PREPARED BY MS HUONG

ĐỀ THI THỬ HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 9 - ĐỀ SỐ 17

A. LISTENING (50 points):

PRIME RECRUITMENT
Employee record
Surname: Riley
Email: (1) EDWINARI @worldnet.com
Nationality: (2) New Zealander

Reference (professional): Name: John Keen

Job: manager of (3) play centre

Reference ( personal): Name: Eileen Dorsini
Job: (4) professor
Special qualifications: Current (5) firt aid certificate
Certificate of competence in sailing.
Part 2. You will hear part of a psychologist being interviewed about friendship. Choose
the answer (A, B C or D) which fits best according to what you hear. (10 points)
6. From three to five years old, children
A. are happy to play alone. B. prefer to be with their family.
C. have rather selfish relationships D. have little idea of ownership.
7. From age five to eight or ten, children
A. change their friends more often. B. decide who they want to be friends with.
C. admire people who don’t keep to rules. D. learn to be tolerant of their friends.
8. According to Sarah Browne, adolescents
A. may be closer to their friends than to their parents.
B. develop an interest in friends of the opposite sex.
C. choose friends with similar personalities to themselves.
D. want friends who are dependable.
9. Young married couple
A. tend to focus on their children. B. often lose touch with their friends.
C. make close friends less easily. D. need fewer friends than single people.
10. In middle or old age people generally prefer
A. to stay in touch with old friends. B. to see younger friends more often.
C. to have friends who live nearby. D. to spend more time with their friends.
Part 3. You will listen to a short talk about the entertainment program and decide whether the
following statements are true (T) or false (F). (10 points)

11. Sally cannot reveal the name of the band for the first party. T
12. There will be a concert in the Cotswold Theatre on Monday. F
13. There is an important event on Thursday. T
14. There is no formal dress code for the Freshers‟ Ball. T
PREPARED BY MS HUONG

15. Students should check the notice board for the welcoming party in the entrance lobby. F

SECTION TWO: PHONETICS

Part 1. Pick up the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others. (3pts)
1. movies B. cartoons C. artists D. bands
2. weighed B. laughed C. measured D. filled
3. minority B. socialize C. addictive D. slice
1. C 2. B 3. C
Part 2. Choose the word whose main stress is placed differently from the others in each group. (2pts)
4. A. image B. become C. develop D. tomorrow
5. A. identify B. activity C. inventor D. careful
4. A 5. D
SECTION THREE: LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) which best completes each sentence. (10pts)
6. She joined the local tennis club, _______ were at least 60.
A. most of its members B. most of which C. most members D. most of whose members
7. It was only then _______ how much I owned to her.
A. did I realize B. had I realized C. I did realize D. that I realized
8. That honest man always speaks _______ is true even if it is bitter.
      A. that it       B. that       C. what       D. which
9. She is _______ a spectator.
A. more an athlete than B. more of an athlete than C. an athlete more than D. an athlete of more than
10. _______ chooses to be honest is, certainly, nearer to God.
      A. Anyone       B. Who       C. Anyone of us       D. Whoever
11. Did you apologize to Mary, _______ ?
     A. who you spilt some coffee on her dress B. you spilt some coffee on her dress 
C. whose dress you spilt some coffee       D. whose dress you spilt some coffee on
12. There has been a great _______ in her English.
A. escalation B. rise C. increase D. improvement
13. Released in 1915, _______.
A. D.W Griffith’s made an epic film about the Civil War, Birth of a Nation.
B. the Civil War was the subject of D.W. Griffith’s epic film, Birth of a Nation.
C. D.W. Griffith’s epic film Birth of a Nation was about the Civil War.
D. the subject of D.W.Griffith’s epic film Birth of a Nation was the Civil War.
14. According to the _______ of the contract, tenants must give six months notice if they intend to leave.
A. laws B. rules C. terms D. details
15. _______ to China if you had the chance?
A. Do you go B. You go C. Had you gone D. Would you go
16. It _______ a lot of patience to be a nurse.
A. uses B. takes C. spends D. costs
17. The cheetah runs 70 miles _______ hour. It’s the fastest animal in the world.
A. each B. per C. a D. one
18. There was hardly _______ food left in the fridge.
A. more B. any C. no D. some
19. We spent the _______ days on the beach.
A. few last sunny B. last sunny few C. last few sunny D. few sunny last
20. Jane: “_______ married?” Cathy: “Yes, I _______ married 2 years ago.”
A. Have you gotten/ got B. Are you/ got C. Do you get/ was D. When did you get/ was
21. "How's Karen today?" "She is feeling _______ she was yesterday."
A. better slightly than B. slight better than C. slightly better than D. slightly better
22. Peter: “I’ve got to go, Betty. So long."Betty: “So long, Peter. And _______.”
A. be careful B. don’t hurry C. take care D. don’t take
23. Boy: “Would you say that English is a global language?” Girl: "_______."
PREPARED BY MS HUONG

A. Yes, it has B. I like it C. Oh, absolutely D. I don’t understand the difference

24. Sarah: "I am terribly sorry, Mr. Johnson. I won't be able to come to the office tomorrow." Mr. Johnson:"
_______ ."
A. Oh, that's annoying B. Sounds like fun C. Well, never mind D. Great, Sarah
25. Jim's ________ flu again. That's the third time this year.
A. led up to B. come up with C. put up with D. gone down with
Part 2. Put the verbs given in brackets into the appropriate tenses or forms. (10pts)
26. I shared a flat with him when we were students. He always ____ (complain) about my untidiness
27. By the time we get there, I’m afraid the meeting ____(end)
28. Hello! You (be)________ Helen. I’m Peter’s brother, George.
29. We (help)__________ but you didn’t tell us that you were in trouble.
30. Only yesterday I (realise) what was going on.
31. _________I (come) here before 5 a.m, I would have met the doctor.
32. As soon as the teacher _________ (come), the students stopped talking.
33. It is advisable that Mary _________ (go) to the gym everyday to get over her depression
34. We couldn’t risk _________ (leave) him alone.
35. From the clink of dishes, one can tell that supper _________ (prepare).
26. was always complaining 27. will have ended

28. must be 29. could have helped

3O. did I realise 31. had I come/

32. came 33. (should) go

34. leaving 35. is being prepared

Part 3. Complete each sentence with appropriate form of the word in block capitals. (10pts)

36. Friend’s family has suffered from his ______. EXPEND

37. The water from the stream should be ______ before you drink it. PURE
38. John told everyone that he worked for a large company, but the
company is ________. EXIST
39. Jim is very disorganized and not very_______. BUSINESS
40. The principal said some_______ words to the pupils before the exam. COURAGE
41. Although we were in danger, Ann seemed quite________ . CONCERN
42. Some parents feel dismayed because of their children’s_________ BEHAVE
43. My sister has good _________ skills. She can relate to teenagers very well. PERSON
44. These young people are ________supporters of the new plan of our city. ENTHUSIASM
45.My uncle is in his forties. He is a well-built ________man AGE

36. overexpenditure 37. purified 38. non-existent

39. businesslike 4O. encouraging 41. unconcerned
42 misbehaviors/ misbehaviours 43. interpersonal 44. enthusiastic
45. middle-aged
Part 4.Each sentence has an incorrect word or phrase. FIND and CORRECT them. There is an
example at the beginning (0). (5pts)

46. The harder you learn, the most knowledge you get.
A B C D
47. My family spent an interested holiday in Nha Trang last summer.
A B C D
48. Landidn’t go to the cinema with her friends last Saturday evening because her sickness.
A B C D
49. They played so good game of tennis last night that they surprised their audience.
A B C D
PREPARED BY MS HUONG

50. Mary's mother gave her a new hat at her birthday.

A B C D

46. the most = THE MORE

47. interested INTERESTING
48. because BECAUSE OF
49. so SUCH A
50. at ON

Part 5. Complete each sentence with a suitable form of one of the phrasal verbs in the box. Use each
one once only. There are two extra ones that you do not need to use. (5pts)

call off leave out go off

pull down work out

51. They are going to pull that building down.

52. We had to call off the picnic because of the bad weather.

53. We heard the bomb go off five miles away. (explode)

54. When you make up that list for me, don’t leave any names out.

55. We worked out how much of our salaries we would have to save each year.

SECTION FOUR: READING COMPREHENSION

Part 1: Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap.

The Southwestern States of the United States suffered one of the worst droughts in their history
from 1931 to 1938. The drought (56) …. the entire country. Few food crops could be grown. Food
became (57) …., and prices went up (58)….  the nation. Hundreds of families in the Dust Bowl region
had to be moved to farms in other areas with the help of the federal government. In 1944, drought
brought great damage to (59)…. all Latin America. The drought moved to Australia and then to Europe,
(60)…. it continued throughout the summer of 1945. From 1950 to 1954 in the United States, the
Southwest suffered a (61)….. drought Hundreds of cattle ranches had to ship their cattle to other regions
because (62)… lands had no grass. The federal government again (63)….. an emergency drought-relief
program. Ít offered farmers (64) …. credit and seed grains (65)… low prices.
 
56.A. pushed       B. incurred           C. occurred                D. affected
57.A. scarce        B. mystified          C. hidden              D. uncommon
58.A. over           B. throughout       C. all                            D. across
59.A. near           B. totally              C. almost              D. factually
60.A. which         B. that                  C. where               D. when
61.A.     heavy          B. Sharp               C. strict                D. severe
62.A. pasture      B. culture             C. moisture                    D. manure
 63.A. carried       B. conducted        C. convened         D. conformed
64.A.emergency B. crisis               C. tension             D. disaster
 65. A. to               B. in                      C. over                 D. at
PREPARED BY MS HUONG

Part 3.
ISLAND LIFE
Life (0) on a small island may seem very inviting to the tourists who spend a few weeks there in the
summer, but the realities of living on (66) ____WHAT _____ is virtually a rock surrounded by water are
quite different from what the casual visitor imagines. Although in summer the island villages are full of
people, life and activity, (67) ___WHEN/ONCE _______ the tourist season is over many of the shop
owners shut (68) ____DOWN___________ their businesses and return to the mainland to spend the winter
in town. (69) __NEEDLESS______ to say, those who remain on the island, (7o) __EITHER/
WHETHER_______ by choice or necessity, face many hardships. One of the worst of these is isolation,
with (71 ____SO___________ many attendant problems. When the weather is bad, which is often the (72)
___CASE _______ in winter, the island is entirely cut off; this means not only that people cannot have
goods delivered but also that a medical emergency can be fatal (73) ___TO __ someone confined to an
island. At (74) ___TIMES___ telephone communication is cut off, which means that no word from the
outside world can get (75) __THROUGH_____________. Isolation and loneliness are basic reasons why so
many people have left the islands for a better and more secure life in the mainland cities, in spite of the fact
that this involves leaving "home".

Part 4. Read the following passage and choose the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to
each question. (5pts)

Reading to oneself is a modern activity which was almost unknown to the scholars of the classical and
medieval worlds, while during the fifteenth century the term “reading” undoubtedly meant reading aloud.
Only during the nineteenth century did silent reading become commonplace.
One should be wary, however, of assuming that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud is a
distraction to others. Examination of factors related to the historical development of silent reading reveals
that it became the usual mode of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves
changed in character.
The last century saw a steady gradual increase in literacy, and thus in the number of readers. As readers
increased, so the number of potential listeners declined, and thus there was some reduction in the need to
read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the flourishing of reading as a
private activity in such public places as libraries, railway carriages and offices, where reading aloud would
cause distraction to other readers.
Towards the end of the century there was still considerable argument over whether books should be used for
information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in
some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever
its virtues, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media on the one
hand and by books and periodicals for a specialized readership on the other.
By the end of the century students were being recommended to adopt attitudes to books and to use skills in
reading them which were inappropriate, if not impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and
technological changes in the century had greatly altered what the term “reading” implied.
81. Why was reading aloud common before the nineteenth century?
A. Silent reading had not been discovered.
B. There was few places available for private reading.
C. Few people could read for themselves.
D. People relied on reading for entertainment.
82. The development of silent reading during the nineteenth century indicated
A. a change in the status of literate people. B. a change in the nature of reading.
C. an increase in the number of books. D. an increase in the average age of readers.
83. Educationalists are still arguing about.
A. the importance of silent reading.
B. the amount of information yielded by books and newspapers.
C. the effects of reading on health.
PREPARED BY MS HUONG

D. the value of different types of reading material.

84. The emergence of the mass media and of specialized periodical showed that
A. standards of literacy had declined. B. readers’ interests had diversified.
C. printing techniques had improved. D. educationalists’ attitudes had changed.
85. What is the writer of this passage attempting to do?
A. explain how present- day reading habits developed B. change people’s attitudes to reading
C. show how reading methods have improved D. encourage the growth of reading

SECTION FIVE: WRITING

Part 1. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the
sentence printed before it. (5pts)
86. Harry couldn’t afford this car.
This car was ……………………………………………………………………………
87. As my grandmother grows older, she becomes more intolerant.
The older ……………………………………………………………………………
88. On arriving in Canberra, I wrote a letter to my parents.
When I ……………………………………………………………………………
89. It is said that the thief stole everything in the house.
The thief……………………………………………………………………………
90 . He ran so fast that nobody could catch up with him.
So……………………………………………………………………………
71. This car was too expensive for Harry to buy/ This car was so expensive that Harry couldn’t buy it.

72. The older my grandmother is, the more intolerant she becomes.

73. When I arrived in Canberra, I wrote a letter to my parents.

74. the thief is said to have stolen everything in the house

75. So fast did he run that nobody could catch up with him.

91. You think that fat people are always jolly, but you are wrong.
Contrary to_YOUR BELIEF/THOUGHT , FAT PEOPLE ARE NOT ALWAYS JOLLY
92. Absolute secrecy was crucial to the success of the mission.
Without _absolute secrecy the mission wouldn’t have been successful
93. He could be arrested for not giving a breath sample to the police.
Refusal to give a breath sample to the police could lead to his arrest/ being arrested
94. My bank manager and I get on together very well. 
I am on very good term with my bank manager
95. Something must be done quickly to solve the problem of homelessness.
Urgent action _must be taken to solve the problem of homelessness
Part 2. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence using the
word given. DO NOT CHANGE THE WORD GIVEN. You must use between two and five words,
including the word given. (10pts)

96. A great many people will congratulate her if she wins. SHOWERED
....SHE WILL BE SHOWERED WITH CONGRATULATIONS . if she wins.
97. I remained neutral during their disagreement because I liked both of them. SIDES
..I DIDN’T TAKE SIDES .... during their disagreement because I liked both of them..
98. You couldn’t do anything more stupid than to give up your job now. HEIGHT
GIVING UP YOUR JOB NOW IS THE HEIGHT OF STUPIDITY.......................
99. This is a subject that Jack and I disagree about. EYE
.... This is a subject that Jack and I.DON’T SEE EYE TO EYE ON ..
PREPARED BY MS HUONG

100.Andew doesn’t claim to have a lot of musical talent. PRETENCE

ANDREW MAKES NO PRETENCE OF HAVING a lot of musical talent