clothed D. draped
2. A. laid out B. put forward C. drawn up D. brought about
3. A. widely B. mainly C. wholly D. largely
4. A. hype B. craze C. rage D. whim
5. A. despite B. albeit C. whereas D. providing
6. A. slipped B. faded C. crept D. strayed
7. A. resolute B. stalwart C. steadfast D. resilient
8. A. staunch B. relentless C. durable D. constant
9. A. credit B. pride C. honour D. acclaim
10. A. phenomenally B. ordinarily C. conclusively D. controversially
Part 2. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one
word in each space. Write your answers in the space provided. (15 points)
Over the last hundred years, much of the art of using herbs in cooking and medicine has
been lost, especially in industrialised societies. Until recently, few people in the crowded cities
had the space to grow plants or vegetables, and so (1) __________ in the country did knowledge
of herbs linger on. (2) __________ the advent of refrigeration, however, which meant that the
strong smell of old meat no longer had to be disguised, and the appearance of packaged food and
easily-available medicines, the growing of herbs declined rapidly.
Nowadays, there is hardly anyone who does not have a small patch of garden, or a (3)
__________ sill or balcony or balcony large enough for a pot or two of herbs. These facts, (4)
__________ with the beginnings of a revolt (5) __________ standardised foods and perhaps also
a mistrust of the (6) __________ effects of some of today's medicines, mean that herbs have
taken (7) __________ a new popularity.
The culinary uses of herbs are endless and they can be used to good effect all year (8)
__________, in dried form or cut fresh. (9) __________ aids to beauty and for medicinal
(10) __________, there is now a vast range of available. Herbs are for all occasions and all
seasons. Your answers
1. only 2. With 3. window 4. along 5.
6. side 7. up 8. long 9. treating 10. uses

Part 3: Read the following passage and choose the best answer. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes. (10 points)

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 AROUND THE WORLD IN 94 DAYS
In February 2001, at the age of 24, Ellen Mac Arthur became the youngest and fastest ever
woman to sail round the world. After 94 days alone on board her yacht Kingfisher, she finished
second to Michel Desjoyaux of France in the single-handed Vende Globe event.
In sport, like life, the winner is usually fêted, and runners-up quickly forgotten. This time
the roles were reversed and it was Ellen, weighing just 50 kilos and barely 1m60 tall, that really
captured people's imaginations and emotions. One newspaper in France, where she was and is a
real heroine, summed up the national mood there with the headline 'Well done, Michel, brave
Ellen'.
As with many spectacular achievers, the signs were there from an early age, even in the
unpromising nautical terrain of landlocked Derbyshire. Her great-grandparents were sailing
people and a great-uncle was a merchant seaman, but any real link with the sea is tenuous. There
was, however, aunt Auntie Thea who lived on the east coast of England and had a 26-foot sailing
boat called Cabaret. It took just one trip on the open sea with her aunt to spark off Ellen's
lifelong passion. She was eight years old. After that she began saving her pocket money and
spent all her spare time reading sailing books in the library, absorbing information like a sponge.
With her savings and the help of her grandmother she bought an 8-£00t fibre glass dinghy, and
from that moment on there was no keeping her away from the water.
Sailing round Britain single-handed at the age of 18 was just the start; Ellen had long since
set her sights on the Vende. But finding the money to undertake round-the-world voyages is no
easy feat. She wrote 2,000 letters requesting sponsorship and received just two replies, from the
Kingfisher company who were looking to expand into France. And in terms of race preparation,
if thoroughness was the key to success, Ellen could certainly be considered one of the favourites.
In the eight months leading up to the start of the race, she sailed no fewer than 60,000 miles at
the helm of her 60-£001 Kingfisher, far more than the rest of the fleet put together in the same
period.
During her three months at sea MacArthur negotiated deadly icebergs, gigantic waves and
gale-force winds. She endured the freezing cold of the Antarctic and suffered the blistering heat
of the windless doldrums. Racing conditions meant sleeping in 10-minute bursts, a survival suit
that stayed on for weeks at a time and hands and wrists covered in sores and cuts. Food was
dried or frozen. Water came from a desalinator, which passes sea water through a membrane.
'You don't really wash in the icy waters of the southern ocean,' she laughs. 'Anyway, there's no
one to tell you that you smell.'
As Kingfisher crossed the finishing line Ellen was surrounded by hundreds of spectator
boats and a cheering crowd of 200,000 lined the shore. Stepping off her yacht she looked
remarkably composed and seemed to take the change from solitude to public adulation very
much in her stride. Her thoughts, she later confessed, were on the realization that she had
fulfilled the ambition that had dominated her life for the previous four or five years. 'Throughout
that time my sole focus had been crossing the finishing line, and in the fastest possible time.'
Now she could savour that moment.
But despite MacArthur's belief that everyone who finishes the Vende is a winner, she still
feels a sense of disappointment that, having taken the lead from the eventual winner Michel
Desjoyaux 10 days from the finish, she did not quite have the energy or good fortune to turn her
advantage into victory. 'You have to believe you can win from the start,' she asserts. 'Deep down
you're a competitor, you don't climb the mast and come back black and blue just for a cruise.
You do it because it's a race.'
The public will now be hoping to see a suitable encore, some new feat of endurance to
justify her celebrity status. For Ellen can no longer claim, as she did in her post-race press
conference, to be the simple Derbyshire girl with 'no mobile, no credit cards, no money, no
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nothing'; she is a heroine and an inspiration to others of her generation. As if to reinforce this,
and despite her reluctance to take on this role, she later commented: 'If there's one thing I've
learned in this past year, it's that deep down in your heart, if you have a dream, then you can and
must it happen.'
1. The word “fêted” in the second paragraph means
A. to make somebody pleasant. B. to praise somebody.
C. to make somebody happy. D. to give somebody a reward.
2. At the time of her achievement we learn that Ellen
A. enjoyed only short-lived success.
B. was more famous in France than anywhere else.
C. attracted more attention than Michel Desjoyaux.
D. became popular because of her size.
3. The word “landlocked” in the third paragraph means
A. having no seaport. B. having no fresh water .
C. having no land. D. having no sea coast.
4. Where did Ellen's initial interest in sailing come from?
A. She came from a family of sailing enthusiasts.
B. She went to see one of her relatives.
C. She read widely on the subject.
D. She lived near the sea.
5. The word “single-handed” in the fourth paragraph means
A. without any help from anyone else.
B. using only one of one's hands to row.
C. on a boat with only one paddle.
D. on a boat with only one sail.
6. What do we learn about Ellen at the start of the race?
A. People thought she had a very good chance of winning.
B. She was a more experienced sailor than the other racers.
C. She had been waiting for this moment since she was 18.
D. She had gone to great lengths to achieve her ambition.
7. The writer suggests that one cause of discomfort for Ellen at sea was
A. the shortage of water. B. her failure to sleep.
C. extremes of temperature. D. a lack of cooking facilities.
8. According to the writer, when Ellen finished the race, she was
A. overwhelmed by her new-found fame.
B. surprised by the number of people who came to greet her.
C. able to reflect on her achievement.
D. delighted to be amongst people again.
9. According to the writer, Ellen
A. thinks she deserved to win the race.
B. has mixed feelings about the outcome of the race.
C. knew she would win the race.
D. thinks Michel Desjoyaux was lucky to beat her.
10. Which of the following views does the writer express in the last paragraph?
A. She has the power to motivate. B. She has no right to fame yet.
C. Her comments lack depth. D. She needs to change her lifestyle.
Part 4. Read the passage and do the tasks that follow. Write your answers in corresponding
numbered boxes. (10 points)
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 WHERE HAVE ALL OUR BIRDS GONE?
People have been listening to skylarks singing in Britain for 10,000 years. But now they, and
many other much loved species, are vanishing fast. David Adam finds out why. A family of
Starlings has chosen a post box for the third year running in an Essex seaside town to raise
their young brood.
A. The B1042 that winds from the Bedfordshire town of Sandy towards the village of Potton
is a difficult road to cross. Fast and twisty, there are several blind bends where pedestrians must
take their lives into their hands. That is trickier than it sounds, for most pedestrians who cross
the B1042 already have a pair of binoculars in their hands. The road separates the grand
headquarters of the RSPB, home to hundreds of birdwatchers, from some unkept fields, home to
hundreds of watchable birds – hence the regular skips across the tarmac. The skips, though, are
now less regular for many RSPB staff, for the star attraction of the neighbouring fields has
flown. Until a year ago, a clutch of woodlark nested there, one of Britain's rarest birds with just
1,000 or so thought to remain. Then their home was ploughed up and replaced with a giant field
of swaying hemp plants. The woodlark have not been seen since.
B. It is not just the professional birdwatchers of the RSPB who have seen their local
landscape transformed. Across Britain, and with little fanfare, the face of the countryside has
subtly changed in recent years. Farm fields that stood idle for years under EU schemes to
prevent overproduction, such as the one across the road from the RSPB, have been conscripted
back into active service. The uncultivated land, previously a haven for wildlife, has been
ploughed, and farmers have planted crops such as wheat and barley, with occasional hemp for
use in paper and textiles.
C. As a result, the amount of land available for birds such as the woodlark has halved in the
last two years. Without efforts to stem this loss of habitat, conservation experts warn that the
countryside of the future could look and sound very different. Starved of insects in the spring
and seeds through the winter, the metallic-sounding corn bunting and plump grey partridge,
formerly one of the most common birds on UK shores, are on the brink. And the skylark, whose
twittering has provided the soundtrack to millions of countryside walks and inspired Percy
Bysshe Shelley, in Ode to a Skylark, to praise its "profuse strains of unpremeditated art", is
struggling and could soon vanish from many areas. Numbers fell 53% from 1970 to 2006. "This
is not just about birdwatchers. These birds are part of our common heritage," says Gareth
Morgan, head of agriculture policy at the RSPB.
D. Government figures show that populations of 19 bird species that rely on farmland have
halved since serious counting started in the 1970s – a decline conservationists blame on
intensive farming methods, with insecticide and herbicide sprayed on to monoculture fields
shorn of vibrant hedges. The unmistakable yellowhammer, which likes to sing while perched as
a dash of colour on hedges and bushes, has steadily disappeared with the hedges and bushes.
And a startling 80% drop across England in 40 years has diluted the shifting Rorschach blots
painted on the dusk sky by massed flocks of starling – though urban changes are blamed for this
too.
E. Farmland birds may sound a niche problem, and you may think that the rest of the
countryside is doing OK, but for most people, farmland is the British countryside. About 75% of
Britain is farmed, and about half of that is arable fields. Take a train between two UK towns,
particularly in eastern counties, and almost all of the countryside you see is farmland.
F. As Simon Gillings of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) puts it: "For most people,
farmland is the countryside and farmland birds are the birds they see." If birds are struggling,
then it is a fair bet that other wildlife is too. "Birds are indicative of other things," Gillings says.
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"If birds are declining then what does that say about the plants and insects they rely on? It's all
linked together."
Questions 1- 6
The Reading Passage has six paragraphs, A-F. Choose the correct heading for each
paragraph from the list of headings. Write the correct number i-ix in boxes 1-6.

List of Headings
i. Not only birds suffer
ii. Vanishing of habitats gives rise to the drop in bird species.
iii. Cultivating fame fields is profitable for farmers
iv. A niche and minor problem
v. Who should be blamed?
vi. Woodlark and other birds are on the brink (of extinction)
vii. Hedges and bushes are blamed for the reduction
viii. The rapid disappearance of bird species in Britain
ix. The countryside is the farmland
x. A major change in local landscape – more land is cultivated.
xi. Farmland is taking an insignificant share.
1. Paragraph A __________
2. Paragraph B __________
3. Paragraph C __________
4. Paragraph D __________
5. Paragraph E __________
6. Paragraph F __________ Your answers:
1. ii 2. x 3. vi 4. viii 5. ix 6. i
Questions 7-10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the READING PASSAGE?
Write:
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts with the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
7. The RSPB is a very famous international organisation in birds conservation.
8. In EU countries farm fields are left uncultivated in order to increase their fertility.
9. The loss of habitats means a more demanding survival for many bird species.
10. In the 1970s governments only counted 19 bird species that depended on farmland.

Your answers
7. NG 8. NO 9. YES 10. YES
Part 5. Read the text, identify which section A–F each of the following is mentioned. Write
ONE letter A–F in the corresponding numbered space provided. Each letter may be used more
than once. (15 points)
BOOK REVIEWS ON EARTH EXPLORATION A. Complete Guide to Life in a Cold
Climate by Richard Sale
This book is packed with information and deserves to be the ultimate Arctic wildlife guide for a
long time to come. It begins well, with an introduction to Arctic geology, climate and habitats,
an overview of all the people living and working in the region. The bulk of the book is an

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extensive field guide to Arctic birds and mammals, with distribution maps and information on
confusing species. Its scope is broad and generous, but I have a few niggles. It should really
include Arctic plants, fish and invertebrates. This would have doubled the size of the book and
made it unwieldy and impractical, but it's fair to say that the title is misleading. But I'm being
picky here, and these minor shortcomings don't detract from the overall value of the book.
B. Burton Holmes Travelogues
Burton Holmes was the greatest traveler not just of his own time but perhaps of all time. A pretty
big claim, but there's evidence to back it up. Over a 60-year period, Holmes visited nearly every
country on the planet, photographed all he saw, and invented the term 'travelogue'. His pictures
are stunning, both as social history and as art. Holmes photographed everything: the dead on
battles; the running of bulls in Spain; a mule train in Death Valley. A sequence of Vesuvius
erupting in 1906 includes a shot of a woman under an ash-strewn sky that is positively
apocalyptic, but Holmes' work wasn't restricted to the large canvas - he was as capable of
capturing an intimate portrait of a chicken vendor in a Bangkok market as he was revealing the
vastness and intricacy of the construction of the Panama Canal.
C. No More Beyond by Simon Nasht
In Simon Nasht's brilliant biography of Sir Hubert Wilkins, he says that his subject isn't like
other great explorers, primarily because most of us have never heard of him. He had no lust for
fame, instead being driven by a thirst that led him to remote environments and places that cried
out for exploration, rather than awards the popular challenges so desired by newspaper editors of
the day. Nasht couldn't believe "a man could achieve so much and yet be so little remembered."
In 1917 Wilkins was under the command of veteran polar explorer and photographer Frank
Hurley in the Australian Flying Corps. Their mutual interests were vital to the development of
aerial photography as an integral part of modern geography.
D. Farmland Wildlife by James McCallum
As a refuge for wildlife, British farmland has had a bad press in recent years. Fortunately, the
artist's beautiful visual journey through the seasons presented in this book reveals that there is
still an abundance of wildlife if you know where to look for it and what to look for. McCallum
shuns detailed portraiture in favour of sketches capturing the spirit of his subjects-and hooray for
that. If I need precise anatomical detail, I can look at a photograph. But if I want to grasp how a
stoat rolls an egg, how a male whitethroat makes his fluttering display-flights or how long-tailed
tits work together to build their nests, then I need something more-and McCallum is stunningly
good at translating these complex movements and behaviours onto the page. His simple
explanatory captions-taken from his field notebook-are a bonus.
E. Troubled Waters by Sarah Lazarus
Sometimes it seems as though the size of books on whales is led by the size of the subject
matter. This, however, is a small, readable book. There are no detailed species accounts and the
text is almost entirely devoted to the threats that whales and dolphins face, such as chemical and
noise pollution, ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets. A careful read reveals factual
errors but, on the whole, these do not affect the thoughtful and concise discussion. It is
notoriously difficult to get to the bottom of the whaling issue, and here Lazarus struggles a bit.
The International Whaling Commission comes in for a lot of criticism, which would perhaps
have been better directed at the three of its members who have chosen not to abide by the spirit
of its conservation decisions.
F. The High Lowlands by Derek Ratcliffes
For some, the south of Scotland is the plainer and less charismatic sibling of the breathtaking
Highlands and the rugged West Coast. But it's every bit as wild as those famed areas, but with a
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gentler appeal. This book describes an unexpected Eden, a place whose heart pulses to a
different beat. This is an epic piece of writing, its subject matter covered in a manner more akin
to the journals of a Victorian chronicler than a modern natural history book. Derek Ratcliffe's
recordings of the natural goings-on in this lonely land spanned 50 years. His intimacy is
apparent on every page. Everything is catalogued and described in meticulous detail, and few
questions are left unanswered. It's a great pity that Derek did not live to see his life's work in
print. This is a book for everyone, but it's a huge volume that you couldn't take with you on
holiday unless you've got a pretty hefty rucksack and a strong back.

Your
answers
Someone who left almost no stone unturned around the world. 1. B
The surprising anonymity of someone. 2. C
Disappointment that flora and other fauna are not mentioned. 3. A
A book that is physically difficult to carry around with you. 4. F
Some details are inaccurate in this book. 5. E
Information written like an old-fashioned diary. 6. F
Text that adds something to the images. 7. D
A collaboration that produced great results. 8. C
A book that covers all of nature's seasons. 9. D
A wide variety of subject matter. 10. B

D. WRITING (60 points)

Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary
should be about 140 words long. (15 points)
The temperature of the Sun is over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises to
perhaps more than 16 million degrees at the center. The Sun is so much hotter than the Earth that
matter can exist only as a gas, except at the core. In the core of the Sun, the pressures are so
great against the gases that, despite the high temperature, there may be a small solid core.
However, no one really knows, since the center of the Sun can never be directly observed.
Solar astronomers do know that the Sun is divided into five layers or zones. Starting at
the outside and going down into the Sun, the zones are the corona, chromosphere, photosphere,
convection zone, and finally the core. The first three zones are regarded as the Sun's atmosphere.
But since the Sun has no solid surface, it is hard to tell where the atmosphere ends and the main
body of the Sun begins. The Sun's outermost layer begins about 10,000 miles above the visible
surface and can be seen during an eclipse such as the one in February 1979. At any goes outward
for millions of miles. This is the only part of the Sun that other time, the corona can be seen only
when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to shut out the glare of the Sun's
rays.
The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light about as bright as the full Moon. Its
beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona's rays flash out in a brilliant
fan that has wispy spike-like rays near the Sun’s north and south poles. The corona is thickest at
the sun's equator.
The corona rays are made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds and
reaching a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The rays of gas thin out as
they reach the space around the planets. By the time the Sun's corona rays reach the Earth, they
are weak and invisible.

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 The tempurature of the Sun may reach up to a million degrees, and the star itself is so
blazing that it can only hold gas, with the exception of its own core. We’re informed that nobody
knows what exactly is inside the star because direct observation is just impossible. The Sun is
divided into five layers: the corona chromosphere, convection zone, and finally the core. When
ultilising special instruments, corona is the only zone that may be examined. It has been
identified as a bright, filmy light that tends to shine up as the full Moon, and it is thickest at the
sun’s equator. The rays surround the star are gases rushing forth at high speeds and
temperatures. When they reach to Earth, they diminish and then become invisible.

Part 2: Chart description (15 points)

The table below shows the weight of people in a particular country from 1999 to 2009.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The table depicts the proportion weight of both women and men in a specific country between
1999 and 2009.
Throughout the study, Women did appear to be a bit more underweight than males. In the 90’s
women were reported to have been underweight at the rate of 27% whereas men’s proportion
was 22%. The women’s figure then rose somewhat higher in 2004 (29%) before declining by a
percent over the next 5 years. Men’s figure, instead, dropped to 20% and rose 3% in 2009.
The percentages of normal weight was fluactuating around 50% for females and their
counterparts throughout the 20 years period. Similarly, the prevalence of overweight females
was at the rate of 18% in 1999, 21% in 2004 and dropped a percentage in 2009. Whilst,
overweight males accounted somewhat higher rate than the mentioned figure for females: 30% in
1999, 23% in 2004, and finally 19% in 2009.

Part 3. Essay writing (30 points)

Write an essay of about 300 to 350 words on the following topic:
In recent years, more and more people are choosing to read e-books rather than paper books.
Do the advantages of reading e-books outweigh its disadvantages?
Use your own knowledge and experience to support your arguments with examples and relevant
evidence. Give reasons for your viewpoint.

Recently, more and more people tend to read e-books instead of using traditional ones. E-
reading is not only advantageous for readers but also fruitful for the whole society; though,
doing this may affect eyesight. In my point of view, reading books will all be online in the future
because it surely has tons of benefits.
On the one hand, the downside of e-books is that they demand us to keep our eyes to the screen
for an extended period of time, this might cause the eyes to strain as well as lead to some other
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health issues. Furthermore, e-books necessiate one to purchase a device in order to enjoy those
books, and that device may also require batteries to function properly. With this being said, e-
books are not always the most ideal invention to carry out, and they can be even frustrating
when it comes to flat battery, or other problems arise.
On the other hand, virtual reading provides a great deal of accessibility to individuals who
wish to read at anywhere, and anytime. People do not even need to get to a bookshop to acquire
their books; they can easily buy them on the Internet. Sure enough, it does, indeed, save a
massive amount of time spent on travelling and buying the right books. Furthermore, e-reading
is totally eco-friendly. It does not require people to contribute in trees destruction, or printing
the books out of them. In other words, this helps with the reduction of air pollution, which is
happening all over the world. As a result, e-reading advocates to conserve the resources to such
a large extent for the future.
To sum up, traditional books play an important part in our community. Nonetheless, the
benefits of software-based reading surpasses its downside, in terms of convenience and
environmental friendliness.

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