ĐỀ ÔN LUYỆN HSG TỈNH

I/ Choose the word/ phrase that best completes each of the following sentences. Write your answer in the
corresponding numbered boxes. (10 pts)
1. The modification has been the _______ on the cake for both of us, for a lot of hard work has gone into the
design and development of the course.
A. chilling B. cooling C. freezing D. icing
2. Annabel and Insidious 3 are not James Wan’s best movies by far and those would be _______ between any of
the other sequels on air, but they are pretty incredible.
A. kiss-offs B. summings-up C. tip-offs D. toss-ups
3. Researchers have made a(n) __________ plea for more sponsorship so that they can continue the project.
A. compassionate B. dispassionateC. encompassed D. impassioned
4. You shouldn’t have been _______ to your elders by raising those matters.
A. ill-mannered B. immaterial C. impertinent D. inapposite
5. Should you fail, the sacrifices made by your family would be meaningless and reside _______.
A. on your conscience B. at your wits’ end
C. off your own boat D. under your thumb
6. Many Americans refused to fall in with the idea that religion is a(n) _______ disreputable anachronism.
A. academically B. cerebrally C. cognitively D. intellectually
7. She expects the political experience gained in this election will stand her in good _______ in her future career,
which, she suggests, could include another campaign.
A. footing B. grounding C. precedent D. stead
8. I ran into an unknown in the gap-filling exercise, but I didn’t try and _______ the gap.
A. held on B. hang out C. press on D. stuck at
9. I was out of __________ with you on this matter, but let’s not quarrel about it.
A. empathy B. harmony C. keeping D. sympathy
10. Poor management brought village shops to teeter _______ of collapse although community-owned shops,
Internet retailing and home delivery schemes were becoming more popular.
A. In the teeth B. on the brink
C. on the razor’s edge D. on the threshold
II/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 the position of the primary stress in each of the following question
Question 1: A. inability B. personality C. territorial D. potentially
Question 2: A. contaminate B. artificial C. encouragement D. intelligent
Question 3: A. interview B. determine C. interpret D. equipment
Question 4: A. emigrate B. Atlantic C. criteria D. policeman
Question 5: A. facilities B. particular C. inhabitant D. governmental
Question 6: A. suggestion B. cigarette C. environment D. protection
Question 7: A. involve B. purpose C. explain D. advise
Question 8: A. certificate B. inhabitant C. compulsory D. application
Question 9: A. description B. counselor C. inspector D. amendment
Question 10: A. psychiatry B. inexpensive C. patriotic D. scientific
Question 11: A. discovery B. simplicity C. difficulty D. commodity
Question 12: A. attempt B. motion C. invent D. perform
III.Mark the letters A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to show the underlined part that needs correction in each of
the following questions
Question 1: To remove stains (A) from permanent press clothing, (B) carefully soaking in cold water (C) before
washing with (D) a regular detergent.
Question 2: So far this term, (A) the students in writing class (B) have learnt how (C) to write the statements, organize
their material, and (D) summarizing their conclusion.
Question 3: (A) Crime invention is as (B) crucial in the work place (C) like it is in the home or (D) neighborhood.
Question 4: (A) Because of the expense of (B) traditional fuels and the concern that they (C) run out, many countries
have been (D) investigating alternative sources of power.
Question 5: (A) In a hot, sunny climate, man acclimatizes (B) by eating less, drinking (C) more liquids, wearing lighter
clothing, and (D) experience a darkening of the skin.
Question 6: Video cameras (A) pick up (B) the light (C) that reflecting (D) from an object.
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Question 7: Each of the musicians (A) in the orchestra were (B) rehearsing daily before (C) the concert tour began. (D)
Question 8: The British labor movement developed (A) as a mean (B) of improving working conditions (C) through
group efforts (D).
Question 9: Sweetly smelling (A) perfumes (B) are added (C) to soap to make it appealing. (D)
Question 10: J. David devoted his last year (A) to write (B) at his home (C) in Biloxi, Mississippi, near the Gulf (B) of
Mexico.
Question 11: I think she will be (A) suitable for (B) the work because she has been working(C) like (D) a teacher for a
long time.
Question 12: The longest mountain range (A) , the Mid-Atlantic Range, is not hardly (B) visible because most of (C)
it lies under (D) the ocean.
Question 13: The abilities to work (A) hard, follow directions, and thinking (B) independently are (C) some of the
criteria for success (D) in the workplace.
Question 14: Establishing (A) in 1984 for students (B) who wanted to study art and music subjects, LaGuardia was
(C) the first public school of its kind (D).
Question 15: Mrs. Stevens, along with (A) her cousins (B) from New Mexico, are (C) planning to (D) attend the
festivities.
Question 16: The teacher asked him why (A) hadn’t he done (B) his homework, but (C) he said nothing(D) .
Question 17: Hardly had he entered (A) the room than (B) all the lights (C) went (D) out.
Question 18: Since (A) fireworks are dangerous (B) , many countries have laws preventing (C) businesses to sell (D)
them.
Question 19: Exploration of the Solar System is continuing (A), and at the present rate of progress (B) all the planets
will have been contacted within (C) the near (D) 50 years.
Question 20: I can’t stand make (A) noise in class. Would you please do (B) something (C) more useful (D)?
Question 21: Although to some people (A) reading is (B) favored way to spend time, but others (C) just do not like
reading (D).
Question 21: Among (A) many other program (B), UNICEF also (C) supports (D) the international Child Rights
Information Network.
Question 22: In 2030, (A) how we will provide (B) for the food, land, and energy needs (C) of a global population of
over 8 billion (D)?
Question 23: In the future, smart cars will also (A) be intelligent enough (B) to avoid pedestrians bicycle riders (C) and
others whom (D) are not driving automobiles.

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V.Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable preposition or particle. Write your answer in the
corresponding numbered boxes. (5 pts)
1. She wept herself _____out_____ when she heard the bad news.
2. If you don’t believe me, go and see ____by______ yourself!
3. You go to the beach with the kids and I’ll follow _____on_____ when I’ve finished my work.
4. Supporting this is anecdotal evidence that this is a responsible decision while glossing ___over____ the very
real possibility of harm and danger to the student.
5. You could hardly tell the difference, but manufacturers claimed they had the second-rate products fobbed
______off______ with many beer-drinkers.

VI. Write the correct form of each bracketed word in corresponding numbered boxes. (10 pts)
CHARLES BABBAGE, COMPUTER PIONEER
‘Propose to any Englishman any principle, or any instrument, however admirable it may be,’ grumbled the inventor
Charles Babbage, ‘and you will observe that the whole effort of the English mind is directed to find a difficulty, a defect,
or an impossibility in it.’ Babbage’s dream, back in the 1830s, was for a computer – the Analytical Engine. His detailed
designs (46)___incorporated____ (CORPUS) almost every principle of modern computers, (47)___distinctively____
(DISTINCT), for instance, between memory and processor, and recognising the need to skip and repeat during
calculations. The problem was that Babbage was a century before his time, his ideas unfortunately disregarded as
(48)___unthinkable____ (THINK), temerarious, non-viable and (49)___harebrained____ (BRAIN) because they could
not be realised by mechanical terms. Common sense was not his strong suit. His Analytical Engine would have been five
metres tall and six metres in diameter had it ever been built. His Difference Engine No. 1, the one big project he did not
exactly prove (50)___fruitless____ (FRUIT), was a huge calculator of cast iron and brass designed to print (51)___err-
free____ (ERR) mathematical tables. The section completed in 1832, now in the Science Museum, is a(n)
(52)___masterpiece____ (PIECE) of precision engineering, but the full-size engine would have weighed 15 tonnes and
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(53)____entailed___ (TAIL) 25,000 individually
machined parts. After ten years, Babbage’s attempts to build it collapsed (54)___amid____ (MID) accusations and
(55)___recrimination____ (CRIME), at a cost to the state of £17,500.
VII. For questions 1–10, read the following passages and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
Write your answers (A, B, C, or D) in corresponding numbered boxes. (10pts)
Urban gum crime
The Mayan tribes of South America would chew chicle, a natural form of rubber, while the Ancient Greeks
(1)_________ the resin of a mastic shrub. In modern Britain, we like to chew sticks and tablets of manufactured gum –
and (2)_________ of the tasteless sticky residue on the ground.
However, recent legislation in the UK means that used chewing gum is now (3)__________ as litter and anyone who
drops it on the pavement or (4)__________ in any public place is committing a crime and can be fined. Some areas have
council litter wardens who can (5)________ on-the-spot fines.
A new government campaign (6)_______ the extent of the problem and aims to (7)________ awareness about this anti-
social habit, for instance with posters in shopping areas.
Throughout the UK, councils spend 150 million pounds a year (8)_______ chewing gum from the streets, and 4 million
of that is in London alone. Indirectly, this is (9)________ taxpayers’ money. (10)_______ is the main removal method,
but use is also made of chemical sprays, freezing, pressurized water and steam.
1. A. favoured B. approved C. commended D. indulged
2. A. discard B. dispose C. dispense D. disperse
3. A. ranked B. classified C. systematised D. codified
4. A. at any rate B. anyway C. even so D. indeed
5. A. fix B. compel C. impose D. prescribe
6. A. features B. declares C. focuses D. highlights
7. A. make B. provoke C. grow D. heighten
8. A. erasing B. spraying C. removing D. washing
9. A. no doubt B. for sure C. of course D. within reason
10. A. Scraping B. Clawing C. Scratching D. Rubbing
VIII. Read the text below and think of one word which best fits each space. Use only ONE WORD for each space.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (10 pts)
The Rosetta Stone
For centuries Egyptian hieroglyphics represented one of the world’s greatest linguistic challenges. They
(1)............left............. scholars baffled until they were finally deciphered in the nineteenth century,
(2) ............leading............ to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.
In the year 1799 some French soldiers found a slab of black basalt (3) ...........while............ working on a fortress near
the small town of Rosetta. One officer, Pierre Francois Bouchard, realised they had stumbled (4) ..........on.............. a
finding of great significance and handed it over to scholars.
The Rosetta Stone has inscriptions in two languages, Egyptian and Greek, (5) ..........while.............. there are, in fact,
three scripts carved on it. The (6) ...........written............. script is hieroglyphics, a pictorial form of writing used
(7) ..............to.......... transcribe the language of Ancient Egypt, and which (8) ...........can............. be found on many
Egyptian buildings and monuments. The hieroglyphics are followed by Demotic, (9) ...........an............ Egyptian script.
The third script is Ancient Greek, and it was (10) ..........this......... that alerted Bouchard, who recognised it, to the
importance of the discovery.
IX,Read the following passage and choose the best answer. (10pts)

Large animals that inhabit the desert have evolved a number of adaptations for reducing the effects of extreme heat.
One adaptation is to be light in color, and to reflect rather than absorb the Sun's rays. Desert mammals also depart from
the normal mammalian practice of maintaining a constant body temperature. Instead of trying to keep down the body
temperature deep inside the body, which would involve the expenditure of water and energy, desert mammals allow
their temperatures to rise to what would normally be fever height, and temperatures as high as 46 degrees Celsius have
been measured in Grant's gazelles. The overheated body then cools down during the cold desert night, and indeed the
temperature may fall unusually low by dawn, as low as 34 degrees Celsius in the camel. This is an advantage since the
heat of the first few hours of daylight is absorbed in warming up the body, and an excessive buildup of heat does not
begin until well into the day.
Another strategy of large desert animals is to tolerate the loss of body water to a point that would be fatal for non-
adapted animals. The camel can lose up to 30 percent of its body weight as water without harm to itself, whereas human
beings die after losing only 12 to 13 percent of their body weight. An equally important adaptation is the ability to
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replenish this water loss at one drink. Desert animals can drink prodigious volumes in a short time, and camels have
been known to imbibe over 100 liters in a few minutes. A very dehydrated person, on the other hand, cannot drink
enough water to rehydrate at one session, because the human stomach is not sufficiently big and because a too rapid
dilution of the body fluids causes death from water intoxication. The tolerance of water loss is of obvious advantage in
the desert, as animals do not have to remain near a water hole but can obtain food from grazing sparse and far-flung
pastures. Desert-adapted mammals have the further ability to feed normally when extremely dehydrated, it is a common
experience in people that appetite is lost even under conditions of moderate thirst.
1. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. Weather variations in the desert. B. Adaptations of desert animals.
C. Diseased of desert animals. D. Human use of desert animals.
2. According to the passage, why is light coloring an advantage to large desert animals?
A. It helps them hide from predators.
B. It does not absorb sunlight as much as dark colors.
C. It helps them see their young at night.
D. It keeps them cool at night.
3. The word "maintaining" is closest in meaning to _________.
A. measuring B. inheriting C. preserving D. delaying
4. The author uses of Grant's gazelle as an example of
A. an animal with a low average temperature
B. an animal that is not as well adapted as the camel
C. a desert animal that can withstand high body temperatures
D. a desert animal with a constant body temperature
5. When is the internal temperature of a large desert mammal lower?
A. Just before sunrise B. In the middle of the day
C. Just after sunset D. Just after drinking
6. The word "tolerate" is closest in meaning to _________.
A. endure B. replace C. compensate D. reduce
7. What causes water intoxication?
A. Drinking too much water very quickly. B. Drinking polluted water.
C. Bacteria in water. D. Lack of water.
8. Why does the author mention humans in the second paragraph?
A. To show how they use camels.
B. To contrast them to desert mammals.
C. To give instructions about desert survival.
D. To show how they have adapted to desert life.
9. The word "obtain" is closest in meaning to _________.
A. digest B. carry C. save D. get
10. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an adaptation of large desert animals?
A. Variation in body temperatures. B. Eating while dehydrated.
C. Drinking water quickly. D. Being active at night.
X. Read the following passage. Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-G from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i- ix, in blanks.

List of headings
i. The reaction of the Inuit community to climate change
ii. Understanding of climate change remains limited
iii. Alternative sources of essential supplies
iv. Respect for Inuit opinion grows
v. A healthier choice of food
vi. A difficult landscape
vii. Negative effects on well-being
viii. Alarm caused by unprecedented events in the Arctic
ix. The benefits of an easier existence

Paragraph A: viii

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1. Paragraph B i 2. Paragraph C vi 3. Paragraph D iii
4. Paragraph E vii 5. Paragraph F iv
Climate Change and the Inuit
A. Unusual incidents are being reported across the Arctic. Inuit families going off on snowmobiles to prepare their
summer hunting camps have found themselves cut off from home by a sea of mud, following early thaws. There
are reports of igloos losing their insulating properties as the snow drips and refreezes, of lakes draining into the
sea as permafrost melts, and sea ice breaking up earlier than usual, carrying seals beyond the reach of hunters.
Climate change may still be, a rather abstract idea to most of us, but in the Arctic it is already having dramatic
effects – if summertime ice continues to shrink at its present rate, the Arctic Ocean could soon become virtually
ice-free in summer. The knock-on effects are likely to include more warning, cloudier skies, increased
precipitation and higher sea levels. Scientists are increasingly keen to find out what’s going on because they
consider the Artic the ‘canary in the mine’ for global warming – a warning of what’s in store for the rest of the
world.
B. For the Inuit the problem is urgent. They live in precarious balance with one of the toughest environments on
earth. Climate change, whatever its causes, is a direct threat to their way of life. Nobody knows the Artic as well
as the locals, which is why they are not content simply to stand back and let outside experts tell them what’s
happening. In Canada, where the Inuit people are jealously guarding their hand-won autonomy in the country’s
newest territory, Nunavut, they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment lies in
combining their ancestral knowledge with the best of modern science. This is a challenge in itself.
C. The Canadian Arctic is a vast, treeless polar desert that’s covered with snow for most of the year. Venture into
this terrain and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who calls this home. Farming is out of the
question and nature offers meager pickings. Humans first settled in the Arctic a mere 4,500 years ago, surviving
by exploiting sea mammals and fish. The environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the colonists were
successful, sometimes they failed and vanished. But around a thousand years ago, one group emerged that was
uniquely well adapted to cope with the Arctic environment. These Thule people moved in from Alaska, bringing
kayaks, sleds, dogs, pottery and iron tools. They are the ancestors of today’s Inuit people.
D. Life for the descendants of the Thule people is still harsh. Nunavut is 1.9 million square kilometers of rock and
ice, and a handful of islands around the North Pole. It’s currently home to 2,500 people, all but a handful of
them indigenous Inuit. Over the past 40 years, most have abandoned their nomadic ways and settled in the
territory’s 28 isolated communities, but they still rely on nature to provide food and clothing.
Provisions available in local shops have to be flown into Nunavut on one of the most costly air networks in the
world, or brought by supply ship during the few ice-free weeks of summer. It would cost a family around £
7,000 a year to replace meat they obtained themselves through hunting with imported meat. Economic
opportunities are scarce, and for many people state benefits are their only income.
E. While the Inuit may not actually starve if hunting and trapping are curtailed by climate change, there has
certainly been an impact on people’s health. Obesity, heart disease and diabetes are beginning to appear in a
people for whom these have never before been problems. There has been a crisis of identity as the traditional
skills of hunting, trapping and preparing skins have begun to disappear. In Nunavut‘s ‘igloo and email’ society,
where adults who were born in igloos have children who may never have been out on the land, there‘s high
incidence of depression.
F. With so much at stake, the Inuit are determined to play a key role in teasing out the mysteries of climate change
in the Arctic. Having survived there for centuries, they believe their wealth of traditional knowledge is vital to
the task. And Western scientists are starting to draw on this wisdom, increasingly referred to as ‘Inuit
Qaujimajatuqangit’, or IQ. ‘In the early days scientists ignored us when they came up here to study anything.
They just figured these people don’t know very much so we won’t ask them,’ says John Amagoalik, an Inuit
leader and politician. ‘ But in recent years IQ has had much more credibility and weight.’ In fact it is now a
requirement for anyone hoping to get permission to do research that they consult the communities, who are
helping to set the research agenda to reflect their most important concerns. They can turn down applications
from scientists they believe will work against their interests, or research projects that will impinge too much on
their daily lives and traditional activities.
G. Some scientists doubt the value of traditional knowledge because the occupation of the Arctic doesn’t go back
far enough. Others, however, point out that the first weather stations in the far north date back just 50 years.
There are still huge gaps in our environmental knowledge, and despite the scientific onslaught, many predictions
are no more than best guesses. IQ could help to bridge the gap and resolve the tremendous uncertainty about
how much of what we’re seeing is natural capriciousness and how much is the consequence of human activity.

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Questions 6-10: Choose no more than two words from paragraphs C and D to complete their following summary.
If you visit the Canadian Arctic, you immediately appreciate the problems faced by people for whom this is
home. It would clearly be impossible for the people to engage in farming as a means of supporting themselves. For
thousands of years they have had to rely on catching (6)…………sea mammals………….and fish as a means of
sustenance. The harsh surroundings saw many who tried to settle there pushed to their limits, although some were
successful. The Inuit people were an example of the latter and for them the environment did not prove unmanageable.
For the present inhabitants, life continues to be a struggle. The territory of Nunavut consists of little more than ice, rock
and a few (7)………islands………….. .In recent years, many of them have been obliged to give up their (8)…………
nomadic……….lifestyle, but they continue to depend mainly on (9)…………nature……….. for their food and clothes.
(10)……Imported………..produce is particularly expensive.
WRITING
PART 1. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION
1. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the sentence
printed before it. (10pts)
1. I won’t go all that way to visit him again on any account!
On no account will I go all that way to visit him.

2. I wasn’t surprised when they refused to pay me.

As I had expected, they refused to pay me.

3. We have credited the money to your current account at this bank.

We have placed the money to the credit of your current account at this bank.

4. Your silly questions distracted me.

You drove me to distraction with your silly question.

5. Edward eventually organised himself and started work.

Edward eventually got his act together and started work.

2. Rewrite the sentences below using the words in brackets without changing their original form. (10pts)

1. I don’t think this record will ever be popular. (CATCH)

I don’t think this record will ever catch on.

2. Mike is never reluctant to make tough decisions as a manager. (SHRINKS)

Mike never shrinks from making tough decisions as a manager.

3. You can’t possibly expect me to have supper ready by eight o’clock. (QUESTION)

Having supper ready by 8 o’clock is out of the question.

4. It is my opinion that there is no advantage in further discussion. (SEE)

I see no point in further discussion.

5. Please excuse Jane’s poor typing: she’s only been learning for a month. (ALLOWANCES)

Please make allowances for Jane’s poor typing: she’s only been learning for a month.