Name: Trần Nhật Diễm

SECTION 2. PHONETICS
III. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently.  (6 points)

1. D 2. D 3. B
IV. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from the other three of the group. (4 points)

1. C 2. A
SECTION 3. LEXICO – GRAMMAR
V. Choose the correct answer to complete each of the following sentences. THERE CAN BE MORE
THAN ONE CORRECT ANSWER TO SOME QUESTIONS. (70 points)
1. A number of oil tankers have been laid ……………. recently.
A. on                        B. down                    C. up                      D. in
2. The inscription on the tombstone had been worn ………by the weather and could scarcely be
read.
A. away                    B. off                   C. out                     D. on
3. ………………second thoughts, I’d rather not go out tonight.
A. With                   B. In                      C. On                    D. Under
4. The new hairdryer does not comply ………………British safety standard.
A. to                  B. with                 C. against                    D. on
5. Many books were not available to the public because of government ……………….. .
A. omission       B. inhibition         C. compensation         D. censorship
6. The woman accused of shoplifting was found not guilty and was …………………. .
A. excused         B. liberated              C. acquitted            D. interned
7. “Did you like the novel that I gave you last week?”
-“ _________ the novels that I’ve read, I enjoyed this one the most.”
A. All of         B. Of all                 C. For all                    D. From all
8. My car was so old that I could only sell it for ……………… .
A. rubbish         B. scrap                C. debris               D. waste
9. Not only ………………in the project, but he also wanted to become the leader.
A. did Jack involve                        B. had Jack been involved
C. was Jack involved                     D. Jack was involved
10. I felt a bit ……………..and seemed to have more aches and pains than usual.
A. out of sorts                        B. on the mend
C. over the worst                  D. under the fevers
11. Why don’t we have yoghurt? It’s ___________ as good as cream and much healthier, too.
A. each bit                              B. every part
C. each part                           D. every bit
12. We would ___________ in Cardiff if we hadn’t found someone to buy our previous house.
A. still have lived                   B. still be living
C. live still                             D. have lived still
13. He denied ___________ the glass window of our classroom.
A. breaking                        B. to break
C. break                                 D. having broken
14. When you reach the fork in the road, you can go ___________. They both lead to the village.
A. either way                              B. the two ways
C. the both ways                   D. each way
15. It was ___________ pleasure to be working out of doors after five long years locked in a cell.
A. plain                 B. sheer                      C. pure                    D. simple
16. He returned home after a ___________ in New York.
A. weekly holiday                 B. week’s holiday
C. weeks’ holiday                D. holiday of a week
19. She made a big___________about not having a window seat on the plane .
A. compaint                           B. fuss
C. excitement                        D. interest
20. You must pay import ___________ on certain goods bought into this country.
A. fees                 B. surcharges            C. supplement           D. duties
21. He’s always ___________ the government, but then he never votes in the elections.
A. shooting off                               B. calling out
C. running down       D. calling off
22. A defeat in the second round marked the end of the ___________ for last year’s champion.
A. line             B. Avenue                   C. street                      D. road
23. We cannot judge a person simply on the ___________ of his education.
A. condition           B. basis                  C. principle               D. theory
24. When he started the company, he really went ___________. It might have been a disaster.
A. out on the limb                       B. on and off
C. over the odds                          D. once too often
25. Of course I’ll play the piano at the party but I am a little ___________.
A. out of use                   B. out of reach
C. out of turn                  D. out of practice
26. All these sweaters are extremely ___________ by the local residents of a small Scottish
island.
A. well-knitted                   B. well-founded
C. well-fashioned              D. well-made
27. ___________ plants recycle carbon dioxide and create oxygen, which we need to breathe
and ___________ most of our food comes from ___________ plants.
A. Ø/Ø/Ø                B. The/Ø/ the             C. Ø/ the /Ø              D. Ø/ a/ the
28. The ___________ on the town – hall clock showed it was nearly midnight.
A. pointers            B. hands                  C. fingers             D. indicators
29. Despite all my anxiety, I ___________ for the job I wanted. I’m really going to work hard to
justify their confidence.
A. was hired           B. hired             C. got hiring             D. got hired
30. In the early years of the 20th century, several rebellions ______in the northern parts of the
country.
A. turned out           B. rose up             C. broke out           D. came up
31. Of all athletes, Alex is ___________.
A. the less qualified                B. the less and less qualified
C. the more qualified             D. the least qualified
32. He offered to ___________ her a hand as the suitcase was too heavy for her to carry.
A. show                  B. lend                   C. help                        D. loan
33.The school was closed for a month because of a serious ……………of fever.
A. outcome             B. outburst            C. outset              D. outbreak
34. ______ I am aware, there were no problems during the first six months.
A. As far as     B. So much as     C. Much more than       D. Except that
35. Joanne has only one eye, she lost ____ three years ago after falling on some broken glass.
A. other           B. other ones             C. another one          D. the other
36. ______, modelling is actually hard work.
A. However glamorous it may seem
B. Even if it may seem glamorous
C. Glamorous although it may seem
D. So glamorous may it seem
37. There has been a recommendation from the union leaders that the offer of 5% ______.
A. should be rejected         B. has been rejected
C. be rejected                       D. rejects
IV. There is one mistake in each sentence. Identify the mistake and write A, B, C or D to indicate
your answer. (10 points)
1. New sources of energy (A) have been looking (B) for as the number (C) of fossil
fuels continues (D) to decrease.
2. For such (A) a demanding job, you will need (B) qualifications (C), soft skills and having full
commitment (D).
3. Because of (A) the approaching storm, the wind began to blow hard (B) and the
sky became (C) dark as (D) evening
4. The new student’s progress advanced forward (A) with such (B) speed that all (C) his
teachers were amazed (D).
5. The better (A) you are at (B) English, more chance (C) you have to get a job (D) with
international organizations.
SECTION 4. READING
VII. Read the following passage, and then choose the best answer from A, B, C or D.
Successful students often do the followings while studying. First, they have an overview before
reading. Next, they look for important information and pay greater attention to it (which often
needs jumping forward or backward to process information). They also relate important points to
one another. Also, they activate and use their prior knowledge. When they realize that their
understanding is not good, they do not wait to change strategies. Last, they can monitor
understanding and take action to correct or “fix up” mistakes in comprehension.
Conversely, students with low academic achievement often demonstrate ineffective study skills.
They tend to assume a passive role, in learning and rely on others (e.g., teachers, parents) to
monitor their studying, for example, low-achieving students often do not monitor their
understanding of content; they may not be aware of the purpose of studying; and they show little
evidence of looking back, or employing “fix-up” strategies to fix understanding problems.
Students who struggle with learning new information seem to be unaware that they must extent
effort beyond simply reading the content to understand and remember it. Children with learning
disabilities do not plan and judge the quality of their studying. Their studying may be
disorganized. Students with learning problems face challenges with personal organization as
well. They often have difficulty keeping track of materials and assignments, following directions,
and completing work on time. Unlike good studiers who employ a variety of study skills in a
flexible yet purposeful manner, low-achieving students use a restricted range of study
skills. They  cannot explain why good study strategies are important for learning; and they tend to
use the same, often ineffective study approach for all learning tasks, ignoring task content,
structure or difficulty.
(Source: Adapted from Study Skills: Managing Your Learning — NUI Galway)
1. What is the topic of the passage?
A. Successful and low-academic achieving students
B. Successful learners and their learning strategies
C. Study skills for high school students
D. Effective and ineffective ways of learning
2. The word “prior” in the first paragraph is closest meaning to ______?
A. important           B. earlier                C. forward                 D. good
3. According to the passage, what can be learnt about passive students?
A. They depend on other people to organize their learning
B. They are slow in their studying
C. They monitor their understanding
D. They know the purpose of studying
4. According to the passage, to learn new information, low-achieving students do NOT______.
A. just understand it             B. relate it to what they have known
C. simply remember it         D. read it
5. In compared with low-achieving students, successful students use______.
A. aimless study techniques             B. various study skills
C. restricted strategies                       D. inflexible study ways
VIII. Read the passage below and then choose a suitable word A, B, C or D to fill in each blank.
NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN!
Education is a life-long process that not only provides us with basic skills such as literacy and
numeracy, but is also essential in        (1)            our future lives. From the moment we enter
kindergartens as small children, and as we progress through primary and secondary education,
we        (2)             the foundations for the life ahead of us. We must discipline ourselves to work
hard      (3)          we can pass exams and gain the qualifications we will need to secure a good
job. We must also acquire valuable life skills so that we can fit in and work with those around us.
And of course health education helps us to understand       (4)           we can stay fit and healthy.
For most people, this process ends when they are in their mid-to-late teens. For others, however,
it is the beginning of a lifetime of learning. After they finish school, many      (5)          to further
education where they will learn more useful skills such as computer literacy or basic business
management.      (6)            will enroll on a program of higher education at a university where,
with hard work, they will have the opportunity to graduate after three or four years with a well-
earned degree. After that, they may work for a while before opting to study for a higher degree-
an MA, for example, or a PhD. Alternatively, they may choose to attend an evening class after
work or, if they have a sympathetic employer,            (7)          day release so that they can study
during the week. And if they live a long way from a college or university, they might follow
a          (8)        course using mail and the Internet.          (9)      , it is largely due to the
proliferation of computers that many people have started to study again and can proudly class
themselves as mature students.
We live in a fascinating and constantly changing world, and we must continually learn
and       (10)       new knowledge if we are to adapt and keep up with changing events. Our
schooldays are just the beginning of this process, and we should make the best of every
opportunity to develop ourselves, whether we are eighteen or eighty. You are, indeed, never too
old to learn.
1. B 2. D 3. C 4. A 5.D 6.D 7. B 8. C 9.A 10. C

IX. Fill in each numbered blank with ONE suitable word and write your answers in the numbered
box. 
Society has changed in many ways since the introduction of computers, and people’s lives at
home and at the office have been (1) ……………… Most people are working for fewer hours per
week than they (2) ……………. to. Manufacturers and advertising agencies are becoming much
more interested in (3)……………… people spend this extra leisure time. One recent report stated
that, (4)……………… the number of hobbies had not increased, each hobby had become more
specialized.
A second (5)………….. is that nowadays, many managers would rather spend time with their
families than stay (6)…………….. in the office every day. Home life is seen to be just as
important as working. Some companies now make managers (7)………………. their annual
holidays even if they don’t want to, because this leads to such an (8)…………………… in their
performance if they have some rest.
In spite of these changes, some people are working harder than ever before. The standard of
exams is getting higher, and increased competition is(9)……………… it harder to get into
university than it was 20 years ago. School children and students are now having to work so hard
that in many cases they work (10)………………… hours than their parents.
1. influenced 2. Used 3. How 4. Although 5. Change 6. Work 7. Take 8.
9. making 10. more
SECTION 5. WRITING 
X. Finish the second sentence in each pair in such a way that it means the same as the sentence
before it. (10 points)
1. We regret to inform you that your application for a job has not been successful.
→ Much to our regret we inform you that your application for a job has not been successful
2. If you changed your mind, you would be welcome to join us.
→ Were you to change your mind, you would be welcome to join us.
3. Richard only took over the family business because his father decided to retire early.
→But for his father’s early retirement, Richard took over the family business
4. I have called this meeting in order to present the latest sales figures.
→My purpose on calling this meeting is to present the latest sales figures
5. Melissa’s father was very busy, but he still played with her.
→ Busy as Melissa’s father, he still played with her.    
XI. Complete the second sentence, using the word given in bold. Do not change the word given. You
must use between three and six words, including the word given. (10 points)
1. I don’t understand one word of this document.(head)
I can’t ____________________of this document.
2. Erika didn’t mention her illness at all. (reference)
Erika made made no reference to her illness.
3. Did anything about his behavior seem unusual to you? (strike)
Did anything about his behavior ______ being unusual?
4. She was just as good as they had thought. (up)
She definitely came up to their expectations.
5. Tony didn’t feel like dancing that night. (mood)
Tony wasn’t in the mood to dance that night.
XII. Write a paragraph (from 120 to 150 words) about the following topic: “Is homework harmful or
helpful?”  (20 points)
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………