Olympic 2017

Tuyển tập Olympic 30 - 4 2017
MỤC LỤC
STT NỘI DUNG TRANG
LỚP 10
1 Đề chính thức 2
2 Trường THPT chuyên Bến Tre – Bến Tre 11
3 Trường THPT chuyên Bảo Lộc – Tp. Bảo Lộc 21
4 Trường THPT chuyên Bạc Liêu – Bạc Liêu 31
5 Trường THPT chuyên Hoàng Lệ Kha – Tây Ninh 39
6 Trường THPT chuyên Hùng Vương – Gia Lai 47
7 Trường THPT chuyên Huỳnh Mẫn Đạt – Kiên Giang 55
8 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Hồng Phong – Tp. Hồ Chí Minh 64
9 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Khiết – Quảng Ngãi 73
10 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Quý Đôn – Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu 83
11 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Quý Đôn – Bình Định 92
12 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Quý Đôn – Tp Đà Nẵng 101
13 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Quý Đôn – Khánh Hòa 110
14 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Quý Đôn – Ninh Thuận 119
15 Trường THPT chuyên Long An – Long An 128
16 Trường THPT chuyên Lương Thế Vinh – Đồng Nai 137
17 Trường THPT chuyên Lương Văn Chánh – Phú yên 147
18 Trường THPT chuyên Lý Tự Trọng – Cần Thơ 156
19 Trường THPT chuyên Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm – Vĩnh Long 165
20 Trường THPT chuyên Nguyễn Đình Chiểu – Đồng Tháp 173
21 Trường THPT chuyên Thăng Long – Đà Lạt 181
LỚP 11
1 Đề thi chính thức 190
2 Trường THPT chuyên Bảo Lộc – Tp. Bảo Lộc 199
3 Trường THPT chuyên Hoàng Lệ Kha – Tây Ninh 208
4 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Thánh Tông – Quảng Nam 218
5 Trường THPT chuyên Quang Trung – Bình Phước 228
6 Trường THPT chuyên Phan Ngọc Hiển – Cà Mau 238
7 Trường THPT chuyên Nguyễn Thiện Thành – Trà Vinh 247
8 Trường THPT chuyên Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai – Sóc Trăng 256
9 Trường THPT chuyên Nguyễn Tất Thành – Kon Tum 264
10 Trường THPT chuyên Nguyễn Quang Diệu – Đồng Tháp 273
11 Trường THPT chuyên Nguyễn Du – Đắk Lắk 283
12 Trường THPT chuyên Thoại Ngọc Hầu – An Giang 293
13 Trường THPT chuyên Tiền Giang – Tiền Giang 302
14 Trường THPT chuyên Trần Đại Nghĩa – Tp. Hồ Chí Minh 311
15 Trường THPT chuyên Trần Hưng Đạo – Bình Thuận 321
16 Trường THPT chuyên Mạc Đĩnh Chi – Tp. HCM 330
17 Trường THPT chuyên Bình Long – Bình Phước 339
18 Trường THPT chuyên Nguyễn Thượng Hiền – Tp HCM 349
19 Trường THPT chuyên Phan Châu Trinh – Tp Đà Nẵng 359
20 Trường THPT chuyên Hùng Vương – Bình Dương 370
21 Trường THPT chuyên Lê Quý Đôn – Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu 378
ĐÁP ÁN
Phần I
ĐỀ THI OLYMPIC TRUYỀN THỐNG 30/4
LẦN THỨ XXIII – NĂM 2017
LỚP 10
ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40 PTS)
I. PHONOLOGY (5PTS)
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
1. A. decoy B. perishable C. benzene D. supreme
2. A. mayor B. quay C. prayer D. layer
3. A. mahout B. foul C. poultry D. drought
4. A. hombre B. hauteur C. heirloom D. haulage
5. A. simile B. anemone C. acne D. acquiesce
Choose the word which is stressed differently from the other three.
6. A. xenophobia B. salmonberry C. palindrome D. moderator
7. A. horoscope B. mahogany C. deplorable D. prerequisite
8. A. interchange B. infamous C. contributory D. under current
9. A. culminate B. negligence C. diplomat D. intriguing
10. A. viticulture B. concertina C. preferential D.
misbegotten
II. WORD CHOICE (5 PTS)
Choose the best options to complete the following sentences.
11. Because of the unfortunate…………..your order was not dispatched by the date requested.
A. hindrance B. oversight C. negligence D. transgression
12. Failing to submit the proposal on time was ………….. for Tom.
A. a nail in the coffin B. a real kick in the pants
C. a shot in the dark D. an open and shut case
13. Be careful not to ………….. your finger with that needle.
A. prick B. bite C. scratch D. sting
14. The jury ………….. her compliments on her excellent knowledge of the subject.
A. paid B. gave C. made D. said
15. His new yacht is certainly an ………….. display of his wealth.
A. ostentatious B. ossified C. intuitive D. elusive
16. I don ’t need any medicine. I’m as right as …………...
A. clouds B. rays C. rain D. a haze
17. They continued fighting despite all the …………... they met with.
A. amenities B. proper ties C. liabilities D. adversities
18. I appealed to all …………... people to support me and I was successful.
A. same-minded B. thought- sharing
C. familiar-thinking D. like-minded
19. He seemed very quiet, but it would be a mistake to…………... his intelligence.
A. devalue B. deprecate C. underrate D. minimize
20. With all…………...respect, I think your comments are very short-sighted.
A. anticipated B. due C. limited D. firm
III. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES (5PTS)
21. Your ideas, …………..., seem unusual to me.
A. as hers B. like hers
C. similar as hers D. different than hers
22. It is moved that the campaign …………...funds…………...at once.
A. to raise - be launched B. to raise - be launched
C. raise - launched D. raise - launched
23. A new generation of performers,…………...those who by now had become a household name, honed
their skills before following the same path onto television.
A. no less talented than B. along with talented as
C. together with talented as D. having more talented than
24…………..., he remained optimistic.
A. Though badly wounded he was B. Badly wounded as he was
C. As he was badly wounded D. As badly wounded he was
25. At the deep bottom of Atlantic…………...
A. lied the Titanic B. did the Titanic lie
C. lay the Titanic D. had the Titanic lain
26. He finally agreed ,…………... reluctantly, to help us.
A. albeit B. somehow or other C. in all likelihood D.
nonetheless
27. Charlie…………... a speech at the end of the last term, but he didn’t.
A. was to have given B. is to give
C. were to give D. was to be given
28…………...circling the globe faster than Jules Verne’s fictional Phileas Fogg.
A. A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly’s exploits included
B. Also included in the exploits of Nellie Bly, a pioneer journalist, was
C. The exploits of Nellie Bly, a pioneer journalist, included
D. The pioneer journalist’s exploits of Nellie Bly included
29. He paused, afraid lest he…………...too much.
A. didn’t say B. say
C. has said D. hadn’t been saying
30. We…………...you the money you needed but you didn’t tell us.
A. could have lent B. should have lent C. could lend D. were able to
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS (5 PTS)
31. Junior hospital doctors are thrown…………...at the deep end in their first jobs.
A. in B. away C. to D. with
32. I was…………...the impression that you liked Indian food.
A. at B. on C. with D. under
33. Governments should…………...international laws against terrorism.
A. bring up B. bring about C. bring in D. bring back
34…………...of the financial crisis, all they could do was hold on and hope that things would improve.
A. At the bottom B. At the height C. On the top D. In the end
35. I couldn’t decide what to write about, when I suddenly…………...upon the idea of doing something
on the writer’s block.
A. thought B. chanced C. hit D. arrived
36. Jane got the job …………... virtue of her greater experience.
A. with B. on C. by D. for
37. I see a lot of young people with this new hairstyle. It seems to be…………....
A. piling up B. bringing off C. coming off D. catching on
38. Be careful! The young horse hasn’t been…………....
A. broken in B. got round C. taken over D. set up
39. Theories about the causes of bird flu have changed…………....the light of recent research.
A. on B. in C. to D. with
40. Jane managed to eke ………….... her student loan till the end of the year.
A. off B. out C. in D. through
V. GUIDED CLOZE 1 (5PTS)
Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.
Working to (41) ………… through with my university years did, in (42)…………, prepare me for
life after graduation. I’ve never been lazing (43)………… and have already crammed as much into each
day as I could. I guess I’ve always been someone who takes things in their stride and snapped up any
opportunity that has come my way. Looking back, I feel a great (44)………… of self- respect for
finishing my studies without (45) ………… with any debts but I’ll admit it wasn’t always plain sailing.
Not until I scraped through my first-year exams did I realize the (46 )…………of time management. I
think personality has played a huge role in my success, (47) …………. I’ve always taken pleasure in
whatever I do, whether it’s for work or play. Sometimes people are surprised at my ability to solve
problem (48)…………and wonder where my energy comes from. I think it must be (49) ………….. My
parents’ work ethic and attitude towards life have had a great impact on me and (50)…………..me down
the path I’ve taken.
41. A. get B. pull C. see D. make
42. A. reflection B. reflexion C. retrospect D. hindsight
43. A. away B. around C. round D. off
44. A. state B. reason C. awareness D. sense
45. A. incurring B. meeting C. encountering D. heading
46. A. significance B. magnificence C. principle D. vitality
47. A. nonetheless B. nevertheless C. though D. then
48. A. affectionately B. proficiently C. efficaciously D.
prominently
49. A. heredity B. inherence C. heritage D. hierarchy
50. A. propelled B. urged C. geared D. diverted
VI. GUIDED CLOZE 2 (5PTS)
It is important to recognize that online learning has (51)………….advantages and disadvantages.
Although students’ grades appear to be (52)………….by the mode of instruction, certain courses are
more challenging to students who carry out their studies in the virtual environment than in the classroom.
However, in online classes, participation in learning activities may be less daunting, (53)………….for
shy students, and the quality and quantity of student-student and teacher-student interaction may be
higher. Increasingly, it is a/an (54)………….issue for designers of online curriculums to decide how to
match the
advantages of different modes of instruction to specific courses, by offering not only fully classroom-
based or online courses, but also courses that take the best elements of both types to (55)………….the
needs of students and teachers and to (56)………….the most efficient use of resources.
Students who study online tend to lack a sense of community, trust and positive interaction with
other course members and teachers - all elements that were in the past believed to increase the
effectiveness of classroom learning, amongst least confident learners. However, online students
generally also feel that they learn at a similar rate to their (57)………….in the classroom, and in fact at
my college their grades are just as good as those who are taught in (58)………….. But just imagine how
much more effective our online courses could be if they fostered a culture of class cohesion, spirit, trust
and interaction, both among
students and between students and faculty. Perhaps the most effective way to achieve this improvement is
for online educators to give more (59)………….contact and to encourage students to collaborate.
Online learning provides a far more student-centered teaching approach than the traditional
classroom method, and all school directors should aim to adopt it as their main means to (60)………..
education.
51. A. infinite B. definite C. defined D. intimate
52. A. unharmed B. invulnerable C. impervious D.
unaffected
53. A. especially B. namely C. specifically D. explicitly
54. A. crucial B. vital C. obvious D. expendable
55. A. insatiate B. cater C. address D. respond
56. A. put B. make C. earn D. gain
57. A. peers B. counterparts C. partners D. partakers
58. A. private B. person C. individual D. secret
59. A. one-for-one B. one-by-one C. one-in-one D. one-on-one
60. A. convey B. cover C. present D. deliver
VII. READING PASSAGE 1 (5PTS)
Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.
A fold culture is a small, isolated, cohesive, conservative, nearly self-sufficient group that
is homogeneous in custom and race, with a strong family or clan structure and highly developed rituals.
Order is maintained through sanctions based in the religion or family, and interpersonal relationships are
strong. Tradition is paramount, and change comes infrequently and slowly. There is relatively little
division of labor into specialized duties. Rather, each person is expected to perform a great variety of
tasks, though duties may differ between the sexes. Most goods are handmade, and a subsistence
economy prevails. Individualism is weakly developed in folk cultures, as are social classes. Unaltered
folk cultures no longer exist in industrialized countries such as the United States and Canada. Perhaps the
nearest modern equivalent in Anglo- America is the Amish, a German American farming sect that largely
renounces the products and labor saving devices of the industrial age. In Amish areas, horse-drawn
buggies till serve as a local transportation device, and the faithful are not permitted to own automobiles.
The Amish's central religious concept of Demut, "humility", clearly reflects the weakness of
individualism and social class so
typical of folk cultures, and there is a corresponding strength of A mish group identity. Rarely do the
Amish marry outside their sect. The religion, a variety of the Mennonite faith, provides the principal
mechanism for maintaining order.
By contrast, a popular culture is a large heterogeneous group, often highly individualistic and
constantly changing. Relationships tend to be impersonal, and a pronounced division of labor exists,
leading to the establishment of many specialized professions. Secular institutions of control such as the
police and army take the place of religion and family in maintaining order, and a money - based economy
prevails. Because of these contrasts, "popular" may be viewed as clearly different from "folk". The
popular is replacing the folk in industrialized countries and in many developing nations. Folk- made
objects give
way to their popular equivalent, usually because the popular item is more quickly or cheaply produced, is
easier or time saving to use, or lends more prestige to the owner.
61. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Two decades in modern society
B. The influence of industrial technology
C. The characteristics of "folk" and "popular" societies
D. The specialization of labor in Canada and the United States
62. The word "homogeneous" is closest in meaning to
A. uniform B. general C. primitive D. traditional
63. Which of the following is typical of folk cultures?
A. There is a money-based economy.
B. Social change occurs slowly.
C. Contact with other cultures is encouraged.
D. Each person develops one specialized skill.
64. What does the author imply about the United States and Canada?
A. They value folk cultures. B. They have no social classes,
C. They have popular cultures. D. They do not value individualism.
65. The phrase "largely renounces" is closest in meaning to
A. generally rejects B. greatly modifies
C. loudly declares D. often criticizes
66. What is the main source of order in Amish society?
A. The government B. The economy C. The clan structure D. The
religion
67. Which of the following statements about Amish beliefs does the passage support?
A. A variety of religious practices is tolerated.
B. Individualism and competition are important.
C. Premodern technology is preferred.
D. People are defined according to their class .
68. Which of the following would probably NOT be found in a folk culture?
A. A carp enter B. A farmer C. A weaver D. A banker
69. The word "prevails" is closest in meaning to
A. dominates B. provides C. develops D. invests
70. Which of following is NOT given as a reason why folk-made objects are replaced by mass-produced
objects?
A. Cost B. Prestige C. Quality D. Convenience
VIII. READING PASSAGE 2 (5PTS)
According to sociologists, there are several different ways in which a person may become
recognized as the leader of a social group in the United States. In the family, traditional cultural patterns
confer leadership on one or both of the parents. In other cases, such as friendship groups, one or more
persons may gradually emerge as leaders, although there is no formal process of selection. In larger
groups, leaders are usually chosen formally through election or recruitment.
Although leaders are often thought to be people with unusual personal ability, decades of research
have failed to produce consistent evidence that there is any category of “natural leaders.” It seems that
there is no set of personal qualities that all leaders have in common; rather, virtually any person may be
recognized as a leader if the person has qualities that meet the needs of that particular group.
Furthermore, although it is commonly supposed that social groups have a single leader, research
suggests that there are typically two different leadership roles that are held by different individuals.
Instrumental leadership is leadership that emphasizes the completion of tasks by a social group. Group
members look to instrumental leaders to “get things ” done. Expressive leadership, on the other hand, is
leadership that emphasizes the collective well-being of a social group’s member. Expressive leader are
less concerned with the overall goals of the group than with providing emotional support to group
members and attempting to minimize tension and conflict among them. Group members expect
expressive leaders to maintain stable relationships within the group and provide support to individual
members.
Instrumental leaders are likely to have a rather secondary relationship to other group members.
They give orders and may discipline group members who inhibit attainment of the group’s goals.
Expressive leaders cultivate a more personal or primary relationship to others in the group. They offer
sympathy when someone experiences difficulties or is subjected to discipline, are quick to lighten a
serious moment with humor, and try to resolve issues that threaten to divide the group. As the
differences in these two roles suggest, expressive leaders generally receive more personal affection from
group members;
instrumental leaders, if they are successful in promoting group goals, may enjoy a more distant respect.
A. The problems faced by leaders
B. How leadership differs in small and large groups
C. How social groups determine who will lead them
D. The role of leaders in social groups
72. The passage mentions all of the following ways by which people can become leaders EXCEPT
A. recruitment B. formal election process
C. specific leadership training D. traditional cultural patterns
73. In mentioning “natural leaders” in line 7, the author is making the point that
A. few people qualify as “natural leaders ”
B. there is no proof that “ natural leaders” exist
C. “natural leaders” are easily accepted by the members of a social group
D. “natural leaders” share a similar set of characteristics
74. Which of the following statements about leadership can be inferred from paragraph 2?
A. A person who is an effective leader of a particular group may not be an effective leader in
another group.
B. Few people succeed in sharing a leadership role with another person.
C. A person can best learn how to be an effective leader by studying research on leadership.
D. Most people desire to be leaders but can produce little evidence of their qualifications.
75. The passage indicates that instrumental leaders generally focus on
A. ensuring harmonious relationships
B. sharing responsibility with group members
C. identifying new leaders
D. achieving a goal
76. The word “collective” is closest in meaning to
A. necessary B. typical C. group D. particular
77. The word “them” refers to
A. expressive leaders B. goals of the group
C. group members D. tension and conflict
78. A “secondary relationship” between a leader and the members of a group could best be
characterized as
A. distant B. enthusiastic C. unreliable D. personal
79. The word “resolve” is closest in meaning to
A. avoid repeating B. talk about
C. avoid thinking about D. find a solution for
80. Paragraphs 3 and 4 organize the discussion of leadership primarily in terms of
A. examples that illustrate a problem B. cause and effect analysis
C. narration of events D. comparison and contrast
B. WRITTEN TEST (70 PTS)
I. CLOZE TEST (20 PTS)
Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE WORD for each
space.
OPEN CLOZE 1 (10PTS)
SMALL TALK
It’s often said the British talk about the weather more than any other nationality in the world.
Some people even go so far as to claim that they talk about little (1)……….. But while it may seem that
the British alone have an undue (2)………..with the weather, the fact is, climatic conditions are a
common topic of conversation all around the world. This is hardly surprising. After all, the weather is
one of the few things that we all have in common, and it influences us profoundly. It affects our (3)
………..of mind, our daily activities, our weekend plans and more.
But that’s only (4)………..of the story. There’s really a lot (5) ………..to it than that. In Britain,
conversations about the weather are usually not really about the weather at all. The British use comments
about the weather to (6)………..the ice in social situations, (7)………..awkward or uncomfortable
silences during conversations, or, (8)……….., as a greeting. Remarks like “Nice day, isn’t it?”, “Ooh,
isn’t it hot?” and “Looks like rain, no?” are not requests for meteorological data. Rather, they are ritual
greetings used to indicate someone wishes to engage you in conversation; or they are just signs of
friendliness. Learners of the English should do (9) ……….. to understand the fundamental function
remarks about the weather (10)……….. in British social interaction.
OPEN CLOZE 2 (10 PTS)
AIRPORT AVATARS
Smiling, computerized, talking avatars are being introduced at airports around the world in a bid to
make travelers’ journeys more efficient. The life-sized hologram projections which are situated at key
points in airports such as just before security, read out pre-recorded messages designed to help passengers
-anything from the location of bathrooms and taxi stands (1) …………. on-flight liquid restrictions and
security regulations. Some of these virtual assistants, which have been unveiled at New York’s JFK and
Paris' Orly airport among others, have a sensor which activates their (2) …………. when a person walks
(3)…………. a few feet of them. (4)…………. repeat their pre-programmed speeches on a loop. All
dispense their information in comforting and informative voices intended to calm passenger’s nerves.
So (5)…………. are these latest airport employees faring? According to airport staff, feedback
from passengers has been largely positive. More importantly, though, these avatars are proving effective.
Because they are so lifelike, passengers can’t help, but look at them and take notice of what they are
saying. Thus, they are doing what they were designed to (6)…………. : ease the workload on the
airport’s flesh -and-(7)…………. staff. Will we one day see avatars at all airports? Perhaps. But with
one (8)……. The current avatars are not interactive - they cannot hold conversations with (9)…………..
Developers are hopeful that (10)…………. additions to this series of avatars will be active.
II. WORD FORMATION: (20 PTS)
PART 1: Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses.
1 He is …………. for his charitable activities than for his business in the steel industry . (KNOW)
2. Our bodies are naturally …………. by our organs of elimination - the skin, lungs, intestines, kidneys
and liver. (TOXIC)
3. He’s such a/an…………. who always pretends to know everything. (INTELLECT)
4. She should take these…………. drugs to treat her state. (DEPRESS )
5. The audience was mesmerized by her clear and …………. voice. (SOUND)
6. A number of local church leaders have acted as …………. with the people in the vicinity. (GO)
7. The ban on firecrackers was …………. introduced to reduce the number of accidents. (EXPRESS )
8. He sold the car to a/an…………. who paid with a worthless stolen cheque. (TRICK )
9. It was…………. for a new band to be offered such a deal. (HEAR)
10. John was arrested for smuggling…………. . (BAN)
PART 2: Complete the passage with the appropriate forms from the words given in the box.
satisfy graph succeed write intense
precede apparent great force sign
The invention of the telegraph in 1843 (1)………… a new era in communication technology, the
electronic era - so called because the telegraph used electrical signals to carry information along an
electrical wire. The telegraph fed society’s (2)…………appetite for immediate access to the
information, and it provided a foundation for (3) ………… technologies: the telephone in 1876, the (4)
…………- or record player - in 1878, film and movies in the 1890s, radio in 1919, and television in
1925.
As with the earliest (5)………… books, radio techno logy was at first restricted to the educated
few, scientists and researchers, but later spread to the (6)…………society. By the 1930s, the middle
classes were listening to news, drama, comedy, and musical performances from thousands of miles
away. Radio was the first mass broadcast medium and, together with television a few decades later, it
was responsible for altering both the pattern and volume of information that flowed into people’s homes.
The invention of electronic media changed communication more than any other technological event
since the development of writing. The spread of electronic media occurred with a/an (7)…………speed,
thus (8)…………commercial and social interaction. There was a tremendous shift in how people received
the information that contributed to their understanding of the world. Voices or pictures could create ideas
that (9…………authentic - more so than ideas conveyed by the printed world. The graphic, intensely
human nature of electronic media (10)………… the belief that if it was on the air, it had to be true.
III. ERROR CORRECTION: (10 PTS)
The following passage contains 10 errors. Identify and correct them.
BLUE WHALES
1 Blue whales, the world’s largest animals, have been sighted again in British
5 waters for the first time in at least twenty years. Indications that a
10 population of blue whales was inhabiting the waters west of Scotland came
15 for the first time from the United States Navy, which surveillance system
picked up the songs of a lot of different whales. American zoologists later
subsequently certified the blue whale song among them. Now mariner
biologist, Carol Booker, has actually seen a blue whale there herself. She
has no doubt about what she saw, because they have distinctive fins which
are very small for their size. She says, “Worldwide they were mostly extinct
and it seemed they had completely vanished from North Atlantic, so you
can imagine how I felt actually seeing ones! However, it is certainly too
soon to say if it is an indication of a populous recovery.” She goes on to
say, “What it does show is the importance of this area of the ocean for
whales, and how essential it is to control pollution of the seas.” Bigger than
any dinosaur known to man, blue whales are the largest animals ever to
have lived on earth. A blue whale is more than six meters long at birth and,
when completely grown, its heart is the same height as a tall man and
weighs as much as a horse is.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION:(20 PTS)
Rewrite the following sentences using the words given.
1. He was too frightened to admit that he had broken the window. (OWN)
→ So .........................................................................................................................
2. I wish he would stop criticizing my work. (FAULT)
→ I’d sooner ............................................................................................................
3. Zoe always makes spontaneous decisions concerning her travel plans. (ACTS)
→ Zoe always..........................................................................................................
4. He really disappointed me when breaking the promise to help me out. (TEETH)
→ He really .............................................................................................................
5. If her father hadn’t retired, she wouldn’t have taken over his work. (STEPPED)
→ But for ...............................................................................................................
6. His efforts to find a solution didn’t deserve such savage criticism.
→ He shouldn’t ....................................................................................................
7. People became aware of the damage to the ozone layer when an enormous hole was discovered over
the South Pole.
→ It was the ..........................................................................................................
8. When I grow up, I’m going to be really important. (CAT)
→ ..........................................................................................................................
9. I thought very hard but couldn’t remember the answer. (RACKED)
→ I .......................................................................................................................
10. Alex grimaced as he swallowed the foul-tasting medicine. (PULLED)
→ Alex ................................................................................................................
ĐỀ THI ĐỀ NGHỊ
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN BẾN TRE - BẾN TRE
I. PHONOLOGY (5PTS)
Pick out the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently front that of the rest.
1. A. cheap B. chicken C. chef D. chief
2. A. program B. process C. promise D. progress
3. A. replace B. purchase C. surface D. palace
4. A. chorus B. cherish C. chaos D. character
5. A. measure B. dreadful C. treasure D. breathe
Pick out the word which is stressed differently front the rest.
6. A. necessity B. dignity C. quantity D. poverty
7. A. development B. contentment C . investment D. instrument
8. A. museum B. cathedral C. skyscraper D. apartment
9. A. astronaut B. gardener C. policeman D. officer
10.A. element B. elephant C. elevator D. elector
II. WORD CHOICE (5PTS)
1. I hope this headache……………
A. goes out B. comes away C. wears off D. passes away
2. What the treasured said virtually……………to a confession.
A. mounted B. came C. stood D. embodied
3. Whether the sports club survives is a matter of complete……………to me.
A. disinterest B. importance C. indifference D. interest
4. Some medicines are only available on……………
A. description B. inscription C. instruction D. prescription
5. If you’re on a diet, you should……………honey for sugar in your tea.
A. change B. substitute C. replace D. convert
6. It’s difficult to……………the difference between margarine and butter.
A. speak B. say C . tell D. look
7. Without her……………help, they would never have survived the terrible ordeal.
A. priceless B. worthy C. invaluable D. treasured
8. The two small companies are going to……………at the end of the year.
A. mix B. merge C. blend D. meet
9. Be careful not to……………your finger with that needle.
A. prick B. bite C. scratch D. sting
10. He walked from the court a free man, having been……………of murder.
A. unconvined B. discharged C. liberated D. acquitted
III. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES
Choose the best options to complete the following sentences (5 pts)
1 ................. money is a simple way to do charity.
A. Donating B. Having donated C. Donation D. Donor
2. Having you finished……………the dishes? I need you help me with
A. to clean B. clean C. cleaned D. cleaning
3. These measures have been ……………in order to increase the company’s profits.
A. carried B. taken C. tried D. done
4. We……………to a concert tonight. It ……………at 7.30.
A. are going / will begin B. will go / begins
C. are going / begins D. will go / will begin
5. They……………good friends but they’ve fallen out recently.
A. used to being B. used to be
C. are used to be D. were used to be
6……………a hotel, we looked for somewhere to have dinner.
A. Finding B. We found C. Found D. Having found
7. If I tell you a secret,……………you promise not to tell it to anyone else?
A. would B. did C. will D. have
8 . I don’t mind……………you……………the washing up.
A. help - do B. helping - doing C. helping - do D. to help - to do
9. Smith had a lucky escape. He……………killed.
A. would have been B. must have been
C. could have been D. should have been
10. If coastal erosion continues to take place at the present rate, in another fifty years this
beach………..any more.
A. doesn’t exist B. isn’t existing C. isn’t going to exist D. won’t
be existed
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSI TIONS (5 PTS)
1. I...................at the meeting, the others didn’t come.
A. turned in B. turned up C. turned down D. turned on
2. The teacher asked a difficult question, but finally Ted ................... a good answer .
A. put up with B. keep pace with C. made way for D. came up with
3. The children seem to be capable................... working quietly by themselves.
A. of B. about C. for D. to
4. I haven’t heard from you ...................a long time. How are you?
A. since B. for C. until D. after
5. ................... its clarity of style, the book is not easy reading.
A. In all B. Of all C. In pursuance of D. For all
6. She................... a quick letter.
A. put off B. dashed off C. come off D. paid off
7. Nobody can fool me. I’m never................... in
A. taken B. taking C. given D. giving
8. In the early years of the twentieth century, several rebellions...................in the northern parts of the
country.
A. rose up B. turned out C. came off D. broke
out
9. I don’t think that this fashion will....................
A. catch on B. catch up C. catch out D. catch over
10. Joan’s very depressed...................the future
A. with B. at C. about D. by
V. GUIDED CLOZE
PASSAGE A: Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space ( 5 pts)
SOUND ADVICE FOR LANGUAGE LEARNERS
A recent issue of a language learning magazine has consulted a number of experts in the
(1)................ of second language acquisition. Their advice may prove invaluable for those (2)............. a
language course. One suggestion is that you assess whether you are likely to be successful at learning a
language. Did you
enjoy studying languages at school, for example? Do you have enough time to learn a language? The
major (3).................will be your own time and effort. Therefore you must make sure that the course on
offer leads to a (4).................qualification. Also, be realistic in your goals. If you don't set achievable
aims you are more likely to give up. Do not be deceived (5)................. thinking that the most expensive
courses are the best. (6 )................. around to get the best possible value for money. You should also
(7)................. in mind that the quicker you learn a language the more quickly you forget it. Sandra
Miller, a French teacher, tried
to teach herself German by enrolling on a (8).................course. Already fluent in four languages and with
a sound knowledge of teaching methodology her chances of making progress were high. Three years
(9) ........ she remembers very little. She feels her biggest mistake was not to follow (10)..............her first
experience.
"I should have consolidated what I'd learn by continuing to study, even if it were by myself."
1. A. domain B. branch C. field D. area
2. A. wondering B. thinking C. looking D. considering
3. A. problem B. cost C. loss D. rate
4. A. recognised B. understood C. valued D. regarded
5. A. by B. about C. into D. in
6. A. Nose B. Push C. Run D. Shop
7. A. take B. consider C. abide D. bear
8. A. rapid B. crash C. quick D. fast
9. A. on B. forward C. from D. onward
10. A. up B. on C. through D. out
PASSAGE B: Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space ( 5 pts)
PLANETARY ARTISTRY
For me, the highlight of this past week's science news was the images (1)…………back from the
Curiosity rover, providing (2)………… geologic evidence that water flowed on Mars. Of course, this
wasn't exactly a surprise; for decades, planetary scientists have suggested the channel networks visible in
spacecraft imagery couldn't have been made by anything else. The evidence has been (3)…………as
well, as various clay minerals and iron oxides have been (4)…………through hyperspectral imagery.
Nonetheless, I suspect that the image of definitely water-lain (5)…………made the heart of more
than one geologist (6) …………a beat. Ground truth. You could argue that the scientific exploration of
the extra-terrestrial is, at least (7)…………a part, a search for meaning: to position us within a larger
cosmology. But our fascination with, and connection to, what we see in the night sky comes not just
through science, but also through art. So it should come as no surprise that scientific images of planetary
surfaces have (8)…………inspiration to a range of artists from Galileo - whose first sketches of the moon
through a telescope are (9)…………beautiful - to Barbara Hepworth - whose interpretations of the lunar
surface are (10)…………less literal.
1. A. thrown B. shot C. beamed D. fired
2. A. final B. conclusive C. proved D. guaranteed
3. A. swelling B. expanding C. increasing D. mounting
4. A. identified B. singled C. formulated D. devised
5. A. sediments B. dross C. grounds D. matter
6. A. slip B. lose C. skip D. jump
7. A. with B. in C. at D. for
8. A. offered B. provided C. given D. made
9. A. totally B. doubtlessly C. surely D. truly
10. A rather B. far C. barely D. greatly
VI. READING COMPREHENSION
PASSAGE 1: Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question (5 pts)
In the middle of the night, as most of New York slept, something big and bright lit up the
Manhattan skyline for just seconds a tightly kept secret to all but a handful of people.
It was a tiny test for the huge public surprise four days later: the flipping of a switch at the Empire
State Building to turn on its dancing new LED lights. They burst from the skyscraper while synchronized
with R&B star Alicia Keys singing "Empire State of Mind" on nationwide radio.
The LED system has "16.7 million color possibilities, in digital combinations of ripples, sparkles,
sweeps and strobes," says Phil O'Donnell, of Burlington, Mass.-based Philips Color Kinetics that's
responsible for the system and worked with a resident lighting designer. "It's the sum of all possibilities a
huge palette."
The old lights came in only 10 colors.
From Manhattan and the Bronx to Staten Island and even New Jersey, "there were hundreds of
thousands of people on the streets looking up, filming and videoing, clustered on street corners," when
the new lights came on, said Anthony Malkin, whose family controls the iconic Art Deco building.
In an interview with The Associated Press at his office, he glowed with pleasure describing
Monday night's inaugural light show.
Keys also sang "Girl On Fire" from her new CD.
After all, the 102-story skyscraper "has always been a symbol of what's possible in New York, and
all the dreams that can come true in this city that never sleeps," Keys, a New York native, said before her
performance, which was ready on tracks while she watched from a Manhattan studio.
Malkin and his technical team wanted to test the new lighting system with as few people noticing
as possible, and chose early Thanksgiving morning.
Good luck, in the middle of Manhattan, with people walking around even at 2:30 a.m.
That seemed the best moment, after most bars close and before dawn.
"We decided to do it facing west, in very short bursts between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m., because we
knew we didn't have a camera trained on us from there," Malkin said.
Apparently, the secret test worked. No images of the Empire State Building alight that night
appeared anywhere, as far as Malkin knows.
To stage the show, he worked with Clear Channel radio, which has 239 million monthly listeners in
the United States.
The lights are part of a larger effort to modernize the 81-year-old edifice that is undergoing a more
than half a billion-dollar renovation that includes making it "green." The computerized LED system will
cut energy consumption by more than half, while delivering light and vibrancy superior to the old
floodlights, which have huge timpani drum-size lenses that had to be changed every so often, O'Donnell
said.
They may still have nostalgic value to some who watched them light up New York City for every
special occasion from Christmas to the Fourth of July.
They were part of "the grande dame of the New York skyline, now state-of-the-art, but still stately,"
says Malkin, adding that the light show was "a gift we gave to the world, these lights. We don't get paid
for this."
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, with a spectacular view of the new World Trade Center and
New York Harbor, a vacant space under reconstruction on the building's 72nd floor was filled with the
retired floodlights, sitting side by side in long lines, veterans of years of New York weather. What will
be done with them is also a secret for now.
One old light will not be discarded in favor of a 21st century novelty: a red beacon "half the size
of a Volkswagen Beetle," as Malkin puts it that serves as a warning signal for aircraft constantly flying
over New York City.
1. What is the primary purpose of the first sentence of the article?
A. To explain that New Yorkers are commonly asleep in the middle of the night.
B. To mislead readers into thinking the light flash was some sort of attack
C. To build suspense and curiosity so that the reader wants to know more
D. To suggest that there is a secret organization working late at night at the Empire State Building
2. The phrase "huge palette" in Paragraph 3 is most likely
A. A metaphor for the scope and range of combinations the new LED lights have
B. A literal explanation of the shape of the new lights, which form an artist's palette
C. An extreme over exaggeration meant to draw more onlookers to the new display
D. A way to emphasize the amount of lights, since 16.7 could never fit onto a palette
3. What does Alicia Keys suggest the Empire State building is a symbol of?
A. A way for Americans to have a landmark similar to other major global cities
B. The iconic American capacity to push boundaries and break new ground in art and architecture.
C. Lights that are always on due to the number of New Yorkers who work night shifts
D. That any person can use the new lights as a way to make a wish, as people do with other world
landmarks.
4. To help keep the new lights secret during their initial test, all precautions were taken EXCEPT:
A. Conducting the test in the middle of the night
B. Con ducting the test facing west, away from cameras
C. Con ducting the test in short bursts, so that there was no sustained lighting
D. Conducting the test with additional sound effects to distract anyone who might be on the street
5. What was the primary reason Malkin and his team choose to test the new LED lights in the middle of
the night?
A. Because the lights are impossible to see in the daylight
B. So that no spies would be awake to steal the new lighting design
C. Because his team only works at night, to enhance their creativity
D. So that when they made the formal reveal to the city and world, it would be a true surprise
6. How does the new LED display contribute to the Empire State Building's efforts to become more
'green'?
A. The lights will be bright enough to reflect into the building, allowing less lighting to be used
indoors
B. The new lighting will consume almost half the amount of energy the old lights did
C. The lights can become green in color, to cover the entire building
D. The lights will be solar-powered, generating their own electricity.
7. The article suggests that some older people might miss the old lights. Why is this?
A. The elderly who have poorer eyesight have an easier time seeing the old lights
B. The older generation might not understand the technology behind the new LED lighting
C. Those who used to work in the Empire State Building will no longer be able to recognize it
without the old, larger lights
D. The old lights represented momentous occasions in American history, and may still have
nostalgic value
8. In the second- to-last paragraph, the old floodlights are described as veterans.
What is the most suitable explanation for this word in context?
A. The old lights have worked through the years, despite harsh weather conditions and continual
use for special occassions
B. The old lights have been up through many previous wars, making them literal veterans
C. The old lights were dedicated to the Empire State Building to memorialize war heroes
D. The old lights were only used before to celebrate Veteran's Day
9. Currently, how many of the former lights are set to be preserved for a specific purpose?
A. All, to replace other major lights around the city
B. None, they are all set to be discarded entirely
C. Five, spaced across Central Park for more light and better security
D. One, to serve as a warning beacon for aircraft
10. Why might it be important for the Empire State's global image to replace its lighting?
A. To represent that it is both environmentally conscious as well as technologically advanced
B. To prove that other world landmarks are not as spectacular
C. To suggest that despite its being decades-old, the Empire State Building is still relevant
D. To provide New Yorkers and visitors with better entertainment
PASSAGE 2: Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question (5pts)
Ancient people probably assembled the massive sands tone horseshoe at Stonehenge more than
4,600 years ago, while the smaller bluestones were imported from Wales later, a new study suggests.
The conclusion, detailed in the December issue of the journal Antiquity, challenges earlier
timelines that proposed the smaller stones were raised first.
"The sequence proposed for the site is really the wrong way around," said study co-author Timothy
Darvill, an archaeologist at Bournemouth University in England. "The original idea that it starts small and
gets bigger is wrong. It starts big and stays big. The new scheme puts the big stones at the center at the
site as the first stage."
The new timeline, which relies on statistical methods to tighten the dates when the stones were put
into place, overturns the notion that ancient societies spent hundreds of years building each area of
Stonehenge. Instead, a few generations likely built each of the major elements of the site, said Robert
Ixer, a researcher who discovered the origin of the bluestones, but who was not involved in the study.
"It's a very timely paper and a very important paper," Ixer said. "A lot of us have got to go back and
rethink when the stones arrived."
Mysterious monument
The Wiltshire, England, site of Stonehenge is one of the world's most enduring mysteries. No one
knows why prehistoric people built the enigmatic megaliths, although researchers over the years have
argued the site was originally a sun calendar, a symbol of unity, or a burial monument.
Though only some of the stones remain, at the center of the site once sat an oval of bluestones, or
igneous rocks (those formed from magma) that turn a bluish hue when wet or freshly cut. Surrounding
the bluestones are five giant sandstone megaliths called trilithons, or two vertical standing slabs capped
by a
horizontal stone, arranged in the shape of a horseshoe.
Around the horseshoe, ancient builders erected a circular ring of bluestones. The sandstone
boulders, or sarsens, can weigh up to 40 tons (36,287 kilograms), while the much smaller bluestones
weigh a mere 4 tons (3,628 kg).
Past researchers believed the bluestone oval and circle were erected earlier than the massive
sandstone horseshoe. But when Darvill and his colleagues began excavations at the site in 2008, they
found the previous chronology didn't add up. The team estimated the age of new artifacts from the site,
such as an
antler bone pick stuck within the stones.
Combining the new information with dating from past excavations, the team created a new timeline
for Stonehenge's construction.
Like past researchers, the team believes that ancient people first used the site 5,000 years ago, when
they dug a circular ditch and mound, or henge, a bout 361 feet (110 meters) in diameter.
But the new analysis suggests around 2600 B.C. the Neolithic people built the giant sandstone
horseshoe, drawing the stone from nearby quarries. Only then did builders arrange the much smaller
bluestones, which were probably imported from Wales. Those bluestones were then rearranged at various
positions throughout the site over the next millennium, Darvill said.
"They sort out the local stuff first, and then they bring in the stones from Wales to add to the
complexity of the structure," Darvill told LiveScience.
The new dating allows the archaeologists to tie the structure to specific people who lived in the area
at the time, Darvill said. The builders of the larger sandstone structures were pig farmers found only in
the British Isles. In contrast, the bluestone builders would've been the Beaker people, sheep and cow
herders
who lived throughout Europe and are known for the distinctive, bell-shape pottery they left behind.
The new timeline "connects everything together, it gives us a good sequence of events outside, and
it gives us a set of cultural associations with the different stages of construction," Darvill said.
1. The new study described in this article suggests which sequence of events for the building of
Stonehenge?
A. The bluestones were arranged in the horseshoe configuration and then accented with the larger
stones
B. Ancient peoples first arranged the small bluestone configuration and later ringed it with large,
imported granite slabs
C. The sandstone horseshoe was developed first, thousands of years ago, and the smaller bluestones
were imported later from Wales
D. All the stones were brought in at the same time and slowly arranged over centuries
2. Which type of methodology does the new study rely on to discern Stonehenge's timeline?
A. Mineralogy B. Statistical analysis C. Carbon dating D. DNA
analysis
3. According to the article, a sarsen could weigh how much ?
A.38 tons B. 42 tons C. 56 tons D. 41 tons
4. Until the study that is discussed in the article, what was the accepted sequence of Stonehenge's
construction?
A. Blues tone horseshoe, then sandstone oval
B. Bluestone diamond, then sandstone square
C. Bluestone square, then sandstone circle
D. Bluestone oval, then sandstone horseshoe
5. None of the following were known artifacts in constructing the new Stonehenge timeline EXCEPT
A. Arrowheads of the nearby civilizations
B. Skeletons of ancient peoples
C. An antler bone wedged between stones
D. Stone eroded clearly enough to be dated
6. It is agreed between old and new studies that Stonehenge was first used by civilizations?
A. 5,000 years ago B. 6,000 years ago C. 7,000 years ago D. 8,000 years
ago
7. The later bluestones, believed to be imported from Wales,
A. Were originally arranged to outline the horseshoe shape of the sandstone boulders
B. Were arranged over the course of a millennium
C. Were actually recovered from local quarries
D. Were settled in their pattern within a year
8. According to Darvill, what effect did the bluestones have upon Stonehenge?
A. They allowed the dimensions of Stonehenge to be more aesthetically pleasing
B. They provided an added complexity to the structure by using foreign material
C. They represented strong cultural ties with the Welsh culture
D. They were symbols of conquest of foreign lands
9. Accor ding to Daville, what is the most important piece of knowledge obtained from this new timeline?
A. That sandstone and bluestone were both native to the region
B. That Stonehenge became the model for future Scottish architecture
C. That the original peoples who built Stonehenge were wealthy enough to acquire rare stones
D. That the original builders of Stonehenge were different types of animal herders
10. What is the conclusion that Darville draws in the quote in the final paragraph?
A. Stonehenge remains an inspiration for modern artists and architects
B. The mysteries of Stonehenge are entirely clarified by the new research and time line
C. Previous timelines for Stonehenge may have given us a flawed interpretation of the civilizations
and materials they had access to at the time
D. Stonehenge was really a foreign project, made from materials outside of the country, and
influenced by civilizations other than those who lived locally
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. CLOZE TEST: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only
ONE WORD for each space.
CLOZE TEST 1:
THE EFFECTS OF ACID RAIN
When acid rain gets into lakes and streams, it kills the fish and other (1)…………..and plants that
live there. Many rivers in Scandinavia no longer have any fish. All the fish have been killed by acid rain.
Acid rain can also (2)…………..plants on land, including farm crops and forests. By the mid-1980s, acid
rain had damaged or killed almost half of the trees in Germany’s Black Forest. The (3)…………..surfaces
of stone buildings and monuments can also be corroded, or worn (4)………….., by acid rain. Some of the
world’s greatest buildings and monuments show signs of damage caused by acid rain. Acid rain eats
away
(5)…………..the steel in bridges and railings as well.
REDUCING ACID RAIN
Most of the (6) …………..that produce acid rain come from power stations, factories, and vehicles.
Power stations and factory (7)…………..can be fitted with devices that remove these gases. (8)
………….. can be fitted with catalytic converters, which reduce the pollution in exhaust fumes. (9)
………….., the
devices to reduce the acid gases are expensive. Not all governments, companies, and individuals are
willing to spend the (10)…………..money on them.
HOW DO REEFS FORM?
Coral reefs play an important role in ocean life. Many kinds of plants, fish, and other animals live
(11)………… and around a coral reef. Even the reef itself is made mostly of tiny coral animals, both
living and dead.
Coral animals do not move around. These tiny (12)…………..live together in groups called
colonies. One single coral animal is called a polyp. It has a body (13)…………..like a tube. Its mouth is
on the top of the tube. Little tentacles around the mouth help the coral polyp catch food that (14)
…………..by. Coral
animals eat microscopic sea creatures called zooplankton.
The reef-building polyp makes a hard (15)…………..shell for itself from materials found in
seawater. When the polyp dies, the shell is left behind. The shells from colonies of polyps build up (16)
………….. time to form a rock called limestone. This limestone becomes the inner part of the reef. The
living coral
animals form the (17)…………..part of the reef. As each layer of polyps dies, their stony skeletons get
added to the reef. A new layer then grows on top of the (18)…………... This is how a reef gets bigger.
Tiny (19)………….. -celled algae called zooxanthellae live in coral polyps. The polyp and the
algae make (20)…………..for one another. The polyps could not live without the algae.
II. WORD FORMATION : (20PTS)
PART 1: Complete each sentence, using the correctform of the word in parentheses.
1. They all cheered_______ as their team came out. (ENTHUSIASM)
2. Finally a_________ is broug ht ab out between the two sides. (RECONCILE)
3. The child has a______ temper ament. (REBEL)
4. No repor t can convey the suffering that this war has caused, (speak)
5. He will not b en ef it-______ from the deal. (FINANCE)
6. The injury was____________ of her handling o f the affair. (CRITICIZE)
7. Her case was_______ argued. (CONVI NCE) A . V .
8. I don' t f ind him very (COMMUNICATE)
9. Mary is a really________ pessimist. (CURE)
10. The aid progra mme was_______ , resultin g in large quantities of food failing
to re ach the famine victims. (CONDUCT).
PART 2: Complete the pas sag e with app ropriate form s fro m the word s given in
the box.
wake distant please prison grace
ordinary sudden appear skill excite
In the centr e o f the room, clamped to an upright easel, stood the full-length
portrait of a youn g man o f _______ (1) personal beauty, and in fro nt of it, some
little _________ (2) away, was sitting the artist himselt, Basil Hall ward, whose
sudden _______ (3) some years ago caused, at the time, such public_______(4),
and gave rise to so many strange conjectures. As the painter looked at the
________ (5) and comely form he had so_______ (6) mirro red in his art, a smile
of_______ (7) passed across his face, and seemed about to linger there. But
he________ (8) s tarted up, and, closing his eyes, placed his fingers upon the lids,
as thoug h he sough t tO—_____ (9) within his brain some curious dream from
which he feared he might________ (10).
III. E RRO R CORRECTI ON:
The follow ing pas sag e contains 10 errors. Identify and correct them (10 pts)
0. politics → politician
1 When a celebrity, a politics or other person in the media spotlight loses
10 their temper in public, they run the risk of hitting the headings in a most
15 embarrassing way. For such uncontrolling outbursts of anger are often
triggered by what seem to be trivial matters and, if they are caught on
camera, can make the person appear slightly ridiculousness. But it's not
only the rich and famous who is prone to fits of rage. According to
recent surveys, ordinary people are increasingly tending to lose their
cool in public. Although anger is a potentially destructive emotion that
uses up a lot of energy and creates a high level of emotional and
physical stress - and it stops us thinking rational. Consequently angry
people often end up saying, and doing, things they later have cause to
regret. So, how can anger be avoided? Firstly, diet and lifestyle may be
to blame. Tolerance and irritability certainly come to the surface when
someone hasn't slept properly or has skipped a meal, and any intake of
caffeine can make things worst. Taking regular exercise can help to ease
and diffuse feelings of aggression, however, reduce the chances of an
angry response. But if something or someone does make you angry, it's
advisable not to react immediately. Once you've calmed down, things
won't look half as badly as you first thought.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION: (20 PTS)
1. The warmth of her welcome surprised me. ABACK
I………………………………………………………her warm welcome.
2. Sally showed absolutely no fear when climbing the wall. DISREGARD
Sally showed ……………………………………own safety when climbing the wall.
3. I don’t want to be disturbed at all this morning! ACCOUNT
On ……………………………………………….disturbed this morning!
4. He is so ambitious - he's determined that he'll be successful in the company. MARK
He is determined…………………………………in the company.
5. I thought very hard but couldn't remember the answer. RACKED
I……………………………………………to remember the answer.
6. Bad salary is usually the reason for the workers’ threat to the strike.
The workers usually go……………………………………………
7. The young girl stopped working though the salary was very high.
No matter how……………………………………………………..
8. You must not enter this area unless you are wearing protective clothing.
Entry to this area…………………………………………………..
9. Ms Betty is proud of her singing.
Ms Betty prides……………………………………………………
10. You can ring this number whenever there is any difficulty.
Should……………………………………………………………..
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN BẢO LỘC
TP. BẢO LỘC - LÂM ĐỒNG
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
I. PHONOLOGY
1. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
1. A. garage B. camouflage C. prestige D. message
2. A. chives B. chanteuse C. champagne D. chenille
3. A. liven B. bronchitis C. bewilder D. mildly
4. A. mouldy B. voucher C. dourly D. counsel
5. A. gene B. gauge C. gem D. gist
2. Choose the word which is stressed differently from the others in each group.
6. A. amorphous B. hazardous C. courageous D. perfidious
7. A. terrestrial B. prohibitive C. predicament D. territory
8. A. amiable B. differential C. photogenic D. quintessential
9. A. interpretative B. counterterrorist C. interrogative D. supercilious
10. A. archaeology B. miscellaneous C. paleontology D.
pharmaceutical
II. WORD CHOICE.
Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentences.
1. Candace would………….her little sister into an argument by teasing her and calling her names.
A. advocate B. provoke C. prompt D. trigger
2. His neighbors found his………….manner bossy and irritating, and they stopped inviting him to
backyard barbeques.
A. insistent B. magisterial C. cynical D. restorative
3. I intended to put forward the financial problem at the meeting but my boss wanted me to talk to
him……
A. in private B. on site C. at disposal D. for real
4. They took cash………….the car previously offered as a prize.
A. in place of B. on account of C. with regard to D. in lieu of
5. Being able to afford this luxury car will………….getting a better- paying job.
A. maximize B. reiterate C. necessitate D. reciprocate
6. Shakespeare, a(n) …………. writer, entertained audiences by writing many tragic and comic plays.
A. productive B. fertile C. generic D. prolific
7. I had the………….experience of sitting next to an over-talkative passenger on my flight home from
Brussels.
A. failing B. throbbing C. galling D. gripping
8. Her …………. display of tears at work did not impress her boss, who felt she should try to control her
emotions.
A. artful B. flamboyant C. plausible D. schematic
9. Kim was ………….in choosing her friends, so her parties were attended by vastly different and
sometimes bizarre personalities.
A. indispensable B. indiscriminate C. inadvertent D. indisputable
10. With such lack of financial support, they miraculously managed to run their business………….
A. at stake B. on a shoestring C. in a nutshell D. under siege
III. STRUCTURES AND GRAMMAR.
Choose the best option A, B, C or D.
1. In the days of the last economic crisis if you…………a job, you…………lucky .
A. got - were B. had got - would have been
C. get - will be D. got - would be
2…………more points to discuss, the meeting has now come to an end.
A. On account of B. Regardless of
C. Not having D. There being no
3…………, the advertisement is not to be trusted.
A. In as much as it sounds convincing
B. In terms of its convincing demonstration
C. Convincing as it may sound
D. Far from being unconvincing
4. Our last biological field trip was an abject failure. We could hardly catch sight of a bird,………….
A. not to mention filming one B. let alone film one
C. not much of filming D. more or less filming one
5. My boss’s demand………….last month was really ridiculous.
A. for us to be all present at his house-warming party
B. that we all be present at his house-warming party
C. we all would be present at his house-warming party
D. whether we all were present at his house- warming party
6. We………….more time with our children before they left for university.
We were too busy with our jobs to think about that.
A. wish we spent B. were supposed to be spending
C. would like to have spent D. regret that we didn’t spend
7………….his genuine insecurity.
A. Behind his intellectual arrogance lies
B. Lying behind his intellectual arrogance
C. Behind lying his intellectual arrogance is
D. Lain behind his intellectual arrogance is
8. The car eventually exploded,…………..
A. one of whose wheels came off B. with one of its wheels came off
C. and sent one of its wheel to fly D. sending one of its wheels flying
9. Having had to rely on a meager salary for years as dustman, he…………..to be offered such a well-
paid job.
A. he wasn’t any the less delighted B. he was no more delighted
C. he was little more than delighted D. he was still less delighted
10…………..synthetic compounds.
A. Industries once relied heavily upon raw materials are being replaced by
B. Once relying heavily upon raw materials industries are being replaced
C. Once heavily relied upon by industries, raw materials are being replaced by
D. Heavily relied upon by industries once, raw materials are replacing
IV. READING COMPREHENSION
Read these passages carefully and choose the best answer for each of the questions.
PASSAGE 1
The community that focuses its efforts on the exploration of space has largely been different from
that focused on the study and protection of the Earth’s environment, despite the fact that both fields of
interest involve what might be referred to as ‘scientific exploration’. The reason for this dichotomous
existence is chiefly historical. The exploration of the Earth has been occurring over many centuries, and
the institutions created to do it are often very different from those founded in the second part of the 20th
century to explore space. This separation is also caused by the fact that space exploration has attracted
experts from mainly non-biological disciplines - primarily engineers or physicists - but the study of
Earth and its environment is a domain heavily populated by biologists.
The separation between the two communities is often reflected in attitudes. In the environ mental
community, it is not uncommon for space exploration to be regarded as a waste of money, distracting
governments from solving major environmental problems here at home. In the space exploration
community, it is not uncommon for environmentalists to be regarded as introspective people who
divert attention from the more expansive visions of the exploration of space - the ‘new frontier’. These
perceptions can also be negative in consequence because the full potential of both communities can be
realized better when they work together to solve problems. For example, those involved in space
exploration can provide satellites to monitor the Earth’s fragile environments, and environmentalists
can provide information on the survival of life in extreme environments.
In the sense that Earth and space exploration both stem from the same human drive to understand
our environment and our place within it, there is no reason for the split to exist. A more accurate view of
Earth and space exploration is to see them as a continuum of exploration with many interconnected and
mutually beneficial links. The Earth and Space Foundation, a registered charity, was established for the
purposes of fostering such links through field research and by direct practical action.
Projects that have been supported by the Foundation include environmental projects using
technologies resulting from space exploration: satellite communication , GPS, remote sensing, advanced
materials and power sources. For example, in places where people are faced with destruction of the
forests on which their livelihood depends, rather than rejecting economic projects and trying to save the
forests in their intrinsic merit, another approach is to enhance the value of the forests - although these
schemes must be carefully assessed to be successful. In the past, the Foundation provided a grant to a
group of expeditions that used remote sensing to plan eco-tourism routes in the forests of Guatemala, thus
providing capital to the local communities through the tourist trade. This novel approach is now making
the protection of the forests a sensible economic decision.
The Foundation funds expeditions making astronomical observations from remote, difficult-to-
access Earth locations, archeological field projects studying the development of early civilizations that
made significant contributions to astronomy and space sciences, and field expeditions studying the way
in views
of the astronomical environment shaped by the nature of past civilizations. A part of Syria - ‘the Fertile
Crescent’ - was the birthplace of astronomy, accountancy, animal domestication and many other
fundamental developments of human civilization. The Foundation helped fund a large archeology project
by the Society for Syrian Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, in collaboration with
the Syrian government that used GPS and satellite imagery to locate mounds, or ‘tels’, containing
artifacts and remnants of early civilizations. These collections are being used to build a better picture of
the nature of the civilizations that gave birth to astronomy.
Space-like environments on Earth help us understand how to operate in the space environment or
help us characterize extraterrestrial environments for future scientific research. In the Arctic, 24-km-wide
impact crater formed by an asteroid or comet 23 million years ago has become home to a Mars-analogue
program. The Foundation helped fund the NASA Haughton-Mars project to use this crater to test
communications and exploration technologies in preparation for the human exploration of Mars. The
crater, which sits in high Arctic permafrost, provides an excellent replica of the physical processes
occurring on Mars, apermafrosted, impact-altered planet. Geologists and biologists can work at the site to
help understand how impact craters shape the geological characteristics and possibly biological potential
of Mars.
In addition to its fieldwork and scientific activities, the Foundation has award programs. These
include a series of awards for the future human exploration of Mars, a location with a diverse set of
exploration challenges. The awards will honor a number of ‘firsts’ on Mars that include landing on the
surface, undertaking an overland expedition to the Martial South Pole, undertaking an overland
expedition to the Martial North Pole, climbing Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the solar system,
and descending to the bottom of Valles Marineris, the deepest canyon on Mars. The Foundation will offer
awards for expeditions further out in the solar system once these Mars awards have been claimed.
Together, they demonstrate that the program really has no boundary in what it could eventually support,
and they provide longevity for the objectives of the Foundation.
1. Which of the following describes the similarity between the field of space exploration and that of
Earth’s environment study?
A. They are both regarded as biological studies.
B. They both have scientific discovery aims.
C. They both require large budgets.
D. They demand the same terrestrial knowledge.
2. The word domain as used in paragraph 1 refers to
A. a type of website B. an area of study
C. a kind of workplace D. an institute of academy
3. According to paragraph 2, what is the common criticism environmentalists express against space
exploration?
A. It can divert attention from human’s more realistic problems.
B. It has failed to realize the need to survive in our more familiar place.
C. It has too ambitious aims to accomplish in the current situation.
D. It should have been replaced by a more economical discipline.
4. According to the passage, the separation between space exploration and Earth’s environment study is
UNREAS ONABLE because
A. they both serve to discover the origin of humans and other life forms.
B. they make use of the same types of human knowledge and experiences.
C. they are indispensible for man kind’s survival and quality of life.
D. they aim to promote human view of themselves and the universe.
5. What was the significance of the word ‘novel app roach’ adopted in the Guatemala project?
A. It minimized the need to protect the forests.
B. It reduced the impact of tourists on the forests.
C. It showed that preserving the forests can be profitable.
D. It gave the Foundation greater control over the forests.
6. GPS and satellite imagery were used in the Syrian project to
A. help archaeologists find ancient items.
B. explore land that is hard to reach.
C. reduce the impact of archaeological activity.
D. evaluate some early astronomical theories.
7. Which of the following could best replace the word operate as used in paragraph 6?
A. control B. develop C. regulate D. behave
8. A replica as used paragraph 6 probably refers to
A. a demonstration B. a replacement C. a collectible D. a message
9. One of the purposes of the Foundation’s awards is to
A. attract non-scientists to its work.
B. establish priorities for Mars exploration.
C. offer financial incentives for space exploration,
D. establish the long-term continuity of its activities .
10. What is the writer’s purpose in the passage?
A. to persuade people to support the Foundation
B. to explain the nature of the Foundation’s work
C. to show how views in the Foundation have changed
D. to reject earlier criticism of the Foundation’s work
PASSAGE 2
In many developing countries, literacy skills are under siege. This is true even in societies where
access to primary education is universal and governments invest heavily in education. New Zealand, for
example, was leading the world in literacy rates in 1970, but tumbled to thirteenth place in 2001 and then
again to twenty-fourth just a few years later. Test scores in the USA also slumped 10 percent during the
1990s despite the country riding an economic boom for much of the decade. In some cases, these
statistics reverse trends that were in motion for over a century and a half. The steady, gradual expansion
of literacy across social groups and classes was one of the greatest successes of the period of
industrialization that began in the mid-1850s.
This reversal of fortunes has led to widespread contention over the pedagogy of teaching literacy.
What was once a dry and technical affair - the esoteric business of linguists and policy analysts -
rapidly escalated into a series of skirmishes that were played out in high-visibility forums: Newspapers
ran
special features, columns, and letters to the editor on the literacy crisis; politicians success fully ran
their national campaigns on improving reading test scores; and parents had their say by joining Parent-
Teacher Associations (PTAs) and lobby groups.
The arguments around reading pooled into two different classroom methodologies: constructivism
and behaviorism. The constructivist methodology grew from a holistic conception of knowledge creation
that understood reading and writing to be innate, humanistic, and interpretative practices that suffered
when they were spliced and formalized within rigid doctrines, strict rules, and universal skill-sets.
Constructivists associate words with meanings; each word might be thought of as a Chinese ideogram.
Students are encouraged to learn individual words and skip over and guess words they do not understand,
or learn to interpret those words by situating them within the lexical infrastructure of the sentence and the
story’s wider narrative. These practices materialize as learning processes centered on guided group
reading and independent reading of high-quality, culturally diverse literature or textual composition that
emphasizes
pupils conveying their own thoughts and feelings for real purposes such as letters for pen pals or journal
entries.
Behaviorism sees the pedagogical process in a less dialectical fashion - words are initially taught
not lexically, as vehicles to convey meaning, but rather sub-lexically, as a combination of features that
can be separated and learned in a schematic process. The behaviorist approach does not focus on words
at all in
the early stages of learning. Rather, it is centered on a universally applicable method of teaching students
to isolate graphemes and phonemes with the intention that students will eventually learn to synthesize
these individual parts and make sense of spoken words textually. In this way, individual components are
not equated with the strokes of a brush on a Chinese ideogram, but rather as the focal pieces of
interpretation - as in, for example, learning to read musical notations or Morse Code. Because of its
emphasis on universal rules, behaviorism is much more conducive to formal examination and the
consolidation of results
across regions and countries. The ability to master language is considered to rest in the acquisition of a
set of skills that exist independently of individuals. Classroom learning is, therefore, based upon the
transmission of knowledge from tutor to student, rather than seen as an internalized process that erupts
within the students themselves.
So, who comes out on top? It is not easy to say. Champions of behaviorism have claimed victory
because constructivist learning took over in the late 1800s, just before the test scores on literacy began
sinking across the West. Constructivists, however, can make the valid claim that the behaviorist approach
has a heavy methodological bias towards testing and examination, and that test results do not represent
the ability of individuals to use and interpret language freely and creatively. Furthermore, different
socio-economic groups respond in different ways to each method. Those from wealthier families tend to
do
well regardless of the method, but thrive on the constructivist approach implemented in the 1990s.
Children from poorer families, however, are better served by behaviorism. These outcomes have ramped
up levels of socio-economic- based educational disparities in educational systems that have pushed the
constructivist methods.
It is unlikely that either constructivism or behaviorism will be permanently sidelined from curricula
in the near future. Most teachers will find it easier to incorporate aspects of each approach.
Constructivism may ultimately hold the triumph card because of its proven success with pupils who
come from families
where they are introduced to reading and writing in various forms from a young age - this process of
‘living and learning’ and immersing oneself in language is a sound principle. In a world rife with social
inequities, households with illiterate parents and a scarcity of funding for education, however, the
behaviorist approach may have the upper hand in teaching children to access the basic skills of literacy
quickly and efficiently, even if some linguistic creativity is crushed in the process.
1. With which of the following topics is the passage primarily concerned?
A. The rise and fall of literacy in countries around the world
B. Reasons why language teaching has been on firm ground
C. Main features of two language teaching approaches
D. Best classroom methodologies in literacy education
2. Which of the following describes one attitude towards a teaching method mentioned in the text?
A. Too many rules and regulations can hinder natural knowledge mastery.
B. Dependence on learning assistants is no longer praiseworthy now.
C. Understanding deserves much more emphasis than putting knowledge to use.
D. Universal rules must be appreciated if individual interpretation of ideas is to be achieved.
3. By “.... was once a dry and technical affair ...” (paragraph 2), the writer means that.................
A. Literacy education was less flexible and cultural than it is.
B. There was one time when language teaching was very technological.
C. Nobody but linguists and politicians found literacy a matter of interest.
D. Literacy teaching methods used to be entitled to specialists only.
4. Which of the following is one feature of constructivism?
A. People are naturally inclined to develop language abilities.
B. Students learn best by working on their own.
C. It is vital that a disciplined and regulated approach is used.
D. Everyone learns to read and write in a similar manner.
5. Which of the following is one feature of behaviorism?
A. There is hardly a common set of conventions.
B. Meaning is created by connecting word fragments.
C. Linguistic capacities are built into people.
D. Self-study is crucial in acquiring language knowledge.
6. Which of the following is NOT a feature of constructivism?
A. Context can provide helpful cues to understanding words.
B. Language is best learned as a single, organic process.
C. Practical means are used to encourage individual self-express ion.
D. It is crucial that students understand every word they encounter.
7. The phrase “hold the triumph card” (paragraph 6) in the passage mostly means “....................”
A. achieve dominance B. be described in documents
C. maintain its originality D. overcome challenges
8. Which of the following is NOT a feature of behaviorism?
A. Students often learn by receiving information from teachers.
B. The whole word is less important than its parts.
C. It is difficult to judge how well students are doing collectively.
D. Test results, rather than real abilities, are more likely to be achieved.
9. What is one disadvantage of behaviorism teaching and learning?
A. It is only suitable to children with a good financial background.
B. It may discourage learners’ creative abilities in language acquisition.
C. It seems to overemphasize the needs for tests and examinations.
D. It lessens the possibility of equality in education between social classes.
10. Which of the following statements best summarizes the writer’s general conclusion?
A. Constructivism is better, while behaviorism leads to negative social effects.
B. Ideally, constructivism would be used, but behaviorism is more pragmatic.
C. Neither is particularly useful, and there needs to be new alternative.
D. Each method complements the other, and their application should be integrated.
V. CLOZE READING.
Choose the word/phrase that best fits each blank in the text below.
TEXT 1
Women are much more healthy than men when they take it easy, (1) .................a new survey.
Those who work long hours are more likely than men to (2) .................in unhealthy behavior such as
eating snacks, smoking and drinking caffeine. (Long hours have no such impact on men.) One positive
benefit of long hours for both sexes, however, is that alcohol (3) ................. is reduced.
The study, funded by the Economic and Social Research, is part of a wider study by psychologists
from the University of Leeds, into the effects of stress on eating. ‘Stress causes people to
(4) .................for unhealthy high-fat and high-sugar snacks in (5)................. to healthier food choices,’
says researcher
Dr. Daryl O’Connor of the University of Leeds. ‘People under stress eat less than usual in their main
meals, including their vegetable (6).................but shift their preference to high-fat, high-sugar snacks
instead.
‘Our (7) ................. are disturbing in that they show stress produces harmful changes in diet and
(8) .................to unhealthy eating behavior,’ continues Dr. Daryl O ’Connor. ‘An overwhelming
(9) ................. of evidence shows the importance of maintaining a balanced diet in terms of reducing the
risk of cancer
and cardiovascular diseases - and that means eating a low-fat diet and five (10) ................. of fruit and
vegetable a day.
l. A. betrays B. sustains C. reveals D. exposes
2. A. indulge B. satisfy C. yield D. tempt
3. A. intake B. consumption C. expenditure D. utility
4. A. desire B. go C. resort D. opt
5. A. difference B. option C. preference D. priority
6. A. absorbance B. influx C. input D. intake
7. A. explorations B. inventions C. findings D. principles
8. A. leads B. turns C. guides D. presides
9. A. lump B. body C. sack D. pack et
10. A. segments B. slices C. portions D. plates
TEXT 2
Few inventions have had more scorn and praise (1) ................... them at the same time as television.
And few have done so much to unite the world into one vast audience for news, sport, information and
entertainment. Television must be (2) ................... alongside printing as one of the most significant
inventions of all time in the (3) ................... of communications. In just a few decades it has reached
(4)...... every home in the developed world and an ever-increasing (5) ................... of homes in
developing countries. It took over half a century from the first suggestion that television might be
possible before the first (6) ................... pictures were produced in laboratories in Britain and America.
In 1926 John Logie Baird’s genius for publicity brought television to the (7) ................... of a
British
audience. It has since reached such (8) ...................of success and (9) ................... on such a pivotal
function that it is difficult to imagine a world (10) ................... of this ground breaking invention.
1. A. taken over B. heaped upon C. picked on D. given
over
2. A. awarded B. rated C. assumed D. entitled
3. A. location B. side C. role D. field
4. A. simultaneously B. actually C. virtually D.
substantially
5. A. ratio B. proportion C. scale D. range
6. A. flaring B. glimmering C. sparkling D. flickering
7. A. attention B. concentration C. initiation D. surveillance
8. A. heights B. levels C. primes D. tops
9. A. brought B. taken C. picked D. set
10. A. without B. shallow C. bereft D. lacking
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. WORD FORMATION
WORD FORMATION 1. Give the correct form of each word in brackets to complete these
sentences.
1. In some courts, audio recordings are considered (ADMIT)................... evidence.
2. Our new neighbor seems the (EFFACE) ................... type who seldom talks about themselves.
3. The sculptor always pays great attention to even the tiniest detail of every of his works fearing that it
may sink to (MEDIOCRE)....................
4. I can’t see why the board of leaders keep (COMMIT)...................over the debate about whether or not
to dismiss the current coach.
5. (AGE)...................marriage has been made illegal by most modern societies.
6. We all find the governments’ effort to solve environmental problems (MERIT)...................
7. Although (PERCEIVE)................... to some people, the impacts of unhealthy lifestyles are for real.
8. The country is now heavily in debt due to the government’s financial (MANAGE)...................
9. He’s such a(n) (INTELLECT)...................who always pretends to know everything.
10. I hate admitting defeat but in this case the opposition is (REFUTE)................... correct.
WORD FORMATION 2. Choose one suitable word from the box and change its form to fill in each
blank in the following text.
able academy anticipation collaborate combine
dedicate expect memory physical value
Physical exercise is good for mind, body and spirit. Furthermore, team sports are good for learning
accountability, (1) ..................., and leadership, among many other traits. Putting it all together by playing
a sport is a winning (2) .................... First of all, sports can make us (3) ................... better. Playing a
sport requires a lot of time and energy. Some may think this would distract student-athletes from school
work. However, the opposite is true. Sports require (4) ..................., repetition and learning - skill sets
that are
directly relevant to classwork. Also, the determination and goal-setting skills sports require can be
transferred to the classroom. Sports also teach teamwork and help achieve goals. Fighting for a common
goal with a host of other players, coaches, managers and community members teaches you how to
build (5) ................... and effectively communicate the best way to solve problems en route to a victory.
This proves (6)................... in life when encountering problems at work, at home, or in any arena. Next,
sports are (7) ................... beneficial. Clearly, sports will improve your fitness and weight goals.
Moreover, they also (8) ................... healthy decisions such as not smoking or drinking and offer some
(9)................... health benefits such as a lower chance of getting osteoporosis or breast cancer later in life.
Also, being part of a team (10)...................you showing up and working hard is plenty of motivation for
you to get to the gym day in and day out.
II. PHRASAL VERBS.
Fill in each blank in the following sentence a proper verb and (a) preposition(s) from the two boxes.
Verbs bank cast duck gloss level
peg roll string sink wind
Particles away at by down in on
out of over round for up with
1. We’d been spending years ................... our job of running the shop before the business really took off.
2. The film was well researched, but it...................the important issues.
3. As a teacher, you have to be patient sometimes waiting several minutes for your words to ...................
4. Jane intends to ................... her business soon because she’s so tired with competition .
5. He promised to give a hand but we knew we could hardly...................his words.
6. ‘This is serious matter, so you have to ...................me this time. Don’t try to hide anything,’ said his
partner.
7. He got on well with his colleagues as a whole although he sometimes tried to ................... doing the job
he didn’t like.
8. Many years has................... since I last sat talking to her.
9. My boss is always................... someone to blame whenever something goes wrong.
10. I get really ...................every time I apply for a new job. Those are such exciting experiences.
III. OPEN CLOZE TEST
Fill in each blank in the following texts ONE suitable word.
TEST 1
Stress problems are very common. The American Psychological Association's 2007 "Stress in
America" poll found that one-third of people in the United States report experiencing extreme levels of
negative stress. In (1) ................... , nearly one out of five people report that they are experiencing high
levels of negative stress 15 or more days per month. Impressive (2)................... these figures are,
they represent only a cross-section of people's stress levels at one particular moment of their lives. When
stress is (3)...................as something that occurs repeatedly across the full lifespan, the true incidence of
stress problems is much higher. (4) ................... "stressed out" is thus a universal human phenomenon
that affects(5)................... everyone.
What are we talking about when we discuss stress? Generally, most people use the word stress to
(6) ................... to negative experiences that leave us feeling overwhelmed. Thinking about stress
exclusively as something negative gives us a false impression of its true nature, however. Stress is a
reaction (7)........... a changing, demanding environment. Properly considered, stress is really
(8) ................... about our capacity to handle change than it is about (9)................... that change makes us
feel good or bad. Change, after all, is (10) ................... to stay and stress is in large part what we feel
when we are facing it.
TEST 2
The word cyberbullying did not even exist a decade ago, yet the problem has become a pervasive
(1) ...................today. Cyberbullies do not have to be strong or fast; they just need access to a cell phone
or computer and a (2) ................... to terrorize. Anyone can be a cyberbully, and such persons usually
have (3) ................... worries about having face-to -face confrontation with their victims. In fact, the
anonymity of cyberbullying may cause students who normally would not bully in the tradition- sense to
become a cyberbully. The double-edged (4) ................... of modern technology, continuously balancing
between risks and opportunities, manifests itself clearly in an emerging societal problem known
(5)...........cyberbullying. More than 97% of youths in the United States are connected (6) ................... the
Internet in some way. The
number of children and teens who use the Internet at home is rapidly (7) ..................., with now over 66%
of fourth to ninth graders able to go online from the comfort of their bedrooms. Children can
(8)................. in numerous Internet-based activities such as game playing, seeking information, and
talking with friends. The constellation of benefits, however, has been recently eclipsed by numerous
accounts of the Internet's undesirable social implications, (9) ................... appear in both scholarly
literature and popular media. A fair amount of attention has been given to Internet offenses, including
cyberstalking, sexual predation, etc. collectively placing the safety of children and teens who use the
Internet into (10)....................
IV. ERROR IDENTI FICATION.
There are 10 lexical and grammatical mistakes in the following passage. Identify and correct
them.
Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and
comprehend language, as well as to produce and use words and sentences to communicate. Language
acquisition is one of the unique human traits, although non-human creatures do not communicate by
using language. Language acquisition usually refers to first-language acquisition, that studies infants'
acquisition of their native language. This is distinguished from second-language acquisition, which deals
with the acquisition (in both children and adults) of addition languages.
The capacity to successful use language requires one to acquire a range of tools including
phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and an extensive vocabulary. Language can be vocaled as in
speech, or manual as in sign. Human language capacity is represented in the brain. Even though human
language capacity is finite, one can say and understand an infinite amount of sentences, which is based in
a
syntactic principle called recursion. Evidence suggests that every individual has three recursive
mechanisms that allow sentences to go indeterminately. These three mechanisms are: relativization,
complementation and coordination. Therefore, there are actually two main guiding principles in first-
language acquisition, that is, speech perception always precedes speech production and the gradually
evolved system by which a child learns a language building up one step at a time, beginning with the
distinction between individual phonemes.
V. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION.
Complete each of these sentences in such a way it means as closely as possible to the sentence
preceding it.
1. Thanks to the surgeons' quick acts, his eyesight was saved. (GOOD)
→ If ......................................................................................................................................
2. It seemed the young man was feeling bitter about his family background. (SHOULDER)
→ The young man appeared ................................................................................................
3. The public reaction to the design of the new theater turned out to be bitterly critical. (TEETH)
→ The way ............................................................................................................
4. It’s bad you didn’t try to do your share of the job. (WEIGHT)
→ You should........................................................................ ...............................
5. His mother's heart sank when she heard the news of his accident. (PIECES)
→ On .....................................................................................................................
6. I felt as if she was trying to deceive us. (IN)
→ I had the ............................................................................................................
7. My brother, who is a professional estate agent, is more than willing to househunt for our parents.
(ELEMENT)
→ A .................... ..................................................................................................
8. I can't understand why our team have performed so badly recently. (POOR)
→ It doesn’t ...........................................................................................................
9. It is a good idea for a retired craftsman to do something occasion ally to keep his skills. (HAND)
→ It is advisory that.............................................................................................
10. We were surprised to see that he got mad at our decision. (RED)
→ Much to ............................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN BẠC LIÊU - BẠC LIÊU
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS: (40 POINTS)
I. PHONOLOGY: (5 POINTS)
Identify the word that has the underlined part pronounced differently from that of the other words
in the group.
1.A. germ B. gesture C. gene D. gear
2.A. both B. cloth C. ghost D. sold
3.A. associate B. sociable C. ancient D. ancestor
4.A. conscience B. bronchitis C. shuttle D. chauffeur
5.A. cloth B. trustworthy C. clothing D. brother
Identify the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other words in the same group.
1. A. trigonometry B. explanatory C. immediately D. democracy
2. A. Japanese B. engineer C. practical D. questionnaire
3. A. metropolitan B. entrepreneurial C. hippopotamus D. curiosity
4. A. fulltime B. farmhand C. bookshop D. tradesman
5. A. electrician B. comfortable C. manufacture D. accidental
II. WORD CHOICE: (5 POINTS)
Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct answer among four options (A, B, C or
D).
1. When it comes to the................., Alice always supports her friends.
A. point B. crunch C. crisis D. finale
2. Richard started the race well but ran out of................ in the later stages.
A. power B. steam C. force D. effort
3. I'm so under with work at the moment - it’s awful!
A. snowed B. iced C. rained D. fogged
4. It was Alice's year: a new home, a better job - everything just clicked into................
A. spot B. position C. space D. place
5. My uncle was ................ ill last summer but fortunately, he is now making a slow but steady recovery.
A. critically B. deeply C. fatally D. seriously
6. Many local authorities realize there is a need to make................for disabled people in their housing
programmes.
A. assistance B. conditions C. admittance D. provision
7. He left the meeting early on the unlikely................ that he had a sick friend to visit.
A. claim B. excuse C. pretext D. motive
8. The elderly are particularly ................to this form of illness.
A. wimpy B. weak C. vulnerable D. trivial
9. My sunburnt nose made me feel rather ................for the first few days of the holiday.
A. self-confident B. self-centred C. self-conscious D. self-
evident
10. The actor was so nervous that he could only remember small................ of dialogue.
A. shreds B. pieces C. patches D. snatches
III. STRUCTURE AND GRAMMAR: (5 POINTS)
D).
1. Don’t be silly! That................ possibly be Madonna.
A. mustn’t B. shouldn’t C. won’t D. can’t
2. Not until the office phoned me................
A. I found out about the meeting B. had I found out about the meeting
C. did I find out about the meeting D. that I found out about the meeting
3................, let me know.
A. If you heard anything B. Had you heard anything
C. Unless you heard anything D. Should you hear anything
4. Thomas Edison ................many new appliances using electricity during his long career.
A. invented B. inventing C. who invented D. was
invented
5. I’d rather you................anything about the garden until the weather improves.
A. don’t make B. didn’t do C. don’t do D. didn’t make
6. At no time in history ................ such a diligent and brilliant fellow.
A. have Peter and his classmates ever met
B. have Peter and his classmates
C. Peter and his classmates ever met
D. Peter and his classmates had ever met.
7. It turned out that we................ rushed to the airport as the plane was delayed by several hours.
A. hadn't B. should have C. mustn't have D. needn't
have
8................as a masterpiece, a work of art must transcend the ideals of the period in which it was created.
A. Ranking B. To be ranked
C. Being ranked D. In order to be ranking
9. Florida,................the Sunshine State, attracts many tourists every year.
A. is B. is known as C. known as D. that is
known as
10. ................becoming extinct is of great concern to zoologists.
A. That giant pandas are B. Giant pandas are
C. That giant pandas D. Giant panda is
IV. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS: (5 POINTS)
D).
1. Karen was terribly nervous before the interview but she managed to pull herself................and act
confidently.
A. through B. over C. together D. off
2. We................up a friendship the very first time we met.
A. struck B. launched C. cropped D. settled
3. The inn owner was so generous. What we consumed was ................ the house.
A. on B. in C. off D. of
4. The strike was................owing to a last minute agreement with the management.
A. called off B. broken up C. set back D. put down
5. When she died, she gave ................all her money to a charity.
A. away B. out C. on D. off
6. Everyone knows about pollution problems, but not many people have................any solutions.
A. thought over B. come up with C. looked into D. got
round to
7. I don’t think this strange new fashion will...............
A. turn up B. care for C. show off D. catch
on
8. Despite all the interruptions, he...............with his work.
A. stuck at B. held on C. hung out D. pressed
on
9. Many elderly people have to live on the money they ...............when they were working.
A. laid up B. put back C. set up D. put aside
10. He went...............a bad cold just before Christmas.
A. down with B. in for C. over D. through
V. READING COMPREHENSION: (10 POINTS)
Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct option (marked A, B, C or D) to answer the
questions.
Million of people are using cell phones today. In many places, it is actually considered unusual not
to use one. In many countries, cell phones are very popular with young people. They find that the phones
are means of communication - having a mobile phone shows that they are cool and connected.
The explosion in mobile phone use around the world has made some health professionals worried.
Some doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of
mobile phones. In England, there has been a serious debate about this issue. Mobile phone companies are
worried about the negative publicity of such ideas. They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are
bad for your health.
On the other hand, medical studies have shown changes in the brain cells of some people who use
mobile phones. Signs of change in the issues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning
equipment. In one case, a traveling salesman had to retire at young age because of serious memory loss.
He couldn't remember even simple tasks. He would often forget the name of his own son. This man used
to talk on his mobile phone for about six hours a day, every day of his working week, for a couple of
years. His family doctor blamed his mobile phone use, but his employer's doctor didn't agree.
What is it that makes mobile phones potentially harmful? The answer is radiation. High - tech
machines can detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones. Mobile phone companies agree
that there is some radiation, but they say the amount is too small to worry about.
As the discussion about their safety continues, it appears that it's best to use mobile phones less
often. Use your regular phone if you want to talk for a long time. Use your mobile phone only when you
really need it. Mobile phones can be very useful and convenient, especially in emergencies. In the future,
mobile
phones may have a warning label that says they are bad for your health. So for now, it's wise not to use
your mobile phone too often.
1. According to the passage, cell phones are especially popular with young people because………….
A. they are indispensable in everyday communication
B. they make them look more stylish
C. they keep the users alert all the time
D. they cannot be replaced by regular phones
2. The changes possible caused by the cell phones are mainly concerned with………….
A. the mobility of the mind and the body B. the smallest units of brain
C. the arteries of the brain D. the resident memory
3. The word "means" in the passage most closely means…………..
A. meanings B. expression C. method D. transmission
4. The word "potentially" in the passage most closely means…………..
A. obviously B. possibly C. certainly D. privately
5. "Negative publicity" in the passage most likely means…………..
A. information on the lethal effects of cell phones
B. widespread opinion about bad effects of cell phones
C. the negative public use of cell phones
D. poor ideas about the effects of cell phones
6. Doctors have tentatively concluded that cell phones may…………..
A. damage their users' emotions B. cause some mental malfunction
C. change their users' temperament D. change their users' social behavior
7. The man mentioned in the passage, who used his cell phone too often………….
A. suffered serious loss of mental ability B. could no longer think lucidly
C. abandoned his family D. had a problem with memory
8. According to the passage, what makes mobile phones potentially harmful is………….
A. their radiant light B. their power of attraction
C. their raiding power D. their invisible rays
9. According to the writer, people should………….
A. only use mobile phones in urgent cases
B. only use mobile phones in medical emergencies
C. keep off mobile phones regularly
D. never used mobile phones in all cases
10. The most suitable title for the passage could be…………..
A. "The reasons why mobile phones are regular"
B. "Technological Innovation and their price"
C. "They way mobile phones work"
D. "Mobile phones - a must of our time"
Read the passage then choose the best sentences A-K to fill in each gap. There is one extra sentence
which yon do not need to use:
BITTER WATER HITS THE BIG TIME
Chocolate, which has its origins in South America, is now part of a multimillion pound worldwide
business.
At Easter, British people spend over $230 million on chocolate. A massive eight per cent of all
chocolate is bought at this time.
(1)………….Although the large scale industrial production of chocolate began in the last century,
the cacao plant was first cultivated by the Aztec, Toltec and Mayan civilizations of Central America over
three thousand years ago.
The cacao tree is an evergreen, tropical plant which is found in Africa, South and Central America,
the West Indies and South East Asia. The fruit of this tree is melon-sized and contains 20-40 seeds. (2)
………….. In English - speaking countries, they are called cocoa beans. This is a misspelling from the
17th century when they were also called cacoa and cocao beans.
The Aztecs used cocoa beans as money. (3)………….. This is from the world in the Aztec
language, Nahuatl, meaning “bitter water’’. (4)………….. The Spanish found the drink more palatable
mixed with cinnamon and sugar, but the recipe did not spread to the rest of Europe for another century. In
the late 17th century, chocolate houses were set up in Europe’s capital cities, where people gathered to
drink chocolate.
(5)………….. But in 1826, CJ van Houten of the Netherlands invented chocolate powder. (6)
……….
The age of the chocolate bar as we know it began in 1847 when a Bristol company, Fry and Sons,
combined cocoa butter with pure chocolate liquor and sugar to produce a solid block that you could eat.
(7)…………...
At the turn of the century, the British chocolate market was dominated by French companies. In
1879 the English company Cadbury even named their Birmingham factory Bournville (ville is the French
word for town) in the hope that a little glamour would rub off. But then came Cadbury’s famous Dairy
Milk
bar which began life as a Dairymaid in 1905. (8)…………...
It seems that, for the time being at least, chocolate intake in Britain has established at about four
bars each week. (9)…………... The latest market trick is the so-called “extended line”. This-is when the
humble chocolate bar becomes an ice cream, a soft drink or a dessert, to tempt chocoholics who have
grown tired of
conventional snacks.
At the other end of the production process, cacao farmers are still feeling the effects of a crash in
cocoa bean prices at the end of 1980s. (10)…………... Perhaps you could spare a thought for them as you
munch your next chocolate bars.
A. This was made by extracting most of the cocoa butter from the crushed beans.
B. A Swiss company then introduced milk solids to the process which gave us milk chocolate.
C. They also used them to make a drink called xocoatl.
D. Until the last century, the chocolate drink was made from solid blocks of chocolate which had to
be melted down in hot water.
E. When dried they become cacao beans, which can be used to make chocolate.
F. Clever advertising which associated it with the healthy qualities of milk from the English
countryside quickly established the bar as a rival to the more decadent French brands.
G. British manufacturers include up to 5 per cent vegetable fat in their chocolate, something
forbidden elsewhere.
H. As most cacao farmers operate on a very small scale, many were forced out of business.
I. This has forced manufacturers to look for new ways to attract customers.
J. In Aztec times the chocolate drink was flavored with spices and used on ceremonial occasions
and for welcoming visitors.
K. Only at Christmas do people eat more of the cocoa-based foodstuffs.
VI. CLOZE TEX T (10 POINTS)
Read the passage and then decide which word (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space (5 points)
Samuel Cunard’s first ship, the Britannia, made its first voyage from Liverpool in England to the
US in 1850. In those days there was little choice about (1)…………..of travel. Anyone who wished to go
to the US from Britain had to sail across the Atlantic. (2)…………..that, there was no way of getting
there. The
Britannia was (3) ………….. a mail ship, but it also took passengers. On that first (4)………….., as
records show, there was a (5)………….. of 63 of them, including Samuel Cunard and his daughter and,
(6) ……… for that time, the ship had private bathrooms.
But Samuel Cunard would find it hard to see much similarity between his beloved Britannia and
the Cunard company's most famous liner today, the QE2, named after Queen Elizabeth II of England.
The Britannia is (7)………….. to have had two members of staff (8)………….. every passenger. The
passengers probably didn’t sleep in cabins as comfortable and with as much space as rooms in a good
(9)………….. of hotel, as they do on the QE2 today.
The QE2 (10) …………..on her first voyage across the Atlantic from Southampton on the south
coast of England on May 2 1969. Five days later, she arrived in New York to an enthusiastic welcome.
Since that day she has carried over one and a half million passengers around the world.
1. A. procedures B. processes C. courses D. means
2. A. Apart from B. Else C. Instead of D. Otherwise
3. A. at most B. above all C. overall D. vastly
4. A. incident B. occasion C. event D. circumstance
5. A. total B. sum C. number D. quantity
6. A. distinctly B. differently C. extremely D. remarkably
7. A. doubtful B. improbable C. uncertain D. unlikely
8. A. with B. by C. to D. of
9. A. level B. status C. class D. rank
10. A. set off B. went away C. got out D. came along
Read the passage and then decide which word (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space (5 points)
YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THE INTERNET
Over the last few years, the use of the Internet has increased dramatically in French schools, offices,
and homes and this trend continues to grow. Who could have imagined, even in the last decade, that we
would be able to (1)………….. our friends, colleagues and clients around the world simply through the
(2)…………..of a mouse and a modem? There is no doubt, like any invention, that the Internet can be
used for good or bad but it is here to stay and has (3)………….. the way we communicate.
In the world of business, no corporation can be competitive unless it has (4)………….. to the
Internet. It has become essential to advertise your product and service in this way and an increasing
number of companies are using this opportunity to reach a greater number of (5)………….. consumers.
Indeed, the
bigger the website, (6)………….. professional the company seems to be.
Similarly in education, the opportunities that the Internet can (7)………….. are vast. More and
more students are (8)………….. on the Internet for their research; for instance, a physics undergraduate
in Paris can download information from a university library in the States in minutes. From the latest
research in scientific and linguistic fields to new theories in psychology and history; all this may be
published on the world-wide web.
What will be the future for the Internet in France? It has been (9)…………..that 60% of homes and
50% of business will have access to the Internet within five years. Children, students and professionals
will be able to (10)…………..and explore the world as they have never done before.
1. A. contact B. keep touch C. stay in touch D. talk
2. A. tick B. running C. clap D. click
3. A. modified B. been changed C. adapted D.
revolutionized
4. A. access B. use C. approach D. downloading
5. A. future B. competent C. potential D. would-be
6. A. more and more B. the more C. more D. the most
7. A. take B. provide C. support D. miss
8. A. relying B. surfing C. working D. downloading
9. A. estimated B. announced C. claimed D. calculated
10. A. log on B. take on C. log off D. switch on
B. WRITTEN TEST: (70 POINTS)
I. OPEN CLOZE TEXT (20 POINTS)
Fill each blank with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the space provided under this
passage: (10 points)
Autism is a mental disease which prevents those who suffer from it from communicating with the
(1)………….world. Victims seem to live in a world of their own which, (2)…………. now, doctors are
unable to penetrate. The illness was first (3) …………. a name in 1943, and yet doctors have made very
little progress in their understanding of the disease since then.
According to statistics, (4)…………. two and four children out of every 10,000 are born autistic.
Often victims are not able to (5)…………. , read or write. But (6) …………. is most extraordinary about
illness is the fact that in other areas many of the children can perform almost super-human feats of the
brain. One of the more common skills these so-called autistic savants have is calendrical calculation, (7)
…………. is the ability to say which day of the week a particular date falls (8)………….. Jackie, for
instance, who is now 42 years old, could do this from the age of six, when she first began to talk. She can
tell you what day of the week it was on 1 April 1933 with (9)…………. a moment’s hesitation. But if you
ask her (10)…………. she does it, she’ll say she doesn’t know.
Fill each blank with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the space provided under this
passage: (10 points)
THE SAHARA MARATHON
One of the most amazing marathon races in the world is the Marathon of the Sands. It takes place
every April in the Sahara Desert in the south of Morocco, a part of the world where temperatures can
reach fifty degrees centigrade. The standard length of a marathon is 42.5 kilometres but (1)…………. one
is 240
kilometres long and takes seven days to complete. It began in 1986 and now attracts about two hundred
runners, the majority of (2)…………. ages range from seventeen to forty-seven. About half of them come
from France and the rest from all over the world. From Britain it costs £2,500 to enter, which includes
return air fares. The race is rapidly becoming more and more popular (3) …………., the harsh conditions
that runners must endure. They have to carry food and (4) …………. else they need for seven days in a
rucksack weighing no more than twelve kilograms. In (5)…………. to this, they are given a litre and a
half
of water every ten kilometres. Incredibly, nearly (6)…………. the runners finish the course. (7)
…………. man, Ibrahim El Journal, took part in every race from 1986 to 2004. Runners do suffer terrible
physical hardships. Sometimes they lose toenails and skin peels (8)…………. their feet. However,
doctors are always on hand to deal (9)…………. minor injuries and to make sure that runners do not push
(10)……….
too far.
II. WORD FORMS (20 POINTS)
Fill in ach numbered blank of the passage with the most suitable form of the word in bracket. (10
points)
1. Jim is one of the most .........................members of the committee. (speak)
2. She’s very efficient, and ............................. polite to the customers. (fail)
3. The control centre is deep undergroudedand completely...........................except by a direct hit from a
nuclear missile. (destroy)
4. The project was cancelled while it was still in its............................. (infant)
5. You look rather........................ Are you worried about something? (occupy)
6. You won’t persuade him to charnge his mind. His decision is ............... (revoke)
7. Since his bad habits were never broken when he was a child, they are now......................... (correct)
8. The key aims of the program are to achieve breath, balance, ................... and progression of all pupils,
(continue)
9. Vietnam has depended heavily on foreign ........................ organizations to train teachers. (govern)
10. He has many year’s experiences of the criminal........................... (mental)
Write the correct FORM of each bracketed word in the numbered space provided in the column on
the right.
THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN
Halloween is celebrated in many parts of the Western world, and is a time when people dress up as
witches or ghosts, and go "trick-or treating". It is (1) …………. (DOUBT) one of the most popular
traditions in the United States and Britain.
The celebration (2)…………. (ORIGIN) about two thousand years ago with the Celts. These
people were the (3) …………. (INHABIT) of an area that includes Britain, Ireland and Brittany. They
relied on the land for their (4)………….(LIVE), and this meant that they were at the mercy of (5)
………….(PREDICT) weather conditions, especially during the winter.
The Celtic new year began on 1st November, which also marked the beginning of winter, a period
(6) …………. (TRADITION) associated with death. On the eve of the new year, it was believed that the
barriers between the worlds of the living and the dead were (7) …………. (TEMPORARY) withdrawn,
and it was possible to communicate with spirits. The Celts believed that the spirits offered them (8)
…………… (GUIDE) and protection, and the Druids (Celtic priests) were (9)…………. (REPUTE) able
to predict the future on this point.
When the Roman completed their (10)…………. (CONQUER) of Celtic lands, they added their
own flavour to this festival. The advent of Christianity brought about yet other changes.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 POINTS)
The passage below contains 10 errors. Underline the errors and write the corrections in the
corresponding numbered boxes.
Example: 0. In → at (line 1)
The shift from silent to sound film in the end of the 1920 marks, so far, the most important
transformation in motion picture history. Despite all the highly visible technological developments in
theatrical and home delivery of the moved image that have occurred over the decades since then, no
single innovation has come closely to being regarded as a similar kind of watershed. In nearly every
language, however the words are phrased, the most basic division in cinema history lies in films that are
mute and films that speak.
Yet this most fundamental standard of historic periodization conceals a host of paradoxes. Nearly
every movie theater, although modest, had a piano or organ to provide musical accompaniment to silent
pictures. In many instances, spectators in the era before recording sound experienced elaborate aural
presentations alongside movies' visual images, from the Japanese benshi (narrators) crafting multivoiced
dialogue narrative to originally musical compositions performed by symphony-size orchestras in Europe
and the United States. Beyond that, the triumph of recorded sound has overshadowed the rich diversity of
technological and aesthetic experiments with the visual image that were going forward simultaneously in
the 1920s. New color processes, larger or differently shaped screen sizes, multiple-screen projections,
even television, were among the developments invented or tried out during the period, sometimes with
startle success.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMA TION (20 POINTS)
Complete the second sentence so that it has similar meaning to the first one.
1. I am sure that he missed the seven o’clock train.
He can’t………………………………………………………………………
2. Alternative medicine is a complete mystery to some people.
Some people are……………………………………………………………...
3. Although he was exhausted, he agreed to join in the activity.
Exhausted…………………………………………………………………….
4. I am not a solitary person, I’m sociable.
Rather…………………………………………………………………………
5. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that Davis will win the gold medal.
There………………………………………………………………………….
6. Your attitude will have to change if you want to succeed. LEAF
You……………………………………………………………………………
7. The success of our local theatre has made our city famous. MAP
The success …………………………………………………………………..
8. You may be dismissed if you fail to observe the company’s dress code. RESULT
Failure to ……………………………………………………………………..
9. I really think my son is going to be a hugely successful businessman. HOPES
I have high ……………………………………………………………………
10. His exam results will determine what choice he has for further education. DEPENDENT
His choice …………………………………………………………………….
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN HOÀNG LÊ KHA - TÂY NINH
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
I. PHONOLOGY
A. Choose a word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
1. A. inadequate B. navigate C. necessitate D. debate
2. A. vision B. measure C. usually D. pleasant
3. A. dormitory B. fort C. knob D. gorgeous
4. A. copious B. obese C. drone D. clamorous
5. A. equation B. education C. contribution D. nomination
B. Choose a word with a different stress pattern.
1. A. prerequisite B. necessity C. European D. synonymous
2. A. legislature B. repository C. magnificent D. mistake
3. A. argumentative B. psychological C. contributory D.
hypersensitive
4. A. consent B. obstinacy C. condolence D. equality
5. A. majority B. ceremony C. astronomy D. investiture
II. VOCABULARY
Choose a word or a phrase that best completes each sentence.
1. There is large effort…………to rebuild arts education in the New York City public schools.
A. under way B. in the way C. out of way D. over the way
2. After living together for six years, Janet and Matt have finally decided to …………
A. feel the pinch B. pull a few strings C. tie the knot D. be up and
about
3. The party was already…………by the time we arrived. Everyone was singing and dancing.
A. in full swing B. up in the air C. over the moon D. under a
cloud
4. His strange behaviour aroused the……………of police.
A. doubt B. suspicion C. disbelief D. notice
5. Media reports on the outcome of military intervention often……………the true facts.
A. divert B. detract C. depose D. distort
6. The day their first child was born, the new parents were ……………with joy.
A. overthrown B. overpowered C. overtaken D. overcome
7. We may win, we may lose - it’s just the luck of the……………
A. chance B. draw C. odds D. fate
8. They’re having serious problems. Their relationship is on the…………….
A. cliffs B. rocks C. stones D. grass
9. The renewed interest in Elizabethan times is evident in the …………… of new Hollywood films set
during that period.
A. spate B. hypocrisy C. transience D. demise
10. The car was …………… speed.
A. gathering B. collecting C. consuming D. firing
1. Why don’t you try walking to work……………? It’s not that far away after all.
A. for a walk B. for ages C. for a change D. for good
2. You have to be careful not…………… anything insulting.
A. to say B. to have said C. to be saying D. saying
3. I’m so disappointed. He behaved……………at the party.
A. bad B. worst C. badly D. worse
4. The Second World War was so terrible, ……………time a large number of families were separated.
A. during the B. during which C. at the D. on which
5. Relative humidity is the amount of water vapor the air at a certain temperature …………… with the
amount it could hold at that temperature.
A. to compare B. comparing C. compared D. compares
6. Aruba is an island where all that is beautifully……………in the hope of attracting visitors.
A. preserved B. preserves
C. to preserve D. is being preserved
7……………by the policeman, his face went pale with fear.
A. For being tied B. Having been tied
C. What he did was seen D. His hands tied
8. Price continued to rise while wages remained low …………… the government became increasingly
unpopular.
A. provided that B. in order that
C. on condition that D. with the result that
9. We hire our bicycle ……………
A. by the hour B. by hours C. by an hour D. for hours
10. You can try asking Jim for help, but…………… any good.
A. it won’t do you B. it’s not doing you
C. it won’t be doing you D. it will do you
IV. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS
Fill in each of the blanks with an appropriate preposition.
1. The school examination for eleven-year-olds was done…………… with some years ago.
2. Tuck your shirt…………… your trousers.
3. At first Tim insisted he was right, but then began to back ……………
4. He is a solicitor……………profession.
5. A huge crowd turned …………… in the pouring rain to cheer the president.
6. I don’t like to make friends with the person who always runs……………his old friends.
7. They always close at six o’clock …………… the dot.
8. It was late when we arrived and the party was …………… full swing.
9. He was…………… all accounts a very kind and gentle man.
10. Since I changed washing powders, my clothes have looked whiter and felt softer…………… the
touch.
V. READING
PASSAGE 1. Read the following passage carefully and choose the best answers to the questions
The composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s remarkable musical talent was apparent even before
most children can sing a simple nursery rhyme. Wolfgang’s older sister Maria Anna (who the family
called Nannerl) was learning the clavier, an early keyboard instrument, when her three-year-old brother
took an interest in playing. As Nannerl later recalled, Wolfgang “often spent much time at the clavier
picking out thirds, which he was always striking, and his pleasure showed that it sounded good.” Their
father Leopold, an assistant concertmaster at the Salzburg Court, recognized his children’s unique gifts
and soon devoted himself to their musical education.
Born in Salzburg, Austria, on January 27, 1756, Wolfgang had composed his first original work by
age five. Leopold planned to take Nannerl and Wolfgang on tour to play before the European courts.
Their first venture was to nearby Munich where the children played for Maximillian III Joseph, elector of
Bavaria. Leopold soon set his sights on the capital of the Hapsburg Empire, Vienna. On their way to
Vienna, the family stopped in Linz, where Wolfgang gave his first public concert. By this time, Wolfgang
was not only a virtuoso harpsichord player, but he had also mastered the violin. The audience at Linz was
stunned by the six-year-old, and word of his genius soon traveled to Vienna. In a
much anticipated concert, the Mozart children appeared at the Schonbrunn Palace on October 13, 1762.
They utterly charmed the emperor and empress.
Following this success, Leopold was inundated with invitations for the children to play, for a fee.
Leopold seized the opportunity and booked as many concerts as possible at courts throughout Europe. A
concert could last three hours, and the children played at least two per day. Today, Leopold might be
considered the worst kind of stage parent, but at the time, it was uncommon for prodigies to make
extensive concert courts. Even so, it was an exhausting schedule for a child who was just past the age of
needing an afternoon nap.
1. A good title for this passage would be………….
A. Classical Music in the Eighteenth Century: An Overview.
B. Stage parents: A historical Perspective.
C. Mozart: The Early Life of a Musical Prodigy.
D. Mozart: The Short Career of a Musical Genius.
2. According to the passage, Wolfgang became interested in music because…………..
A. His father thought it would be profitable.
B. He had a natural talent.
C. He saw his sister learning to play an instrument.
D. He came from a musical family.
3. The word virtuoso in paragraph 2 mostly means…………..
A. avid B. skilled C. young D. famous
4. What was the consequence of Wolfgang’s first public appearance?
A. He charmed the emperor and empress of Hapsburg.
B. Word of Wolfgang’s genius spread to the capital.
C. Leopold set his sights on Vienna.
D. Invitations for the miracle children to play poured in.
5. The word anticipated in paragraph 2 can be best replaced by…………..
A. awaited B. crowded C. foreseen D. interesting
6. Each of the following statements about Wolfgang Mozart is directly supported by the passage except
A. Mozart’s father, Leopold, was instrumental in shaping his career.
B. Maria Anna was a talented musician in her own right.
C. Wolfgang’s childhood was devoted to his musical career.
D. Wolfgang preferred the clavier to other instruments.
7. The word inundated in paragraph 3 is synonymous with…………...
A. overexcited B. spoiled C. reluctant D. overwhelmed
8. The word prodigies in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to …………..
A. children B. professors C. geniuses D. musicians
9. According to the passage, during Wolfgang’s early years, child prodigies were…………..
A. few and far between.
B. accustomed to extensive concert tours.
C. expected to spend at least six hours per day practicing their music.
D. expected to play for courts throughout Europe.
10. Based on information found in the passage, Mozart can be best described as…………..
A. a child prodigy.
B. a workaholic.
C. the greatest composer of the eighteenth century.
D. a victim of his father’s ambition.
PASSAGE 2. Read this magazine article and choose the correct answers to the questions that
follow.
MY LIFE AS A HUMAN SPEED BUMP
Giving up a car has not been quite the liberating experience that George Monbiot had hoped.
Seventeen years after giving up my car, I still feel like a second-class citizen. I am trying to do the
right thing, but the United Kingdom just isn’t run for people like me. Take our bus services. My home
city, Oxford, has invested massively in a park-and-ride scheme: buses shuttle people into the center from
car parks on the periphery. At first I thought this was a great idea. Now, having stood for what must
amount to weeks at bus stops, watching the full double deckers go by every couple of minutes without
stopping, I realize it’s not just the roads which have been monopolised by drivers, but also the public
transport system.
Or take the bike lane. Most consist of lines painted on the road where it is wide and safe, which
disappear as soon as it becomes narrow and dangerous. One of them, in Oxford, has been gravelled,
which shows that the people who designed them have never ridden a bicycle. When we asked for a bike
lane on
one of the city’s busiest streets, the council chose instead to narrow the street and widen the pavements,
in the hope that the bicycle would slow down the cars. The cyclists, perversely reluctant to become
human speed bumps, started travelling down the pavement.
Now there is almost nowhere reserved for people like me. Out of political cowardice, councils and
the police have given up enforcing the law. Preventing people from parking on the pavement would mean
cutting the number of parking places, as the streets are otherwise too narrow. Though they cannot
complete a sentence without using the words “sustainable development”, this action seems impossible for
our councilors to contemplate. In one part of Oxford they have solved the problem by painting parking
places on the pavement. Since my daughter was born, and I have started pushing the pram, I have been
forced to
walk in the middle of the road. In one respect this makes sense: the pavements are so badly maintained
that she will only sleep when she’s being pushed down the smooth grey carpet laid out for the cars.
My problem is that by seeking to reduce my impact on the planet, I joined a political minority that
is diminishing every year. As car ownership increases, its only remaining members are a handful of
eccentrics like me, the very poor and those not competent to drive. None of these groups wield political
power. Our
demands are counter-aspirational, and therefore of little interest to either politicians or the media.
Now, to my horror, I find I am beginning to question even the environmental impact of my 17 years
of abstinence. It is true that my own carbon emissions have been suppressed. It is also true that if
everyone did the same thing the total saving would be enormous. The problem is that, in the absence of
regulation,
traffic expands to fill the available space. By refusing to own a car I have merely opened up road space
for other people, who tend to drive more fuel-hungry models that I would have chosen. We can do little
to reduce our impacts on the environment if the government won’t support us.
There are some compensations, however. About three or four times a year I hire a car. When I stop
at motorway service stations, I am struck by the staggering levels of obesity: it appears to be far
more prevalent there than on trains or coaches. People who take public transport must at least walk to the
bus
stop. The cyclists among us keep fit without even noticing.
Being without a car in Oxford has forced me to embed myself in my home town. It throws me into
contact with far more people than I would otherwise meet. There are a couple of routes which make
cycling a real pleasure: the towpath along the Thames, for example, takes me most of the way to the
station. But overall, as far as self-interest is concerned, I would struggle to claim that giving up my car
was a wholly positive decision.
1. The writer’s view of the Oxford park-and-ride scheme is that…………..
A. the large volume of cars prevents it from operating effectively
B. it has been an unqualified success
C. it has suffered from insufficient investment
D. it has become too popular
2. The writer thinks that cyclists started travelling down the pavement in one of Oxford’s busiest streets
because…………...
A. the council put speed bumps in the street
B. the pavement is very wide
C. there is no bike lane in this street
D. in the bike lane cyclists are too close to cars
3. The word “gravelled" in paragraph 2 is best replaced with…………...
A. covered with small stones B. made narrow
C. in bad maintenance D. in bad condition
4. In what way does the writer believe that Oxford city council has shown “political cowardice”?
A. It is reluctant to prevent cars parking on pedestrian areas.
B. It doesn’t want cyclists on the city’s roads.
C. It has narrowed some roads to discourage cyclists from using them.
D. It has a policy of sustainable development.
5. According to the writer, the “political minority” that he is part of…………...
A. is becoming poorer
B. has little political influence
C. consists of people who can’t drive
D. includes people who act in a strange way
6. The word “abstinence” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to …………...
A. indulgence B. self-restraint C. conservation D. fighting
7. In paragraph 5 the writer suggests that the effect of his actions has been to…………...
A. discourage the government from giving support
B. lower maintenance standards for pavements
C. create more room on the road for other cars
D. encourage others to drive bigger cars
8. The word “prevalent” in paragraph 6 is best replaced by…………...
A. accepted B. common C. habitual D. localized
9. The writer’s observations at the motorway service stations suggest to him that…………...
A. car drivers are more overweight than public transport users
B. people who own cars are thinner than people who hire them
C. people who use public transport don’t get enough exercise
D. cyclists ride bikes in order to keep fit
10. According to the writer, being without a car in Oxford…………....
A. has been a completely positive experience
B. has increased the number of people he knows
C. has forced him to stay at home more
D. has been a complete mistake
VI. MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE
CHOICE CLOZE 1
AUNT MARGARET’S KITCHEN
The kitchen was quite dark because the blinds were (1)………….. There was a smell of (2)
…………. cigarette smoke and some unwashed cups were (3)…………..neatly in the sink, but the room
was ferociously clean. It was quite a big room. There was a (4)………….. dresser, painted dark brown,
loaded with crockery, a flour jar, a bread-bin. There was a larder you could walk into. Melanie
experimentally
walked into it and (5)…………..the door to on herself in a cool smell of cheese and mildew. What did
they eat? Tins of things: they seemed particularly (6)………….. of tinned peaches, there was a whole pile
of tins of peaches. Tinned beans, tinned sardines. Aunt Margaret must buy tins in (7)…………... There
were a number of cake tins and Melanie opened one and found last night’s currant cake. She took a
ready-cut (8)………….. of it and ate it. It made her feel more at (9)………….., already, to steal
something from the larder. She went back into the kitchen, (10)………….. crumbs.
1. A. installed B. tied C. drawn D. retracted
2. A. stale B. rancid C. ancient D. musty
3. A. erected B. stacked C. ordered D. ranked
4. A. built-up B. cornered C. walled D. built-in
5. A. took B. pulled C. made D. put
6. A. crazy B. loving C. fond D. likeable
7. A. lots B. gross C. mass D. bulk
8. A. slice B. rasher C. shaving D. remnant
9. A. comfort B. place C. home D. rest
10. A. sprinkling B. shedding C . sowing D. scattering
CHOICE CLOZE 2
FRIENDS BENEFIT FIRMS
We have all heard tales about difficult people at work, usually managers, but the office is also
where many people make friends, and friends (1)…………..us to feel that bit more enthusiastic about the
job we do. Research has found that more than half of British workers (2)………….. their best friends in
the office and more than a third say that they go on holiday with (3)………….. workers.
The changing nature of work with more flexibility and more multi-tasking means that people (4)
…… stability from their workmates. Friendship bring (5)………….. in a changing world. A collaborative
working environment (6)…………..the way for making job-sharing and expansion of roles more of an
(7) ………….. for employers and employees.
So fun workplaces where friendships flourish (8)…………..workers who can handle changing job
roles. This is not (9) …………..surprising since numerous experiments carried out by workplace
psychologists over the years have clearly demonstrated that work is a social (10)…………...
1. A. enliven B. influence C. inspire D. stimulate
2. A. meet B. encounter C. find D. know
3. A. peer B. colleague C. companion D. fellow
4. A. desire B. search C. seek D. wish
5. A. basis B. support C. assistance D. backing
6. A. leads B. finds C. shows D. paves
7. A. option B. opportunity C. opening D. occasion
8. A. appeal B. attract C. lure D. engage
9. A. extremely B. thoroughly C. entirely D. utterly
10. A. affair B. interaction C. environment D. responsibility
B. WRITTEN QUESTIONS
I. OPEN CLOZE TESTS
A. TEST 1: Fill in each blank with one suitable word
CELEBRITY CROSSOVER
It is not surprising that actors want to be pop stars, (0) and vice versa. (1)………….. that is deep in
a part of our brain that most of us manage to keep (2)………….. control, we all want to be pop stars and
actors. Sadly, there's nothing about the former profession that automatically qualifies you for the other,
(3) ………….., of course, for the fact that famous actors and singers are already surrounded by people
who never say no to them. On the whole, pop stars tend to fare better on screen than their opposite
numbers (4)………….. on CD. Let's face it: not being able to act is (5) ………….. big drawback in
Hollywood, whereas not being able to play or sing still tends to count (6)………….. you in the recording
studio. Some stars do display a genuine proficiency in both disciplines, and a few even maintain
successful careers in both fields, but this just (7)…………..a bad example for all the others. For every
success, there are two dozen failures. And most of them have no idea (8)………….. terrible they are. Just
as power tends
to corrupt, so celebrity tends to destroy the ability to gauge whether or not you're making a fool of (9)
…… But perhaps we shouldn't criticize celebrities for trying to expand their horizons in this way. (10)
………….. there is one good thing about actors trying to sing and singers trying to act, it is that it keeps
them all too
busy to write books.
TEST 2
A new television programme in America - Blind Hate - plans to show couples spitting up! The
programme is already advertising in the papers for (1) ………….. “contestants”. The makers of the
programme have come up with a plan to tempt one partner into being unfaithful to the other - with them
being chatted up by an attractive “stranger” - so that the second partner then has a good (2)………….. for
being able to get rid of the first one! All of this will take place under the observation of a secret camera,
(3)………….. both the partners subsequently being invited into a television studio where the film will be
shown to a studio audience. Only one partner will know what the show is really (4)…………..about, with
the unfaithful one suddenly (5)………….. confronted with their own infidelity. The show boasts that it
will have special counsellors on (6)………….. to help deal with the split and its psychological impact.
However, it has already (7)………….. in for severe criticism from religious and other bodies who claim
that it is potentially very dangerous as well as in very bad (8)…………... The Church in particular says
that it damages the value of marriage and is highly immoral. Many psychologists too have, condemned it
(9)………….. some of their colleagues taking part in the spectacle. Whether the show actually finally
gets (10)…………..go ahead remains to be seen, but its makers are optimistic that it will be a great
success!
II. WORD FORMS
A. Give the correct form of each word in brackets to complete the sentence.
1. Joining this project is a…………... Just do it. (BRAIN)
2. There are a lot of…………..articles in this newspaper. Why not read it? (NEWS)
3. My cousin is a…………..person. He is aware of all the latest fashions and wanting to follow them.
(FASHION)
4. The burglar gained entry to the building after…………..the alarm. (ABILITY)
5. Whatever happens, don't let this failure…………..you. (HEART)
6. Your carelessness may do ………….. harm to people. (CALCULATE)
7. The………….. listed for the pills meant that she couldn't take them because she may be allergic to
some of the chemicals in them. (INDICATE)
8. We were defeated because we were…………... (NUMBER)
9. It is ………….. summer, but it's rather autumnal today. (THEORY)
10. This type of …………..screen enables drivers to have a clear view even when it is smashed.
(SHATTER)
B. Use the correct form of the words given to complete the passage.
BECOME - DANGER - SIMPLE - RICH - DIVERSE
GROW - ARRANGE - POPULATE- DEVELOP- EXIST
Not all the creatures on the (1)…………..species list are doomed to extinction, as the story of the
giant panda has shown. Their whole (2)…………..was considered to be in jeopardy some years ago, but
now, after (3)…………..the most influential symbol of nature conservation, things are looking up. Their
plight highlights how (4)………….. can impact natural (5) ………….. and should serve as a reminder
that the unique habitats of these incredible creatures are (6)………….. irreplaceable . The good news is
that whilst there may be an unwillingness to halt development and (7)………….. for the sake of nature
alone, many people are beginning to understand that sustainability can aid (8)………….. by bringing
economic benefits, through eco-tourism for example, to communities that are home to pandas. Such an
(9)………….. would not only serve to protect the pandas, but also (10)………….. the lives of the
inhabitants in the local communities.
III. ERROR CORRECTION
There are TEN mistakes in the following passage. Write them down and give the correction. Write
your answers in the space provided.
I cannot stress too much the importance on watching your opponent, of knowing exactly where he
is on the tennis court and what he is doing. It is usually possible to work on the pattern of his game very
early in a match. Test him at the front of the court. Try hitting one or two balls up high to see how shots
are like. The more quickly you discover his weakness, the easier the match should become.
Again and again it may be a good idea to give your opponent an opportunity of making a mistake.
When, early in the match, it seems that he is a very inaccurate player, but not a forceful one, then you
should tempt him to play a winning shot. Give him the opening, for there are some players who simply
cannot hit winners. They will try to play an attacking game but they can quite finish it off. The way to
break down their steady game may be by putting them into the front of the court.
It is obviously wiser to try to decide at the beginning of the match whether your opponent is weaker
on his left-hand or on his right-hand-side, and then play a little more than fifty per cent of your shots
down that side. Play a normal attacking game, or the game you think you will win, but concentrate the
weaker
side. A number of players experience more trouble than another in the back corners of the court- always
be ready to recognize this weakness. Perhaps an opponent has a favorite backhand shot, but lacks
certainty with his forehand shot. Tempt him to play the forehand shot.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION
For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the
original sentence, but using the word given. This word must not be altered in any way.
1. I really don't like it when you cheated me yesterday. (RIDE)
I'd rather you ………………………………………………………………
2. Don't make a fuss over such trivial things. (MOUNTAIN)
Don't................................................................... .........................................
3. We were amazed to know that he was a liar. (UNTRUTH)
To ....................... ........................................... .............................................
4. Everyday television viewers witness some sort of violence or crime on their screens. (GOES BY)
Hardly............................................................................................................
5. Some parents are confident that their children will succeed. (HOPES)
Some parents have .........................................................................................
6. It is best for you to give up resistance and to co-operate. (INTEREST)
It is in .............................................................................................................
7. I can’t stand your stupid remarks any longer. (ENOUGH)
I’ve had .................................... ......................................................................
8. He insisted on absolute obedience and recognition of his right to give orders. (NOTHING)
He ....................................................................................................................
9. She bears a strong resemblance to somebody else that I used to know. (REMINDS)
She....................................................................................................................
10. You will start to feel better as soon as this drug is effective. (EFFECT)
The moment.......................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN HÙNG VƯƠNG - GIA LAI
5. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40PTS)
I. PHONOLOGY (5pts)
Choose one word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. confusedly B. wickedly C. allegedly D. supposedly
2. A. unfold B. unfair C. undo D. unless
3. A. expunge B. expurgate C. external D. extenuating
4. A. months B. mouths C. wreaths D. youths
5. A. explosion B. decision C. pleasant D. pleasure
Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others:
6. A. paratrooper B. paracetamol C. macadamia D.
apprehension
7. A. simultaneous B. entrepreneur C. advantageous D. magisterial
hypersensitive
9. A. heuristics B. negligence C. navigate D. privatize
10. A. habitable B. infamously C. geneticist D. communes
II. VOCABULARY (5pts)
Choose the word which best completes each sentence:
1. Very fat men sometimes have a ………….. at the back of the neck.
A. double chin B. roll of fat C. spare tyre D. ton of flesh
2. There was absolute…………..when the spectators invaded the pitch.
A. turmoil B. rebellion C. turbulence D. rioting
3. The strong smell of garlic seemed to ………….. the whole flat.
A. pierce B. pervade C. penetrate D. inhabit
4. What he told me was a ………….. of lies.
A. pack B. load C. mob D. flock
5. The pointed ………….. of the church could be seen from miles away.
A. dome B. summit C. peak D. steeple
6. I’ve been meaning to ………….. repairing that fence for ages.
A. get round to B. get out of C. get up to D. get on to
7. I revised my views………….. comments from colleagues.
A. in the light of B. further to
C. against D. consequent upon
8. Before you run………….. other people, it is as well to consider your own faults.
A. over B. up C. down D. after
9. She’ll never part………….. her precious possessions.
A. from B. with C. off D. after
10. Of course I’ll play the piano at the party but I’m a little…………..
A. out of use B. out of reach C. out of tune D. out of
practice
III. STRUCTURES & GRAMMAR (5pts)
Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.
1. Don't go to the city centre during rush hour. You will be…………..like sardines.
A. canned B. packed C. pressed D. pushed
2. It was Tony who …………..in asking for another glass of brandy and got drunk in the end.
A. endured B. kept C. persisted D. maintained
3. My secretary was supposed to ………….. those letters already.
A. typing B. be typed C. have typed D. type
4…………..that gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill and that the California Gold Rush began.
A. Because in 1848 B. That in 1848
C. In 1848 that it was D. It was in 1848
5. As the demand increases, manufacturers who previously produced only a large, luxury car…………..
compelled to make a smaller model in order to compete in the market.
A. is B. are C. will D. should
6. I cannot see the………….. of sitting on the beach all day.
A. attract B. attraction C. attractiveness D. attractive
7. Schizophrenia, a behavioral disorder typified by a fundamental break with reality,………….. by
genetic predisposition, stress, drugs, or infection.
A. may be triggered B. may triggered C. trigger D. may
trigger
8. In purchasing a winter coat, it is important that one…………..it on with heavy clothing underneath.
A. tries B. to try C. try D. trying
9. Most comets have two kinds of tails, one made up of dust, …………..made up of electrically charged
particles called plasma.
A. one another B. the other C. others D. each other
10. By 1820, there were over sixty steamboats on the Mississippi River,…………..were quite luxurious.
A. many of them B. which many C. many of which D. many that
IV. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS (5pts)
Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences
1. We heard her…………..in agony as she dropped the saucepan on her toe.
A. boil over B. cry out C. let off D. ring out
2. Tom won’t buy that old car because it has too much…………..on it.
A. ups and downs B. odds and ends C. wear and tear D. white lie
3. Luckily, the rain …………..so we were able to play the match.
A. watered down B. gave out C. got away D. held off
4. Some very important issue was …………..all his attention .
A. taking up B. taking off C. taking out D. taking in
5. The company was so successful during the 1900s that it …………..500 new employees in a period of
six months.
A. put on B. laid on C. caught on D. took on
6. He didn’t sleep very well - the rain was dripping through his roof all………….. the night.
A. in B. over C. through D. along
7. The mayor has decided to ………….. crime. It’s about time, if you ask me.
A. stepped up B. crack down on C. blow over D. stamp down
8. Ben crept ………….. on Lisa and put his hands over her eyes.
A. out B. off C. round D. up
9. Demand for the products is expected to peak 5 years from now and then to…………..
A. tapped off B. fall down C. set back D. drift away
10. His company went bankrupt, three years of hard work…………..the drain.
A. into B. in C. down D. on
V. READING COMPREHENSIONS. (1 pts)
PASSAGE 1: Read the following passage and choose the best option to complete the blank or
answer the question. (5 pts)
During most of their lives, surge glaciers behave like normal glaciers, traveling perhaps only a
couple of inches per day. However, at intervals of 10 to 100 years, these glaciers move forward up to 100
times faster than usual. The surge often progresses along a glacier like a great wave, proceeding from one
section to another. Sub-glacial streams of meltwater might act as a lubricant, allowing the glacier to flow
rapidly toward the sea. The increasing water pressure under the glacier might lift it off its bed,
overcoming, the friction between ice and rock, thus freeing the glacier, which rapidly slides downhill.
Surge glaciers also might be influenced by the climate, volcanic heat, or earthquakes. However, many of
these glaciers exist in the same areas as normal glaciers, often almost side by side.
Some 800 years ago, Alaska's Hubbard Glacier advanced toward the sea, retreated, and advanced
again 500 years later. Since 1895, this seventy-mile-long river of ice has been flowing steadily toward the
Gulf of Alaska at a rate of approximately 200 feet per year. In June 1986, however, the glacier surged
ahead as much as 47 feet a day. Meanwhile, a western tributary, called Valerie Glacier, advanced up to
112 feet per day. Hubbard's surge closed off Russell Fiord with a formidable ice dam, some 2,500 feet
wide and up to 800 feet high, whose caged waters threatened the town of Yakutat to the south.
About 20 similar glaciers around the Gulf of Alaska are heading toward the sea. If enough surge
glaciers reach the ocean and raise sea levels, West Antarctic ice shelves could rise off the seafloor and
become adrift. A flood of ice would then surge into the Southern Sea. With the continued rise in sea level,
more ice would plunge into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise even higher, which in turn would release
more ice and set in motion a vicious cycle. The additional sea ice floating toward the tropics would
increase Earth's albedo and lower global temperatures, perhaps enough to initiate a new ice age. This
situation
appears to have occurred at the end of the last warm interglacial (the time between glaciations), called the
Sangamon, when sea ice cooled the ocean dramatically, spawning the beginning of the Ice Age.
1. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The classification of different types of surge glaciers.
B. The causes and consequences of surge glaciers.
C. The definition of a surge glacier.
D. The history o f a particular surge Glacier.
2. The word "intervals" in line 2 is closest in meaning to
A. records B. speeds C. distances D. periods
3. The author compares the surging motion of a surge glacier to the movement of a
A. fish B. wave C. machine D. boat
4. Which of the following does the another mention as possible cause of surging glaciers?
A. The decline in sea levels.
B. The occurrence of unusually large ocean waves,
C. The shifting Antarctic ice shelves.
D. The pressure of meltwater underneath the glacier.
5. The word "freeing" in line 8 is closest in meaning to
A. pushing B. releasing C. strengthening D. draining
6. According to the passage, the Hubbard Glacier
A. moves more often than the Valerie Glacier.
B. began movement toward the sea in 1895?
C. is 800 feet wide.
D. has moved as fast as 47 feet per day.
7. The word "plunge" in line 24 is closest in meaning to
A. drop B. extent C. melt D. drift
8. The author provides a definition for which of the following terms?
A. Tributary B. Ice dam C. Albedo D. Interglacial
9. The term "vicious cycle" in line 25 refers to the
A. movement pattern of surge glaciers
B. effect surge glaciers could have on the temperature of tropical areas
C. effect that repeated rising sea levels might have on glacial ice
D. constant threat surge glaciers could pose to the Gulf of Alaska
10. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?
A. The movement of surge glaciers can be prevented.
B. The next ice age could be cause by surge glaciers.
C. Surge glaciers help to support Antarctic ice shelves.
D. Normal glaciers have little effect on Earth's climate.
Johannes Gutenberg was a pioneer in the use of movable type. When he began building a printing
press in 1436, he was unlikely to have realized that he was giving birth to an art form that would take
center stage in the social and industrial revolutions that followed
Gutenberg was German, his press was wooden, and the most important aspect of his invention was
that it was the first form of printing to use movable type. Although Laurence Koster of Haarlem also laid
claim to the invention, scholars have generally accepted Gutenberg as the father of modern painting.
Before
Gutenberg, the printing press was used only to reproduce pictures, playing cards, and designs on cloth.
Designs were cut in wood, stone, or metal and transferred to parchment or vellum. Sometimes a few
words of explanation were cut into the printing block, but that was the limit of text printing. Books were
copied by hand by monks, which was a labor-intensive undertaking.
Detailed records of Gutenberg's life and wok are negligible; his name does not appear on any of the
works credited to him. From what is known, Gutenberg was born in Msinz, Germany, in about 1400. He
worked as a silversmith and also served as a policeman. In 1438, he became a partner in a block printing
firm. From 1438 to 1455, he experimented with metal type.
Perhaps his most significant innovation was the efficient molding and casting of movable metal
type. Each separate letter was carved into the end of a steel punch which was then hammered into a
copper blank. The copper impression was inserted into a mold and a molten alloy made of lead and tin
was poured into
it. The metal cooled quickly and the resulting reverse image of the letter was attached to a lead base. The
width of the lead base varied according to the letter's size (for example, the base of an 'i' would not nearly
as wide as the base of an 'w') . This emphasized the visual impacts of words and clusters of words rather
than evenly spaced letters. This novelty lent elegance and sophistication to what seemed to many to be
the magically perfect regularity of a printed page.
Gutenberg designed a Latin-print Bible which became his signature work. He printed
approximately 300 two- volume Gutenberg Bibles, which sold for 30 florins each, or about three years' of
a clerk's wage. The copies of the 42- line Bible that remain - about 40 in all- are among the world's most
valuable books. It
is known as the 42-line Bible because most of its pages were printed in two columns forty-two lines long.
The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C has one of the three remaining complete and perfect sets.
All in all, Gutenberg's contributions to early printing technology should be classed with the greatest
events in the history of the world. It caused a revolution in the development of culture, equaled by hardly
any other incident in the Christian Era. Thus, not only has Gutenberg's art been inseparable from the
progress of science, it has also been an indispensable factor in the education of people at large. Culture
and knowledge, until then considered aristocratic privileges peculiar to certain classes, were popularized
by typography, although in the process it unfortunately brought about an internal revolution in the
intellectual world in the direction of what is profane and free from restraint.
A. The history of printing around the world.
B. The contributions Gutenberg made to typography
C. The famous 42-line Bible
D. Different kinds of print type and their applications
2. The word 'aspect' is closest in meaning to.............
A. feature B. type C. relation D. purpose
3. According to paragraph 2, how were books reproduced before the printing press?
A. Monks copied them by hands
B. Designs were cut in wood, stone or metal and transferred to parchment or vellum
C. Books were not able to reproduced at that time.
D. Sometimes a few words of explanation were cut into the printing block .
4. The word 'negligible' is closest in meaning to...............
A. insignificant B. enormous C. well-known D. limited
5. According to the passage, what lent elegance and sophistication to a printed page?
A. The letters were all the same size
B. A lead base was used for the letters
C. The letters "i’ and 'w' were stylized
D. The letters were aligned with perfect regularity
6. The word 'innovation' is closest in meaning to .................
A. metal B. blank C . letter D. novelty
7. Why is Gutenberg 's Bible called the 42-line Bible?
A. The complete bible was written 42 lines
B. Most pages contained exactly 42 lines
C. Only 42 lines of the bible have been found
D. The bible consisted of 42 lines per volume.
8. The author implies that Gutenberg.........................
A. invented the printing press B. was the to print text
C. only printed a bible D. was not successful at that job
9. In the last paragraph the author suggests that.............
A. Gutenberg contributed little to the development of printing
B. Gutenberg's art has no connection to the progress of modern science,
C. culture and knowledge in the Christian Era was peculiar to all classes.
D. The invention of movable type was a significant event in world history.
10. Which of the following should not be included in a summary of the passage?
A. The 42-line Bible is considered Gutenberg's finest work.
B. Gutenberg changed the way text is produced
C. Gutenberg was one of the most famous Germans in history.
D. Movable metal type was invented by Gutenberg.
V. GUIDED CLOZE TEST (10 pts)
PASSAGE 1: Read the following passage and decide which option A, B , C or D best fits each
space. (5 pts)
There has been a (0)................change in the way the canals of Britain are used. The (1)................
network of canals that covers much of the country (2)................ back to the industrial revolution, when
goods were transported along these routes. The canals themselves, the (3)................ waterways of the
country, were dug by teams of men. This was no (4)................ feat in the day before mechanised diggers.
It was also necessary to construct a system of locks, which raise and lower boats so they can (5)................
with the varying height of the canals themselves. Barges - simple boats without engines - were used to
carry the freight, and horses would (6)................ along the side of the canal pulling these vessels. Many
of the people working on the boats would themselves live on the water, in a long boat with compared
living quarters: a narrowboat.
As the railways and roads (7)................ in popularity as ways of transporting freight, the canals fell
into (8) ................; many of them became (9)................ with weeds and rubbish. But over the last few
decades Britain appears to have rediscovered these monuments of engineering. A growing number of
people each year sample delights of canal holidays. Narrowboats can be (10)................ up to be very
comfortable, and these days they are powered by an engine and not pulled by a horse.
0.A. prime B. fundamental C. downright D. deep-
rooted
1.A. extensive B. far-flung C. ample D. widespread
2.A. comes B. looks C. throws D. dates
3.A. inbuilt B. inland C. internal D. interior
4.A. modest B. mean C. minor D. tiny
5.A. balance B. compensate C. cope D. handle
6.A. trudge B. canter C. stroll D. meander
7.A. increased B. obtained C. gained D. assumed
8.A. disuse B. obsolescence C. redundancy D.
negligence
9. A. impeded B. choked C. hindered D. congested
10. A. done B. worked C. customized D. converted
PASSAGE 2: Read the following passage and decide which option A, B, C or D best fits each space.
(5 pts)
Sad as it is, a social misperception of the disabled is still ................ (1) in many communities. It is
only in a few highly civilized states where the problems and needs of people with physical or mental
incapacities are given the proper ................ (2). In the remaining countries, the discrimination against the
disabled is still practiced in many................ (3) of social life. As in the past, they are ignored, denounced
and forced to stay away from the normal community which, unfortunately, isn’t capable of making
any ................ (4) for its less fit members.
For decades, the ................ (5) and hearty part of every society has ................(6) the disabled of
their fundamental rights as their job applications have been................(7) down, their active participation
in business life has on most ................ (8) been disallowed and there has been little concern of their
convenience in ................. (9) to public transport. Equally little effort has been made to help the disabled
fully................ (10) with the able-bodied thus laying foundations for greater community awareness of the
drawbacks that the handicapped have to wrestle with daily.
1. A. infinite B. universal C. abundant D. prevalent
2. A. relevance B. consideration C. approach D. esteem
3. A. ranges B. fractions C. realms D. areas
4. A. accounts B. provision C. measures D. concerns
5. A. hale B. vivid C. fit D. right
6. A. shelled B. sneaked C. seized D. stripped
7. A. pulled B. turned C. passed D. brought
8. A. occasions B. times C. instances D. events
9. A. entry B. admittance C. access D. exploitation
10. A. collaborate B. incorporate C. ally D. integrate
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST:
CLOSE TEST 1: Fill each blank with ONE word. (10 pts)
The first London to Brighton run took place on November 14 th, 1896. It was organized to celebrate
the (1)................of a law which made it easier for cars in Britain to be driven on the roads. (2)................
then, the law required a driver and an engineer in the car and a man walking in front of the vehicle with a
red flag warning of its approach.
Since then, this annual run has become one of the most (3)................ events on the British motoring
calendar, (4)................crowds of over one million lining the route. Only the very oldest cars, constructed
during the ten years between 1895 and 1905, are allowed to take part in it. Lovingly polished by their
drivers, who are dressed in the clothing of the (5)................ , the cars leave Hyde Park in London at
7.30 am and (6)................, hopefully, in Brighton some three hours later.
The 60-mile run is not a race- there’s an official coffee stop on the way and the cars are restricted to
an average speed of only 30kph. The only (7)................for finishing is a medal, which is awarded to
everyone who (8) ................Brighton before 4pm. The run traditionally (9)................ participants from all
four corners of the world, (10)................ Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Since the youngest car is
nearly a hundred years old, some of them break down of course. But for the owners of the 400-plus
vehicles, it’s simply being there that brings the greatest pleasure.
CLOSE TEST 2: Fill each blank with ONE word. (10pts)
Parents- as you are probably well aware - are easily shockable. No matter (1)................ hard they
try to be trendy and to keep up to date with modern fads, they (2)................never quite help being a
generation removed. Life simply moves too quickly for them. They will in (3)................ likelihood
attempt to maintain some sort of dialogue with you by going out and buying the latest CDs, only
(4)................ find a few months later the charts are filled by acts (5)................ names they have never
heard of. Then they get
frustrated and it all comes pouring out during an edition of some chart show on TV when they moan that
there has never been anything (6) ................listening to since their day- whenever that happened to be.
Other parents don’t even try to understand their kids. They occupy the moral high (7)................ and
dismiss anything that has happened since their youth (8)................ decadent. Naturally, as lovers of folk
music or slushy ballads, their principal complaint against rock music is that they can’t make (9)................
the words. Hardly a day seems to go by without you incurring their displeasure one way or another,
whether it’s your hair, your clothes or the fact that you stayed out till three. So why bother trying to
please them? You might just as well wind them (10) ................ even more.
II. WORD FORMS (20 pts)
PART 1: Complete the sentence with the correct form of the given word. (10 pts)
Inside the International Space Station, it is so noisy that the astronauts cannot PRIOR
hear one another. As a result, United States and Russian engineers have REDUCE
launched a (1)................ repair programme which they hope will lead to the HEALTH
(2) ................ of the station’s 72-decibel roar: the equivalent of standing SPEAK
beside a busy motorway. ‘It is not a (3) ................ situation,’ said Mike Engle, HEAR
72a (4)................ for the engineering team. ‘Apart from astronauts losing IRONY
sleep, there is a danger one of them will (5)................ a colleague’s instruction LIFE
and press an incorrect button!’ (6)................, most of the noise comes from the BEAR
equipment needed to keep them (7)................. ‘The coolers are the worst,’ SURE
Mr Engle explained. ‘But without them, the station would become (8).............. QUIET
hot! When we put together the station we faced a choice. We could either
spend extra years (9)................ that the station would be totally quiet, or we
could get on and build the thing. Now it’s assembled, we are doing our best to
(10)................ it down.

PART 2: Complete the passage with appropriate forms from the words given in the box.(10 pts)
stable steady sequence bright evident
theorise freeze produce likely fluctuate
Fortunately for life on Earth, the Sun’s (1)................ of heat is remarkably consistent. But scientists
are aware that even a small change would have great (2)................ for the future, triggering either a new
ice age, or a runaway global warming. There is (3)................ that this has happened before. In
17th century England, for example, the River Thames in London was regularly (4)................ over.
Scientists now think that (5)................ in the Sun’s temperature caused a “Little Ice Age” at that time.
Indeed, the latest (6)........
is that the processes going on in the centre of the Sun are inherently (7)................. If the experts are right,
there could be many changes in the Sun’s (8)................ this century and the (9)................ is that the
temperature here on Earth will get (10)................ hotter and hotter.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 pts)
Identify 10 errors in the following passage and correct them.
1. First come the PC, then the internet and e-mail; now the e-book is
2. upon us, a hand-held device similarly in size and appearance to a video
3. cassette. The user simply rings off the website on their PC, selects
4. the desired books, downloads them onto their e-book machine and
5. sits down to read them. For turning a page, the user simply taps the
6. screen. E-book technology is evolving rapidly, and with some of
7. the newest handholds you will even get internet access.
8. But why would one want an e-book machine with reference to a book?
9. Well, one selling point companies emphasized, when these devices
10. hit the market a few years ago, which is the space they save when going
11. on holiday. E-books enlighten the load, literally. Ten large novels can
12. be put onto a device that weighs less than the average paperback. One
13. can understand why commercial interests seem to want us to change.
14. After all, the whole production process at first plan by author
15. until delivery to the printer had been doing electronically for a while
16. now, so why not save a few million trees and cut out the hard copy?
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20pts)
Rewrite the following sentences using the words given:
1. He had made no effort to conceal his dislike for me ever since I was promoted over him. GRUDGE
→ He has had...............................................................................................................
2. He seems to be more active because he has won a scholarship to study overseas. LEASE
→ That he has won......................................................................................................
3. Police arrested Johnson because they think he was involved in the robbery. SUSPICION
→ Johnson was detained.......................................................................in the robbery.
4. His irresponsible attitude is endangering his career as a doctor. JEOPARDY
→ His career...............................................................................................................
5. It is usual for young children to ask a lot of questions. APT
→ Young.....................................................................................................questions.
6. Don’t let her give in however hard they try to persuade her. GUNS
→ Make sure she .................................................................. however hard they try to persuade her.
7. I couldn't stop thinking about the exam despite playing backgammon with Paul. MIND
→ Playing backgammon with Paul ...............................................................the exam.
8. Being inexperienced was a disadvantage to her when she applied for promotion. COUNTED
→ Her ......................................................................................when she applied for promotion.
9. I don't mind staying in on a Saturday night if I have good company. AVERSE
→ I'm......................................................................................night if I have good company.
10. I find gram mar exercises extremely boring. STIFF
→ Grammar exercises.....................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN HUỲNH MẪN ĐẠT - KIÊN GIANG
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST
I. PHONOLOGY
Choose the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the word whose stressed syllable is placed differently
from that of the others. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. A. preferable B. maturity C. undercurrent D.
speculative
2. A. interchange B. subsection C. co-writer D. underlie
3. A. supernatural B. hyperactive C. counterclockwise D. technobabble
4. A. democracy B. infrastructure C. negotiate D. creditable
5. A. compromise B. picturesque C. European D. guarantee
Choose the letter A , B, C or D to indicate the word whose underlined part is pronounced
differently from that of the others. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
6. A. erosion B. invasion C. suspension D. explosion
7. A. crunch B. champagne C. brochure D. creche
8. A. buffet B. draught C. ballet D. mistletoe
9. A. Chile B. recipe C. catastrophe D. kerosene
10. A. collapsed B. transfused C. conversed D. decreased
II. VOCABULARY AND STRUCTURE
Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
11. I wish you would stop wasting so much time on computer games and do something a little
more……….
A. welcome B. enviable C. feasible D. worthwhile
12. I don’t want to do the course in applied statistics, but it’s ………..
A. compulsory B. inevitable C. bound D. indecisive
13. After the investigation, the accident was put down to human……….
A. mistake B. wrong C. error D. slip
14. I always clean the flat before my mom comes round, but she always find at least one……….of dust
and says it’s filthy.
A. scrap B. gust C. speck D. blade
15. Warning: anyone caught stealing from these premises will be………..
A. advocated B. undermined C. prosecuted D. enforced
16. Having seen the film that won the Oscar, I was disappointed as it wasn’t all that it’s up……….to be.
A. creased B. cracked C. lined D. valued
17. For months I sat with my binoculars watching a bird ……….its young.
A. rear B. breed C. bring up D. grow
18. Breaking his leg dealt a ………. to his chances of becoming a professional footballer.
A. thump B. strike C. hit D. blow
19. It was impossible for me to make a decision, so I …………..a coin.
A. tossed B. threw C. flung D. cast
20. I prefer to practice the violin alone in my bedroom as having other members of the family listen really
my…………..style.
A. restricts B. impedes C. obstructs D. cramps
21. I’d rather you………….. a noise last night; I couldn’t get to sleep.
A. wouldn’t make B. hadn’t made C. didn’t make D. haven’t
made
22. She regrets………….. enough time to finish the exercise.
A. not to have B. not have had C. not having D. to not have
23. She is anxious…………..for the post of the Personal Assistant to the Director in the recently affiliated
Jacobs Sussard Company
A. to select B. to have selected C. to be selected D. to be
selecting
24. - “ How much time do I have to make a choice?” - “I suggest you ………….. a quick decision.”
A. having made B. to make C. made D. make
25. Louisa is still in Palma, so you ………….. her at the library.
A. couldn’t see B. mustn’t have seen
C. weren’t able to see D. can ’t have seen
26. I’d love to have lived in the old days, when people………….. to markets by horse and carriage.
A. have been travelling B. would travel
C. got used to travelling D. had been travelling
27. I woke up late for my interview because I ………….. about it all the night and didn’t get much sleep.
A. worried B. have been worrying
C. had been worrying D. had worried
28. There ………….. between 4,000 to 6,000 languages in the world, depending on how you count them.
A. say to be B. are said that C. are said to be D. said being
29. make sure you mix the ingredients well, ………….. you might get lumps in your cake.
A. unless B. otherwise C. provided D. supposing
30. ………….. a scholarship, I entered the frightening and unknown territory of private education.
A. To award B. To be awarded
C. Having awarded D. Having been awarded
III. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS
Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
31. Jim’s a tough character and certainly won’t let anyone push him …………..
A. up B. off C. around D. through
32. Ben crept………….. on Lisa and put his hands over her eyes.
A. out B. round C. off D. up
33. I couldn’t decide what to write about, when I suddenly…………..upon the idea of doing something
on writer’s block.
A. thought B. chanced C. hit D. arrived
34. We all creased…………..when Nick walked in wearing a skirt.
A. up B. off C. on D. out
35. She blurted…………..his name, then gasped as she realized what she’d done.
A. up B. out C. on D. through
36. Police have …………..the garden up looking for evidence.
A. swept B. taken C. ploughed D. dug
37. I can’t believe he got…………..when there was so much evidence against him.
A. up B. out C. through D. off
38. They…………..ahead regardless the objection.
A. threw B. pushed C. kicked D. pressed
39. I’m…………..with work at the moment.
A. snowed under B. piled up C. messed up D. knocked
off
40. The rumours…………..the town very quickly, didn’t they?
A. got around B. flowed into C. hit upon D. grew on
IV. READING COMPREHENSION
Read the following passages then answer the questions. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided.
PASSAGE 1.
LIFE ORIGINATED IN THE EARLY SEAS LESS THAN A BILLION
YEARS AFTER EARTH WAS FORMED.
(5) Yet another three billion years were to pass before the first plants and
(10) animals appeared on the continents. Life transition from the sea to the land
(15) was perhaps as much of an evolutionary challenge as was the genesis of life.
(20) What forms of life were able to make such a drastic change in lifestyle?
(25) The traditional view of the first terrestrial organisms is based on mega
fossils - relatively large specimens of essentially whole plants and animals.
Vascular plants, related to modern seed plants and ferns, left the first
comprehensive mega fossils record. Because of this it has been commonly
assumed that the sequence of terrestrialization reflected the evolution of
modern terrestrial ecosystems. In this view, primitive vascular plants first
colonized the margins of continental water, followed by animals that fed on
the plants, and lastly by animals that preyed on the plant-eaters. Moreover,
the mega fossils suggest that terrestrial life appeared and diversified
explosively near the boundary between the Silurian and Devonian periods, a
little more than 400 million years ago.
Recently, however, paleontologists have been taking a closer look at the
sediments below this Silurian-Devonian geological boundary. It turns out
that some fossils can be extracted from these sediments by putting the
rocks in an acid bath. The technique has uncovered new evidence from
sediments that were deposited near the shores of the ancient oceans-plant
microfossils and microscopic pieces of small animals. In many instances
the specimens are less than one-tenth of millimeter in diameter. Although
they were entombed in the rocks for hundreds of millions of years, many of
the fossils consist of the organic remains of the organism.
These newly discovered fossils have not only revealed the existence of
previously unknown organisms. Our views about the nature of the early
plant and animal communities are now being revised. And with those
revisions come new speculations about the first terrestrial life-forms.
41. The word "drastic”in line 4 is closest meaning to
A. widespread B. radical C. progressive D. risky
42. According to the theory that the author calls "the traditional view, ” what was the first form of life to
appear on land?
A. bacteria B. meat-eating animals
C. plant-eating animals D. Vascular plants
43. According to the passage, what happened about 400 million years?
A. many terrestrial plant-forms died out
B. New life-forms on land developed at a rapid rate
C. The mega fossils were destroyed by floods.
D. Life began to develop in the ancient seas.
44. The word "extracted” in line 18 is closest in meaning to
A. located B. preserved C. removed D. studied
45. What can be inferred from the passage about the fossils mentioned in life 14-19?
A. They have not been helpful in understanding the evolution of terrestrial life.
B. They were not found in approximately the same numbers as vascular plant fossils.
C. They are older than mega fossils.
D. They consist of modern life-forms.
46. The word "instances” in line 11 is closest in meaning to
A. methods B. processes C. cases D. reasons
47. The word "they” in line 20 refers to
A. rocks B. shores C. oceans D. specimens
48. The word “entombed” in line 20 is closest meaning to
A. crushed B. trapped C. produced D. excavated
49. Which of the following resulted from the discovery of microscopic fossils ?
A. The time estimate for the first appearance of terrestrial life-forms was revised.
B. Old techniques for analyzing fossils were found to have new uses.
C. The origins of primitive sea life were explained.
D. Assumptions about the locations of ancient seas were changed.
50. With which of the following conclusions would the author probably agree?
A. The evolution of terrestrial life was as complicated as the origin of life itself.
B. The discovery of microfossils supports the traditional view of how terrestrial life evolved.
C. New species have appeared at the same rate over the course of the last 400 million years.
D. The technology used by paleontologists is too primitive to make accurate determinations about
ages of fossils.
PASSAGE 2
(5) Archaeological records - paintings, drawings, and carving of human
(10) engaged in activities involving the use of hands - indicate that humans have
(15) been predominantly right-handed for more than 5,000 years. In ancient
(20) Egyptian artwork, for example, the right-hand is depicted as the dominant
(25) one in about 90 percent of the examples. Fracture or wear patterns on tool
(30) also indicate that majority of ancient people were right-handed.
Cro-Magnon cave paintings some 27,000 years old commonly show
outlines of human hands made by placing one hand against the cave wall and
applying paint with the other. Children today make similar outlines of their
hands with crayons on paper. With few exceptions, left hands of Cro-
Magnons are displayed on cave walls, indicating that the paintings were
usually done by right-handers.
Anthropological evidence pushes the record of handedness in early human
ancestors back to at least 1.4 million years ago. One important line of
evidence comes from flaking patterns of stone cores used in tool making:
implements flaked with a clockwise motion (indicating a right-handed
toolmaker) can be distinguished from those flaked with a counter-clock wise
rotation (indicating a left-handed toolmaker).
Even scratches found on fossil human teeth offer clues. Ancient human are
thought to have cut meat into strips by holding it between their teeth and
slicing it with stone knives, as do the present-day Inuit. Occasionally the
knives slip and leave scratches on the users’ teeth. Scratches made with a
left-to-right stroke direction (by right-handers) are more common than
scratches in the opposite direction (made by left-handers).
Still other evidence comes from cranial morphology: scientists think that
physical differences between the right and the left sides of the interior of the
skull indicate subtle physical differences between the two sides of the brain.
The variation between the hemispheres corresponds to which side of the
body is used to perform specific activities. Such studies, as well as studies of
tool use, indicate that right - or left - sided dominance is not exclusive to
modern Homo sapiens. Populations of Neanderthals, such as Homo erectus
and Homo habilis, seem to have been predominantly right-handed, as we are.
51. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Human ancestors became predominantly right-handed when they began to use tools.
B. It is difficult to interpret the significance of anthropological evidence concerning tool use.
C. Humans and their ancestors have been predominantly right-handed for over a million years.
D. Human ancestors were more skilled at using both hands than modern humans.
52. The word “other” in line 9 refers to
A. outline B. hand C. wall D. paint
53. What does the author say about Cro-Magnon paintings of hands?
A. Some are not very old. B. It is unusual to see such paintings,
C. Many were made by children. D. The artists were mostly right-handed.
54. The word “ implements” in line 16 is closest in meaning to
A. tools B. designs C. examples D. pieces
55. When compared with implements “flaked with a counter-clockwise rotation ”.(lines 17-18), it can be
inferred that “implements flaked with a clockwise motion”(line 16) are
A. more common B. larger C. more sophisticated D. older
56. The fact that the Inuit cut meat by holding it between their teeth is significant because
A. the relationship between handedness and scratches on fossil human teeth can be verified
B. it emphasizes the differences between contemporary humans and their ancestors
C. the scratch patterns produced by stone knives vary significantly from patterns produced by
modern knives
D. it demonstrates that ancient humans were not skilled at using tools.
57. The word “hemispheres” in line 28 is closest in meaning to
A. differences B. sides C. activities D. studies
58. Why does the author mention Homo erectus and Habilis in line 31-32?
A. To contrast them with modern humans
B. To explain when human ancestors began to make tools
C. To show that early humans were also predominantly right-handed
D. To prove that the population of Neanderthals was very large
59. All of the following are mentioned as types of evidence concerning handedness EXCEPT
A. ancient artwork B. asymmetrical skulls
C. studies of tool use D. fossilized hand bones
60. Which of the following conclusions is suggested by the evidence from cranial morphology (line 25)?
A. Differences in the hemispheres of the brain probably came about relatively recently.
B. There may be a link between handedness and differences in the brain’s hemispheres.
C. Left-handedness was somewhat more common among Neanderthals.
D. Variation between the brain’s hemispheres was not evident in the skulls of Homo
erectus and Homo habilis.
V. GUIDED CLOZE
PASSAGE 1. Read the texts below and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each space.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
I was leaving the classroom and feeling very tired. The time was 2:36 p.m. and school (61)
………….. I was really eager to leave the campus: first, because I wasn’t very happy about being at
school and, second, my mum had said she (62)…………... I had tried to protest, but (63)………….. vain.
She (64)………….. on driving me home. I knew she would come in the most terrible van (65)
………….., and I didn’t want anyone to see it. But I was too late. When I came out of school where it
could (66)………….. by everyone. So, embarrassed, I decided the only (67)………….. of action was to
get into the van as quickly as possible. I opened the sliding door, but it did not stop. It just kept on sliding
and in the end it fell off its hinges altogether and clunked onto the ground. I wished I (68)
…………..invisible. Instead, I had to go to the woodwork room and ask for a screwdriver to fix it. What
(69)………….. if you had been in my place? To this very day, this story (70)…………..me when I sleep.
61. A. would have just ended B. was just ended
C. had just ended D. has just ended
62. A. will pick me up B. would pick me up C. picks me up D. picked
me up
63. A. by B. in C. of D. to
64. A. promised B. insisted C. wanted D. agreed
65. A. imaginary B. imagined C. imaginative D. imaginable
66. A. be seeing B. see C. have been seen D. be seen
67. A. line B. case C. class D. course
68. A. can be B. had been C. am D. was
69. A. do you do B. will you do
C. would you do D. would you have done
70. A. reminds B. recalls C . haunts D. dreams
PASSAGE 2. Read the texts below an d decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each space.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SOUVENIR?
On my desk at home, I have a collection of souvenirs, objects that remind me of places I’ve visited
and important events in my life. These objects include a model boat that I saw being (71)………. from a
piece of wood on Caribbean island, a piece of lava that (72)………. hot from a volcano in the year I was
born, and a shell (73)………. on my favorite childhood beach.
Unlike everything else, from which memory and detail fades, it is as if the longer you hold on to
certain objects, the (74)………. their associations with the past become, and the shaper the recollections
that gather around them. They are, ,(75)………. , real souvenirs, encapsulations not only of the place, but
of your time in the place. But these , days, the term .‘real souvenirs’ sounds like a contradiction in (76)
………. , and this is because the objects sold to tourists as souvenirs are often- cheap mass-produced
imports that have nothing to (77)………. with the place at all.
It’s often the (78)………. that the best souvenirs, like my shell, are found rather than purchased,
but (79)………. for souvenirs can also be a fun holiday activity. But if you are buying souvenirs on
holiday this summer, make sure they (80)………. the reality test. A good souvenir is not just made in the
area where it
is bought, it also says something about the culture of that area. It is something made by local people using
sustainable local materials, and because you are effectively supporting the local economy, it shouldn’t
come too cheap, either.
71. A. sketched B. carved C. thrown D. scratched
72. A. developed B. appeared C. emerged D. arrived
73. A. found out B. bumped into C. came across D. picked up
74. A. wider B. greater C. larger D. harder
75. A. albeit B. otherwise C. whereas D. therefore
76. A. terms B. meanings C. words D. names
77. A. gain B. do C. make D. get
78. A. point B. fact C. case D. truth
79. A. browsing B. seeking C. surfing D. pursuing
80. A. win B. take C. beat D. pass
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZ ES
PASSAGE 1. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one
word in each gap. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
NEW ROLES FOR WOMEN AND MEN IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
The forces changing American women’s lives that (1)………… become evident by 1950s
accelerated in the following decades. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination not only (2)
……….racial minorities but also (3)…………the basis of sex. At the same time, the women’s liberation
movement led to a rethinking of gender roles. People of (4)………… sexes increasingly came to see
careers for women as an alternative to women as full-time homemakers. By the end of the 1980s, (5)
………… than half of women over sixteen were in the labour force. Public opinion began to look with
favour on men (6)………… shared
housekeeping and children with their wives. This included kitchen duties. Men (7)……… cooking
expertise had (8)………… limited to grilling bacon or boiling an egg began to take a deeper (9)…………
in cooking. Simultaneously, the trend toward convenience continued with the spread of gadgets like food
processors
and automatic dishwashers, which (10)…………now standard equipment.
PASSAGE 2. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one
word in each gap. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
THE END OF AN ERA ...
Well, it's three days to go before my twentieth birthday.
I’m finding it very difficult, to come to (11)…………with the fact that that word teenager is not
going to (12)………… to me for much longer. Teenagers can get away with so much whereas ‘twenty
somethings’ are expected to be far more (13)…………Two years ago I was so excited about turning
eighteen. I couldn’t wait to become independent but suddenly I’ve found myself getting (14)…………
more nostalgic about my carefree childhood days when nothing really seemed to matter. I don’t feel I can
spend hours in front of the television any more because there’s a far (15)………… more pressure on me
to stop being idle and get a part-time job to save up for my university fees now. There are some aspects of
being a teenager that I’m definitely not going to miss though. I feel an (16)…………lot more self-
confident and emotionally (17)………… than I used to and I know I’m not (18)…………as
confrontational as I was - I certainly won’t miss all those rows that I used to have with my parents and the
sheer (19)………… of not being understood. I’m also really looking forward to going to university next
year. It’ll be the first time I’ve lived away from home and the first time that I’ll truly be left to do my own
(20)………….
II. WORD FORMS
Complete each of the following sentences by changing the form of the word in capitals. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. James got into trouble for………… a police officer. PERSON
2. Theo and his brother are always together. They’re completely………….SEPARATE
3. I suppose my biggest fault is that I’m a …………. PERFECT
4. Don’t be so ………… Can’t you see you’ve upset, Guy? SENSE
5. There’s a risk factor with all medication, but honestly the risk with this particular drug is………….
NEGLECT
6. Do you really think your plans are going to become………… ? FRUIT
7. We were all jumping around………… in the corridor, disperately waiting to hear if it was a boy or a
girl. PATIENT
8. Liskard and Callington are basically…………from here, so it’ll take about the same time to get to
either of them. DISTANT
9. Please keep e-mails short. …………makes everyone’s lives easier. BRIEF
10. I’m not convinced that there’s a …………link between polution and global warming. CAUSE
Use the word given in in the box below to form a word that fits in each space. Write your answers
in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
number expense contribute science search
suppose invent edequate environment conform
ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY
In the Search for Free Energy, Tutt’s recently released book, he quotes, “We ought to be able to
obtain the energy we need without the consumption of material.” These are not the words of some
modern-day (11)…………, but of Nikola Tesla, in 1890. Among his (12)………… was the device to
generate
electricity by harnessing ‘coming energy’. The search for free, and (13)…………energy continues. (14)
………… are looking for ‘fuelless’ technologies that will not pollute or run out, and they are not
referring to the puny (15)………… of solar or wind power. The (16)…………establishment has so far
been proven correct, there’s no such thing as a free energy lunch but that hasn’t stopped mad scientists
trying. They’ve come up with (17)………… patents of ‘over unity’ contraptions, (18)………… giving
out more energy than you put in to get them going. The story is fascinating and rarely heavy-going,
although the quotes can be overlong and the diagrams are (19)…………displayed. Tutt admits that only a
fraction of what is claimed is true. But it’s also true to say we cannot afford to dismiss them out of hand,
as one of these (20)………… investigators may just be able to save our planet from climate change.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION
The passage below contains 10 mistakes. Underline them then correct them. Write your answers in
the space provided. 0 has been done for you as an example.
0.A → The
1. A British government has recently announced proposals creating a
5 number of ‘Eco-towns’ across the country, each to be built according to
10 strict environmental criterion. The aim is that each town will be carbon
neutral. This means that any energy taking from the national electricity
supply will be replaced by energy produced on renewable sources by the
community. Each town should also excel in one area of environmental
technology such as waste managing or rainwater conservation. In each
town, the facilities will be on walking distance, thereby cutting car use
and it hoped that at last 30% of the housing will be affordable with people
on a low income. Where possible the towns will be built on previous
developed or ‘brown field’ sites, including military industrial sites.
A. Rewrite the following sentences starting with the word given.
1. I know it’s a great shame but we’ve cancelled the summer party.
→ Unfortunately,.................................................................................................
2. None of the passengers were injured because of the driver’s quick reaction.
→ But ............................. ....................................................................................
3. Seeing Patricia cry like that made me feel guilty.
→ What.. .............................................................................................................
B. 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 three and eight words, including
the word given.
4. I had to clear the spare room before I could start decorating. CLEARED
→ Only when ................................................................... start decorating.
5. Being in prison seems to have changed Kevin’s behavior for the better. LEAF
→ Kevin has................................................................................................... he got out of prison.
6. I decided right there and then to buy it and now I really regret it! WHIM
→ I ................................................................................................................ and now I really regret it!
7. I left my last job because I didn’t really agree with my manager’s approach. EYE
→ I left my last job because............................................................................with my manager.
8. I sincerely promise you that I’m telling you the truth. BOTTOM
→ I promise you ...............................................................................................that I’m telling you the truth.
9. A reliable source told me that the local newspaper is going to shut down. AUTHORITY
→ I ................................................................................that the local newspaper is going to shut down.
10. Don’t you think you should be a bit more respectful to them, Edward? TREAT
→ Don’t you think you should ......................................................, Edward?
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ HỒNG PHONG - TP. HCM
I. PHONOLOGY
A. Pick out the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. polemics B. rhinoceros C. depots D. palettes
2. A. pilchard B. lichen C. architrave D. chrysalid
3. A. doughnut B. shoulder C. thorough D. poultice
4. A. afara B. eisteddfod C. leafy D. irrefutable
5. A. fasten B. buffet C. bouquet D. pullet
B. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other three
6. A. economizes B. peninsula C. hectometer D. genetics
7. A. interpret B. interview C. horizon D. tornado
8. A. introduce B. Japanese C. technological D.
photography
9. A. European B. pneumonia C. Aborigine D. ingenuity
10. A. interviewee B. agriculture C. illustrator D. adamantly
II. MULTIPLE CHOICE:
Choose the best options (A, B, C, or D) that best complete the following sentences.
1. I feel I’m in a…………..in my job right now - I need a change.
A. ridge B. rut C. ditch D. tunnel
2. The skater lost her balance and fell, her arms…………..
A. hauling B. flailing C. swinging D. grasping
3. …………..checks were carried out at customs.
A. Sudden B. Rare C. Spot D. Swoop
4. His encounter with the tarantula hawk - .................. named because it flies around tarantulas stalking
and stinging them - has been watched over 13m times.
A. aptly B. eerily C. despicably D. wantonly
5. He had a unique stage presence, at once..................and intense, projecting an almost papal serenity.
A. frank B. boisterous C. subdued D. languid
6. In a few more moments this love scene would have reached the ..................of no return.
A. peak B. point C. apex D. tip
7. Schoolteachers rarely have ..................to teach the way they want.
A. scope B. leeway C. scale D. albatross
8. Failing to submit the proposal on time was .................. for Tom.
A. a nail in the coffin B. a real kick in the pants
C. a leap in the dark D. an open and shut case
9. Once the kids have all..................the nest we might sell this house and move somewhere smaller.
A. fled B. kicked C. rushed D. flown
10. Being out of work these days is no..................matter.
A. trolling B. spitting C. laughing D. gossiping
11. It’s nice to see politicians sending themselves..................occasionally.
A. up B. off C. in D. out
12. We used to share a room at college, but we..................over the years.
A. dream t away B. messed up C. drifted apart D. slugged
out
13. I’ve just left Ben poring..................computer printouts with an engineer.
A. into B. around C. over D. on
14. Since her arrest, they’ve ..................charges against her, and she’s been deported to Beirut.
A. inveighed against B. poured out C. headed for D. trumped up
15. Their project put us..................a lot of expense.
A. at B. to C. into D. with
16. She had been carefully.................. by her upbringing, she said, to avoid effusive displays of feeling,
but this did not mean her heart was shallow.
A. pivoted B. poached C. trained D. undertaken
17. But in any case this was a dangerous .................., and one not to be employed except under pressure.
A. counterfeit B. quest C. scheme D. briefing
18. In accordance with his .................., the agent was attired in a style of severe elegance - with gloves
and boots fitting him to perfection - but an unusually winning smile played upon his lips.
A. indication B. layer C. wont D. intrigue
19. You can’t ..................criticism to the local authority.
A. apply B. employ C. associate D. lay
20. From my viewpoint, the changes to the education system have been to good..................
A. influence B. outcome C. upshot D. effect
21. Without qualifications, there will be no .................. of firms willing to employ you.
A. want B. inadequacy C. deficiency D. shortage
22. Having planned our weekends to watch football, we found the news of the home team’s players strike
most...................
A. disconcerting B. refreshing C. activating D. debilitating
23. The audience .................. his appearance on stage with thunderous applause.
A. clapped B. protested C. rewarded D. hailed
24. He was extremely defiant when some scientists..................doubt on his theory.
A. cast B. flung C. tossed D. hurled
25. She was .................. with good looks.
A. gifted B. provided C. endowed D. awarded
26. He was a generous friend, but as a businessman, he drove a hard...................
A. bargain B. affair C. contract D. deal
27. I must take this watch to be repaired, it ..................over 20 minutes a day.
A. increases B. progresses C. accelerates D. gains
28. Luckily my wallet was handed in to the police with all its contents..................
A. preserved B. unscathed C. contained D. intact
29. Professor Williams..................a trail in the study of physics.
A. set B. left C. blazed D. showed
30. He cannot ..................ignorance as his excuse; he should have known what was happening in his own
department.
A. insist B. plead C. refer D. defend
III. READING COMPREHENSION
Read the following passages carefully and answer the questions below them.
PASSAGE 1.
DRESS-DOWN FRIDAY IS ALL WASHED UP
Dress-down Friday has not worked out. In fact, it is about to be let go. A slew of new surveys from
the States shows employers increasingly concerned that staff who turn up in 'smart casual' (or should that
be 'casual smart'?) are up to 50 per cent more likely to act rude and silly. Lateness, sluggishness or just
not being there at all have all become hallmarks of the last day of the working week, according to a study
for American Corporate Trends Magazine. So much so, that many bosses are now returning Friday to its
previous strict and sober incarnation. They include George W. Bush, who has decreed that henceforth all
White House staff must be formally suited and booted whenever they report for work. And in Britain the
Institute of Directors has also detected signs of an end to the recent custom of greeting the weekend one
day early with a sludgy medley of soft trousers and endless, endless fleeces.
Friday first went casual in Britain in the late 1980s, but the practice didn't really catch fire until the
mid-Nineties. By then, the economy was booming and new sources of income and prestige - IT,
biotechnology, dotcom – were emerging. The people who worked for these firms may have been rich (in
fact, they were getting richer all the time), but they liked to think that they were sufficiently self-
confident not to need to rely on someone else's idea of a status symbol. Bowler hats and umbrellas
represented an older - now ailing - economy, one that had been founded aeons ago in the mid-nineteenth
century on a formal distinction between work and home.
The New Economy, by contrast, liked to emphasise the continuity and even overlap between
professional and domestic spaces. People brought scented candles to the office before returning home to a
converted industrial site. In Frankfurt, workers could pop into 'nap rooms' after lunch, while in London
the
smartest new nightclub was called, quite simply, 'Home'. At the level of aesthetics, work and play had
become infinitely swappable. By the time the Millennium finally arrived, many firms, including the
formerly pinstriped Merrill Lynch and Arthur Andersen, had decided to extend dress-down Friday to
the other four days of the week. There were rules, of course - there always are. No jeans, naturally, and
some other less obvious demarcations: shirts needed to have collars, and shoes laces.
What has been a problem, though, for a lot of people is achieving the required look. While
American and French men have long had an alternative uniform to the business suit - polo shirt,
unstructured jacket, brownish/fawn trousers - British men have mostly had to resort to that odd solution
of teaming a formal,
usually Harris tweed, jacket with jeans. Several retailers have taken pity on the hordes of baffled men
who arrive for work in the financial institutions of Canary Wharf each day knowing that they don't want
to dress like Jeremy Clarkson but aren't quite sure who they do want to look like. Both Gap and Ted
Baker have set
up branches stuffed full of the kind of touchy-feely clobber that will take you inconspicuously through
the day in a symphony of mushroom.
Dressing down has proved to be more of a worry, than getting decked out in a uniform ever was.
Even in those companies that are casual every day, the understanding is that you wear a suit whenever
appropriate - to meet a client, make an important presentation. As a result, some employees complain
they
spend more time matching up their clothes to their schedule than ever before. And, if America is anything
to go by, the sartorial week is about to get even more complicated. To counter the negative effects of
dress-down Fridays, some firms have instituted the weird corrective of Dress Up Thursdays. Soon, it
seems,
each day of the week could carry its own coercive dress, code.
Where dress-down Friday got it wrong was not in overestimating the importance of clothing upon
our psyches, but in underplaying it. Employers had the vague hope that allowing people to wear buff-
coloured trousers to the office would signal a loosening up of mental boundaries which, in turn, would
release a
stream of 'beyond the box' thinking. But clothing acts like a sharp trigger for sense memory. Wear casual
clothes to work, and your brain thinks it's on holiday. It doesn't want to come up with left-field solutions
to the problems in Product Development. Instead it makes you want to gossip with your, friends, drink
coffee, send loads of raffish emails. Asking people to pretend that work is fun, and then suggesting that
they mark this state of affairs by wearing combat trousers, is the height of patronisation. As the economy
slows down and recession begins to bite, these kinds of self-deceiving strategies are beginning to fall
away. We know what work owes us - money, skills-training and a certain amount of status. It doesn't own
our souls, and we wouldn't want it to. For that we have home, where we can dress exactly as we please.
1. What does the writer say in the first paragraph about “dressing down”?
A. It has become an excuse for staff to be inefficient.
B. It allows people to behave immaturely without censure.
C. It has caused managers to apply rules more strictly.
D. It has led to increased absenteeism.
2. What motivated people in the technology industry in the nineties to “dress down”?
A. They didn’t have the confidence to wear smart clothes.
B. It was an attempt to disguise their new-found health.
C. It was part of a general trend towards exhibiting independence.
D. They wanted to challenge authority.
3. What was different about the New Economy?
A. There was less distinction between people’s private and working lives.
B. Working hours became more flexible.
C. People were required to spend longer in the office.
D. It became more acceptable to take work home.
4. According to the passage, many British men
A. miss the security of knowing what to wear.
B. choose more daring casual alternatives than foreign colleagues.
C. have become more sensitive to colleagues through “dressing down”
D. are now more interested in fashion as a result of “dressing down”
5. “Dressing down” on Fridays has made some employees
A. feel they are required to express themselves through their clothes.
B. more anxious they may be inappropriately dressed at times,
C. dress more conservatively on other days of the week.
D. feel pressurized into conforming to a dress code they don’t agree with.
6. The basic problem with the “dressing down” experiment was
A. employees felt they were being patronized.
B. employers misjudged the effect clothing has on behavior.
C. it had no obvious impact on people’s work performance.
D. employers gave their staff too much freedom in choice of clothes.
7. The word “incarnation” is closest in meaning to
A. form B. representative C. display D.
expression
8. The word “underplaying” is closest in meaning to
A. undermining B. downplaying C. deprecating D.
curtailing
PASSAGE 2.
Even with his diverse experience, as an elected official at the state level, Andrew Johnson was the
first president of the United States ever to be impeached, primarily because of his violent temper and
unyielding stubbornness. His career started in 1828 with his election to the city council of Greenville,
Tennessee, and after two years, as an alderman, he took office as mayor. His advancements followed in
rapid succession when he was elected to the Tennessee state senate, then as the state governor, and later
to the U.S. House of Representatives for five consecutive terms.
In 1864, Johnson ran for the office of vice-president on the Lincoln-Johnson ticket and was
inaugurated in 1865. After Lincoln’s assassination six weeks into his term, Johnson found himself
president at a time when southern leaders were concerned about their forced alliance with the northern
states and feared retaliation for their support of the secession. Instead, however, with the diplomatic skill
he had learned from Lincoln, Johnson offered full pardon to almost all Confederates on the condition that
they take an oath of allegiance. He further reorganized the former Confederate states and set up
legislative elections.
Congressional opposition to his peace-making policies resulted in gridlock between the House and
Johnson, and the stalemate grew into an open conflict on the issue of emancipation of slaves. While
Johnson held the view that newly freed slaved lacked understanding and knowledge of civil liberties to
vote
intelligently, Congress overrode Johnson’s veto of the Civil Rights Bill, which awarded them citizenship
and ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. In the years that followed, Congress passed bills depriving the
president of the power to pardon political criminals, stripping away his status of commander-in-chief,
and
taking away Johnson’s right to dismiss civil and executive officers from their duties. Johnson vetoed each
bill, and each veto was overridden. When Johnson dismissed the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton,
Stanton refused to step down and was supported by House of Representative, which voted to impeach
Johnson. At
the trial, the Senate came one vote short of the two-thirds majority necessary to remove his from office.
After Johnson’s term expired, he returned to his home state, but in 1875 he was elected senator and went
back to Washington to take his seat.
A. Andrew Johnson’s personal characteristics.
B. Andrew Johnson’s career as a politician,
C. Congressional decision in the late 1800s.
D. Congressional decisions and procedures in the late 1800s.
2. What can be inferred from the first paragraph about Andrew Johnson’s work in Tennessee?
A. His personality precluded him from important positions.
B. His work became known to the governor.
C. He was elected to several posts.
D. He was represented to the posts five times.
3. The word “alliance” is closest in meaning to..................
A. union B. counsel C. allowance D. allotment
4. According to the passage, what led to Johnson’s downfall?
A. The state of the nation’s economy. B. His liberal position on slavery.
C. His personal characteristics. D. His waffling and hesitation.
5. The author of the passage implies that when Johnson became president he
A. was a dedicated supporter of civil rights.
B. was a soft-spoken and careful diplomat,
C. has an extensive background in politics.
D. had already experienced political turmoil.
6. According to the passage, at the beginning of Johnson’s term as president southerners were
A. expected to secede from the union. B. apprehensive about their future.
C. singled out as scapegoats. D. afraid of his violent temper.
7. According to the passage, Congress’s disapproval of Andrew Johnson’s policies was
A. short-lived and groundless. B. detrimental to his presidency,
C. directed at his civic duties. D. stopped as soon as emerged.
8. The word “pardon” is closest in meaning to ...................
A. parade B. patronize C. exonerate D. extricate
9. The author of the passage implies that the Stanton affair proved the president’s
A. lack of stamina. B. lack of electoral vote.
C. loss of willpower. D. loss of authority.
10. According to the passage, the attempt to impeach Andrew Johnson
A. succeeded as expected by the House
B. failed by a minimal margin.
C. put an end to his political power.
D. overwhelmed his supporters in Tennessee.
V. GUIDED CLOZE
GUIDED CLOZE 1:
Choose the most appropriate words to fil l in the blanks.
ADVENTURE TRAVEL
Wildred Thesinger, the (1) .................. explorer once said, “We live our lives second-hand”. Sadly,
his words are true for far too many of us, as we (2)..................in front of the television, (3)..................in
“reality television”, living our adventures through the words and pictures of others. But it does not have
to be that way - there are more opportunities than ever for taking a break from our increasingly sanitized
lives and exploring not only some exotic (4)..................of the globe, but also our own abilities and
ambitions. The kind of first-hand experience whose loss Thesinger (5).................. is still available for
anyone willing to forsake the beaten (6).................., and put their mind to (7).................. into the less
explored regions of
this (8).................. planet. The (9).................. in travel in recent years has been towards what is known as
adventure travel. But adventure doesn’t have to involve physical exertion; be it (10).................. over a
souvenir in Peru, or getting lost in the labyrinthine passages of a Moroccan souk, it all counts.
1. A. descriptive B. imaginary C. fabled D. legendary
2. A. droop B. slump C. sag D. plunge
3. A. captivated B. gripped C. engrossed D. riveted
4. A. corner B. edge C. angle D. pocket
5. A. deplores B. laments C. agonizes D. grieves
6. A. path B. road C. track D. course
7. A. turning out B. taking off C. making out D. dropping off
8. A. wide B. diverse C. mixed D. different
9. A. trend B. direction C. custom D. inclination
10. A. haggling B. arguing C. debating D. quarreling
GUIDED CLOZE 2:
Aristotle Socrates Onassis was one of the world’s wealthiest men, whose fortune at his death was
estimated at more than 500 million dollars. His life history, however is not (1).................. of lifelong
wealth. His family, who were living in Smyrna (now Izmir) during the early years of the last century,
were forced to (2).................. to Greece in 1922 when the city was recaptured by the Turks.
(3).................. the family had left their business behind them, Onassis was sent to South America in
search (4).................. opportunities for work and a better life.
Onassis started off by carrying on the family (5)..................of tobacco dealing and formed his own
tobacco-importing business, while holding (6) .................. another job at the same time. At the age of 25,
he had made his first million dollars. It was soon afterwards, in 1932, that Onassis turned his
(7).................. to shipping; he took advantage of the (8)..................Depression and bought six freight
ships an an extremely low price. From there, he moved on to tankers and had his first tanker built in
1938. After the Second
World War, he embarked. (9) .................. a program of building large tankers with a/an (10) ..................
to transporting petroleum in all over the world.
1. A. the B. sort C. one D. this
2. A. free B. bound C. flee D. arrive
3. A. Truly B. After C. Since D. Although
4. A. of B. for C. about D. on
5. A. custom B. practice C. convention D. tradition
6. A. off B. by C. on D. down
7. A. head B. view C. tension D. attention
8. A. Grand B. Great C. Large D. Colossal
9. A. at B. about C. in D. on
10. A. eye B. ear C. nose D. head
VI. OPEN CLOZE:
Fill in each numbered blank with ONE suitable word.
OPEN CLOZE 1 .
Environmental issues are harmful (1).................. of human activity on the biophysical environment.
Environmental protection is a (2) ..................of protecting the natural environment (3)..................
individual, organizational or governmental levels, for the benefit of both the environment and humans.
(4) .................., a social and environmental movement, addresses environmental issues through advocacy,
education and activism.
The carbon dioxide (5) .................. of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere has already
(6).................. 400 parts per million (with total "long-term" GHG exceeding 455 parts per million). This
level is considered a tipping point. "The amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is already above the
(7).................. that can potentially cause dangerous climate change. We are already at risk of many areas
of pollution... It's not next year or next decade, it's now."
"Climate disasters are (8).................. the rise. Around 70 percent of disasters are now climate-
(9)........ - up from around 50 percent from two decades ago.
These disasters take a heavier human (10) .................. and come with a higher price tag. In the last
decade, 2.4 billion people were affected by such disasters, (11).................. to 1.7 billion in the previous
decade. The cost of responding to disasters has (12).................. tenfold between 1992 and 2008.
Destructive sudden heavy rains, intense tropical storms, repeated flooding and droughts are likely to
increase, (13)......... will the vulnerability of local communities in the absence of strong concerted
action." "Climate change is not just a distant (14) ..................threat. It is the main driver behind rising
humanitarian needs and we are seeing its impact. The number of people affected and the (15)..................
inflicted by extreme weather has been unprecedented."
OPEN CLOZE 2
An economics professor, trying to explain “monopoly” to a freshman class, could
(1) ..................find a more illuminating example than professional sports. The major leagues maintain
(2).................. control over the supply of their sports. The United States does have some rules and
regulations (3).................. at preventing monopoly, but these might as well not exist where sports are
(4) .................. Every league operates effectively as a cartel - a group of competitors joined together for
(5) ..................economic benefit.
The cartel arrangement gives participating teams the best of two (6)..................It reduces
competition among members, but still allows them freedom of action in areas not (7).................. by the
cartel agreement. Thus the league members agree on matters of common interest, such as game rules,
number of teams allowed in the league, promotional campaigns, and media contracts. The competition
takes place mainly on the field, when the athlete-employees of two teams meet in a (8)..................
Being an economic cartel creates enormous benefits for a sports league, by reducing competition in
areas that would (9).................. cost owners more money. When teams bid against each other for the
services of talented players, for example, the process is controlled by league, rules regulating contracts,
drafts and trades. In the annual college football draft, for instance, pro teams must take turns designating
individual college athletes they wish to hire. The cartel also decides how many teams can be in the
league, and where they can locate, thus limiting the number of potential employers the (10)..................can
choose from.
VII. WORD FORMATION
WORD FORMATION 1
Supply the correct forms of the words given.
1. Getting started on a rehabilitation regime sometimes requires help with .................., a process to
remove excess chemicals from the body. (TOXIC)
2. When he was still unmarried ten years ago, he was .................. and fancy-fee. ( FEET)
3. Some women found the discussions .................. and went home. (PUT)
4. They owned a ..................orchard near the river so they didn’t need to take care of it often.
(MAINTAIN)
5. This.................. is suitable for some funereal songs. (MISERY)
6. The venom of many snakes, especially cobras, acts as a .................., producing ecstatic visions.
(HALLUCINATE)
7. Aims are necessary starting points, but before the teacher can begin to provide learning experiences
further.................. is necessary.(FINE)
8. A circle is a shape on which all points are ..................from some point lying inside. (DISTANCE)
9. A detailed list of.................. in the factory is publicly given. (CONSUME)
10. It is a form of..................that is comforting to a great number of people. (ESCAPE)
WORD FORMATION 2
Fill in the blank with an appropriate form of one of the words given to make a meaningful passage.
outdated act state establish mortality
form conduit allegation art administer
HOTEL CHELSEA
To say that the Hotel Chelsea has an interesting story would be a/an (1)................... Since the early
twentieth century, the hotel has been home to dozens of celebrities. The fame of the building itself
(2)......... its fame as a hotel; when it was constructed in 1883 as a block of flats, it was New York’s tallest
building. It became a hotel in 1905. Although prosperous at first, during a period of (3) .................. , the
hotel began to degenerate. It went bankrupt and changed hands in 1939. Its (4)..................new managers
soon got it up and running again and, in the post-war era, its fame grew.
As a part of the New York artistic scene, the hotel is irreplaceable. Its famous residents have
included actors, artists, singers, writers, reactionaries, and numerous (5).................. figures. Krida Kahlo,
Jean-Paul Sartre, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan, Madonna and Uma Thurman all lived there for a while,
and the hotel
has been (6) .................. in dozens of songs, books and films. Always a place of (7).................. , the
hotel’s management sometimes allowed penniless residents to pay for their rooms by their
(8).................. , some of which still hang in its lobby today. Its famous residents have found the hotel
(9) .................. to creativity.
However, the hotel is also associated with artistic misbehavior and tragedy. One of numerous examples
of wild adventures behind its closed doors, the poet Dylan Thom as (10).................. collapsed in room
205 of the hotel after partying too hard. He died four days later.
VIII. ERROR IDENTIFICATION
Identify 8 mistakes in this passage and suggest corrections.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, almost nothing was written about the
contributions of women during the colonial period and the early history of the newly formed United
States. Lacking of the right to vote and absent from the seats of power, women were not considered an
important force in history. Anne Bradstreet wrote some significant poetry in the seventeenth century,
Mercy Otis Warren produced the best contemporary history of the American Revolution, and Abigail
Adams penned important letters showing she exercised great political influence over her husband, John,
the second President of the United States. But little or no notice was taken for these contributions. During
these centuries, women remained invisible in history books.
During the nineteenth century, therefore, certain feminists showed a keen sense of history by
keeping records of activities on which women were engaged. National, regional, and local women’s
organizations compiled accounts of their doings. Personal correspondening, newspaper clippings, and
souvenirs were
saved and stored and such sources have provided valuable materials for later gene rations of history.
Despite the gather of more information about ordinary women during the nineteenth
Century, most of the writing about women conformed to the “great women” theory of History, just
as many of mainstream American history concentrated on “great men.” To demonstrate that women were
making significant contributions to American life, female authors singled out women leaders and wrote
biographies, or else important women produced their autobiographies. Most of these leaders were
involved in -public life as reformers, activists working for women’s right to vote, or authors, and were
not representative at all of the great of ordinary woman. The lives of ordinary people continued,
generally, to be
untold in the American histories being published.
XI. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION:
1. I bet your friend could tell several stories about you. (GOOD)
→ I bet your friend ...........................................................................................................
2. Although Mia was a bit off colour, she decided to take the exam. SET
→ Being under .................................................................................................................
3. This knife sharpener is completely useless. (DEAD)
→ This ..............................................................................................................................
4. Being her only niece, Ann is very precious to her. (APPLE)
→ ......................................................................................................................................
5. That he decided to retire early marked the end of his distinguished career. (CURTAIN)
→ His ...............................................................................................................................
6. It was more of a business arrangement than a marriage.
→ It was not ....................................................................................................................
7. She herself admitted to being rather selfish.
→ On ...............................................................................................................................
8. You may not be considered qualified if you don’t obey the game regulations.
→ Failure .........................................................................................................................
9. I will only be satisfied if the manager apologizes fully.
→ Nothing short ..............................................................................................................
10. The man’s life was one of great poverty.
→ Throughout .................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ KHIẾT - QUẢNG NGÃI
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE
I. PHONOLOGY (5pts)
Section 1: Pick out the word with the underlined part pronounced differently from the rest.
1. A. foul B. soul C. goal D. brooch
2. A. ticked B. licked C. wicked D. picked
3. A. chemoreceptor B. chauffeur C. chaos D. choleric
4. A. etiquette B. conqueror C. statuesque D. bequest
5. A. recipe B. profiterole C. anemone D. acne
Section 2: Pick out the word that has the stress pattern from that of the other words
6. A. industry B. economy C. accompany D. conscientious
7. A. destitute B. contemplate C. benevolent D. memorable
8. A. admirable B. arguable C. amicable D. agreeable
9. A. dungarees B. executive C. inorganic D. virtuoso
10. A. discrepancy B. comfortable C. collapsible D. discernible
II. WORD CHOICE (5pts)
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the
following questions
11. An international hotel has recently been built on the ...................... of the old school.
A. expedition B. landscape C. site D. ground
12. He was............................manslaughter.
A. indicted for B. blamed for C. condemned to D. respected
for
13. Many tax payers are .....................at what they regard as an illegal use of public funds.
A. indifferent B. interested C. happy D. indignant
14. Due to the nature of the earthquake, a much larger ...................... of the population might be affected.
A. segment B. density C. totality D. division
15. They continued fighting despite all the.....................they met with.
A. adversities B. amenities C. properties D. liabilities
16. He was in an extreme state of .............................when his wife left him.
A. calamity B. mishap C. distress D. trial
17. At length, it ...................him that his life wouldn't take a turn for the better unless he left his present
employment.
A. dawned on B. assumed that C. happened to D. realized
that
18. Unfortunately, not all scientists are working for a good.....................
A. end B. aim C. effect D. cause
19. The media are always keen on reporting ...........................
A. mishaps B. calamities C. reserves D. hardships
20. The threat of a general strike can only be .....................through government intervention.
A. averted B. converted C. subverted D. diverted
III. STRUCTURES AND GRAMMAR A
Choose the best answer A, B, C or D
21........................... a scholarship, I entered the frightening and unknown territory of private education.
A. To award B. To be awarded
C. Having awarded D. Having been awarded
22. It was................a victory that even Smith’s fans couldn’t believe it.
A. such surprising B. so surprising
C. too surprising D. surprising enough
23. The draw took place yesterday, but the competition winners......................
A. are yet to be announced B. haven’t been yet announced
C. yet are to be announced D. haven’t announced yet
24. We are making an ....................effort to increase production.
A. all-out B. altogether C. all-in D. all-together
25. The interviewer asked .........................the question.
A. for him answering 12 times B. that he answer 12 times
C. him 12 times to answer D. 12 times his answering
26.....................Paul realize that he was on the wrong flight.
A. Only after the plane had taken off
B. It was not until the plane had taken off did
C. Not until the plane had taken off did
D. No sooner had the plane taken off than
27. Everyone started to ............... around the old woman on the floor, but no one offered her any help.
A. crowd B. spread C. put D. hang
28. After congratulating his team, the coach left, allowing the players to let their .................... down for a
while.
A. heads B. hearts C. hair D. souls
29. They did have a ..................escape. Their car stopped right at the river bank.
A. fine B. narrow C. near D. light
30. He got his university degree last year. Now he is doing...................... studies
A. graduate B. postgraduation C. graduation D. graduating
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS (5pts)
Choose the best option
31. There is an enormous range of holiday courses ......................offer.
A. in B. at C. with D. on
32. His illness .................his underachievement at work.
A. accounts for B. comes up C. relies on D. puts on
33. It’s like banging your head......................a brick wall
A. to B. out C. against D. in
34. Get on up to the house and......................those wet clothes or you will get fevers.
A. change over from C. change out of
B. change back into D. change upon
35. I felt a bit.............. …. and seemed to have more aches and pains than usual.
A. out of sorts C. on the mend
B. over the worst D. under the fever
36. Your glass is half-empty. Let me ............ it….......... for you
A. top/ out B. top/up C. top/over D. top/ in
37. The teacher at school went.................. with flu one after the other
A. out B. off C. under D. down
38. He wasn’t sure if he’d be any good at tennis, but actually he took ..................it immediately.
A.to B. after C. on D. in
39. I’m staying at Tony’s house. Write to me....................... Tony Lee, 123 Main Road, New York.
A. in charge of B. in care of C. in place of D. in terms of
40. This hotel is so awesome, man. I could just ..... ...........on this view for the whole weekend.
A. bliss out B. bliss into C. bliss upon D. bliss across
V. READ ING COMPREHENSION
READING 1. You are going to read a passage and choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you
think fits best according to the text.
MAKING ALLOWANCES FOR YOUR KID’S DOLLAR VALUES
Would you stoop to pick up a found penny? If you believe in the value of money or the possibility
of luck, you would. Unless, of course, you're a teenager. When Nuveen Investments asked 1000 kids aged
12 to 17 to name the sum they would bother to pick up, 58 percent said a dollar or' more. "Some won't
give
pocket space to coins even if they're already in hand," says Neale Godfrey, author of Money Doesn't
Grow on Trees. ‘‘Many high schoolers buy lunch and throw away the changes”, she says. As one boy
explained to her, "what am I going to do with it?"
The cavalier attitude is making some parents rethink the allowance tradition. The weekly stipend is
meant to help kids learn about money, but some experts say too much cash - easily handed out in these
flush times - and too few obligations can lead to a fiscally irresponsible future. Many kids have a "lack of
understanding (of) how hard it is to earn money”, says Godfrey. “That is not OK”
Allowances, done right, are a way to teach children to plan ahead and choose wisely, to balance
saving, spending, investing, and even philanthropy. Doing it right means deciding ahead of time how
much to give and how often to give it. And it requires determining what the child’s responsibilities will
be.
"About 50 percent of children between 12 and 18 get an allowance or cash from their parents," says
a survey conducted in 1997 by Ohio State University for the US Labor Department. The median amount
they got was a $ 50 a week. (Teenagers in the East North Central region, which includes Ohio and Indian,
get
the most - a median of $ 75 a week- and a kids in the East South Central, including Mississippi and
Alabama, are given the least, with a median of $ 30 a week). Nationally speaking, about 10 million kids
receive a total of around $ 1 billion every week.
The problem with a parental open-wallet policy, says Godfrey: "If you're always given money, why
would it have any value to you?" Earned money is spent more wisely, she says. "You're teaching them
that there is not an entitlement program in life. The way you get it is you earn it.”
Godfrey thinks an allowance should be chore-based, and she divides work into two categories:
citizen-of-the-household chores and work-for-pay chores. "The punishment for not doing your work-for-
pay chores is you don't get paid." Other experts, including Jayne Pearl, author of Kids and Money,
believe that every family member is entitled to a small piece of the financial pie and that it shouldn't be
tied to work. Doing so "complicates things unnecessarily and imbues allowance with power struggles and
control issues," says Pearl. "I think of (an allowance) as learning capital...They have to have some money
to practise with”.
"For many kids, 3 is a good time to begin getting all allowance," experts say. This sounds early, but
it's then that children start understanding the notion of exchanging coins for, say, candy. Deciding how
much to give can be tough. "If the parents can afford it, I have them pay their age per week," says
Godfrey. "A 3-year-old gets $ 3."
Sound like a lot for a little person? Godfrey's plan takes 10 percent off the top for charity. The
remainder is divided into thirds and put into jars . The quick-cash jar "is for instant gratification". This
spend as they choose money means that candy bars, Pokémon cards, and other impulse buys are no
longer paid for by Mom and Dad, which causes kids to curb many impulses. Says Godfrey of her 17 year-
old daughter, Kyle: “Her Starbucks bill is her own”
The second jar is for medium-term savings, meant to be spent on medium-ticket luxuries like in-
line skates or a CD player. The final jar is invested for the long term, such as for college.
Kelly Grant, 13, think that is fair. An eighth grader in Greeville, S.C,Kelly and his brother,
Christopher, 15, each gets $ 15 a week. The trade-off: “I have to walk and feed the dog, and I have to do
the recyclables”, Kelly says. He spends but still saved enough to buy a Sony PlayStation.
Christopher, who has a girlfriend, spends most of what he gets; he supplements his pocket money
by doing extra work, like mowing the lawn. “I’m supposed to do a load of laundry every night” . He has,
he admits, a tendency to forget. “They charge my allowance sometimes”, he says, “but they don’t really
remember to do it”.
The Grant boys are still learning about earning and show signs of valuing money. They wouldn’t
stop to pick up a dime, but both say there are coins they would recuse from the sidewalk. Says
Christopher: “You can do a lot with a quarter”.
41. Godfrey feels that ………….
A. many kids appreciated the value of coins.
B. many kids know how hard it is to earn money.
C. many kids don't know the value of money.
D. many kids should be given more pocket money.
42. Nuveen Investments found that………….
A. many kids don't bother to pick up small coins.
B. few kids want one-dollar coins.
C. some kids save coins.
D. no kids want to pick up coins.
43. Which of the following would Pearl probably agree?
A. Children should not be given allowances.
B. Children should receive allowances if they help with housework.
C. Children should be given allowances whether they help with housework.
D. Children should be paid for satisfactorily performing school work.
44. According to Godfrey, if a child has a monthly allowance of $ 100, how much should he/she spend on
"impulse buys"?
A. $1 0 B. $ 33.3 C. $50. D. $ 30
45. The writer feels that allowances …………….
A. should not be given to children.
B. could help children learn many things,
C. should not be given to young children.
D. spoil older children.
46. On average, children who receive the most allowances live in:
A. Big cities like New York or L.A. B. Small towns in New England,
C. The East North Central region. D. The East South Central region.
47 . Which of the following would Godfrey probably agree?
A. Children should receive allowances if they help with housework.
B. Children should be given allowances whether they help with housework.
C. Children should not be given allowances.
D. Children should be paid for satisfactorily performing school work.
48. Who supports the idea of starting to give allowances to kids when they are three?
A. Pearl. B. Godfrey. C. Godfrey’s daughter. D. The writer.
49. What does Christopher do with most of money he gets?
A. He spends all. B. He puts in the bank,
C. He gives all to his girlfriend. D. He keeps in his pocket.
50. The Grant brothers gets allowances
A. Though their parents sometimes forget to win them the money.
B. Without having to work.
C. By doing housework.
D. But the money is not enough.
READING 2. Read the following passage and answer questions 51-60.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings (i-ix) below.
List of Headings Your answers
i Tackling the issue using a different approach Paragraph A 51 ........
ii A significant improvement on last time Paragraph B 52 ........
iii How robots can save human lives Paragraph C 53 .......
iv Examples of robots at work Paragraph D 54 .......
v Not what it seemed to be Paragraph E 55 .......
vi Why timescales are impossible to predict Paragraph F 56 .......
vii The reason why robots rarely move
viii Following the pattern of an earlier
development
ix The ethical issues of robotics

Dawn of the Robots
They're already here - driving cars, vacuuming carpets and fee ding hospital patients. They may not be
walking, talking, human-like sentient beings, but they are clever... and a little creepy.
A At first sight it looked like a typical suburban road accident. A Land Rover approached a Chevy
B Tahoe estate car that had stopped at a kerb; the Land Rover pulled out and tried to pass the Tahoe
C just as it started off again. There was a crack of fenders and the sound of paintwork being scraped,
D the kind of minor mishap that occurs on roads thousands of times every day. Normally drivers get
E out, gesticulate, exchange insurance details and then drive off. But not on this occasion. No one got
F out of the cars for the simple reason that they had no humans inside them; the Tahoe and Land
Rover were being controlled by computers competing in November's DARPA (the U.S.Defence
Advanced Research Projects Agency) Urban Challenge.
The idea that machines could perform to such standards is startling. Driving is a complex task that
takes humans a long time to perfect. Yet here, each car had its on-board computer loaded with a
digital map and route plans, and was instructed to negotiate busy roads; differentiate between
pedestrians and stationary objects; determine whether other vehicles were parked or moving off;
and handle various parking manoeuvres, which robots turn out to be unexpectedly adept at. Even
more striking was the fact that the collision between the robot Land Rover, built by researchers at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Tahoe, fitted out by Cornell University Artificial
Intelligence (AI) experts, was the only scrape in the entire competition. Yet only three years earlier,
at DARPA's previous driverless car race, every robot competitor - directed to navigate across a
stretch of open desert - either crashed or seized up before getting near the finishing line.
It is a remarkable transition that has clear implications for the car of the future. More importantly, it
demonstrates how robotics sciences and Artificial Intelligence have progressed in the past few years
- a point stressed by Bill Gates, the Microsoft boss who is a convert to these causes. The robotics
industry is developing in much the same way the computer business did 30 years ago,' he argues.
As he points out, electronics companies make toys that mimic pets and children with increasing
sophistication. 'I can envision a future in which robotic devices will become a nearly ubiquitous
part of our day-to-day lives,' says Gates. 'We may be on the verge of a new era, when the PC will
get up off the desktop and allow us to see, hear, touch and manipulate objects in places where we
are not physically present.'
What is the potential for robots and computers in the near future? The fact is we still have a way to
go before real robots catch up with their science fiction counterparts/ Gates says. So what are the
stumbling blocks? One key difficulty is getting robots to know their place. This has nothing to do
with class or etiquette, but concerns the simple issue of positioning. Humans orient themselves with
other objects in a room very easily. Robots find the task almost impossible. 'Even something as
simple as telling the difference between an open door and a window can be tricky for a robot,' says
Gates. This has, until recently, reduced robots to fairly static and cumbersome roles.
For a long time, researchers tried to get round the problem by attempting to re-create the visual
processing that goes on in the human cortex. However, that challenge has proved to be singularly
exacting and complex. So scientists have turned to simpler alternatives: 'We have become far more
pragmatic in our work,' says Nello Cristianini, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University
of Bristol in England and associate editor of the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research. 'We are
no longer trying to re-create human functions. Instead, we are looking for simpler solutions with
basic electronic sensors, for example.' This approach is exemplified by vacuuming robots such as
the Electrolux Trilobite. The Trilobite scuttles around homes emitting ultrasound signals to create
maps of rooms, which are remembered for future cleaning. Technology like this is now changing
the face of robotics, says philosopher Ron Chrisley, director of the Centre for Research in Cognitive
Science at the University of Sussex in England.
Last year, a new Hong Kong restaurant, Robot Kitchen, opened with a couple of sensor-laden
humanoid machines directing customers to their seats. Each possesses a touch-screen on which
orders can be keyed in. The robot then returns with the correct dishes. In Japan, University of
Tokyo researchers recently unveiled a kitchen 'android' that could wash dishes, pour tea and make a
few limited meals. The ultimate aim is to provide robot home helpers for the sick and the elderly, a
key concern in a country like Japan where 22 per cent of the population is 65 or older. Over US$1
billion a year is spent on research into robots that will be able to care for the elderly. 'Robots first
learn
basic competence - how to move around a house without bumping into things. Then we can think
about teaching them how to interact with humans,' Chrisley said. Machines such as these take
researchers into the field of socialised robotics: how to make robots act in a way that does not scare
or offend individuals. 'We need to study how robots should approach people, how they should
appear. That is going to be a key area for future research,' adds Chrisley.
Questions 57-60: Match each statement with the correct person, A, B or C.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
A Bill Gates
B Nello Cristianini
C Ron Chrisley
57. An important concern for scientists- to ensure that robots do not seem frightening.
58. We have stopped trying to enable robots to perceive objects as humans do.
59. It will take considerable time for modern robots to match the ones we have created in films and
books.
60. We need to enable robots to move freely before we think about trying to communicate with them.
VI. CLOSE TEST:
CLOSE TEST1: Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.
In the western customs (61)…………hands is the customary form of greeting, but in China a nod of
the head or (62 )………… bow is sufficient. Hugging and kissing when greeting are uncommon.
Business cards are often (63)…………and yours should be printed in your own language and in Chinese.
Also, it is more respectful to present your card or a gift or -any other article using (64)…………hands.
The Chinese are (65)………… applauders. You may be greeted with group clapping, even by small
children. When a person is applauded in this practice it is the custom for that person to return the
applause or a "thank you." When walking in public places, direct eye (66) ………… .and staring is
uncommon in the larger cities, especially in those areas accustomed to foreign visitors. (67)…………, in
smaller communities, visitors may be the subject of much curiosity and therefore you may notice some
stares. (68) …………speaking, the Chinese are not a touch-oriented society, especially true for visitors.
So, avoid (69)………… or any
prolonged form of body contact. Public displays of affection are very rare. On the other hand, you may
note people of the same sex walking hand-in-hand, which is simply a gesture of friendship. Do not worry
about a bit of pushing and shoving in stores or when groups board public buses or trains. In this case, (70)
……… are neither offered or expected. The Chinese will stand much closer than Westerners.
61. A. taking B. hugging C. grasping D. shaking
62. A. small B. slight C. bit D. light
63. A. transferred B. changed C. exchanged D. converted
64. A. both B. couple C. double D. pair
65. A. enthusiast B. enthusiastically C. enthusiasm D. enthusiastic
66. A. look B. contact C. stare D. watch
67. A. Moreover B. Furthermore C. However D. Whatever
68. A. Generally B. Successfully C. Fortunately D.
Expectedly
69. A. touching B. to touch C. touched D. touch
70. A. Contacts B. Gestures C. Apologies D. Saying
goodbye
CLOZE TEST 2: Read the following passage on commuting, and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on
your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC
All in all, the Titanic had received six ice warnings; it was quite clear that the Titanic was steaming
toward ice. At 11.40 pm many of the (1)…………… were turning down the lights and cleaning the Titan
ic’s public room, and the last of the social (2)…………… were now breaking up. Meanwhile in the
crow’s
nest, Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee struggled to (3)…………… what was in the haze- for some (4)
…………… reason, binoculars were not in the nest. Suddenly, Fleet jerked the (5)……………bell three
times and telephoned the bridge and sputtered, “Iceberg dead (6)……………!” into the receiver. “Thank
you”, Sixth Officer Moody replied. The Titanic was on a collision (7)…………… with a huge iceberg
and the officers in the crow’s nest (8)…………… themselves for impact. The worst part is what
happened to the people onboard. The ship was one of the most luxury liners of all time, but it wasn’t (9)
……………with enough lifeboats for all the passengers, so many died that night and in the (10)
……………hours of the
following morning.
1. A. stewards B. waiters C. captains D.
passengers
2. A. gathering B. conference C. summits D. congregation
3. A. see off B. look ahead C. keep out D. make out
4. A. insecure B. eccentric C. alien D. odd
5. A. warning B. appalling C. terrifying D. ringing
6. A. before B. ahead C. beyond D. forward
7. A. crash B. way C. course D. track
8. A. rehearsed B. anticipated C. braced D. nurtured
9. A. built B. fitted C. carried D. floated
10. A. young B. low C. early D. starting
[Certificate of Proficiency in English - Practice Test 8]
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST 1: Read the texts below and think of the word which best fits each space.
Use only ONE WORD for each space. (20 pts)
PASSAGE 1
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANTS
Man has always depended on plants (1)…………..food and many other useful products. For this
reason, farming is one of the world’s most important industries. At first, (2)…………..man did not know
how to plant seeds and raise crops. He (3)………….. wild fruits and vegetables where he found them.
Then
man discovered how to grow his own food. He (4)…………..seeds and waited for the crop to grow. For
the first time, he could be reasonably sure of his food supply. He could settle down and (5)…………..
shelters in the places where he grew food.
As populations began to increase, the (6)…………..for food became greater. Old-fashioned tools
and farming methods were insufficient in meeting the demand, so man cultivated more and more land and
invented complicated machines to make his work easier. Tractors replaced horses and other farm animals.
Scientists studied and (7)…………..with plants. They told farmers how to (8)………….. plant diseases,
and how to grow bigger and better crops. Now one man, with a knowledge of plants and the (9)
………….. of machines, can cultivate hundreds of acres.
He can raise plants which did not originally grow in the soil or (10)…………..of his community.
PASSAGE 2
Remarks by President Obama at YSEALI Town Hall
Student: “ Hello, sir. I'm a student in Vietnam National University. You are a very great leader, and we
are young leaders. Do you have any advice that how can we be great like you?”
President Obama:. “When I was at your age, I wasn't as well-organized and sophisticated as all of you.
When I was young, I fooled (1).......................a lot. I didn’t always take my studies very seriously. I was
more interested in basketball and girls. I wasn't always that serious. You're already way (2)......................
of me. Whenever I meet with young people, my most important advice is to find something you care
deeply about, find something excites you and (3).................. all energy into it. Everybody's
(4) ...................
is different. Sometimes it's education, medicine, business. So no one’s path is to end being a leader. Some
people think you have to make great speeches, or be in politics but there're a lot of ways to (5)................
Some are behind the (6)................. For example in the U.S., civil rights movement, when all heard of
Martin Luther King but also Moses, John Louis going to communities, getting people to (7).....................
They were big leaders, even though they didn't make speeches. Don't worry so much what you want to
be. Worry more about what you are going to do. If you're (8)...................about your work. Over time, you
will rise and people will respect. But if you just think I want to be a member of the National Assembly or
rich then you will pay less ( 9).... ................ to your work. Most successful people do. Bill Gates didn't
start thinking I want to be rich. I like computers and want to build software. I decided that I wanted to
help poor people to have opportunities. So I went to work in poor communities in Chicago because I was
interested in the work. I started to ask questions: how can I help young people? How can I
(10)..................How can I build organizations?
That's my most important advice. Decide what you care about deeply and put all into that. If you
are interested in social media, make a company and focus on that”.
[The White House - Office of the Press Secretary ]
II. WORD FORM (20 pts)
SECTION 1: Complete the following sentences with an appropriate form of the word in block
capitals
1. Lucy has to work every ………….. Saturday. (ALTER )
2. He threw his bags…………..on the floor. (CEREMONY)
3. In my opinion, this book is just ………….. rubbish ( INTELLECT)
4. Shall I believe this (CONVINCE)…………..story of yours? Mark, stop acting like a child and tell me
the whole truth, please.
5. A manufacturer…………..made and marketed a car with defective brakes. (NEGLECT)
6. The student was given…………..for consistently forgetting to do her homework. (DETAIN)
7. He made a…………..attempt to climb the tree to recover his kite. (FOOL).
8. I hate going clothes shopping with Carlo , he’s so…………..that he takes hours to find anything he
likes. (CHOICE)
9. Your constant criticism has …………..their enthusiasm. (DIE)
10. Some fetal…………..can not be diagnosed until late in pregnancy. (FORM)
SECTION 2: Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the space.
Alternative medicine is, by definition, an alternative to something else: modern, Western medicine.
But the term ‘alternative’ can be (1)…………..(LEAD), even off-putting for some people. Few (2).
……… (PRACTICE) of homeopathy, acupuncture, (3)…………..(HERBAL) and the like regard their
therapies as complete substitutes for modern medicine. Rather, they consider their disciplines as (4)
………….. (SUPPLEMENT) to orthodox medicine.
The problem is that many doctors refuse even to recognize ‘natural’ or alternative medicine, lo do
so calls for a radically different view of health, (5)…………..(ILL) and cure. But whatever doctors may
think, the demand for alternative forms of medical therapy is stronger than ever before, as the (6)……….
(LIMIT) of modern medical science become more widely understood.
Alternative therapies are often dismissed by orthodox medicine because they are sometimes (7)
…… (ADMINISTRATION) by people with no formal medical training. But, in comparison with many
traditional therapies, western medicine as we know it today is a very recent phenomenon. Until only years
ago, herbal medicine and simple (8) …………..(ORGAN) compounds were the most effective treatments
available.
Despite the medical establishment’s (9)…………..(TOLERATE) attitude, alternative therapies are
being accepted by more and more doctors, and the World Health Organization has agreed to promote the
(10)…………..(INTEGRATE) of proven, valuable, ‘alternative’ knowledge and skills in western
medicine.
III . ERROR IDENTIFICATION
Read the passage below which contains 10 mistakes. Identify the mistakes and write the corrections
in the corresponding numbered boxes.
Example: Line 1: thousand → thousands
LINE BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
1 People have been debating the principles of beauty for thousand of
2 years, but it still seems impossible to consider objectively. German
3 philosopher Immanuel Kant questioned what something can possess an
4 objective property that makes it beautiful. He concluded that although
5 everyone accepts that beauty exists, no one has ever agreed on the
6 precise criteria by which beauty may be judging.
7 The ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote of a scale called the 'golden
8 proportion', according to which the width of the face should be two-third
9 of its length, preferable accompanied by a nose no longer than the
10 distance between the eyes.
11 Symmetry has been proving to be attractive to the human eye, so a face
12 may seem beautiful because of the similarity between its two sides.
13 Babies spend more time look at symmetrical faces than asymmetrical
14 ones and symmetry is also rated as more attractively by adults looking at
15 photos. So although there seems to be no universal agreement and even
16 national consensus on what constitutes beauty, there is at least some
17 agreement that facial symmetry is important factor.
Rewrite the sentences with the given words or beginning in such way that their meanings remain
unchanged.(20pts)
1. Living environment enormously affects our personality development. EFFECT
→……………………………………………………………………………………….
2. He was unable to solve the problem alone. BE
→……………………………………………………………………………………….
3. When I grow up, I’m going to be really important. CAT
→……………………………………………………………………………………….
4. He usually invents ridiculous stories like that. MAKES
→……………………………………………………………………………………….
5. The first sign of the disease is blurred vision. ONSET
→……………………………………………………………………………………….
6. My friend persuaded me to go to the party in fancy dress.
→ My friend talked…………………………………………………………………….
7. I don't understand one word of this document.
→ I can't make head……………………………………………………………………
8. It was wrong of you to allow a 4-year-old child to walk home alone.
→ You should …………………………………………………………………………
9. The best solution was thought of by Sally.
→ Sally came………………………………………………………………………….
10. Alice and Charles did not decide to move to a bigger house until after the birth of their second child.
→ Only when………………………………………………………………………….
TRƯỜNG CHUYÊN LÊ QUÝ ĐÔN - BÀ RỊA - VŨNG TÀU
I. PHONOLOGY
Pick out the word who underlined part is differently pronounced from that of the others
1. A. prone B. cone C. tone D. done
2. A. banality B. herbarium C. jacaranda D. karaoke
3. A. bristle B. crystal C. Christmas D. hustle
4. A. hegemony B. hematoma C. hereafter D. hepatic
5. A. ugali B. umpire C. ulcer D. umber
Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others
6. A. headcheese B. dachshund C. earache D. backdate
7. A. inveigle B. histogram C. fiasco D. narcosis
8. A. hiccup B. laager C. abbess D. converge
9. A. islander B. macabre C. baccarat D. quackery
10. A. abandonment B. ufology C. valerian D.
incidental
II. WORD CHOICE
1. When asked about his own party’s transport policy, the candidate ............. a sideswipe at his opponent
by mentioning the recent rail strikes.
A. made B. did C. took D. gave
2. I wish he wouldn’t make such unkind and ............. remarks.
A. lapse B. disparaging C. inconsolable D. rough
3. I hope you didn’t ........... exception to my comments.
A. find B. make C. take D. put
4. It was..................... luck that the answer suddenly came to me in the middle of the exam.
A. pure B. clean C. dirt D. fresh
5. As winter ends, I always seem to feel a ............. of energy.
A. charge B. spring C. revival D. burst
6. Agreeing to do a bit of overtime could ............. to your advantage.
A. make B. do C. create D. work
7 ............., I think your comments are very short-sighted.
A. In retrospect B. With all due respect C. In earning D. With
regard
8. To prevent those animals with populations that are dying out, some of them are being................ by
humans.
A. multiplied B. produced C. replicated D. bred
9. Bamboo shoots are the pandas ................ diet for without them, it would be difficult for them to
survive.
A. staple B. popular C. trivial D. traditional
10. Despite strong opposition, the ruling party ................ the day.
A. won B. defeated C. beat D. eliminated
III. STRUCTURES AND GRAMMAR
1. I can’t help ................what I should do next.
A. but to wonder B. except wonder C. but wonder D. apart
wondering
2. Scientists use the term climate change ................for two or more decades because it is more accurate
than the term global warming.
A. to refer to major changes in weather lasting
B. referring to major changes in weather to last
C. refer to major weather changes last
D. and refer to major changes in weather and last
3. I have............... finished the task.
A. prettily nearly B. nearly very C. very almost D. pretty nearly
4. There is ................ giant tortoise in ................ Galapagos Islands nicknamed ...................Lonesome
George, who has never found ................ mate.
A. a / the / - / a B. the / the / - / a C. a /- /- /mate D. a /- / a /
a
5................real work was done in the office while the boss was away.
A. Not a B. Not only C. No D. None
6. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen..................... of you is first in line?
A. Which B. Whose C. Who D. Whom
7. We should leave................. 8.30.
A. any later than B. much later than C. no later than D. not later
than
8................from space, the earth is blue.
A. Though it is seen B. While being seen C. Seen D. to be seen
9. Many people regard................the police have started carrying guns.
A. as a really bad idea when B. it a really bad idea if
C. it as a really bad idea that D. it to be a really bad idea for
10. She still has nightmares from ................in a small dark cupboard for hours.
A. locking up B. having to be locked up
C. having been locked up D. having locked up
1 . I've been revising all day but I don't think much of it has ..................in.
A. come B. gotten C. dived D. sunk
2. Insurance companies had to ..................£10 million in storm damage claims.
A. cough up B. put out C. give away D. squeeze up
3. I don’t like jewellery that jumps.................. you.
A. up to B. out at C . over on D. at on
4. Mrs. Watts will tick you .................. if you’re late again.
A. up B. at C. on D. off
5. They might get married - it’s not...................the bounds of possibility.
A. over B. far C. beyond D. without
6. The word ‘chaos’ has..................a special scientific meaning.
A. included in B. taken on C. held of D. gasped up
7. Young men were tutored.................... the art of handling horses.
A. in B. on C. into D. within
8. He admitted that, ...................the benefit of hindsight, the original launch had not been large enough.
A. in B. with C. from D. to
9. The house is sadly ...................want of repair.
A. on B. at C. in D. under
10. The engine keeps ..................... out.
A. cutting B. putting C. crying D. making
V. READING COMPREHENSION
READING 1
BIRD LIFE AND BEHAVIOR
The study of bird behavior will never be complete, as there are as many aspects to this subject as
there are species of birds. Certain activities are common to all bird species, but there are also an amazing
variety of behaviors to be observed. These differences are due to the type of food they live on, their size,
the predators they have to face, and the terrain in which they live.
In their natural habitats, birds mate and reproduce during the warmer months of the year, building
their nests and usually caring for their eggs and young until they can fly and fend for themselves. ■ (A)
The location and construction of the nests depend on the habitat and size of the bird. Looking at North
American
garden birds for example, the smaller songbirds such as finches, tits, and sparrows will build nests of
grasses and leaves lined with hair or feathers safely hidden inside a hedge. ■ (B) Robins, however, are
bold enough to nest inside buckets or garden sheds, and house martins will carefully build nests of mud
right under the eaves of houses, while birds such as magpies make nests of twigs high in the trees. ■ (C)
Some birds only breed once a year to coincide with the availability of the best food for the chicks. ■ (D)
Some birds take care of their feathers and replace them completely once a year. During this late
summer molt, they hide away until the feathers grow again, as they are vulnerable to predators when
unable to fly properly. In contrast, aerial species such as swifts and swallows, which never land except
when
nesting, replace their feathers one at a time, so-their flight capability is not affected. When cleaning
their feathers, small birds like sparrows often prefer to bathe in dust, while the larger thrushes and
starlings will happily splash about in a shallow stream.
Many birds spend their lives in one area, returning to breed in a familiar hedge or garden, especially
when there is a guaranteed food supply. Migratory birds such as swallows, however, will gather late in
the year and fly south together to spend the winter in warmer climates where their preferred food, flying
insects, can still be found.
The most variety among birds can be observed by their unique songs. Birds often have different
calls for different reasons and m any can imitate other sounds such as mobile phones or car alarms. The
melodious song of a blackbird or thrush at dusk is mainly territorial, to warn other birds to keep away
from its area. Small birds use warning chirps to inform their fellow birds of danger such as a cat or a
predatory bird. Song is also used by males to impress female birds as part of a courtship routine. Baby
birds call incessantly to demand food from their parents. Gathering flocks of migratory birds will create a
wall of sound to attract others of their kind, while waterfowl call out to each other in the dark as they fly
home to roost.
The food preferred by different birds depends on the size and shape of their bodies. The smaller
birds eat fallen seeds from grasses and other plants which they can peck from the ground. Finches in
particular have beaks adapted to strip the outer husk from the seeds. Aerial species feed exclusively on
flying insects,
while larger species will eat insects, worms, and fruit. The group of birds which includes crows, ravens
and magpies will feed off dead animals, while some predatory birds seek out live ones. Most birds,
however, will adapt their eating habits to take food from bird feeders, and in the colder months, the
different species combine their efforts and search for food together in mixed flocks.
The diversity of bird behavior, wherever it is observed, makes a fascinating subject for research and
will continue to do so, as the birds constantly adapt their lifestyles to suit their changing environment.
The basic needs of food, shelter, and sun/ival of their species can be met in many ways, which shows
birds are
highly capable of learning from their experiences.
1. The study of birds is broad due to ..........................
A. the various behaviors of different bird species
B. the fact that researchers focus too much on they type of food birds eat
C. a lack of experts
D. the fact that there are not enough facilities
2. In paragraph 2, what does the author say about the mating habits of birds?
A. They never mate within their species.
B. They only mate once per decade.
C. They mate during the warmer months of the year.
D. They mate during the colder months of the year
3. The word habitats in the passage is closest in meaning to .....................
A. surroundings B. lives C. nests D. months
4. The word their in the passage refers to
A. environments B. predators C. offspring D. birds
5. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Other species, like blackbirds, will produce two or more clutches of eggs because their food supply
is available for a longer period.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. (A) B. (B ) C.(C ) D. (D)
6. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the italic sentence in the passage?
Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Some birds molt, while certain species of birds replace their feathers in small amounts, allowing
them to fly year round.
B. Certain species of birds change their feathers all at once which allows them to fly year round.
C. Moulting is something birds do in order to be able to fly year round.
D. Certain species of birds nest in treetops to avoid predators while moulting.
7. According to the passage, all of the following are mentioned about birdsongs EXCEPT …………
A. They can imitate mobile phone rings.
B. They can be territorial in nature.
C. They can be part of a courtship routine.
D. They can attract certain food sources.
8. In paragraph 6, the author explains eating habits by ..................
A. describing the predatory habits of most birds.
B. naming the insects indigenous to each bird’s environment.
C. discussing differences in their body size and shape.
D. talking about weather patterns during each season.
9. The word exclusively in the passage is closest ir meaning to .....................
A. intensely B. solely C. partially D. especially
10. Which of the following can be inferred about the study of bird behavior?
A. All species of birds exhibit the same behavior when feeding, nesting, and mating.
B. The total number of birds in North America caA be calculated to a very accurate degree.
C. There is still more to learn and understand about bird life and behavior.
D. All birds are predatory and prefer a carnivorous diet.
READING 2
THE SEARCH FOR EARTH-LIKE PLANETS
Astronomers have discovered more than 400 exoplanets, or, planets outside our solar system. Some
of these planets have Earth-like qualities. However, many of these exoplanets are as large as Jupiter, and
it is unlikely that they are habitable. A planet in the “habitable zone” means the planet is located at a
distance from its sun suitable enough to allow for the existence of water on its surface. This is called the
“Goldilocks position,” meaning the planet is neither too hot, nor too cold.
In order to find planets that are light years from our own solar system, astronomers use two types of
telescope, each with sensitive instruments that employ special techniques, to aid in the acquisition of
data: ground-based and orbiting telescopes. In 2007, a team of Swiss scientists discovered the first
Earthlike planet outside of our solar system, Gliese 5SI, estimated to be approximately 50 percent bigger
than Earth. Located about 20.5 light years from our world, Gliese 581 orbits a red dwarf star. To identify
this new planet, the astronomy team used a spectroscopic instrument known as HARPS, which is linked
to a 3.6-meter telescope at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla, Chile. Spectroscopic
instruments use a Doppler, or “wobble” technique, to identify radial velocity-how fast a star moves
toward or away from the point of observation. By analyzing the wavelength of light emitted from a star,
the instrument is therefore able to calibrate the mass of a planet in the star’s orbit. With the wobble
technique, astronomers are only able to perceive a planet that is less than 160 light years from Earth.
Employing this technique can be slow,
because astronomers must wait for the planet to make one complete orbit of its sun in order to confirm
their data.
Though earth-bound telescopic systems like HARPS at La Silla play a prominent role in space
exploration, orbiting telescopes, like the Hubble Space Telescope and the Kepler Orbiting Telescope, can
provide astrophysicists with different data. Circling 380 miles above the Earth, the Hubble Space
Telescope
(HST) is about the size of a yellow school bus. Soon after its launch in 1990, astronomers were shocked
to find that images sent back by the Hubble were slightly blurry due to a defective mirror. To remedy
this problem, NASA created a special lens for the Hubble, similar to the way eyeglasses correct human
eyesight. In a special mission, a team of astronauts serviced the Hubble by mounting this corrective lens.
They also added several other specialized instruments, including an infrared camera and a spectrograph,
which is used to analyze light. Among the Hubble’s discoveries are new planets, newly born stars,
various nebulae, and even collisions of asteroid s on the planet Jupiter. In joint observation with several
ground-based telescopes, the Hubble found several exoplanets that exist in a habitable zone from their
stars. It is also credited with the discovery of a molecule of methane gas in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-
sized exoplanet, supporting the theory of life forms in space.
In 2009, NASA launched the Kepler Orbiting Telescope. Its primary task is to focus on or, “stare
at” the stars. Instead of orbiting the Earth like the Hubble, it “trails” the Earth, meaning it travels behind
the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The Kepler’s mission is to observe about 150,000 stars and determine if
these stars contain planetary systems, most particularly, habitable planets. Unlike the La Silla and Hubble
telescopes, the Kepler Orbiting Telescope uses a photometric instrument to measure light emanating from
a star. When a planet passes in front of a star (similar to an observation of Mercury or Venus crossing in
front of the Sun), the Kepler telescope analyzes a change in the intensity of light emitted by that star. This
process allows astronomers to evaluate and examine the data further to determine if one or more planets
may orbit the star.
The Kepler Orbiting Telescope accomplished its primary objective in 2010: to find Earth-like
planets. It discovered seven planets - some almost as large as Jupiter - beyond our solar system. While
many astrophysicists and astrobiologists have argued the unlikelihood of life forms on other planets, the
data
from the Kepler Orbiting Telescope suggests the contrary.
Glossary
Goldilocks: the female character in a fairy tale who tested the food, chairs, and beds of three bears, in
order to find the one that was “just right”
red dwarf: a star with low surface temperature, mass, and size
nebulae : clouds of dust that exist in outer space
asteroids: small or minor planets resembling stars
1. According to paragraph 1, what is true about ‘exoplanets’?
A. Most of them are considerably smaller than the planet Jupiter.
B. Those that are as large as Jupiter probably cannot sustain life.
C. They are found within our solar system.
D. They are larger than the Earth.
2. In paragraph 1, why does the author use the phrase “the Goldilocks position”?
A. to support the concept of Earth-like exoplanets
B. to demonstrate the unlikelihood of a planet being Earth-like
C. to illustrate the differences between a habitable and uninhabitable planet
D. to explain the conditions needed for a planet to be considered habitable
3. In paragraph 2, all of the following are true about Gliese 581 EXCEPT
A. it is half the size larger than Earth. B. it is probably in a habitable zone.
C. it is in our solar system. D. it has its own sun.
4. In paragraph 2, which of the following best expresses the essential information in the underlined
sentence? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning or leave out essential information.
A. Wobble techniques are used to demonstrate the use of a spectroscope.
B. Using the wobble technique, spectroscopic instruments can determine a star’s speed.
C. A star can move very fast away from the Earth, therefore it is necessary to use a wobble
technique.
D. In radial velocity, a star can move so quickly that it wobbles, which can be seen by using a
telescope.
5. The word blurry in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ...........
A. clear. B. cloudy C. stormy D. indistinct.
6. According to paragraph 3, what problem did the Hubble Space Telescope have?
A. Its mirror was flawed. B. NASA damaged its mirror.
C. A lens on its camera was broken. D. It did not have an infrared camera.
7. The word It in paragraph 3 refers to ……………
A. observation. B. the Hubble space Telescope.
C. a molecule. D. a habitable zone.
8. Why does the author mention the molecule of methane in paragraph 3?
A. to support his statement about habitable planets
B. to give evidence of one of the Hubble Space Telescope’s uses
C. to give the Hubble credit for the discovery of a new gas
D. to illustrate the possibility for the existence of other life forms in the universe
9. According to paragraph 4, what can be inferred about the Kepler’s main purpose?
A. to search for new planets
B. to focus on threatening asteroids
C. to trail closely behind the Earth’s orbit
D. to determine if star systems contain potentially habitable planets
10. The author of the passage suggests that
A. the Kepler Orbiting Telescope did not meet its goals.
B. the Kepler’s data proves that life beyond our solar system is unlikely,
C. most scientists doubt the usefulness of the Kepler Orbiting Telescope.
D. the discovery of Earth-like planets does not mean they are habitable.
VI. GUIDED CLOZE TEST
CLOZE TEST 1
DISNEYLAND PARIS
The Disneyland resort opened its doors in 1992, (1)............. the second park Walt Disney Studios
Park opening much later than planned in 2002. The resort is (2 )................ by Euro Disney SCA, which
includes stockholders like The Walt Disney Company, Saudi Prince Alwaleed and people like us. So how
did Disneyland end up by Paris. Well by 1985 the choices that Disney had made for its European
Disneyland was (3) ............. down to just 4 locations, 2 in Spain and 2 in France. (4) ............ the climate
that Spain offered would be more (5) ............ to guests, the general feeling was that it didn't have the
central
location that France would offer. The two locations in France were one in the (6) .......... by Paris and a
southern location. The southern location near Marseille was (7)............due to thick layers of bedrock that
were found when initial pilot (8) ......................was done, which is a shame (9) ......................the weather
was better south than the Paris site. But the Paris location offers excellent road and rail (10).............. with
Paris as well as other major capitals in Europe.
1. A. with B. and C. on D. at
2. A. performed B. functioned C. acted D. operated
3. A. decreased B. reduced C. diminished D. contracted
4. A. Besides B. Whilst C. However D. Because
5. A. appearing B. appealing C. appalling D. appellating
6. A. midway B. middle C. midfield D. midpoint
6. A. staved off B. made out C. ruled out D. warded off
8. A. grinding B. spinning C. twisting D. drilling
9. A. if B. however C. in case D. as
10. A. links B. joints C. parts D. ties
CLOZE TEST 2
KETCHUP
The etymological origin of the word ketchup is a (1) ..............of confusion. For almost two
centuries speculation has raged (2) ..............the origin of the word and what it signifies. A pseudonymous
British author, Lancelot Sturgeon, maintained that the legendary Frenchman Vatel was its real inventor in
the late
seventeenth century. (3) ............. , Sturgeon cited no (4) .............. for his statement. Vatel did not publish
a cookbook, and no others have connected him with ketchup; nor does the term appear in early French
cookery books.
French food books (5) ..............the British accountable (6 )............... ketchup, which they identify
as a “Condiment of English origin, widely used in both England and the U.S.A.” The (7)............. writer
on food and cookery Elizabeth David suggests in her Spice, Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen
that the
word (8) .............. from caveach, a form of spiced-vinegar pickle in which cooked fish was (9) ................
She announced that the word in different forms manifested itself (10) ........... . European cookery and
even turned up in Mexico and Japan.
1. A. interest B. object C. consequence D. matter
2. A. supposing B. regarding C. judging D. respecting
3. A. Despite B. Unfortunately C. Although D. Thus
4. A. support B. comfort C. allowance D. assistance
5. A. keep B. carry C. hold D. take
6. A. into B. to C. on D. for
7. A. imminent B. eminent C. eminence D. immense
8. A. arrived B. emerged C. derived D. resulted
9. A. preserved B. conserved C. kept D. restored
10. A. on B. over C. across D. throughout
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST
CLOZE TEST 1
Dunking yourself in cool water is a remedy so old that Hippocrates recommended it, and Charles
Darwin famously 1. ................... a regime of being “scrubbed with a rough towel in cold water for two or
three minutes” to improve his ailing health. For present-2. ............... scientists, the fascination with the
power of cold continues, with 3.................... from a blast of icy water during a morning shower to
walking topless in winter 4................... studied as a possible quick-and-simple path to a healthier life.
A new report from the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands has linked global
warming with a 5 ...................in type 2 diabetes, and numerous studies in the past few years have
6............... credence to the idea that artificial heat may be a contributing factor to obesity, 7.................... it
has caused
our metabolisms to slow down. The theory goes that 8.................... the two types of fat in the body (white
and brown) brown fat burns calories, and there’s evidence to 9................... that when you’re cold, brown
fat is either produced, or activated. In our world of central heating and controlled environments, we
simply aren’t cold often 10.................... So which of all the practical cooling tips may actually improve
our health?
CLOZE TEST 2
The 3rd December was a turning 1. .................... for Virgin Galactic’s plans for space tourism.
Lifting 2................... from California’s Mojave Air and Space Port, Space Ship Two - dubbed VSS Unity
- and its carrier craft, the White Knight Two, flew for 3...................... total of one hour and 20 minutes.
Flights
using the White Knight Two carrier craft had been undertaken before, 4..........................this was the first
where the VSS Unity flew for a period under its own control. The journey 5 ….............. ten minutes of
free flight, where the space plane detached from the carrier and was piloted safely back to Earth.
The success is great news for Virgin Galactic, who had seen their plans delayed
6.........................the VSS Unity’s predecessor, VSS Enterprise, crashed in October 2014, tragically
7...................... the copilot. The test is scheduled to be the first of many, and will eventually
8.........................to ascents where the
VSS Unity will climb even higher than the carrier craft.
When these tests are completed, and the first commercial flights begin, the journey will become a
unique public 9........................ Passengers will soar higher than any current commercial aircraft,
experiencing several minutes of 10....................... in microgravity.
II. WORD FORM
1. Nowadays more and more people are choosing to buy (adult) .....................organic food, which has
been grown without pesticides and chemicals.
2. Luckily, this therapy has reduced significantly the incidence of certain (form)….................. in infants.
3. What our company is in urgent need now is (vision) ..........................to see opportunities.
4. Robert is more (book) ........................and intellectual than many of his fellow students.
5. Mr. Brown said the planned charges were the last straw for customers already angry over
banks' ...................... attitude. (hand)
6. His novel has been (picture)..........................many times.
7. Ash and (grade )....................waste must be added regularly to achieve the right carbon nitrogen ratio.
8. Tony Carpenter, a (diet) ...................., says it's vital they drink as much fluid as they can get.
9. When one of the plane's engines went out, I thought I was a (go) ....................
10. The airfield was bathed in the ghostly glow of (search ).................
WORD FORM
fail distinct delight claim tote
vary intricate decent setting create
If you didn’t know Colin Dexter was an internationally 1....................bestselling author whose
award-winning novels had spawned three successful TV series, you’d never have guessed. A short,
unassuming man in blazer and flannels, 2......................... an old leather briefcase and living in an
3......................
semi on a main road on the outskirts of Oxford, he was 4........................ humble about his achievements.
He never had a literary agent because he remained convinced of the fundamental 5.......................... of
people, despite the villainy and venality his books contained.
I bought his debut novel, Last Bus to Woodstock, in a second-hand shop in Plymouth in 1976,
because it was 6.....................in Oxford and I was homesick for the city where I’d just spent three very
happy years. What I found was a novel as 7................... plotted as anything from the golden age of crime
writing, but which was set very firmly in the here and now, in a vivid Oxford I recognized.
Fifteen years, eight novels and a lot of admiration later, I got to know the man behind Morse and I
was 8.......................... to find Colin was not only as clever as his 9...........................but also much more
mischievous and generous. He loved the comp any of his fellow writers but he also genuinely enjoyed
meeting his readers. He was never too grand to stop and talk to fans, and in spite of his deafness and
10.........................eyesight, he had an astonishing ability to remember where he’d met people previously.
III. MISTAKE CORRECTION
There are 10 mistakes in the following passage. Identify the mistakes and correct them
Scientists from Bristol University in the UK say they have found a way to mass produce blood that
would be suitable for patients who need it in the hospitals. For a number of years, they could have been
able to produce red blood cells in a laboratory. However, the process to do that was very slow and they
could not
produce a lot of blood. The new technique means scientists can make an "unlimited supply" of blood.
Researcher Dr Jan Frayne said: "Previous approaches to produce red blood cells have relied on various
sources of stem cells and can only presently produce very limited quantities." She added: "We have
demonstrated a feasible way to sustainable manufacture red cells for clinical use."
Professor David Anstee, another of the researchers, told the BBC that his team has found a way to
mass produce blood, but they now need the technology actually do this on a large scale. He said: "There
is a bioengineering challenge. To produce that much blood is quite a challenge....The next phrase of our
work is to look at methods of producing more." He told reporters that to begin with, they would produce
only rare types of blood, as these can be difficult to find with traditional blood donation resources. He
said: "The first therapy use of a cultured red cell product is prone to be for patients with rare blood
groups, because suitable conventional red blood cell donations can be difficult to source."
1. If there’s no reason not to, I’ll vote for Jeremy.
All ………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. They were so worried that they didn’t know how they would manage the task in time. (end)
They ......................................................., wondering how they would manage the task in time.
3. I didn’t want to give up while some hope of success remained. (defeat)
I was lo at h................................................ ....................some hope of success.
4. It is unwise to draw conclusions too quickly about people’s motives. (jump)
It is unwise ………………………………………………………………………………
5. Surprisingly, a large number of people believe left-handed people are more intelligent. (widespread)
Surprisingly,……………………………………………………………………………..
6. It is better to give vent to your feelings. (bottle)
It is better………………………………………………………………………………..
7. It will be extremely difficult to get your work finished by the deadline. (uphill)
It will be …………………………………………………………………………………
8. The appeal of Shakespeare’s plays has certainly lasted through centuries. (test)
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
9. It would be sensible of you to do what he advises. (follow)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
10. If you want my opinion, he’s useless. (worth)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ QUÝ ĐÔN - BÌNH ĐỊNH
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40PTS
I. PHONOLOGY (5pts)
A. Pick out the word whose bold part is pronounced differently from that of the other words.
1. A. protease B. unleavened C. unleaded D. leathery
2. A. unctuous B. ceilidh C. velcro D. violoncello
3. A. sultanate B. sulphate C. abattoir D. affable
4. A. flummox B. noxious C. foxtrot D. coxcomb
5. A. tousled B. joust C. poultice D. souse
B. Pick out the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other words.
1. A. verisimilitude B. parathyroid
C. heliocentric D. phantasmagorical
2. A. interrogator B. inflammatory C. refrigerator D. retrogressive
3. A. abscond B. committee C. facecloth D. world-class
4. A. epistolary B. cosignatory C. diaeresis D. epiglottis
5. A. juxtapose B. penetralia C. salmonalla D. potentiator
II. VOCA BULARY (5pts)
Choose the word which best completes each sentence:
1. When she saw me nearly dropped the priceless vase, she………….in horror.
A. grasped B. grunted C. grumbled D. gasped
2. The little girls were………….brightly colored hoops around their waists.
A. twirling B. curling C. swirling D. hurling
3. Everyone was………….with him after he missed the penalty in the last five minutes of the match.
A. comforting B. feeling C. commiserating D. feeling sorry
4. She is always………….clichés like “money doesn’t grow on trees” and so on.
A. giving out B. putting out C. butting out D. trotting out
5. He calls her “ Funny Face”, but she says it is a(n)………….of endearment.
A. terms B. expression C. phrase D. term
6. He had a momentary…………..of concentration and before he knew it the car had spun out of control.
A. lapse B. mistake C. slip D. error
7. I wonder what…………..of wisdom good old Professor Maxwell will cast before us in this morning’s
lecture.
A. pearls B. gems C. jewels D. stones
8. It is all very …………..saying you are going to train harder but you’ve got to actually do it.
A. good B. fine C. well D. sensible
9. They didn’t play …………..well in the first round and were lucky to get through.
A. quite B. terribly C. rather D. really
10. A large group of teenagers were…………..around the entrance to the discotheque.
A. mulling B. muddling C. mauling D. milling
III. STRUCTURES & GRAMMAR (5pts)
1. I certainly feel a lot……………since I started going swimming every day.
A. more fit B. fit C. fitter D. fittest
2. The waiter hovered………….all the time they were eating their meal.
A. intimately B. patiently C. drastically D. attentively
3. The original design was …………. by a team of architect working in close consultation with the
gallery director.
A. originated B. initiated C. started D. conceived
4. The cake that I kept………….after finishing the homework disappeared without a trace.
A. to eat B. eating C. having eaten D. to have
eaten
5. The group has yet………….a replacement for the director who left in September.
A. find B. to find C. found D. finding
6. There was the most fantastic …………. during the opening ceremony.
A. display of fireworks B. firework display
C. firework’s display D. displayed firework
7. Can you tell me the year………….Australia introduced decimal currency?
A. in which B. when C. that D. which
8. My favorite kind of yogurt is made from…………..
A. milk of the sheep B. milk of sheep C. sheep milk D. sheep’s
milk
9. I suppose it might be the seven-year………….but sometimes I wish I hadn’t married Carlos.
A. scratch B. itch C. bite D. sting
10. They had a bit of a difference of………….and they don’t really see much of each other anymore.
A. view B. opinion C. idea D. perspective
1. He…………….a great job straight after university because his father is a big fish in city politics.
A. came into B. got through C. walked into D. ran up
2. They…………….the same old excuses last time this happened.
A. made out B. wheeled out C. blotted out D. cut out
3. The police have…………….on the man they believe to be responsible for the murder.
A. zoomed in B. focused in C. kept in D. zeroed in
4. When she accused him of stealing her Rolex, he …………….that he hadn't done it.
A. swore off B. swore out C. swore by D. swore down
5. They kept saying they were interested, but they were just…………….
A. stringing me along B. laying me around
C. catching me out D. taking me on
6. The truth finally…………….about her death when it was broadcast on TV.
A. found out B. hovered out C. sank in D. showed out
7. It has been so successful that they have ……………. for another fortnight.
A. held it over B. held it off C. blown it over D. carried it
off
8. They…………….the print button to stop people using it because expenses for paper have gone up
recently.
A. hid up B. hid off C. greyed out D. greyed off
9. After my symptoms disappeared, the doctor ……………. the medication.
A. tapered me off B. cut me off C. set me back D. held me out
10. When he's depressed, he needs someone like a good friend to ……………..
A. hammer on B. pour out C. dump on D. drum out
V. READING COMPREHENSIONS. (10 pts)
Another early Native American tribe in what is now the southwestern part of the United States was
the Anasazi. By A. D. 800 the Anasazi Indians were constructing multi-story pueblos-massive, stone
apartment compounds. Each one was virtually a stone town, which is why the Spanish would later call
them
pueblos, the Spanish word for towns. These pueblos represent one of the
Anasazis' supreme achievements. At least a dozen large stone houses took shape below the bluffs of
Chicago Canyon in northwest New Mexico. They were built with masonry walls more than a meter thick
and adjoining apartments to
accommodate dozens, even hundreds, of families. The largest, later named Pueblo Bonito (Pretty Town)
by the Spanish, rose in five terraced stories, contained more than 800 rooms, and could have housed a
population of 1,000 or more. Besides living quarters, each pueblo included one or more kivas-circular
underground chambers faced with stone. They functioned as sanctuaries where the elders met to plan
festivals, perform ritual dances, settle pueblo affairs, and impart tribal lore to the younger generation.
Some kivas were enormous. Of the 30 or so at pueblo Bonito, two measured 20 meters across. They
contained
niches for ceremonial objects, a central fire pit, and holes in the floor for communicating with the spirits
of tribal ancestors.
Each pueblo represented an astonishing amount of well-organized labor. Using only stone and
wood tools, and without benefit of wheels or draft animals, the builders quarried ton upon ton of
sandstone from the canyon walls, cut it into small blocks, hauled the blocks to the construction site, and
fitted them together
with mud mortar. Roof beams of pine or fir had to be carried from logging areas in the mountain forests
many kilometers away. Then, to connect the pueblos and to give access to the surrounding tableland, the
architects laid out a system of public roads with stone staircases for ascending cliff faces. In time, the
roads
reached out to more than 80 satellite villages within a 60-kilometer radius.
1. The paragraph preceding the passage most likely describes........
A. how pueblos were built B. another Native American tribe
C. Anasazi crafts and weapons D. Pueblo village in New Mexico
A. The Anasazi pueblos B. Anasazi festivals of New Mexico
C. The organization of the Anasazi tribe D. The use of Anasazi sanctuaries
3. The word "supreme" in line 4 is closest in meaning to
A. most common B. most outstanding
C. most expensive D. most convenient
4. The word "They" in line 5 refers to
A. houses B. bluffs C. walls D. families
5. The author mentions that Pueblos bonito had more than 800 rooms as an example of which of the
following?
A. How overcrowded the pueblos could be
B. How many ceremonial areas it contained
C. How much sandstone was needed to build it
D. How big a pueblo could be
6. The word "settle" in line 9 is closest in meaning to ...............
A. sink B. decide C. clarify D. locate
7. It can be inferred from the passage that building a pueblo probably................
A. required many workers B. cost a lot of money
C. involved the use of farm animals D. relied on sophisticated technology
8. The word "ascending" in line 17 is closest in meaning to
A. arriving at B. carving C. connecting D. climbing
9. It can be inferred from the passage that in addition to pueblos the Anasazis were skilled at building
which of following?
A. Roads B. Barns C. Monuments D. Water
systems
10. The pueblos are considered one of the Anasazis' supreme achievements for all of the following
reasons EXCEPT that they were ...............
A. very large B. located in forests
C. built with simple tools D. connected in a systematic way
What geologists call the Basin and Range Province in the United States roughly coincides in its
northern portions with the geographic province known as the Great Basin. The Great Basin is hemmed in
on the west by the Sierra Nevada and on the east by the Rocky Mountains; it has no outlet to the sea. The
prevailing winds in the Great Basin are from the west. Warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean is forced
upward as it crosses the Sierra Nevada. At the higher altitudes it cools and the moisture it carriers is
precipitated as rain or snow on the western slopes of the mountains. That which reaches the Basin is air
wrung dry of moisture. What little water falls there as rain or snow, mostly in the winter months,
evaporates on the broad, flat desert floors. It is, therefore, an environ men t in which organisms battle for
survival. Along the rare watercourses, cottonwoods and willows eke out a sparse existence. In the upland
ranges, pinon pines and junipers struggle to hold their own.
But the Great Basin has not always been so arid. Many of its dry, closed depressions were once
filled with water. Owens Valley, Panamint Valley, and Death Valley were once a string of interconnected
lakes. The two largest of the ancient lakes of the Great Basin were Lake Lahontan and Lake Bonneville.
The
Great Salt Lake is all that remains of the latter, and Pyramid Lake is one of the last briny remnants of the
former.
There seem to have been several periods within the last tens of thousands of years when water
accumulated in these basins. The rise and fall of the lakes were undoubtedly linked to the advances and
retreats of the great ice sheets that covered much of the northern part of the North American continent
during those times. Climatic changes during the Ice ages sometimes brought cooler, wetter weather to
mid-latitude deserts worldwide, including those of the Great Basin. The broken valleys of the Great Basin
provided ready receptacles for this moisture.
1. What is the geographical relationship between the Basin and Range Province and the Great Basin?
A. The Great Basin is west of the Basin and Range Province.
B. The Great Basin is larger than the Basin and Range Province.
C. The Great Basin is in the northern part of the Basin and Range Province.
D. The Great Basin is mountainous; the Basin and Range Province is flat desert.
2. According to the passage, what does the great Basin lack?
A. Snow B. Dry air
C. Winds from the west D. Access to the ocean
3. The word "prevailing" in line 3 is closest in meaning to ...................
A. most frequent B. occasional C. gentle D. most
dangerous
4. It can be inferred that the climate in the Great Basin is dry because.................
A. the weather patterns are so turbulent
B. the altitude prevents precipitation
C. the winds are not strong enough to carry moisture
D. precipitation falls in the nearby mountains
5. The word "it" in line 4 refers to
A. Pacific Ocean B. air C. west D. the Great
Basin
6. Why does the author mention cottonwoods and willows in line 8?
A. To demonstrate that certain trees require a lot of water
B. To give examples of trees that are able to survive in a difficult environment
C. To show the beauty of the landscape of the Great Basin
D. To assert that there are more living organisms in the Great Basin than there used to be
7. Why does the author mention Owens Valley, Panamint Valley, and Death Valley in the second
paragraph?
A. To explain their geographical formation
B. To give examples of depressions that once contained water
C. To compare the characteristics of the valleys with the characteristics of the lakes
D. To explain what the Great Basin is like today
8. The words "the former" in line 14 refer to
A. Lake Bonneville B. Lake Lahontan
C. The Great Salt Lake D. Pyramid Lake
9. The word "accumulated" in line 19 is closest in meaning to
A. dried B. flooded C. collected D. evaporated
10. According to the passage, the Ice Ages often brought about
A. desert formation B. warmer climates
C. broken valleys D. wetter weather
PASSAGE 1: Read the following passage an d decide which option A, B, C or D best fits each
space. (5 pts)
SPANISH WILDLIFE
Spanish animal life, as throughout Europe, has been (l) ...................to the devastating changes
instituted by man. Many species have disappeared because of over-hunting and loss of habitat, while
others (2 )................ to survival in (3)............... small numbers. Spain, with more natural spaces than
anywhere else in Western Europe, is often the last (4)...............for species such as the brown bear and
pardel lynx. Ironically, (5)........... demographics and infrastructure have proven disastrous for some
Spain's species, while beneficial for others. The Iberian lynx, which once ranged as far as the north coast
of the Mediterranean, is now down ( 6)................an estimated three breeding pairs in the southern
mountains
of Spain. (7)................the brown bear, known for its laziness in reproducing, has dwindled to fewer than
100, the result of lost habitats. On the (8).............., there has been a steady migration of people from the
country to the cities of Spain over the last 30 years. As the countryside has been left devoid (9)..............
people, vegetation in areas previously (10)................ to agriculture has returned and such prey species as
Iberian wolves, roe der and wild boar have increased significantly.
1. A. bent B. partial C. tenable D. prone
2. A. cling B. clutch C. embrace D. grip
3. A. preciously B. precautionary C. prominently D.
precariously
4. A. castle B. fortification C. bastion D. manor
5. A. shifting B. on-going C. prospering D. affected
6. A. with B. to C. under D. on
7. A. Alternatively B. Likewise C. Otherwise D. Meanwhile
8. A. contrary B. run C. point D. flipside
9. A. of B. from C. to D. off
10. A. saved B. set C. devoted D. adjusted
PASSAGE 2: Read the following passage and decide which option A, B, C or D best fits each space.
(5 pts)
SOUND ADVICE FOR LANGUAGE LEARNERS
A recent issue of a language learning magazine has consulted a number of experts in the
(1)................ of second language acquisition. Their advice may prove invaluable for those (2) ..............a
language course. One suggestion is that you (3) ..............whether you are likely to be successful at
learning a language. Did
you enjoy studying languages at school, for example? Do you have enough time to learn a language? The
major (4 )..............will be your own time and effort.
If proof of your level of proficiency is important you must make sure that the course on offer leads
to a (5) ...............qualification. Also, be realistic in your (6) ............... If you don't set achievable aims you
are more likely to give up. Do not be deceived (7) .............. thinking that the most expensive courses are
the best. (8) ..............around to get the best possible value for money. You should also bear in mind that
the quicker you learn a language the more quickly you forget it. Sandra Miller, a French teacher, tried to
teach herself German by enrolling on a (9) ................course. Already fluent in four languages and with a
sound knowledge of teaching methodology her chances of (10)…………..progress were high. Three
years on she remembers very little. She feels her biggest mistake was not to follow up her first
experience. "I should have consolidated what I'd learn by continuing to study, even if it were by myself."
1. A. domain B. branch C. field D. area
2. A. wondering B. thinking C. looking D. considering
3. A. assess B. review C. balance D. survey
4. A. change B. cost C. price D. evaluation
5. A. recognized B. understood C. valued D. regarded
6. A. sights B. ends C. objects D. goals
7. A. by B. about C. into D. in
8. A. Nose B. Push C. Run D. Shop
9. A. rapid B. crash C. quick D. fast
10. A. achieving B. doing C. gaining D. making
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST:
CLOSE TEST 1: Fill each blank with ONE word. (10 pts)
Relations between Ankara and European capitals have (1) …………….before the highly charged
vote on 16 April on expanding the powers of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Western allies have argued that a vote (2)…………….the proposed constitutional change would
invest him with unparalleled authority and (3)……………. checks and balances at a time when they fear
the Turkish leader is exhibiting worrying signs of (4)…………….. Erdogan has been enraged by recent
bans on visiting Turkish officials rallying “yes” supporters in Germany and the Netherlands.
Highlighting growing friction between Ankara and the bloc, he (5)…………….the spectre of a
public vote on EU membership at the weekend.
“We have a referendum on 16 April. After that we may hold a Brexit-like referendum on the [EU]
negotiations,” he told a Turkish-UK forum (6)…………….by the British foreign secretary, Boris
Johnson. “No matter what our nation decides we will obey it. It should be known that our patience, tested
in the face
of attitudes displayed by some European countries, has (7)…………….”
The animus - reinforced last week when the leader said he would continue labelling European
politicians “Nazis” if they continued calling him a dictator - has also animated (8) ……………. between
Greece and Turkey, and Erdogan’s comments (9)……………. hours after the Greek defence minister
said armed forces were ready to respond in the event of the country’s sovereignty and (10)
…………….integrity being threatened.
CLOSE TEST 2: Fill each blank with ONE word. (10pts)
The White House Counsel’s Office was informed this month that the Senate Intelligence
Committee, which is (l) ……………. Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, wanted to (2)
……………. Mr. Kushner about meetings he arranged with the Russian ambassador, Sergey I. Kislyak,
according
to the government officials. The meetings included a (3) …………….unreported sit-down with the head
of Russia’s state-owned development bank.
Until now, the White House had acknowledged only an early December meeting between Mr.
Kislyak and Mr. Kushner, which (4) ……………. At Trump Tower and was also attended by Michael T.
Flynn, who would briefly serve as the national security adviser.
Later that month, though, Mr. Kislyak requested a second meeting, which Mr. Kushner asked a
deputy to attend in his (5)……………., officials said. At Mr. Kislyak’s request, Mr. Kushner later met
with Sergey N. Gorkov, the chief of Vnesheconom bank, which the United States placed on its sanctions
list after President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia annexed Crimea and began meddling (6)
…………….Ukraine.
A White House spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, confirmed those meetings, saying in an interview that
nothing of consequence was discussed and that they went nowhere. Mr. Gorkov, who previously served
as deputy chairman of the board at Sberbank, Russia’s largest (7)…………….bank, could not be reached
for comment.
Members of presidential transition teams routinely meet with foreign officials, and there is nothing
inherently improper about sitting down with the Russian ambassador. Part of Mr. Kushner’s role during
the (8)…………….and the transition was to serve as a chief conduit to foreign governments and officials,
and Ms. Hicks said he met with dozens of officials from a (9)…………….range of countries. She added
that Mr. Kushner was willing to talk to Senate investigators about the meetings with Mr. Kislyak and the
banker, saying, “He isn’t trying to hide anything and wants to be (10) ……………..”
1. The light is……………., the color of insomnia and sodium glare. SICK
2. Paule Constable whispers to a technician and there is a flurry of…………….. KEY
3. Gradually, the light…………….yet somehow softens. TENSE
Orange melts into rose-gold, then russet.
4. Illuminated by the glare of her laptop, he smiles. One miracle achieved, a …………still to
go. SCRIPT
5. Even if you’re a regular……………., when it comes to the art of lighting design you ’re probably,
well, in the dark. THEATRE
6. An …………….director at the National Theatre and winner of the Olivier award for best lighting four
times, she’s one of the best in the business. ASSOCIATION
7. The…………….visuals of Curious Incident and War Horse are hers, and so was the chilly yet elegant
illumination of the RSC’s Wolf Hall. WHIZZ
8. When she is working on the …………….revival of Angels in America, I ask her the big question: what
do lighting designers do? COME
9. You create rhythm, pace, move the audience’s focus, control the frame, cut between long shots
and…………….. CLOSE
10. Some set designers or directors control their own light, or employ a technician who implements their
instructions. Others, like Constable, see themselves as…………….creatives, whose job it is to help
conjure the whole world
of a show. COLLABORATE
PART 2: Complete the passage with appropriate forms from the words given in the box. (10 pts)
sustain supply hook ally danger
centre note speak take invest
The EU has approved a $130bn mega-merger between Dow and DuPont, heralding a new round of
agribusiness (1)…………….that environmentalists fear will (2)……………. the future of (3)………….
food production.
Brussels is widely expected to clear another (4)……………. between Syngenta and ChemChina in
the next two weeks, with (5)……………. of a marriage between Monsanto and Bayer expected later in
the year.
As a condition for Monday’s deal, DuPont will have to sell off large parts of its global pesticides
business, including almost all of its global research and development group.
But the US agrichem giant is the second biggest global seed (6)…………….after Monsanto - Dow
is the fifth - and green groups fear that just three mega-corporations could soon be left exercising “a toxic
grip” over the world’s food and countryside.
Adrian Bebb, a (7)……………. for Friends of the Earth, said: “This merger will mean a lack of
choice for farmers and a lack of diversity in our fields. We rapidly need to diversify our farming to adapt
to a changing climate, and having less seeds controlled by fewer corporations raises serious questions
about our ability to feed future generations.”
A letter sent to the commission by a(n) (8)……………. of 200 environmental groups on Monday
says that about 60% of commercial seed supplies will be (9)…………….in the hands of just three
multinationals if the mergers are all approved.
The commission though believes that the line it has laid down by enforcing pesticides (10)
………….. will help to prevent higher prices or restrictions to market choice, while safeguarding
innovation and pesticide safety.
III. ERRORIDEN TIFICATION (10 pts)
1 Scanning the breakfast menu, I found myself swiftly lost my appetite:
2 on offer were beetle larva, maggots and frozen mice. Fortunately,
3 spending the night at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo needn’t involve sampling
4 the animals’ meals, though it does entail getting extremely close to all
5 manner of creatures. The Roar and Snore programme, curiously little
6 known in Australia being alone overseas, allows you to spend a night
7 camping in the heart of the zoo, long after the crowds of day trippers
8 have disappeared. And if your experience of zoos is creatures slumped
9 motio nless in their closures, or skulking in their dens, then let me assure
10 you that at dusk, the place comes alive and echoes with the din of
11 hundreds of creatures making their presence known. A ferryboat
12 dropped me off at the base of the zoo, which sprawls across a steeply
13 sloping swathe of bushland across the bay from the city. Guides, Steve
14 and Nikki, awaited with bright, enthusiastic smiles. Ten of us had signed
15 up and, in no time at all, we were busily setting tents on a rectangle of
16 grass outside the zoo’s education centre. An adjacent area of gum trees
17 was inhabited by kangaroos, wallabies and an alarmingly inquisitive
18 emu - our first animal encounter.
19 After a quick brief, we set off into the gathering gloom. Steve unlocked
20 a huge metal gate that then chimed ominously behind us. We were in,
21 though not without some trepidation - what had we let ourselves in for?
22 It was just us, a handful of security staff and 2,000 furred and feathered
23 inmates. A gibbon let out a haunting, liquid gobble and wild possums
24 frolicked noisily through the eucalyptus trees above us, their dark
25 silhouettes framed against a full moon.
Rewrite the following sentences using the words given:
1. He was exasperated with being criticized in public all the time. TEETH
→ He was fed …………………………………………………………………………………..
2. The factory is making every possible effort to finish the orders on time. FIRING
→ The factory is ………………………………………………………………………………..
3. Forecasters were trying to protect themselves from making the wrong prediction about the storm,
saying that it could bring lots of snow, or it could head away from us. HEDGING
→ Forecasters ……………………………………………………………………………………
4. The software company leaves you no choice - if you don't accept the license, you can't use the
software.
BARREL
→ The software company has..........................................................................
5. The comedian made the audience all laugh uncontrollably with his jokes. AISLES
→ The comedian had............................................................................................
6. The door-to-doo r sales representative was just pretending to be honest and was actually a swindler.
COLORS
→ It turned ...........................................................................................................
7. They were among the first to be innovative and use clay to build contemporary sculptures.
BREAK
→ They were among ...........................................................................................
8. We decided to go for a walk despite the bad weather. BRAVE
→ We decided .....................................................................................................
9. Rumors of his ill health brought an atmosphere of grief to the celebrations. GLOOM
→ Rumors of .......................................................................................................
10. He spent the rest of his life helping the poor as a punishment for the crimes he had committed.
PENANC
E
→ He devoted ......................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ QUÝ ĐÔN - TP . ĐÀ NẴNG
I. PHONOLOGY (10 pts)
A. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others. (5 pts)
1. A. docile B. police C. linear D. slither
2. A. asked B. caused C. decreased D. smoked
3. A. syrup B. syringe C. type D. cyclinder
4. A. addicts B. cigars C. cigarettes D. pipes
5. A. bullet B. clumsy C. number D. slum
B. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others. (5 pts)
6. A. because B. bedside C. behind D. between
7. A. alternative B. conservation C. extremely D. petroleum
8. A. disaster B. history C. quality D. restaurant
9. A. equipment B. media C. newspaper D. president
10. A. unemployable B. information C. paralytic D. telephoning
II. VOCABULARY & STRUCTURE (30 pts)
Choose the best answer for each question.
1. She has an unbelievable voice. Her singing is absolutely........................
A. out of this life B. beyond this world
C. out of this world D. beyond this life
2. The trouble with you is that you’re .....................complaining.
A. forever B. often C. still D. each time
3. Please don’t ..................... yourself out. A sandwich will do.
A. let B. take C. put D. leave
4. I had a good sleep last night, so I’m as fresh as a .................... this morning .
A. milk B. rose C. bread D. daisy
5. We wished him many happy.....................of his birthday.
A. returns B. moments C. times D. regards
6. As a general rule, zoologists prefer to observe animals in the .....................
A. wild B. captivity C. habitat D. nature
7. Her meeting with the Dalai Lama was the .....................of her life. After that, nothing was the same for
her.
A. critical turn B. turning moment
C. pointed moment D. turning point
8. The film is .....................based on a true story, but most of it is fiction.
A. loosely B. casually C. faintly D. lightly
9. Most people who work in publishing start at the bottom. The important thing is to get
your....................... Then you can work your way up.
A. arm in the opening B. foot in the door
C. hand on the handle D. nose to the grindstone
10. With her excellent qualifications it’s not surprising that she ...................being treated as an inferior at
work.
A. molests B. exasperates C. resents D. embitters
11. The newspaper didn’t mention the .....................of the damage caused by the fire.
A. range B. amount C. quantity D. extent
12. All things......................, she is the best student to represent our school.
A. considered B. involved C. taken D. dealt with
13. What a coincidence this is! It’s so strange that you .....................be staying the same hotel as us.
A. should B. must C. ought to D. can
14. I watched the play until the end of the first act, .....................I felt I had seen enough.
A. at what point B. until when C. at that point D. at which
point
15........................the expression on his face, I’d say he wasn’t too pleased to see us. In fact, I’d say he
was furius.
A. Judging by B. As for C. Provided with D. Seeing as
16. That’s not my car. Mine’s a .....................one.
A. blue small Japanese B. Japanese small blue
C. small blue Japanese D. Japanese blue small
17. The actors gave a .......................
A. performance run-of-the-mill B. run of the mill performance
C. run-of-the-mill performance D. performance run-of-the-mill
18. Jimmy doesn’t like my cooking, but it doesn’t bother me..............., I’d say.
A. Everyone to his own B. each to his own
C. each one his own D. everyone’s his own
19. In this instance, there is some disagreement..................... Dubai is in breach of international law.
A. as to whether B. whether
C. as if D. as whether or not
20. The parted at the checkpoint................... know he world never see her again.
A. he little did B. little did he C. little he did D. he did little
21. I’m afraid I have some bad news. There aren’t enough lifejackets to go ......................
A. about B. round C. through D. on with
22. I remember the first time I met John. We.....................immediately, and we’ve been friends ever since.
A. struck it off B. struck it up C. hit it off D. hit upon
it
23. Why do you want to move? You’ll be .....................To find a nicer house than this one.
A. put hard B. hard set C. hard put D. set hard
24. We hadn’t .................There being so much traffic, and we missed the plane.
A. bargained on B. favored on C. counted with D.
accounted with
25. The team had been trying to win the competition for years. Last year, they finally.......................
A. brought it off B. brought it on C. carried it away D. carried it
on
26. Their predictions were not.....................by subsequent events. In fact, the very opposite occurred.
A. carried out B. borne off C. borne out D. carried off
27. I see a lot of young people with this new hair style. It seems to be ................
A. piling up B. bringing off C. coming off D. catching on
28. It’s been more than ten years since we had the living room ...........................I’m fed up looking at it.
Let’s redecorate it completely.
A. made up B. counted it C. brought off D. done up
29. Try not to make too much noise. The baby has just.......................
A. pushed off B. pulled up C. dropped off D. dropped in
30. The confidence trickster’s story was quite improbable, but a large number of people ..................... it
nevertheless.
A. dropped for B. lapped up C. fell for D. ate up
III. REA DING COMPREH ENSION (40 pts)
Read the passage and choose the best option A, B, C, or D to complete the following questions or
statements.
PASSAGE 1 (10 pts)
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychological condition in which a person’s identity dissociates,
or fragments, thereby creating distinct independent identities within one individual. Each separate
personality can be distinct from the other personalitites in a number of ways, including posture, manner
of moving, tone
and pitch of voice, gestures, facial expressions, and use of language. A person suffering from dissociative
identity disorder may have a large number of independent personalities or perhaps only two or three.
Two stories of actual women suffering from dissociative identity disorder have been
extensively recounted in books and films that are familiar to the public. One of them is the story of a
woman with 22 separate personalities known as Eve. In the 1950s, a book by Corbett Thigpen and a
motion picture
starring Joanne Woodward, each of which was titled The Three Faces of Eve, presented her story; the title
referred to 3 faces, when the woman known as Eve actually experienced 22 different personalities,
because only 3 of the personalities could exist at one time. Two decades later, Carolyn Sizemore, Eve’s
22nd personality, wrote about her experiences in a book entitled I’m Eve. The second well-known story of
a woman suffering from dissociative personality disorder is the story of Sybil, a woman whose 16 distinct
personalities emerged over a period of 40 years. A book describing Sybil’s experiences was written by
Flora Rreta Schreiber and was published in 1973; a motion picture based on the book and starring Sally
Field followed.
1. It is NOT stated in paragraph 1 that someone suffering from dissociative identity disorder
has..................
A. a psychological condition
B. a fragmented identity
C. a number of independent identities
D. some violent and some nonviolent identities
2. It is indicated in paragraph 1 that distinct personalities can differ in all of the following ways
except.........
A. manner of dressing B. manner of moving
C. manner of speaking D. manner of gesturing
3. The word recounted in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ............................
A. told about B. counted again
C. explained clearly D. illustrated
4. The word them in paragraph 2 refers to ............................
A. the two women suffering from dissociative identity disorder.
B. the two stories of actual women suffering from dissociative identity disorder.
C. the book and film about the women.
D. the personalities that the two women have.
5. It is indicated in paragraph 2 that it is NOT true that Eve............................
A. suffered from dissociative identity disorder
B. starred in the movie about her life
C. had 22 distinct personalities
D. had only 3 distinct personalities at any one time
6. It is NOT stated in paragraph 2 that The Three Faces of Eve ...........................
A. was based on the life o f a real woman
B. was the title of a book
C. was the title of a movie
D. was made into a movie in 1950
7. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 2 about Carolyn Sizemore EXCEPT that
she ..................
A. wrote I’m Eve
B. was one of Eve ’s personalities
C. wrote a book in the 1970s
D. was familiar with all 22 personalities
8. According to paragraph 2, it is NOT true that Sybil............................
A. was a real person
B. suffered from dissociative identity disorder
C. developed all her personalities over 16 years
D. developed 16 distinctive personalities over a long period of time
9. It is NOT indicated in paragraph 2 that the book describing Sybil’s experiences
A. took 40 years to write
B. was written by Flora Rheta Schreiber
C. appeared in the 1970s
D. was made into a movie
10. Which of the following is true about Eve and Sybil?
A. One of them wrote a book about their own experiences during one of their many personalities.
B. I’m Eve is a book written about Sybil’s story
C. All the books about Eve’s and Sybil’s stories were made into films.
D. They were the only two women who suffered from dissociative identity disorder.
PASSAGE 2 (10 pts)
You can usually tell when your friends are happy or angry by the looks on their faces or by their
actions. This is useful because reading their emotional expressions helps you to know how to respond to
them. Emotions have evolved to help us respond to important situations and to convey our intentions to
others. But does raising the eyebrows and rounding the mouth say the same thing in Minneapolis as it
does in Madagascar? Much research on emotional expression has centered on such questions.
According to Paul Ekman, the leading researcher in this area, people speak and understand
substantially the same “facial language”. Studies by Ekman’s group have demonstrated that humans share
a set of universal emotional expressions that testify to the common biological heritage of the human
species.
Smiles, for example, signal happiness and frowns indicate sadness on the faces of people in such far-
flung places as Argentina, Japan, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Sumatra, the United States, Vietnam, the
jungles of New Guinea, and the Eskimo villages north of the Arctic Circle. Ekman and his colleagues
claim that
people everywhere can recognize at least seven basic emotions: sadness, fear, anger, disgust, contempt,
happiness, and surprise. There are, however, huge differences across cultures in both the context and
intensity of emotional displays - the so called display rules. In many Asian cultures, for example,
children are taught to control emotional responses - especially negative ones - while many American
children are encouraged to express their feelings more openly. Regardless of culture, however, emotions
usually show themselves, to some degree, in people’s behaviour. From their first days of life, babies
produce facial expression that communicate their feelings.
The ability to read facial expressions developes early, too. Very young children pay close attention
to facial expressions, and by age five they nearly equal adults in their skill at reading emotions on
people’s faces. This evidence all points to a biological underpining for our abilities to express and
interpret a basic set of human emotions. Moreover, as Charles Darwin pointed out over a century ago,
some emotional expressions seem to appear across species boundaries. Cross-cultural psychologists tell
us that certain emotional responses carry different meanings in different cultures. For example, what
emotion do you
suppose might be conveyed by sticking out your tongue? For Americans, this might indicate disgust,
while in China it can signify surprise. Likewise, a grin on an American face may indicate joy , while on a
Japanese face it may just as easily mean embarassment. Clearly, culture influences emotional expression.
1. According to the passage, we respond to others by ............................
A. observing their looks.
B. watching their actions.
C. looking at their face.
D. observing their emotional expressions.
2. Many studies on emotional expressions try to answer the question whether……………
A. raising the eyebrows has similar meaning to rounding the mouth.
B. rounding the mouth has the same meaning in Minneapolis and Madagascar.
C. eyebrow raising means the same in Minneapolis and Madagascar.
D. different cultures have similar emotional expressions
3. The word “evolved” in line 3 of the first paragraph is closest in meaning to……………
A. developed B. reduced C. simplified D. increased
4. Paul Ekman is mentioned in the passage as an example of .........................
A. investigators on universal emotional expressions.
B. researchers who can speak and understand many languages.
C. researchers on universal language.
D. lacked many main ingredients.
5. Smiles and frowns ............................
A. are not popular everywhere.
B. are universal expressions across cultures.
C. have different meanings in different cultures.
D. do not convey the same emotions in various cultures.
6. The biggest difference lies in ............................
A. how emotional responses are controlled.
B. how intensive emotions are expressed.
C. how long negative emotions are displayed.
D. how often positive emotions are shown.
7. Unlike American children, Asian children are encouraged to ............................
A. display their emotions openly. B. control their emotions.
C. conceal their positive emotions. D. change their behaviour.
8. Young children............................
A. make amazing progress in controlling their emotions.
B. take time to control their facial expressions.
C. spend a long time learning to read others’emotions.
D. are sensitive towards others’ emotions.
9. The phrase “this evidence” in line 4 of the third paragraph refers to .......................
A. a biological underpinning for humans to express emotions.
B. the fact that children can control their feelings
C. the fact that children are good at recognizing others’ emotions.
D. human facial expressions.
10. The best title of the passage is .......................
A. Ways to control emotional expressions.
B. A review of research on emotional expressions,
C. Human habit of displaying emotions.
D. Cultural universal in emotional expression.
PASSAGE 3 (10 pts)
One of the hazards that electronic media like the television, radio or computers (1)........................
these days is the decline in book reading.
The concern (2)........................ mainly to the younger generations who are strongly tempted by the
glamour of the silver screen and, consequently, don ’t recognize the importance of acquiring first-hand
information from books.
To (3)........................ reading for pleasure and to propagate a wide array of publications like
encyclopaedias, (4) ........................ books, manuals or fiction, radical solutions should be applied. Firstly,
more (5)...................... ought to be put on the educational (6) ................... . Youngsters should be made to
feel comfortable -while reading either for information or self satisfaction in public places like airports,
buses or on the beach. Secondly, libraries must be subsidized more accurately in order to provide the
potential reader with (7) ........................choice of publications and to become more publically active so as
to put books at people’s (8)....................... rather than keep them under lock and key. Fund collecting
actions organized by libraries might also raise the public awareness of the advantages of becoming
( 9).................... in a good book. Finally, the mass media themselves might contribute substantially by
recommending the purchase of valuable best-sellers and inspiring their viewers to enrich their knowledge
and erudition, and thus help them to (10).......................the habit of spontaneous every reading.
1. A. denote B. play C. arise D. pose
2. A. indicates B. affects C. embodies D. applies
3. A. incite B. revert C. instill D. encourage
4. A. referral B. referable C. referee D. reference
5. A. relevance B. persistence C. focus D. emphasis
6. A. factor B. ground C. matter D. point
7. A. prolific B. ample C. lavish D. lush
8. A. availability B. usage C. benefit D. disposal
9. A. occupied B. inhaled C. engrossed D. incorporated
10. A. grow B. evolve C. proceed D. develop
PASSAGE 4 (10 pts)
Those who (1) .....................for a vegetarian diet must usually weigh up a variety of aspects
concerning the nutrional (2) ..................... of vegetables and the adequacy of vegetarian meals in terms of
the number of (3) ........................provided to the body. Vegetarianism is not a new concept, rather an
ancient custom which evolved in the Far East cultures on ethical or religious grounds.
In today’s world, it has been undertaken by many followers who for a variety of reasons believe the
vegetarian diet more preferable to that containing meat. For example, there’s the theory that animal meat
wasn’t originally a component of the staple human diet as mankind evolved from foragers who later
(4) ......................a taste for flesh. Hence, our (5) ..........................ancestors are alleged to have had a
substantial intake of proteins and vitamins from natural vegetation rather than from the meat of hunted
(6)........................What’s more, human teeth don't bear much resemblance to those of animal carnivores,
and neither is our digestive system (7).......................to the meat eater’s one.
Apart from the enforced vegetarianism of underdeveloped communities where populations deprived
of animal protein (8) ........................ the natural vegetation, there’s a rising acceptance of the vegetarian
diet which ceases to be regarded as an eccentricity. (9) .......................from animal food, be it for
religious, economic or humanitarian reasons, has been a quickly spreading custom as, surprisingly, the
vegetarian diet needn’t be dull or deficient. Yet, it does involve taking good (10) ...................... to supply
the body with a
sufficient quantity of nutrients deriving from corn, seeds and cereal.
1. A. prefer B. opt C. select D. favour
2. A. profit B. rate C. value D. esteem
3. A. nutrients B. foods C. cuisines D. condiments
4. A. generated B. acquired C. instituted D. accustomed
5. A. primeval B. antiquated C. archaic D. obsolete
6. A. load B. game C. toll D. beat
7. A. equivalent B. reminiscent C. evocative D. synonymous
8. A. play down on B. come in for C. fall back on D. get on for
9. A. Resistance B. Defiance C. Hindrance D. Abstention
10. A. precautions B. resolutions C. proceeds D. measurements
IV. OPEN CLOZE TEST (20 pts)
Read the passage and fill in the blank with a suitable word.
PASSAGE 1 (10 pts)
Many islands have now become (1).................... on tourism as their main source of income. The
principal industries were (2)....................... farming and fishing, with native islanders living off the land,
but in contemporary society these activities have been largely ousted to cope with the growing demands
of tourism.
Attracted by their beaches, the heat and the relaxed atmosphere, islands have now become a popular
destination for the sun-worshipping holiday-maker. Every aspect of island life has hence been
(3)................. by this influx of foreigners. Restaurants, bars, cafes, discos, hotels and souvenir shops
(4)..................on tourists, and in fact could not exist without them.
Obviously a lot of money can be earned from (5)...................a flourishing industry. The six months
of the peak (6)......................are a crucial time when the businessmen try to earn as much as they can.
Apart from the commercial aspect, it can be said that islanders improve their ability to speak foreign
languages.
On the other hand, islanders that have shifted the emphasis (7) ......................the land to the tourist run the
(8).......................of obliterating their traditional characteristics and culture. Swamped with
commercialism, attitudes change and crime and violence increase. New buildings crop (9)....................to
accommodate
the ever-growing demands of tourists, therefore spoiling the original architecture and romance of the
island.
Islands which have not yet developed their tourist potential will have to find (10)........................ to
balance profit with preservation.
PASSAGE 2 (10 pts)
In the light of the recent Lockerbie disaster we have (1)..…................... to appreciate the
importance of airport security. Admittedly the general public are often irritated by the red tape which
accompanies security, but are these (2) ..................... unnecessary? Not only must passengers have proof
of identity
but they can also be subjected to body frisks and metal detectors and have their lugguage checked and
x-rayed. Particular rules accompany air travel and travellers will be questioned in (3)........................to
who packed their lugguage, if it was left unattended at any time or if they are carrying anything which
does
not belong to them. The departure lounge of the airport is also out of (4).................for those who do not
possess a valid boarding pass. Long queues, delays and inconvenience often instigate complains
(5)........... the client, but surely more security should stimulate more faith in air travel? In December
1988, a Pan
Am jet took off from London Heathrow bound for the USA. As the jet was flying over Lockerbie,
Scotland, it (6)......................up, killing everyone on (7).........................It is now more than three years
later and the two Iraqui terrorists (8)....................... for the bombing have not yet been extradited from
Iraq and (9)...................... for sanctions have been made repeatedly. The question on many lips is, “What
went wrong at Heathrow?” Living in a politically intense and often corrupt world, terrorism and drug
trafficking must
be prevented at any cost; standing in long queues while baggage is examined, is undeniably frustrating,
but how much better than a disaster that results in death? Without doubt, it’s better to be safe than
(10)...............
V. WORD FORM (20 pts)
PASSAGE 1 (10 pts). Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word
that fits in the space in the same line.
Civilisation can be interpreted in many ways and has meant different things to 1. ESSENCE
different people: to Lévi-Strauss its (1)........................feature was boilded food; 2. SAINT
Nietzche wanted to reverse it and Arnord Toynbee called it ‘progress towards 3. REPRESENT
(2)........................ 4. IMPEL
We all use the word loosely to mean culture we approve of. Yet it is not too late to 5. FORM
rescue civilisation from (3)......................An old and disinterested vision of what it 6. EXCEPT
means to be civilised is waiting to be revived. At the heart of every civilising 7. HUMAN
project theire is a common (4) ........................ : this is the human itch to 8. ADMIRE
(5).........................nature, to mould earth, cleave waves and warp environment in 9. SUCCEED
improbable ways. Civilisations are actively engaged in reshaping the world for 10. SUBMIT
human use, stamping landscapes with new patterns of clearings and channels, field
systems and street grids. In (6)........................ cases, civilisations try to secede
from nature altogether, to deny the animal side of (7) ........................ and to
domesticate the wild man within by elaborate manners.
Civilisation may be heroic and (8)......................, but it is not necessarily good and
is frequently (9) ..................... in the long run. Indeed, if longevity can be taken as
a measure of success, the world’s most enduring societies have been the
(10)............. ones which abjured the civilising ambition and settled for the food
and shelter that nature provides.
PASSAGE 2. Use the appropriate form of the words in the box to fill in the following text. (10 pts)
appear cover power mystery space
scribe stand abandon achieve earth
The Mayas developed the only pre-columbian writing in the Americas and devised an intricate
astronomy to chart the movements of the heavens. Archaeologists have long been (1) ........................ as to
why their civilization seems to have collapsed abruptly in the ninth century, resulting in the
(2)....................
of formerly flourishing cities. However, a team of Mexican and American archaeologists have recently
(3) ........................a monumental art work that may give some clues to their sudden
(4) ..........................While digging at Palenque, in the Yucatan peninsula, the researchers
(5) ........................ a bench-like throne
more than 2.8m wide and 1.7m deep in vermillion-painted limestone. The archaeologists say the grandeur
of the throne and the (6). ...................... of the palace that houses it indicate that the last rulers of Palenque
were more ambitious and (7)........................ than had once been thought. The throne itself was built in
about AD 760 by one of the last Mayan rulers and is adorned with at least 200 hieroglyphs and six
sculptured portraits. The experts hope that once the (8)........................ have been deciphered, something
which could take some time, they may disclose the (9)........................ and aspirations of the Mayas in the
decades before their demise and lead to a better (10)........................ of the reasons for their decline.
VI. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 pts)
In the following passage, underline the mistake and write your correction in the answer box below.
If scientists were able to tell governments of an impending earthquake, even if only a few hours at
advance, lives might be saved and international rescue workers could be at the scene of the disaster by the
time it happened, instead of heading for their local airports several hours after the event.
Since it is, seismologists have long been able to predict roughly where earthquakes will happen, but
they are still far from knowing how to forecast exactly when one may strike. The one and only successful
prediction in recording history was for the 1975 earthquake in Haicheng, China. In the months preceding
the earthquake changes in land elevation and ground water levels, widespread reports of peculiar animal
behaviour, and many aftershocks had led a low-level warning. As a result of an increase in foreshock
activity, an evacuation warning was issued the day before a magnitude 7.3 earthquake. Fortunately, in
spite of their success in 1975, the Chinese failed to predict the Tangshan earthquake the following year,
which caused an appalling 250,000 fatality.
Since not completely reliable method of prediction has been founded, most governments now focus
on mitigating the effects of earthquakes once they strike rather than attempting to forecast it.
VII. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20 pts)
Complete the second sentence so that it has similar meaning to the first sentence. Use and do not
change the word given.
1. The company’s profits appear to be improving significantly this year. EVIDENCE
The company’s ................................................................................. this year.
2. She’s forever warning her husband about driving too fast, but he pays no attention. OFTEN
No ............................................................her husband about driving too fast, he pays no attention.
3. She emigrated immediately after gaining her degree. GRADUATED
No .................................................................................abroad.
4. Phil stopped being so unrealistic when he lost his job. BROUGHT
The .................................................................................earth.
5. She got her license because her father helped her learn to drive. ASSISTANCE
But.................................................................................passed her driving test.
6. It wasn’t Susan’s fault that the dog chewed your slipper. BLAME
Susan’s .................................................................................your slipper.
7. You must not enter this area unless you are wearing protective clothing. STRICTLY
Entry to this area .................................................................................who is not wearing protective
clothing
8. My father persuaded me to learn another foreign language. TALKED
It was.................................................................................another foreign language.
9. She’d only just got dressed when the first of the guests arrived. DRESSING
No sooner ................................................................................. the first of the guests arrived.
10. My grandmother would always make us eat everything on our plates when we visited her. WASTE
Nothing we were given to eat.................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ QUÝ ĐÔN - KHÁNH HÒA
L MULTIPLE CHOICE (40 PTS).
I. PHONO LOGY (5PTS.)
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the rest.
1. A. neighbourhood B. moosewoods C. uprooting D. choosiness
2. A. foliage B. sabotage C. mirages D. regimes
3. A. oligarchy B. anarchism C. charismatic D. charlatan
4. A. anachronism B. charabanc C. chauvinism D. chiffon
5. A. luxurious B. execrable C. exonerate D. exhibitor
Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.
6. A. aphorism B. extremism C. barbarism D. feminism
7. A. mayonnaise B. intertwine C. interview D. counteract
8. A. hypocrite B. hypnotic C. hypotenuse D. hypocrisy
9. A. negligible B. perceptible C. collapsible D. discernible
10. A. couturier B. dispiriting C. miniature D. bipartisan
Choose the best options to complete the following sentences
11. If you have a minor illness, it's usually better just to let nature take its…………..
A. course B. time C. path D. way
12. She gets fifteen percent…………..on every insurance policy she sells.
A. wary B. commission C. bonus D. pension
13. I’d like to buy the radio but I haven't got any money on me at the moment.
Could you....................for me for a day or two?
A. bring it round B. lay it in
C. take it in D. put it on one side
14. Just think! Next month you'll be ....................and it seems like only yesterday you were a baby.
A. in your teens B. in your teenage C. at your teens D. teenager
15. It was such a shock to receive a letter like that ....................
A. in the red B. out of the blue C. in the pink D. over the moon
16. This is an exciting book which.................... new ground in educational research.
A. breaks B. reaches C. scratches D. turns
17. On Sunday Vivian studied for seven hours.....................
A. on end B. at once C. in full D. at length
18. A rude boy………….. his tongue out at me.
A. put B. stuck C. showed D. took
19. Let's make a dash for the train now as the fain seems to be....................off.
A. reducing B. slowing C. easing D. running
20. It was only when he had been unemployed for six months that Neil's situation hit....................
A. base B. down C. home D. back
21. - “Eric is really upset about losing his job.” - “Well,........................once myself, I can understand.” .
A. Having been fired B. Fired
C. Having fired D. Being fired
22. Manufacturers often sacrifice quality........................
A. for the larger profit margin
B. in place of to earn more money
C. to gain more quantities of money
D. and instead earn a bigger amount of profit
23........................the film's director, Ben Affleck, was famously left off of the 85th
Oscar's Best Director list of nominees surprised everyone.
A. Due to B. That C. What D. Although
24. The hotel didn’t ........................ my expectations.
A. come up to B. get up to C. come down to D. get down to
25. Automobile production in the United States........................
A. have take slumps and rises in recent years
B. has been rather erratic recently
C. has been erratically lately
D. are going up and down all the time
26. ........................,dolphins have no sense of smell.
A. As known as far B. As far as is known
C. It is known as far D. Known as far as it is
27. Consumers are getting more and more........................
A. environment awareness B. aware environ mental
C. environmentally aware D. environ mental aware
28. -"Do you mind if I take a seat?" - " .........................”
A. No, do as you please B. Yes, do as you please
C. No I mind D. Yes, I don't mind
29. Mrs Black: "I would like to try on this dress, please." - Saleswoman: “…………….”
A. That's right, madam B. Why not?
C. I'd like to D. By all means, madam
30. Do cover up your computer and workspace every night if it is located in your bedroom...............
you’ll feel the constant need to work.
A. instead B. likewise C. in case D. or else
IV. PHRASAL V ERBS AND PREPOSITIONS (5 PTS.)
31. The babysitter has told Billy’s parents about his attention-seeking behaviour and how he
starts............... as soon as they leave home.
A. pulling up B. acting up C. knocking off D. playing down
32. In 1919, Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston was...............as a tutor to Puyi, who was the last emperor of
China.
A. brought about B. taken on C. caught out D. kept in
33. Johnston ...............a full account of his time at the imperial palace in his book Twilight in the
Forbidden City.
A. passed for B. cleared out C. made off D. wrote up
34. The noise from the unruly fans celebrating their team’s victory didn’t ...............until early in the
morning.
A. shut off B. give away C. let up D. fall over
35. The water heater is ..................... again, so I think that we should call a plumber to get it fixed
properly.
A. taking on B. falling back C. playing up D. breaking out
36. The police have to..................... on drug smuggling.
A. clamp down B. scale down C. pin down D. close down
37. Harris's assertion is hardly.....................by the facts.
A. spoken out B. fallen out C. knocked out D. borne out
38. He got it into his head he was being.....................for promotion.
A. passed over B. got over with C. smoothed over D. taken over
39. There are hundreds of huge old houses in the south east that people are........................to sell at a
profit.
A. building up B. coming up against C. holding up D. doing up
40. It's difficult to.....................her.....................to fixing a date for a meeting.
A. put down B. take down C. pin down D. cut down
V. GUIDED CLOZE 1 (5PTS.):
Now the latest corporate team-building technique that is becoming increasingly popular in
management world is sitting for hours round a table making shapes out of Lego, the well-known building
bricks that so many children have grown up with. But don't be (1)..................... by those familiar green
and yellow plastic blocks - this is Lego for adults, and among senior executives it is the hottest
management
(2).....................since the go-everywhere laptop. Companies are now (3).....................to sent senior staff
along to learn what Lego can do for their corporate ethos, and management consultants are even
(4)............. themselves to running Lego sessions to (5)..................... the demand. They claim that the
multicoloured bricks can (6).....................free managers from a limited imagination. What does this mean
in (7)................?
For a start, staff (8) .....................a session are encouraged to 'unlock their creative potential' while they
build models to understand how their businesses work. By (9) ........................their firms as three-
dimensional structures, they can build models which are metaphors for the issues that often occur at
(10)...., such as what makes an ideal employee or whether the sales force is larger than necessary.
41. A. fooled B. attracted C. concerned D. directed
42. A. instrument B. equipment C. tool D. gadget
43. A. agreeable B. excited C. eager D.
enthusiastic
44. A. dedicating B. specialising C. concentrating D. focusing
45. A. supply B. recognise C. fill D. meet
46. A. help B. support C. aid D. assist
47. A. theory B. reality C. practice D. truth
48. A. joining B. entering C. participating D. following
49. A. demonstrating B. representing C. illustrating D.
symbolising
50. A. times B. once C. work D. last
GUIDED CLOZE 2 (5PTS.):
A GREAT COMPOSER
The classical composer Ernst Hoffsberger, who passed away earlier this week, truly
(51)..................... the world of contemporary classical music and was a source of inspiration to a whole
generation of (52)....... young artists in various fields. In many ways his three symphonies completely
(53).....................the achievements of all other composers of the late twentieth century and by
(54)..................... the classical genre with jazz, rock and latterly hip-hop, his work at times bore little
(55).....................to what is commonly considered to be a classical sound. Born in California just after the
Second World War, Hoffsberger had a strict religious (56)..................... during which he was taught
classical piano by his father. He first found work as a(n) (57).....................journalist, playing and
composing music in his free time. During the late sixties, he worked together in (58).....................with a
number of other amateur musicians before finally (59)..................... professional with the first public
performance of his inspirational
Tenor Sax Concerto in 1971. From then on, throughout the seventies and eighties, each new work
seemed to surpass the limits of the orchestral medium and also helped to bring classical music to a wider
audience. What many people consider Hoffsberger's defining quality that kept his music fresh and
original was that he never lost the human (60).....................which gave him the ability to sit down and
jam with musicians and artists from all walks of life.
51. A. revolutionised B. restored C. renovated D.
refurbished
52. A. branching B. budding C. blooming D. bursting
53. A. overcame B. overshadowed C. overturned D.
overwhelmed
54. A. adjoining B. attaching C. co-joining D. fusing
55. A. similarity B. familiarity C. resemblance D.
identification
56. A family B. background C. childhood D. upbringing
57. A. non-contract B. off-the-books C. freelance D. odd-job
58. A. collaboration B. combination C. coordination D.
contribution
59. A. taking B. getting C. making D. turning
60. A. touch B. feeling C. contact D. aspect
VI. READING PASSAGE 1 (5PTS)
Many species of fish, particularly smaller fish, travel in schools, moving in tight formations often
with the precision of the most highly disciplined military unit on parade. Some move in synchronized
hordes, while others move in starkly geometric forms. These may take the shape, for example, of wedges,
triangles, spheres, or ovals. In addition to the varieties of shapes of schools of fish, there are countless
varieties of schooling behaviors. Some fish coalesce into schools and then spread out in random patterns,
while others move into close formations at specific times, such as feeding times, but are more spread out
at other times. Some move in schools composed of members of all age groups, while others move in
schools predominantly when they are young but take up a more solitary existence as they mature. Though
this behavior is quite a regular, familiar phenomenon, there is much that is not completely known
about it, particularly the exact function that it, serves and what mechanisms fish use to make it happen.
Numerous hypotheses have been proposed and tested concerning the purpose of schooling behavior in
fish. Schooling certainly promotes the survival of the species, but questions arise as to the way the
schooling enables fish to have a better chance of surviving. Certainly, the fact that fish congregate
together in schools helps to ensure their survival in that schooling provides numerous types of protection
for the members of the school. One form of protection derives from the sheer numbers in the school.
When a predator attacks a school containing a huge number of fish, the predator will be able to consume
only a small percentage of the school. Whereas some of the members of the school will be lost to the
predator, the majority of the school will be able to survive. Another form of protection comes from the
special coloration and markings of different types of fish. Certain types of coloration or markings such as
stripes or patterns in vibrant
and shiny colors create a visual effect when huge numbers of the fish are clustered together, making it
more difficult for a potential predator to focus on specific members of the school. A final form of
protection comes from a special sense that fish possess, a sense that is enhanced when fish swim in
schools. This special sense is related to a set of lateral line organs that consist of rows of pores leading to
fluid-filled canals. These organs are sensitive to minute vibrations in the water. The thousands of sets of
those special organs in a school of fish together can prove very effective in warning the school about an
approaching threat.
The purpose of schooling behaviour is not the only aspect of schooling that is not fully
understood. It is also unclear exactly how fish manage to maintain their tight formations. Sight seems to
play a role in the ability of fish to move in schools, and some scientists believe that, at least in some
species, sight may play
the principal role. However, many experiments indicate that more than sight is involved. Some fish
school quite well in the dark or in murky water where visibility is extremely limited. This indicates that
senses other than eyesight must be involved in enabling the schooling behavior. The lateral line system
most
likely plays a significant role in the ability of fish to school. Because these lateral line organs are sensitive
to the most minute vibrations and currents, this organ system may be used by fish to detect movements
among members of their school even when eyesight is limited or unavailable.
61. All of the following are stated in paragraph 1 about schooling EXCEPT that
A. it is quite common
B. it can involve large numbers of fish
C. It can involve a number of different fish behaviors
D. It is fully understood
62. The word “hordes” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. shapes B. masses C. pairs D. patterns
63. Which fish would be least likely to be in a school?
A. A large, older fish B. A smaller, colorful fish
C. A young, hungry fish D. A tiny, shiny fish
64. The word it in paragraph 1 refers to …………
A. existence B. behavior C. fish D. function
65. It can be inferred from the passage that, when a predator attacks,......................
A. it cannot possibly consume all members of a school if the school is large enough
B. it rarely manages to catch any fish that are part of a school
C. it is usually successful in wiping out the entire school
D. it attacks only schools that lack sense organs
66. It is stated in paragraph 2 that
A. fish in schools rarely have distinct markings
B. schooling fish tend to have muted coloration
C. the effect of coloration is multiplied when fish are massed together
D. the bright coloration makes it easier for predators to spot fish
67. The word “minute” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. timely B. tiny C. careful D. instant
68. The author begins paragraph 3 with 'It is also unclear' in order to indicate that
A. contradictory information is about to be presented
B. it is necessary to clarify a previously made point
C. a second issue is about to be presented
D. it is unclear how a problem can be resolved
69. The word “murky” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. cloudy B. warm C. clear D. deep
70. It is NOT stated in the passage that the lateral line system
A. contains lines of pores
B. can detect movement in the water
C. quite possibly helps fish to remain schools
D. in fish is similar to sense organs in other animals
READING PASSAGE 2 (5PTS.): Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.
The word “biodiversity” is a term heard with increasing frequency in the ongoing debate over how
best to protect the world’s environment, and more specifically, how to preserve its
rapidly dwindling numbers of plant and animal species. In very general terms, “biodiversity” refers to the
numbers plant and
animal species that can be found in a particular habitat or ecosystem. This is apparently a very simple
concept, but the simplicity of it belies its significance. A better popular understanding of the real meaning
of biodiversity and of its importance to the circumstances in which we presently find ourselves is critical
to the success of efforts to protect the environment, and therefore essential to our own survival.
Global biodiversity, which is the total number of plant and animal species existing on the planet at
any one time, can only be estimated; and only very roughly estimated at that. Undoubtedly, many species
remain to be discovered. Some of these, such as insects and microscopic life, are small enough to have
escaped our notice, while others dwell in areas we have only begun to explore; the species inhabiting the
deepest ocean depths, for example. It must also be remembered that we are in the midst of a mass
extinction event. Species are now disappearing at a rate estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times
faster than
the average for the history of life on earth. Taken together, these two uncertain elements prevent the
global biodiversity estimate from becoming much more than an educated guess. The current best estimate
is somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 to 200 million species.
This number, while it may be of some interest to nonscientists, isn’t of much real value to
researchers. They are generally more concerned with local biodiversity. Despite the apparent enormity of
the number of species that inhabit the earth as a whole, local biodiversity - the number of species found in
any one
habitat - fluctuates greatly as we cross the boundaries separating the ecosystems that make up the Earth’s
biosphere. It reaches its highest levels on the coral reefs and in the tropical rain forests where there may
be thousands of species per acre.
Of course, it is this value - the measure of local biodiversity - that is most useful for anyone
concerned with assessing the health of an ecosystem or protecting it from destruction. In measuring the
biodiversity of a particular ecosystem, biologists are usually quite impartial when weighing the relative
significance of each species. Most are assigned a value of one, the total number of species then
representing the target value. However, there are two conditions under which one species may be
weighted more heavily than others. This would certainly be the case for any species that by virtue of its
genetic uniqueness
would constitute a special loss to the global gene pool in the event of its extinction. The tuatara is a good
example of just such a species. As the only surviving member of a family of reptiles that, except for it,
died out 60 million years ago, the tuatara qualifies on grounds of genetic uniqueness to be weighted more
heavily in calculating the biodiversity of its habitat.
A species may be accorded bonus points in the biodiversity equation for another reason as well; it
may be deemed more significant by virtue of the role it plays in the ecosystem. An example of this would
be the California sea otter. [1] The preferred food of this species of marine mammal is the sea urchin; a
marine invertebrate, which feeds on a certain type of sea grass known as kelp. [2] Were it not for the
otter’s contribution in controlling the sea urchin population, the undersea kelp forest would surely be
decimated by a dramatic increase in the population of sea urchins. [3] This would remove a key
supporting element - the
kelp - from the habitat of many fish and invertebrate species that depend on it. [4] This, in turn, would
fundamentally alter an entire undersea habitat and undoubtedly put a risk a number of different species
that have adapted to its peculiar characteristics. Therefore, the behavior of the otter in actively
maintaining the local diversity of species dictates that it should be assigned a higher biodiversity value.
71. What was the author’s main purpose in writing the passage?
A. To explain why biodiversity is essential to our survival.
B. To explain the concept of biodiversity.
C. To show why local biodiversity is more important than global biodiversity.
D. To clarify the dangers that result from declining biodiversity.
72. The word “dwindling” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. extinct B. diverse C. proliferating D.
diminishing
73. It is implied in the passage that we don’t have an accurate measure of global biodiversity because
A. the number of species is constantly changing.
B. populations of animals move from place to place.
C. we don ’t know the ecological role played by all species.
D. the definition of biodiversity is not clear enough.
74. The word “enormity” in the passage is closest in the meaning to
A. important B. quality C. vastness D. accuracy
75. According to the passage, the largest number of species would be found
A. on the coral reefs.
B. in the boundary areas between local systems.
C. in the undersea kelp forests.
D. in fresh water lakes and streams.
76. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT important in assessing biodiversity?
A. The special function a particular species plays in an ecosystem.
B. The number of species present in an ecosystem.
C. The genetic uniqueness of the species within an ecosystem.
D. The size of the area an ecosystem covers.
77. The author mentioned the sea urchin in the last paragraph in order to
A. illustrate the richness of life in California waters.
B. illustrate the special importance o f a particular species.
C. increase the reader’s awareness of the sea urchin’s endangered status.
D. advocate the protection for the kelp forest environment.
78. The word “impartial” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. neutral B. subjective C. theoretical D. uncertain
79. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage?
A. Local biodiversity may change, but global biodiversity does not.
B. All species have the same significance when considering biodiversity.
C. The concept of biodiversity is of little value to ecologists.
D. The earth is experiencing a reduction in global biodiversity.
80. Look at numbers [1], [2], [3], [4] in paragraph 5 of the passage. Where would the following sentence
best fit?
The effect of this would he a dramatic loss of local biodiversity.
A .[ l] B.[2] C.[ 3] D.[4]
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. CLOZE TEST (20 PTS.):
Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE WORD for
each space.
BLUE WHALES
Blue whales, the world's largest animals, have been (1).................... again in British waters for the
first time in at least twenty years. Indications that a population of blue whales was inhabiting the waters
west of Scotland (2)....................for the first time from the United States Navy, whose surveillance
system picked (3)....................the songs of a lot of different whales. American zoologists subsequently
(4).............. the blue whale song among them. Now marine biologist, Carol Booker, has actually seen a
blue whale there herself. She has no (5)....................about what she saw, because they have
(6)....................fins which are very small for their size. She says, 'Worldwide they were almost extinct
and it seemed they had completely vanished from the North Atlantic, so you can (7)....................how I
felt actually seeing one! However, it is certainly too soon to say if it is an (8)....................of a population
recovery.' She goes on to say, 'What it does show (9)....................the importance of this area of the ocean
for whales, and (10).................... essential it is to control pollution of the seas.' Bigger than any dinosaur
known to man, blue whales are the largest animals ever to have lived on earth. A blue whale is more than
six metres long at birth and, when fully grown, its heart is the same height as a tall man and weighs as
much as a horse.
OPEN CLOZE 2 (10PTS.)
The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci have always attracted controversy. Only 14 works have ever
been (11)....................to him and experts have questioned the (12).................... of several. Not even the
Mona Lisa is (13)....................suspicion. The painting is neither signed nor dated and no record of
payment to Leonardo has ever been found. Believed to be the portrait of the wife of Florentine merchant
Francesco del Gioconda dating from 1502, it has been on public (14)....................in the Louvre since
1804. Now housed in a bullet-proof glass case, it has always been surrounded by
(15)....................security.
Even so, on 24th August 1911, it was stolen. Initial leads came to (16) ....................and no clues to
the thief’s motives or the (17)...................., of the picture materialized for 15 months. In November 1913,
Florentine art dealer Alfredo Geri received a letter from someone claiming they had the Mona Lisa and
were prepared to sell it back to Italy for 500,000 lire. Geri contacted the director of the Uffizi museum
who arranged a meeting with the (18).................... vendor.
He turned out to be an Italian carpenter Vincenzo Peruggia, who made the painting’s protective
wooden box for the Louvre and was able to steal it because he knew the museum’s routine so well. The
Mona Lisa he produced was (19).................... genuine by the Uffizi and sent back to Paris. But a British
conman, Jack Dean, later insisted that he had helped Peruggia steal the painting but substituted a copy
before Peruggia took it to Italy. Could it be that the painting seen by thousands of visitors every day in
the Louvre museum is a total (20)....................?
II. WORD FORMATION: (20PTS.)
PART I: Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses.
1. Low income, increasing pressure and little administrative support make teachers ....................
(HEART) with their profession.
2. One of the local newspapers poured scorn on the referee for his ....................(PART) in the last game.
The man was accused of favouring the home team.
3. The company has an annual....................(TURN) of £25 million.
4. Various....................(PRACTICE) by police officers were brought to light by the enquiry.
5. It was impossible to read the pedestal inscription for it had been ....................(FACE) by some
mindless vandal.
6....................(CONCEIVE) ideas may influence on what we are going to do.
7. The cup was positioned.................... (CARIOUS) on the edge of the table.
8. It's undeniable that the....................(DIAGNOSE) of the local incompetent healer was responsible for
her sudden death.
9. The new ....................(PASS) has certainly made things a lot easier in the town centre since it has taken
away all the through-traffic.
10. Are you sure the ....................(MILE) is working properly on this truck? It must have done more than
twenty thousand.
PART 2: Complete the passage with the appropriate forms from the words given in the box.
refuge subscribe contend deliver surpass
clear bias question deep tangle
One way to stay abreast of and have intelligent opinion on global issues is by reading The World
Today. By doing this you will receive a regular and ....................(11) briefing on the people and events
that shape our world. Each week, this publication....................(12) the important issues through concise,
informative and challenging articles. The most complex subjects are presented with....................(13),
so you will acquire an .................... (14) and focused knowledge of countries, industries and topics of
worldwide concern. The World Today is....................(15) for the quality of its reporting. Regular feature
articles examine a range of ....................(16) issues, from international trade wars to the exploitation
of....................(17).
In short, The World Today makes the world a little more comprehensible. A ....................(18) to
The World Today is a sound business decision. Take advantage of our exclusive introductory offer: you
can save 55% off the usual price if you return your order within the next 21 days. The price includes
free ....................(19) and immediate access to our online library. Now is ....................(20) the right time
to join
many of the world’s business and national leaders who read The World Today.
III. ERROR CORRECTION: (10PTS.)
CHILD LABOUR
Child workers, some as young as 10, have been found to work in a textile factory in conditions
described as close to slavery to produce clothes that appear destined for one the major high street
retailers.
Speaking to a British newspaper, the children described long hours of unwaged works and threats
and beatings. The company said it was unaware that clothing intended for its stores had been improper
subcontracted to a sweatshop that used child labour. It farther announced it had withdrawn the garments
involved until it had investigated the alleged breaches of the ethic code it imposed on manufacturers
three years ago.
The discovery of these children working in appalled conditions in the Shahpur Jat area of Delhi has
renewed concerns about the outsource by some large retail chains of their garment production to India,
recognised by the United Nations as one of the world’s hotspots for child labour. According to one
estimate, over 20 per cent of India's economy are dependent on children, which comes to a total of 55
million youngsters under 14 working.
Consumers in the West should not only be demanding answers from retailers about how their goods
are produced but also should be looking into their consciences at how they spend their money and what
cheap prices in the West are worth the suffering caused by so many children.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION: (20 PTS.)
1. The response to our appeal was so great that we had to take on more staff.
Such ..........................................................................................................................
2. I had spent every last penny of my money. WHATSOEVER
I..................................................................................................................................
3. Owing to illness, Sally was unable to sing the solo, as arranged. HAVE
Sally was ..............................................................................................but she fell ill.
4. Fancy you and I having the same surname! SHOULD
It's ..............................................................................................................................
5. The mechanic put a lot of effort to repair the engine of my car. PAINS
...................................................................................................................................
6. Several years of heavy working in the harmful conditions of the coalmine have undoubtedly
undermined my father’s health. TOLL
...................................................................................................................................
7. She just came to see me when she had nothing to do.
Only when she was at ..............................................................................................
8. The personnel officer promised him that she wouldn’t tell anyone that he had been in the
prison. WORD
..................................................................................................................................
9. She is not upset; she is only pretending. ACT
..................................................................................................................................
10. He was finally able to adjust himself to the new working condition. SWING
..................................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ QUÝ ĐÔN - NINH THUẬN
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS: (40 pts)
I. PHONOLOGY: (5 pts)
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others in each
group.
1. A. dogged B. legged C. naked D. moped
2. A. facsimile B. facile C. textile D. compile
3. A. asthmatic B. soothsayer C. thiamine D. thespian
4. A. hauteur B. hauntingly C. haughty D. haulage
5. A. surrogate B. electorate C. hyphenate D. passionate
Choose the word whose main stressed syllable is placed differently from that of the others in the
list.
6. A. inalienable B. deplorable C. scrupulous D. envisage
7. A. piracy B. scaffolding C. preface D. triumphant
8. A. w hereabouts B. whimsical C. genealogy D. harmony
9. A. cantilever B. monogamy C. prerequisite D. pathetic
10. A. inalienable B. ambuscade C. Formica D. tarpaulin
II. WORD CHOICE: (5 pts)
Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences.
1. The drivers have rejected proposals to end the strike and the other workers have come out
in.....................
A. sympathy B. return C. consent D.
collaboration
2. They sacked the head of marketing because he was..................... inefficient.
A. relatively B. deadly C. moderately D. hopelessly
3. Our country has never had a large..................... in its balance of payments.
A. abundance B. surplus C. overflow D. addition
4. When he saw the damage to his car, he.....................into a rage.
A. jumped B. drove C. flew D. rushed
5. The jury ..................... her compliments on her excellent knowledge of the subject.
A. paid B. gave C. made D. said
6. When she was told she had won the first prize in the competition, she had to.....................to make sure
she wasn’t dreaming.
A. grasp B. seize C. scratch D. pinch
7. Seldom does she refuse to do her friends a good....................., but on that occasion she was too busy to
pay attention to other people’s problems.
A. assistance B. turn C. aid D. backing
8. Mary was ill. She’s still feeling a bit under the......................
A. temperature B. climate C. rain D. weather
9. She’s still..................... over whether to accept the job s he’s just been offered.
A. tottering B. doddering C. dithering D. faltering
10. Both parents were unemployed and the family had a ..................... lifestyle.
A. careful B. tight C. cautious D. frugal
III. ST RUCTURES & GRAMMAR: (5 pts)
Choose the answer which best completes the sentence.
1. I am sorry. I meant..................... to you, but I have been so busy recently.
A. to have written B. to have been writing C. writing D. to write
2. The population of our city today is ……………. before 1975.
A. as 60% much as B. 60% as much as
C. more 60% than that D. 70% as much as that
3. I’m..................... my brother is.
A. nowhere like so ambitious B. nothing near as ambitious as
C. nothing as ambitious than D. nowhere near as ambitious as
4. At the moment we’re holding on to our shares but……………. in value, we would probably sell them.
A. if they were rise B. for them to rise
C. were they to rise D. if only they rose
5.……………., most citizens of the sultanate actually live in poverty.
A. Since the Sultan of Brunei is one of the wealthiest people in the world
B. Considering that the largest concentration of urban population is in Brunei’s capital, Bandar Seri
Begawan
C. Because Brunei earns billions of dollars a year from petroleum exports
D. Although the average income in Brunei is among the world’s highest
6. Carbon dioxide may be absorbed by trees or water bodies, or it may stay in the atmosphere
when ..................... , while it is only in the atmosphere that chlorofluorocarbon s find their home.
A. by releasing emissions from cars B. released from car emissions
C. cars that release emissions D. emissions are released by cars
7.....................is that a chicken stands up to lay its eggs.
A. Many people don't realize that B. What many people don't realize
C. It is that many people don't realize D. Because many people don't realize
8. I’d sooner they ..................... deliver the new furniture now.
A. shouldn’t B. didn’t C. mustn’t D. wouldn’t
9. Most radioactive elements occur in igneous and metamorphic.....................fossils occur in sedimentary
rocks.
A. rocks, nearly all B. rocks, but nearly all
C. rocks, nearly all are D. rocks, which nearly all are
10. To solve this problem, it is advisable.....................
A. a drastic measure to be adopted B. that to adopt a drastic measure
C. that a drastic measure be adopted D. that a drastic measure is adopted
1. The workers decided to .....................until their demands were met.
A. stand up B. lie behind C. sit in D. sleep out
2. In the early years of the twentieth century, several rebellions ..................... in the northern parts of the
country.
A. rose up B. turned out C. came up D. broke out
3. There is more work here than I can..................... on my own.
A. cope with B. do with C. make out D. go for
4. The unpaid bills will be ..................... to next month’s account.
A. carried in B. carried on C. carried up D. carried over
5. Like everyone else, Sue has her.....................of course but on the whole, she’s quite satisfied with life.
A. ups and downs B. ins and outs C. safe and sound D. odds and ends
6. The robbers packed the money into a suitcase and.....................in a van that waited for them in the
street.
A. put through B. rolled over C. carried away D. made off
7. Learning English isn’t so difficult once you......................
A. get down to it B. get off it C. get on it D. get down
with it
8. Beaches were..................... as police searched for canisters of toxic waste from the damaged ship.
A. sealed off B. cut off C. washed up D. kept out
9. No agreement was reached. The strikers decided to .....................out for a better deal.
A. keep B. watch C. hold D. draw
10. That dietician is going to bring .....................a book on healthy eating next month.
A. on B. up C. forward D. out
V. READING COMPREHENSION (20pts)
PASSAGE 1. Read the following passage carefully and choose the best answers to the questions
Humans have struggled against weeds since the beginnings of agriculture. Marring our gardens is
one of the milder effects of weeds - any plants that thrive where they are unwanted. They clog waterways,
destroy wildlife habitats, and impede farming. Their spread eliminates grazing areas and accounts for
one-third of all crop loss. They compete for sunlight, nutrients, and water with useful plants.
The global need for weed control had been answered mainly by the chemical industry. Its
herbicides are effective and sometimes necessary, but some pose serious problems, particularly if
misused. Toxic compounds threaten animal and public health when they accumulate in food plants,
groundwater, and drinking water. They also harm workers who apply them.
In recent years, the chemical industry has introduced several herbicides that are more ecologically
sound. Yet new chemicals alone cannot solve the world's weed problems. Hence, scientists are exploring
the innate weed-killing powers of living organisms, primarily insects and microorganisms.
The biological agents now in use are environmentally benign and are harmless to humans. They can
be chosen for their ability to attack selected targets and leave crops and other plants untouched. In
contrast, some of the most effective chemicals kill virtually all the plants they come in contact with,
sparing only those that are naturally resistant or have been genetically modified for resistance.
Furthermore, a number of biological agents can be administered only once, after which no
added applications are needed. Chemicals typically must be used several times per growing season.
1. With what topic does this passage primarily deal?
A. The importance of the chemical industry.
B. The dangers of toxic chemicals.
C. A proposal to ban the use of all herbicides.
D. Ad vantages of biological agents over chemical ones.
2. The word “marring” in bold is closest in meaning to
A. spoiling B. planting C. dividing D. replacing
3. The word “clog” in bold is closest in meaning to.....................
A. grow along B. drain C. float on D. obstruct
4. Which of the following terms does the author define in the first paragraph?
A. weeds B. nutrients C. wildlife habitats D. grazing area
5. Which of the following statements about the use of chemical agents as herbicides would the author
most likely agree?
A. It is occasionally required.
B. It is safe but inefficient.
C. It should be increased.
D. It has become more dangerous recently.
6. Which of the following is NOT given as an advantage of using biological agents over chemical
herbicides?
A. They are safer for workers.
B. They are less likely to destroy desirable plants.
C. They are more easily available.
D. They do not have to be used as often.
7. The word “innate” in bold is closest in meaning to .....................
A. effective B. organic C. natural D. active
8. According to the passage, biological agents mainly consist of......................
A. herbicides B. useful plants
C. insects and microorganisms D. weeds
9. The word “applications” in bold could best be replaced by which of the following?
A. requests B. special purposes C. qualifications D. treatments
10. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
A. A general idea is introduced and several specific examples are given.
B. Two possible causes of a phenomenon are compared.
C. A problem is described and possible solutions are discussed.
D. A recommendation is analyzed and rejected.
PASSAGE 2
Read the passage and choose the correct answers to the questions that follow.
Hurricanes are one of the most destructive natural forces on the face of the planet. By definition,
they are also known as tropical cyclones. They manifest themselves in the warm waters of the Atlantic
Ocean, usually in the form of a low- pressure weather system. Due to minimal, high atmospheric winds,
those
near the surface of the water begin to spin and spiral in a counterclockwise direction, feeding on the heat
from the ocean. With increased rotation, more water is absorbed into the system and is then released in
the form of showers and thunderstorms. Once the system becomes stronger and more defined, and
sustained wind speeds eclipse speeds of seventy-five miles per hour, the storm can then be classified as a
true hurricane. They pose the greatest threat to human populations when they track eastward to the tepid
waters of the Gulf of Mexico, where the islands of the Caribbean and the flats of the southeastern United
States
lie vulnerable to its path of destruction, which is usually determined by two major factors: storm surge
and movement.
While high winds are commonly associated with the perils of hurricanes, the most destructive
factor is the accompanying storm surge as it strikes land. Still, the torrential rains and heavy winds the
hurricane brings contribute to its storm surge, yet this occurs in a more indirect way than was previously
thought. As the hurricane approaches land, water levels increase and are pushed onto and through the
shoreline , causing major destruction. The size of the surge itself is determined by the slope of, the shore,
called the continental shelf, out into the ocean. If the slope is steep, the storm surge will not be as great as
when it is shallower, which cause a more powerful surge due to the fact that the ocean’s depth is not great
enough to absorb the energy and massive amounts of water. In fact, scientists have pointed out that one
cubic yard of it weighs about 1,700 lbs. Millions of cubic yards of surge can occur from one single storm,
which, naturally, causes catastrophic damage.
Another major contributor to the measure of destruction a hurricane causes is its movement. The
speed of a hurricane as it makes landfall and moves across or inland is a major deciding factor upon the
extent of the damage. Fast-moving hurricanes can often seem a blessing to the people and communities
involved because their high speeds mean they will move on and away quickly, so they will not have a
chance to dump as much water on the immediate area. However, lazy storm s, and especially storms that
stall on the coastline, become the cyclones of devastation. Because they move so slowly or even not at all
and are able to sit spinning and reenergizing themselves from the ocean, torrential rains, winds, and
flooding increase, and the storm surge becomes a perpetual battering ram of destruction. However, the
power of a hurricane becomes immediately diminished once over land because it is disconnected from its
warm water energy source, but this does not mean it is dead by any means.
When it comes to hurricanes, direct wind destruction is a secondary worry compared to storm
surge, the speed of the hurricanes’ track, and the flooding that is associated with them. The shallow
continental shelf underlying the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico off of the southeastern United
States coupled with the low-lying landmass makes the area a prime region for disaster in the form of
storm surge and flooding. This, along with the fickle nature of hurricanes and the inability of experts
accurately to predict a hurricane’s landfall, adds to the turmoil that hurricanes inflict on the populations
of the areas they hit. Not
necessarily wind, but water, remains the worst effect a hurricane can have, as it is able to flood not only
the immediate area where the hurricane strikes but hundreds and hundreds of miles in any given direction
as well, affecting people, homes and businesses far and wide of its main path.
1. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of hurricanes?
A. Storms are classified as hurricanes when gusts reach 75 mph.
B. They are only able to form in tropical waters near the Equator.
C. One of the most defining characteristics of a hurricane is its eye.
D. The lack of winds aloft contributes to the formation of hurricanes.
2. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about hurricane formation?
A. They are spawned by violent thunderstorms and wind shear.
B. They are fueled by the w arm waters of the Pacific Ocean
C. They are hardly likely to be present in Cool oceanic areas.
D. They usually tend to twirl and spin in a clockwise direction .
3. The word “eclipse” in the passage is closest in meaning to ......................
A. exceed B. maintain C. propel D. shadow
4. According to paragraph 2, what contribute s to the destruction of storm surge?
A. The torrential rains contained in a hurricane directly affect the surge.
B. The contour of the ocean floor is a major determiner of its size.
C. The weight of the water will destroy any thing in its immediate path.
D. The size of the waves is a principal factor in the resulting damage.
5. The word “it” in the passage refers to .....................
A. water B. energy C. ocean’s depth D. cubic
yard
6. The author discusses a hurricane’s movement in paragraph 3 in order to .....................
A. down play the factors of velocity and directional momentum in a hurricane
B. show that a hurricane’s tracking speed determines the amount of destruction
C. suggest hurricanes are cap able of moving in any direction at any time
D. indicate that slow-moving storms allow people more time to seek safety
7. The word “perpetual” in the passage is closest in meaning to ......................
A. wavering B. damaging C. incessant D. chronic
8. Which of the following is NOT true of the major forces of a hurricane?
A. All coastlines are affected by its storm surge.
B. Fast-moving hurricane s ironically help lessen damages.
C. Flooding is usually much more destructive than winds.
D. Strong winds and rain add to its storm surge.
9. According to paragraph 4, which of the following is true of a hurricane’s winds?
A. No other force of a hurricane can inflict more punishment than wind
B. Low-lying areas are more prone to wind forces than elevated areas.
C. The direct ion of the win ds, not speed, makes them the most dangerous.
D. Their destruction is short-lived, unlike the effects of major floods.
10. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the underlined sentence in
the passage?
A. Flooding, which causes havoc in very wide range of areas, is the most destructive factor of a
hurricane.
B. Water levels do the most destruction hundreds of miles inside the hurricane, where the hurricane
affects the most people.
C. Cities in the direct path of a hurricane suffer the brunt of its power through flooding while the
wind does little damage.
D. Winds and rain damage people, homes, and businesses every time a hurricane strikes a certain
area
VI. MULTIPL E CHOICE CLOZE
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE 1
One of the hottest topics on the international development agenda is how to harness the power of
International Monetary Fund for the benefit of developing countries. What is sometimes called “the death
of distance”, brought about by the (1) ...................., allow professional services such as (2)....................
education and training to be provided easily and quickly to (3).................... areas. Some of the gains can
be seen in countries as diverse as India and Morocco, where innovations range from (4) ....................
government announcements to local craftsmen selling their wares to a (5)....................market. But already
a huge and expanding (6) .................... divide is opening up between developed and developing nations.
The major tasks facing world leaders at present is to (7).................... everybody on the planet with clean
water, basic education and the drugs needed to fight preventable diseases. Installing a (8)....................in
every
classroom and linking us to (9).................... must be a lesser (10) , for the time being at least.
1. A. telephone B. computer C. internet D. modern
2. A. software B. equipment C. stationary D. hardware
3. A. secluded B. far C. remote D. uninhabited
4. A. recorded B. online C. broadcast D. programmed
5. A. shrinking B. technical C. village D. global
6. A. economical B. electrical C. physical D. digital
7. A. give B. administer C. donate D. supply
8. A. mobile phone B. plug C. modem D. video
9. A. the real world B. outer space C. virtual reality D.
cyberspace
10. A. priority B. importance C. criteria D. advantage
B. MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE 2
Greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere 30 times faster than the time when the
Earth experienced a (1).....................episode of global warming. A study comparing the rate at which carb
on dioxide and methane is being (2) ..................... now, compared to 55 million years ago when global
warming also occurred, has found dramatic differences in the speed of release. James Zachos, professor
of earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said the speed of the present buildup of
greenhouse gases is far greater than during the global warming after the: (3)....................., of the
dinosaurs. “The emissions that caused this past episode of global warming lasted 10,000 years,” Professor
Zachos told the American Association for the Advancement of Science at a meeting in St. Louis.' “By
burning fossil fuels, we are likely to emit the same amount over the next three centuries.” He warned that
studies of global warming events in the geological past (4)..................... the Earth’s climate passes a
(5).....................beyond which climate change accelerates with the help of positive feedbacks - vicious
circles of warming. Professor Zachos is a leading (6) ..................... on the episode of global warming
known as the palaeocene-eocene thermal maximum, when average global temperatures increased by up to
5°C due to a massive release of carbon dioxide and methane.
His research into the deep ocean (7)..................... suggests at this time that about 4.5 billion tons of
carbon entered the atmosphere over 10.000 years. “This will be the same amount of carbon released into
the atmosphere from cars and industrial emissions over the next 300 years if present
(8).....................continue,” he said. Although carbon can be released suddenly and naturally into the
atmosphere from volcanic activity, it takes many thousands of years for it to be removed permanently by
natural processes. The ocean is capable of removing carbon, and quickly, but this natural
(9) ..................... can be easily (10) .....................,
which is probably what happened 55 million years ago. “It will take tens of thousands of years before
atmospheric carbon dioxide comes down to preindustrial levels,” the professor said. “Even after humans
stop burning fossil fuels, the effects will be long-lasting.”
1. A. prearranged B. premier C. previous D. fundamental
2. A. emitted B. exhaled C. incorporated D. digested
3. A. dementia B. demolition C. detachment D. demise
4. A. comment B. mark C. compliment D. indicate
5. A. barricade B. verge C. threshold D. perimeter
6. A. autocrat B. authority C. administrator D. proprietor
7. A. dusts B. sediments C. dirt D. powder
8. A. trends B. gadgets C. fads D. crazes
9. A. capacity B. competence C. intelligence D. bulk
10. A. overcharged B. overstated C. overshadowed D. overwhelmed
B. WRITTEN QUESTIONS (60 pts)
I. OPEN CLOZE TESTS
A. TEST 1
Society does not encourage crying as a form of (1)...................... expression. The shedding of tears
to make people feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The (2)...................... race is the only species that
sheds emotional tears. What (3)......................does crying serve?
It has been suggested that emotional tears play a role in the (4)......................of stress. Scientific
studies have revealed that emotional tears contain a chemical which is one of the body's natural
(5)............... killers. The chemical is not found in tears (6) ...................... as a response to slicing onions.
Scientists think that tears may shed to (7)......................substances that accumulate in the body under
stress. This would explain why many people feel much better after (8 )...................... As a result of the
view that it is not human being to cry, men tend to hold back their tears. This may explain when men
develop more stress-related diseases than women.
(9)...................... emotion, be if a feeling of sadness or happiness, is stressful. Tears are therefore
shed as a response to sorrow, anger or joy. It is natural to cry. Indeed, it may be (10)......................to hold
back tears.
B. TEST 2
A new breed of butlers has appeared (1)......................the scene; increasingly, it seems
(2).................... rich and famous are turning (3)......................women to perform the little domestic duties
of everyday life. But although female butlers are in ever greater demand, they are also in short
(4)....................... Ivor Spencer, who runs the most traditional of the well-known butler school, has trained
only eight women
in 21 years. Even at the more progressive butler academies, such as Robert Watson’s Guild of
Professional Butlers, fewer than one in four (5)...................... are females.
Butlerine Sarah Whittle says that women are in demand because they’re (6)......................stuffy than
men. “We’re better at (7)......................up on people’s mood,” she says. “And we can organize several
things at once: it’s our nature to multitask.” Whittle is expected to be smart and professional on duty, but
she does get glamorous (8)...................... - presents of chocolate, champagne and, on
(9) ................occasion, an expensive pair of shoes. But the job has its downside. Hundred-hour weeks are
not (10) ...................... , the hours are unsociable and the tasks often less than glamorous.
II. WORD FORMS
A. Write the correct form of each bracketed word in the numbered space provided. (0) has been
done as an example.
When people enjoy whatever they are doing, they report some (0) characteristic (CHARACTER)
feelings that distinguish the (1) ...................... (PLEASURE) moment from the rest of life. The same
types of feelings are reported in the context of playing chess, climbing mountains, playing with babies,
reading a book or writing a poem. They are the same for young and old, male and female, American or
Japanese, rich or poor. In other words, the nature of enjoyment seems to be (2)......................
(UNIVERSE). We call this state of (3)......................(CONSCIOUS) a flow experience, because many
people report that when what they are doing is (4)...................... (SPECIAL) enjoyable, it feels like being
carried away by a current, like
being in a flow.
At present, (5)....................... (LAMENT) few students would recognize the idea that learning can
be like that. But if educators invested a fraction of the energy on (6)...................... (STIMULUS) the
students’ enjoyment of learning that they now spend in trying to transmit information, we could achieve
much better results. Once students’ (7)...................... (MOTIVATE) is engaged, once they can be
(8 )...................... (POWER) to take control of their own learning and provided with clear
(9)...................... (FEED) on
their efforts, then they are on their way to a lifetime of self-propelled (10)......................(ACQUIRE) of
knowledge.
B. Choose a word from the box and give it a proper form to fill in each gap to complete the
passage:
access appear commit deny exclude
immerse infant institute lonely see
One of the most challenging aspects of the science anthropology comes from its fieldwork.
Certainly, in its (1) ...................... as a profession, anthropology was distinguished by its concentration on
so-called primary societies in which social (2)......................appear to be fairly limited and social
interaction to be conducted almost (3)......................face - to - face. Such societies, it was felt, provided
anthropologists
with a valuable (4)......................into the workings of society that contrasted with the many complexities
of more highly developed societies. There was also a sense that the way of life represented by these
smaller societies were rapidly (5)......................and that preserving a record of them was a matter of some
urgency.
The (6)...................... of anthropologists to the first - hand collection of data led them to some of the
most (7)...................... places on earth. Most often they worked alone. Such lack of contact with other
people created feelings of intense (8)...................... in some anthropologists, especially in the early stages
of fieldwork. Nevertheless, this process of (9)...................... in a totally alien culture continues to attract
men and women to anthropology, and is (10)...................... the most effective way of understanding in
depth how other people see the world.
The passage below contains ten errors. Find and correct them.
Most obviously, those exposing to weekly general music classes or private instrumental or vocal
lessons will find an outlet for their creativity and self-expression. Therefore, a closer, more scientific look
at music will show that the advantages are indeed much greater than just increased creativity.
Research has showed that learning a musical instrument and merely learning how to read music
assists a child in developing higher thinking skill, such as problem-solving and problem-finding, analysis,
and evaluation. A child who learns to understand the aspects of reading music, including notation, key
signatures, and other items found on a piece of music as well as the child who develops the ability
following the sequence of notes, is using the same portion of the brain that is used in mathematics
thinking. Gifted musicians, it’s reported, are often gifted mathematicians as well.
Those who study music diligently also develop self-discipline. The serious music student who sets
up time to practice each day will develop similar positive habits in other subjects. Organizational skills
are better, grades are higher, and children learn what it takes to excel at something.
Participate in group musical activities builds teamwork, and students learn that working together as
a group is essential to the production of a good finishing product. They learn to rely on others and to be
relied upon. Teamwork also promotes responsibility; i.e. if you’re the only trumpet in the band, you need
to show
up for rehearsing no matter what! They’ll also come to understand that music is the threat that binds them
together with the world, as click as it may sound. Music is indeed the universal language but it also helps
children to learn about cultural heritage, their own as well as others, and gives them an insight into
history.
IV. S ENTENCE TRANSFORMATION
PART A. Finish each sentence below so that its meaning remains unchanged.
1. Scientists have tried very hard to find a cure for this disease.
Enormous ..........................................................................................................
2. The teacher agreed to introduce the new methods.
There was an .....................................................................................................
3. I did not realize how much he was influenced by his brother.
I did not realize the extent..................................................................................
4. Mass tourism has been one of the causes of the environmental problems.
Mass tourism is ..................................................................................................
5. Something must be done quickly to solve the problem of homelessness.
Urgent.................................................................................................................
PART B. Finish each sentence below so that its meaning remains unchanged.
Use the word provided in brackets and do not alter it in any way.
1. Mike has a more complex personality than you may think. (depths)
→ Mike.................................................................................................................than you may think.
2. Zoe always makes spontaneous decisions concerning her travel plans. (acts)
→ Zoe always.................................................................................................................her travel plans.
3. How will the changes affect the company? (implications)
→ What.................................................................................................................the company?
4. Since the advertisement, we’ve had more applications than we can deal with. (swamped)
→ Since the advertisement,............................................................................................applications.
5. Julie always listens to my complaints about work. (ear)
→ Julie always.................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LONG AN - LONG AN
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE
I. PHONOLOGY
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the other three.
1.A. boot B. book C. hook D. foot
2.A. pizza B. sizzle C. drizzle D. muzzle
3.A. decoy B. perishable C. benzene D. supreme
4.A. suggestion B. congestion C. digestion D. devotion
5.A. dairy B. lair C. fair D. gait
Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other three.
6. A. condolence B. obstinacy C. communism D.
painstakingly
7. A. Aborigine B. agriculture C. theatergoer D. caretaker
8. A. Arabic B. aerobics C. lunatic D. politics
9. A. intimacy B. commentary C. preferable D. amphibian
10. A. volunteer B. absentee C. committee D. employee
II. WORD CHOICE
1. I couldn’t believe it when Marcy accused me of.................... in her relationship with Joe.
A. intervening B. interacting C. interfering D. intercepting
2. Do you think there might be a ....................between Angie’s behavior arid the accident she had?
A. link B. tie C. bond D. junction
3. Suddenly, I overheard Melissa and Alex talking about me in the.................... room.
A. attached B. beside C. near D. adjacent
4. It’s difficult to translate because there’s no....................for that word in English.
A. twin B. clone C. copy D. equivalent
5. Andrea and Theresa are so different! You couldn’t have two more.................... sisters.
A. dislike B. contrasting C. conflicting D.
distinguished
6. Keeping a relationship going is hard enough, without any....................pressure from parents.
A. external B. incoming C. outward D. outdoor
7. Having your heart broken is an.................... part of growing up.
A. inward B. inset C. integral D. internal
8. Getting divorced was a .................... decision, so I don’t blame my ex-wife.
A. relative B. related C. cooperative D. joint
9. But what you’re saying now isn’t....................with what you said last week.
A. coherent B. consistent C. confirmed D. continuous
10. You have to go through a number of.................... stages before you become an expert.
A. medium B. average C. moderate D. intermediate
1. The glaciers that reached the Pacific Coast were valley glaciers and between those tongues of
ice ........... that allowed the original forests to survive.
A. that many sanctuaries were B. were many sanctuaries
C. were there many sanctuaries D. there the many sanctuaries
2. Experiments related to the sense of smell are more easily ....................than those related to perception
of color.
A. setting up B. to set up C. set up D. sets up those
3. Mercury differs from other industrial metals.................... it is a liquid.
A. whereas ? B. in that C. because of D. consequently
4. Anarchism is a term describing a cluster of doctrines and attitudes ....................principal uniting feature
is the belief that government is both harmful and unnecessary.
A. and B. whose C. since D. for
5. Up the road ....................the couple with nobody suspecting that they were working as FBI agents for
real.
A. lived B. living C. had lived D. were living
6. He insisted that his method....................correct.
A. be B. should C. were D. was
7. Everybody sat quietly,.................... for the repair or whatever was needed.
A. waited B. to wait C. waiting D. wait
8. The book translated as “Denemeler’' in Turkish is still the strongest proof that shows....................
Montaigne solved the mysteries of the modern people’s feelings.
A. just as B. so well C. how well D. even so
9. .................... ghost exists in the world. That’s your illusion.
A. No such a thing as B. No such a thing as a
C. No such thing as a D. No such thing as
10. The bank is reported in the local newspaper ....................in broad daylight yesterday.
A. to be robbed B. having been robbed
C. to have been robbed D. robbed
Choose the best answers to the following questions.
1. You shouldn’t have sent Sahastian that Valentine’s card. I think you’ve scared him....................
A. back B. down C. off D. through
2. The singer performance was so exciting that many of his fans were ....................enthusiasm.
A. carried away with B. moved to
C. taken back with D. stirred up with
3. He was very upset when the boss passed him .................... and promoted a newcomer to the assistant’s
job.
A. by B. up C. over D. aside
4. The sick man’s condition is grave but with careful nursing he will still have a chance to .....................
A. pull through B. pull together C. pull off D. pull up
5. Confidently he answered one question after another .................... everyone’s satisfaction.
A. for B. in C. with D. to
6. The small boat drifted helplessly ……………the mercy of the wind and waves.
A. in B. to C. with D. at
7. This area is absolutely.................... for more investment.
A. crying out B. breaking down C. better off D. cutting back
8. The police are trying to crack ....................on drunken drivers.
A. up B. down C. through D. in
9. We intend to……………with the old system as soon as we have developed a better one.
A. do up B. do away C. do in D. do down
10. I suggest we .................... in more coal in case the forecasts of a long and heavy winter should come
true.
A. put B. lay C. give D. do
Read the text and choose the best answer.
Line The response of most animals when suddenly faced with a
5 predator is to flee. Natural selection has acted in a variety of ways in
10 different species to enhance the efficacy of the behaviors, known as
15 “flight behaviors” or escape behaviors, that are used by prey in
20 fleeing predators. Perhaps the most direct adaptation is enhanced flight
25 speed and agility.
30 Adaptations for speed, however, are likely to require sacrifices in
35 other attributes, so we might expect only some species to adopt a
simple fast flight strategy. Another way of enhancing the effectiveness
of flight is to move in an erratic and unpredictable way. Many species,
like ptarmigans, snipes, and various antelopes and gazelles, flee from
predators in a characteristic zigzag fashion. Rapid unexpected changes
in flight direction make it difficult for a predator to track prey. In some
species, like the European hare, erratic zigzag flight might be more
effective in the presence of predators that are faster than they
are and straight flight more effective against predators that are slower.
One observation that supports this suggestion is the recorded tendency
for slow-flying black-headed gulls, which are normally able to escape
predators by means of direct flight, to show frequent changes in flight
direction when they spot a peregrine falcon (peregrines are adept at
capturing flying birds).
A quite different way of enhancing escape by flight is to use so-
called “flash” behavior. Here, the alarmed prey flees for a short
distance and then “freezes.” Some predators are unexcited by immobile
prey, and a startling flash of activity followed by immobility may
confuse them. “Flash” behavior is used in particular by frogs and
orthopteran insects, which make conspicuous jumps and then sit
immobile. In some species, “flash” behavior is enhanced by the display
of bright body markings. Good examples of insects with colorful
makings are the red and yellow underwing moths.
At rest, both species are a cryptic brown color. When they fly,
however, brightly colored hind wings are exposed, which render the
moths highly conspicuous. Similarly, some frogs and lizards have
brightly colored patches or frills that may serve a “flash” function when
they move quickly. Some species even appear to possess “flash”
sounds. The loud buzzing and clicking noises made by some
grasshoppers when they jump may serve to emphasize the movement.
1. The word “enhance” in line 3 is closest in meaning to
A. encourage B. resist C. increase D. reveal
2. The description of the prey’s movement as “zigzag” in line 12 suggests that the movement is
A. reliable B. fast C. constant D. unpredictable
3. It can be inferred from the passage that the European hare
A. is faster than mast of its predators
B. is capable of two kinds of flight
C. is more likely to escape using straight flight
D. is preyed upon by gulls and falcons
4. The behavior of black-headed gulls is most comparable to that of
A. gazelles B. European hares
C. Peregrine falcons D. frogs
5. It can be inferred that black-headed gulls change direction when they spot a peregrine falcon for which
of the following reasons?
A. The falcons are faster than the gulls.
B. The gulls want to capture the falcons.
C. The falcons are unpredictable.
D. The gulls depend on the falcons for protection.
6. The word “alarmed”in line 23 is closest in meaning to
A. moving B. selected C. frightened D. exhausted
7. All of the following are mentioned as characteristics of “flash” behavior EXCEPT
A. brief conspicuous activity B. immobility
C. bright body markings D. aggressive fighting
8. The phrase “in particular” in line 26 is closest in meaning to
A. especially B. with difficulty C. expertly D. frequently
9. The hind wings of red and yellow underwing moths function in a way that is most similar to
A. the hind wings of peregrine falcons
B. the zigzag flight of European hares
C. the colored patched on frogs
D. the clicking of grasshoppers
10. Why does the author mention grasshoppers in line 36?
A. To contrast animals that “flash” with animals that “freeze”
B. As an example of an animal whose “flash” behavior is a sound
C. To compare the jumping behavior of insects and reptiles
D. As an example of a predator that moths escape by using “flash” behavior
Read the text and choose the best answer.
5 In Death Valley, California, one of the hottest, most arid places in North
10 America, there is much salt, and salt can damage rocks impressively.
15 Inhabitants of areas elsewhere, where streets and highways are salted to
20 control ice, are familiar with the resulting rust and deterioration on cars.
25 That attests to the chemically corrosive nature of salt, but it is not the way
30 salt destroys rocks. Salt breaks rocks apart principally by a process called
crystal prying and wedging. This happens not by soaking the rocks in salt
water, but by moistening their bottoms with salt water. Such conditions
exist in many areas along the eastern edge of central Death Valley. There,
salty water rises from the groundwater table by capillary action through
tiny spaces in sediment until it reaches the surface.
Most stones have capillary passages that suck salt water from the wet
ground. Death Valley provides an ultra-dry atmosphere and high daily
temperatures, which promote evaporation and the formation of salt
crystals along the cracks or other openings within stones. These crystals
grow as long as salt water is available. Like tree roots breaking up a
sidewalk, the growing crystals exert pressure on the rock and eventually
pry the rock apart along planes of weakness, such as banding in
metamorphic rocks, bedding in sedimentary rocks, or preexisting or
incipient fractions, and along boundaries between individual mineral
crystals or grains. Besides crystal growth, the expansion of halite crystals
(the same as everyday table salt) by heating and of sulfates and similar
salts by hydration can contribute additional stresses. A rock durable
enough to have withstood natural conditions for a very long time in other
areas could probably be shattered into small pieces by salt weathering
within a few generations.
The dominant salt in Death Valley is halite, or sodium chloride, but other
salts, mostly carbonates and sulfates, also cause prying and wedging, as
does ordinary ice. Weathering by a variety of salts, though often subtle, is
a worldwide phenomenon. Not restricted to arid regions, intense salt
weathering occurs mostly in salt-rich places like the seashore, near the
large saline lakes in the DryValleys of Antarctica, and in desert sections
of Australia, New Zealand, and central Asia.
11. What is the passage mainly about?
A. The destructive effects of salt on rocks.
B. The impressive salt rocks in Death Valley.
C. The amount of salt produced in Death Valley.
D. The damaging effects of salt on roads and highways.
12. The word "it" in line 11, refers to
A. salty water B. groundwater table
C. capillary action D. sediment
13. The word "exert" in line 17 is closest in meaning to
A. put B. reduce C. replace D. control
14. In lines 15-21, why does the author compare tree roots with growing salt crystals?
A. They both force hard surfaces to crack.
B. They both grow as long as water is available.
C. They both react quickly to a rise in temperature.
D. They both cause salty water to rise from the groundwater table.
15. In lines 21-23, the author mentions the "expansion of halite crystals...by heating and of sulfates and
similar salts by hydration" in order to
A. present an alternative theory about crystal growth
B. explain how some rocks are not affected by salt
C. simplify the explanation of crystal prying and wedging
D. introduce additional means by which crystals destroy rocks
16. The word "durable" in line 23 is closest in meaning to
A. large B. strong C. flexible D. pressured
17. The word "shattered" in line 25 is closest in meaning to
A. arranged B. dissolved
C. broken apart D. gathered together
18. The word "dominant" in line 27 is closest in meaning to
A. most recent B. most common C. least available D. least
damaging
19. According to the passage, which of the following is true about the effects of salts on rocks?
A. Only two types of salts cause prying and wedging.
B. Salts usually cause damage only in combination with ice.
C. A variety of salts in all kinds of environments can cause weathering.
D. Salt damage at the seashore is more severe than salt damage in Death Valley,
20. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about rocks that are found in areas where ice
is common?
A. They are protected from weathering.
B. They do not allow capillary action of water.
C. They show similar kinds of damage as rocks in Death Valley.
D. They contain more carbonates than sulfates.
VI. CLOZE TEST
CLOZE TEST 1
WHY DO WE NEED LIFELONG LEARNING?
Incentive s play an important role in our decisions to learn. As we get older, the outcomes of
(1).......... in learning may not be the same as when we were younger. For example, we are less likely to
be (2)............. as a result of training. The type of work-related training or learning we do also changes as
we get older.
Workers over 45 years old are more likely to participate in learning (3).......................that relate directly to
their function. So they may choose to (4)....................... those technical skills directly related to their
work. By contrast, young workers are more (5)....................... to participate in training that is an
investment in their future careers. Organizations also want to continually (6)....................... their skills
base. Recently, business has (7)....................... this largely through a steady inflow of newly-
(8)....................... young people onto the labor (9)_______.Traditionally, we have had a mix of those
young people who bring new formal skills to the workplace, and a small proportion of older workers who
(10)....................... their experience. What we are seeing now is a decreasing proportion of young people
entering the workforce and an increase in the proportion of older people. So, unless we change the nature
ofour education and learning across life, we will see a decline in formal skills in the working population.
1. A. participation B. contribution C. attendance D. activity
2. A. raised B. promoted C. advanced D. upgraded
3. A. actions B. activities C. acts D. modules
4. A. relearn B. promote C. restore D. upgrade
5. A. probable B. likely C. possible D. liable
6. A. restart B. renovate C. restore D. renew
7. A. affected B. fulfilled C. achieved D. succeeded
8. A. educated B. taught C. qualified D. graduated
9. A. workforce B. employment C. staff D. market
10. A. donate B. supply C. contribute D. sell
CLOZE TEST 2
THE CHANGING FACE OF BOLLYWOOD
Bollywood is the informal name given to popular Mumbai-based Indian films in the Hindi
language. Bollywood films are generally musicals and are expected to contain catchy music in the
(1)......................of song-and-dance numbers woven into the script. A film’s success often depends on the
quality of such musical numbers. Indeed, a film’s music is often (2)....................before the movie itself as
this is an effective way of (3).................... advance publicity.
Indian audiences expect full (4)....................for their money from their films, which must include a
famous actor in the (5)..................... Songs and dances, romance and daredevil thrills - all are mixed up in
a three-hour-long extravaganza with an intermission.
The (6)....................of Bollywood films have tended to be melodramatic. They frequently employ
formulaic ingredients such as star-crossed lovers and angry parents, love triangles, family
(7)...................., corrupt politicians, kidnappers, long-lost relatives and siblings (8).................... by fate,
and convenient coincidences.
There have always been Indian films with more artistic aims and more sophisticated stories, inside
and outside the Bollywood tradition, but these often (9).................... at the box office to movies with
more mass (10)..................... Bollywood conventions are changing, however. Large Indian populations in
many English-speaking countries, and increased Western influence at home, have nudged Bollywood
films closer to Hollywood films. Plots now tend to feature westernized urbanites dating and dancing in
discos rather than the more traditional arranged marriages.
1. A. way B. form C. look D. shape
2. A. published B. issued C. released D. emitted
3. A. growing B. generating C. constructing D. developing
4. A. worth B. value C. price D. appear
5. A. crew B. staff C. team D. cast
6. A. accounts B. plots C. scenes D. plays
7. A. feuds B. wars C. hostilities D. complaints
8. A. divided B. separated C. lost D. detached
9. A. fell B. failed C. missed out D. lost out
10. A. popularity B. appeal C. attraction D. lure
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST
Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only ONE WORD for each
space.
OPEN CLOZE 1
Working to support myself at university did, on reflection, stand me in good (1) …………..for life
after graduation. I’ve never been on to skive (2) …………..anything and have already crammed as much
into each day as I could. I guess I’ve always been someone who takes thing in their (3)………….. and
snapped up any opportunity that has come my way. Looking back, I feel a great (4)………….. of
self-respect for getting myself through my studies without incurring any debts but I’ll admit it wasn’t
always plain sailing. The reality that I needed to improve my time management only really occurred to
me, for example, after I scraped (5) ………….. my first year exams. Ultimately, though, I think
personality has played a huge role in my success. I’ve always been the kind of person to take pleasure in
whatever I do, whether it’s for work or play. Sometimes people have been surprised at my ability to
manage my time so effectively and have also asked (6)…………..I get my energy from. I think most of it
I (7)………….. ’ve inherited from my parents. Their work ethic and attitude towards life have, I feel, had
a great impact on me and steered me down the path I’ve since taken. When they first emigrated here, they
had nothing but now they’re the proud owners of a successful restaurant downtown. They’ve always
taken great (8)………….. in what they do and have taught me always to (9) ………….. the best of things.
They also taught me never to take (10)………….. for an answer - which is something, I think, that has
opened far more doors than I will ever fully appreciate.
OPEN CLOZE 2
The new university hospital in Trenton, which the Health Minister Victoria Culley has described as
a “shining example” to hospitals all (1) ………….. the country, has been open now for over six months.
Having heard several less than complimentary comments about the organization and efficiency of the
place, I decided to see for myself. Before (2)………….. there, I had argued with my local GP to have
some routine blood tests for anaemia. In spite of arriving early (7.15 a.m.!) I found that there were
already long queues at the reception desks. While I was waiting, I looked around and have to admit that it
is an impressive building; large and light with marble everywhere. Eventually my turn came and I
presented my doctor’s letters to the receptionist, (3)………….. informed me that I was in the X-ray queue
and I’d have to go to another queue and start again! I couldn’t believe it and asked her if it would be
possible to give me an
appointment card anyway (4)………….. making me queue up again. She informed me it was no (5)
……… arguing with her and I should have read the sign, an almost invisible piece of card saying “X-
rays” just in front of her where very few people can have seen it. No matter how hard I tried to persuade
her, she wouldn’t give me an appointment card for a blood test, so I started (6)…………..again and
finally got the card at 8.30! I then set off for the blood tests room, following the nice new signs until they
suddenly stopped and I realized that I was in a part of the hospital that hasn’t been finished yet! When I
got to the door I saw a notice saying “Back in 10 minutes”. I sat down and waited for 30 minutes before a
doctor appeared and told me to come in without, of course, (7) ………….. for keeping me waiting. I
asked him why I’d had to wait and he explained he’d had to help out in another ward which was (8)
………….. as a result of a flu epidemic among the doctors! I got out of the hospital at 9.45 a.m. and
breathed a sigh of
relief. I’m now waiting for the results. So, Mrs. Culley, a far from rosy picture. Certainly the public
should be (9 )………….. no illusions that things have changed for the better. Perhaps you should visit the
hospital as an anonymous out-patientrather than a government minister if you really want to know what
it’s like, (10)………….. , as I suspect, you don’t actually care that much!
II. WORD FORMATION
Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses.
1. The doctor suggested that my………….. to sleep was stress-related and prescribed sleeping pills to
help me catch up on much-needed sleep. (ABLE)
2. Taking advantage of someone’s trust or innocence is completely …………... (DESPISE)
3. When she found out that she had missed out on a place by two marks, she felt completely…………..
(SPIRIT)
4. The government decided that the funding of the project was completely…………..given the collapse of
the economy. (SUSTAIN)
5. His nasty comments were completely uncalled for and left an ………….. taste in my mouth.
(SAVOUR)
6. Emilia has always been very…………..and never thinks about the consequences of any of her actions.
(IMPULSE)
7. The restaurant was closed down following an inspection that deemed the kitchen to be ………….. and
unfit for food preparation. (HYGIENE)
8. In the early years of the crisis, staff tended to be offered a more generous ………….. package than in
the later years. (REDUNDA NT)
9. …………..of East and West Germany began in 1900 when the Berlin Wall came down. (UNITY)
10. You could hardly say he was lazy; he’s been………….. employed ever since he left school. (GAIN)
Complete the passage with appropriate forms from the words given in the box.
controversy weigh obese date hard
extend reduce season volunteer resist
The government may soon force restaurants to introduce a “traffic light” labeling system on menus
to help slow down rising levels of (1)………….. A green circle would show food is safe and advisable to
eat, while amber foods should be eaten in moderation and red food s eaten occasionally. Supermarkets
already
(2)………….. follow a similar code, but ministers believe a radical (3)………….. of the system to
restaurant chains is necessary. They intend to (4)………….. government policies on public health as
recent statistics show that two thirds of adults are (5)………….. or worse, obese. Abroad, New York city
has already forced restaurant chains to list calorie con tent on menus, believing this will lead to a
dramatic
(6)………….. in the number of people who are obese or who suffer from diabetes. If the government
here goes ahead with the “traffic light” system it will no doubt face considerable (7)………….. from the
food industry, which would be forced to spend money on (8)………….. menus. This new system would
also be (9)………….. for small restaurant chains because menus are (10)………….. and constantly
change, and many dishes do not contain standardized levels of ingredients.
Find and correct 10 mistakes in the following passage.
The dominant form of transport in the twentieth century is undoubtedly the motor car. But as the
century draws into a close, a large number of road users are abandoning these petrol-driven, four-wheel
boxes for a much cleaner, more efficient machine: the bicycle.
It is not a new invention, of course. In 1817, Baron von Drais invented what was known as the
“running machine”. This was a two-wheeled vehicle which looked very similar to a bicycle, except that it
had no chain or pedal. The rider simply sat in the saddle and ran. It is surprising that these machines were
so unpopular when you consider how uncomfortable they must have been, but they were very fashionable
among the upper classes.
It was not until 1885 that something truly resemblance a modern bicycle came into the market. The
“safety cycle” started the beginning of the age of the two-wheeler. This was not just an expensive toy for
the amusement of the upper classes. It was a cheap and practical machine, and it was not long before
everyone did one.
With the raise in car use in the 1950s and 60s, the bicycle went into decline. The car was, after all,
faster and more comfortable. Until there were so many of them, that is nowadays more and more people
realize that for city journeys a bicycle can be up to five times faster than a car - and it is much easier to
find a park space!
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFOR MATION
1. They did not realize that the film had been nominated for an Oscar.
→Little……………………………………………………………………………………
the South Pole.
→ It was the………………………………………………………………………………
3. Should they strike the consultant off, she will never work again.
→ If she be………………………………………………………………………………..
4. For further information, please send a self-addressed envelope to the above address.
→ Further information can………………………………………………………………..
5. My uncle did not suffer from his experience. (NONE)
→ My uncle………………………………………………………………………………
6. Tim was always an optimist even when things were going wrong.
→ Tim invariably looked ………………………………………………………………..
7. I really admire you for your improvement. (HAT)
→ I ……………………………………………………………………………………….
8. David feels uncomfortable in front of all those people. (ILL)
→ David seems really…………………………………………………………………….
9. Don’t be upset by what she said. (HEART)
→ Don’t ………………………………………………………………………………….
10. I promised him that the situation wouldn’t be repeated in the future. (WORD)
→ I ……………………………………………………………………………………….
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LƯƠNG THẾ VINH - ĐỒNG NAI
A. MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS (40 PTS)
I. PHONOLOGY (5 PTS)
Sort out the word with the underlined part pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. leach B. measles C. teak D. cleanliness
2. A. penultimate B. commiserate C. exacerbate D. ameliorate
3. A. handcraft B. handbook C. handkerchief D. handbag
4. A. fathom B. feather C. anthem D. within
5. A. mathematics B. southern C. breath D. truth
Pick out the one word with a different stress pattern from the others.
6. A. mollify B. dissipate C. tentative D. panacea
7. A. armchair B. innate C. accent D. datum
8. A. kindergarten B. photography C. rhinoceros D. memorial
9. A. bandwagon B. horoscope C. clementine D. meanderings
10. A. superfluous B. veracity C. epileptic D. inevitable
Read the sentences and choose the best answer.
11. The problem............... because neither side was prepared to compromise.
A. amassed B. escalated C. proliferated D. enhanced
12. Not even losing all the time could........................his enthusiasm for tennis.
A. recede B. dampen C. erode D. belittle
13. We were under no ..........................about how difficult it would be to achieve our aims.
A. fantasies B. daydreams C. illusions D. deceptions
14. She showed little ................................of the problems we were facing.
A. affinity B. appreciation C. regard D.
sensitivity
15. She didn’t show even a ...........................of emotion when the court found her guilty.
A. gleam B. wink C. flicker D. flash
16. We hadn’t seen each other for ten years and she’d changed out of all.....................
A. identification B. recollection C. recognition D.
familiarity
17. It was a bad mistake but it had no .................... on the outcome of the match.
A. bearing B. relevance C. significance D.
repercussion
18. All the others were experts and I was out of my .....................in the conversation.
A. level B. depth C. limit D. range
19. They tried to ........................on their children the importance of a good education.
A. impress B. instil C. highlight D. underline
20. He refused to ........................on why he took such an unexpected decision.
A. elaborate B. amplify C. account D. clarify
21. Working there was good for me, .......................I gained a lot of valuable experience.
A. as far as B. in that C. as for D. in terms of
22.......................... that he had no choice but to leave early.
A. In such a situation did he find himself
B. In such a situation he found himself
C. He found himself in a situation where
D. He found himself in a so embarrassing situation
23. He would certainly have attended the party................................
A. had the tyre not flattened itself. B. if he didn't get a flat tyre.
C. if the flat tyre hadn't happened. D. had he not had a flat tyre.
24. Of the two new teachers, one is experienced and ..........................
A. the others are not B. the other is not
C. another is inexperienced D. other lacks experience
25. ........................is a general category that includes all mental states and activities.
A. What do psychologists call cognition
B. Psychologists call it cognition
C. What psychologists call cognition
D. Cognition, as it called by psychologists, which
26. Anyone who has ever pulled weeds from a garden ..........................roots firmly anchor plants to the
soil.
A. well aware B. is well aware that C. is well aware of D. well aware
that
27. He decided to buy some chocolate kept in an ..........................container for his father,
a ......................... watch for his mother and a doll with ..........................hair for his little sister.
A. airtighted; water-proofed; snow-whited
B. tight air; proof water; white snow
C. tight aired; proof watered; white snowed
D. air-tight; water-proof; snow-white
28..............................that he felt that he didn’t have to revise any more.
A. So confident in passing was that arrogant student
B. Such confidence in passing did that arrogant student have
C. So confident was that arrogant student of passing
D. Such was the confidence of that arrogant student on passing
29. The planes were delayed and the hotel was awful, but .............................we still had a good time.
A. on the top of all that B. on the contrary
C. for all that D. by the same token
30. I'm ......................... my brother is.
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS:
31. It is impossible to forget that day-the events still linger.........................in the memory forever.
A. on B. for C. away D. up
32. Sorry, I can’t go to the movies with you. I’m ..........................under with work at the moment.
A. rained B. flooded C. stormed D. snowed
33. She threatened to do herself .......................when her husband ran away with her best friend.
A. on B. in C. up D. down
34. This is an argument that that seems to .......................... common sense!
A. bite the back of B. fly in the face of
C. meet the eyes of D. take the hand of
35. She really has the children eating...........................! They do whatever she tells them to.
A. behind her back B. out of her hand C. on her nose D. under her
feet
36. My shoulder is playing me .......................... today! I can’t do anything while it’s so painful.
A. on B. in C. up D. against
37. That new secretary is still wet behind the ............................
A. eyes B. face C. skin D. ears
38. Donald Trump always inveigh................... immigrants in order to get votes.
A. up on B. into C. against D. towards
39. Well, it should not be........................... the wits of man to resolve this issue! Let’s have a nice coffee
and settle it!
A. beneath B. under C. above D. beyond
40. Before the Olympic 30/4 contest, I always feel like there’s a cloud.....................me.
A. hanging above B. casting towards C. hanging over D. flying over
V. GUIDED CLOZE (10 PTS)
Read the passages and choose the best answer.
PASSAGE 1
Greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere 30 times faster than the time when the
Earth experienced a (41) ........................episode of global warming. A study comparing the rate at which
carbon dioxide and methane are being (42) ..........................now, compared to 55 million years ago when
global warming also occurred, has found dramatic differences in the speed of release. James Zachos,
professor of earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said the speed of the present
buildup of greenhouse gases is far greater than during the global warming after the (43) .........................of
the dinosaurs. “The emissions that caused this past episode of global warming probably lasted 10,000
years,” Professor Zachos told the American Association for the Advancement of Science at a meeting In
St. Louis. “By burning fossil fuels, we are likely to emit the same amount over the next three centuries.”
He warned that studies of global warming events in the geological past (44) ........................the Earth’s
climate passes a (45) ............................beyond which climate change accelerates with the help of positive
feedbacks – vicious circles of warming. Professor Zachos is a leading (46) ...........................on the
episode of global warming known as the palaeocene-eocene thermal maximum, when average global
temperatures increased by up to 50°C due to a massive release of carbon dioxide and methane.
His research into the deep ocean (47) .......................... suggests at this time that about 4.5 billion
tons of carbon entered the atmosphere over 10,000 years. “This will be the same amount of carbon
released into the atmosphere from cars and industrial emissions over the next 300 years if present
(48) ..................... continue”, he said. Although carbon can be released suddenly and naturally into the
atmosphere from volcanic activity, it takes many thousands of years for it to be removed permanently by
natural processes. The ocean is capable of removing carbon, and quickly, but this natural
(49) ....................... can be easily (50) ..........................,which is probably what happened 55 million years
ago. “It will take tens of thousands of years before atmospheric carbon dioxide comes down to
preindustrial levels,” the professor said. “Even after humans stop burning fossil fuels, the effects will be
long-lasting.”
41. A. prearranged B. premier C. previous D. fundamental
42. A. emitted B. exhaled C. incorporated D. digested
43. A. dementia B. demolition C. detachment D. demise
44. A. comment B. mark C. compliment D. indicate
45. A. barricade B. verge C. threshold D. perimeter
46. A. autocrat B. authority C. administrator D. proprietor
47. A. dusts B. sediments C. dirt D. powder
48. A. trends B. gadgets C. fads D. crazes
49. A. capacity B. competence C. intelligence D. bulk
50. A. overcharged B. overstated C. overshadowed D. overwhelmed
PASSAGE 2
FREEDOM
This morning, the (51) ..........................of the villages around Delhi streamed triumphantly towards
their rejoicing capital to celebrate the end of a colonization most of them had not even known.
“Oh lovely dawn of freedom that breaks in gold and purple over an ancient capital,”
(52) .................... India’s poet laureate in benediction over the crowds. They came from all
(53)...........................There were bullocks, their hoofs painted with orange, green and white stripes, their
bells (54) ................... gaily. There were trucks (55) ............................with people, their roofs and flanks
painted with snakes, eagles and sacred cows. People came on donkey, horse and bicycle, walking and
running, country people with turbans of every shape and colour (56) ............................ the women in
bright, festive saris, every bauble they owned (57)...........................on their arms or faces.
For a (58)............................moment rank, religion and caste disappeared. Hindus, Sikhs, Moslems,
Anglo- Indians laughed, cheered, and occasionally wept (59) ........................... emotion. ‘The British are
going,’ they cried. ‘Nehru is going to (60) ..........................a new flag. We are free!’
51. A. dwellers B. inhabitants C. lodgers D. inmates
52. A. proclaimed B. stated C. testified D. indicated
53. A. edges B. positions C. sides D. views
54. A. clattering B. rattling C. jingling D. hooting
55. A. overlapping B. overhanging C. overriding D. overflowing
56. A. thinkable B. imaginable C. believable D. credible
57. A. flashing B. glaring C. scintillating D. glittering
58. A. quick B. temporary C. transient D. brief
59. A. in B. to C. with D. about
60. A. erect B. raise C. elevate D. lift
VI. READING COM PREHENSION (10 PTS)
Read the passages and choose the best answer.
PASSAGE 1
NEW WAYS OF LOOKING AT HISTORY
Though few modern readers are familiar with LP Hartley’s novel The Go-Between, many will know
the novel’s often quoted opening line: ‘The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.’ In
Hartley’s novel, published in 1953, the remark indicates the distance that separates an elderly narrator
from
the dramatic events of his youth. But the phrase has since been gleefully adopted by historians hoping to
dramatise the gulf between present and bygone ages. This remoteness makes the past both alluring and
incomprehensible. It is the natural hurdle all historians must overcome to shed lights on earlier times.
Since the days of Herodotus, the father of history who lived 2500 years ago, it has had them scrambling
for new ways to acquaint today’s audiences with yesterday’s events.
Amid the current mass of works of popular historical non-fiction, the question of how to bring
history to life seems more pressing than ever. The historian Ian Mortimer takes a literal approach: if the
past is a foreign country, then a foreigner’s guidebook might help. His book The Time Traveller’s Guide
to
Medieval England is exactly that, offering ‘an investigation into the sensations of being alive in different
times’. The resulting portrait of the era is as lively and entertaining as it is informative. Yet it is worth
considering his claims about his own approach. ‘In traditional history, what we can say about the past is
dictated by the selection and interpretation of evidence.’ It would be foolish, however, to suppose that
Mortimer’s own text has not relied on precisely this kind of selection. Mortimer presents events as if they
were unfolding, putting the facts in the present tense. Yet the illusion of first-hand historical experience is
shattered the moment we are thrown 50 years backwards or forwards in order to provide context.
Mortimer’s refusal to commit to a temporal point of view undermines the immediacy he attempts to
convey.
Unlike Mortimer, Philip Matyszak, author of Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day, does not claim
to tread new historiographical ground. His aim is to inform and amuse, and in this he succeeds. The light-
hearted approach pays off, though it occasionally descends into juvenile and anachronistic humour:
Oedipus is referred to as ‘he of the complex’. This raises the question of what readership the book is
really aimed at. Also, the problem with time-travellers’ guides is that they often say more about the
people who wrote them than about the people they describe. Mortimer's avowal that ‘climate change is
another factor affecting the
landscape' in 14th-century England reflects concerns more modern that medieval. While Matyszak’s
assertion that ‘it is a common misconception among visitors that the Acropolis is the Parthenon’ sounds
more like a complaint about the ignorance of today’s tourists.
‘Understanding the past is a matter of experience as well as know ledge,’ Mortimer declares. This
may well be the manifesto for those who, not satisfied with virtual tours of history, take history into their
own hands. Historical re-enactors - yes, those individuals whose idea of fun is to dress up and stage mock
battles - provide the most literal interpretation of history as experience. Humorist Tim Moore set out to
explore this world in his book I Believe in Yesterday. In Berne, Switzerland, he suffers in the name of
‘utter authenticity’ during the restaged siege of Grandson, circa 1474. In the US he endures a stint of
‘relentless and uncompromising immersion with re-enactment’s seasoned elite,’ revisiting 1864’s battle
of Red River during the American Civil War.
Moore’s quest for ‘my inner ancient’ is fuelled by his anxieties about our modern inability to
deploy the skills that came naturally to our ancestors. More often, he finds, it is a ‘refreshingly simple
impulse to get away from it all’ that gets people into period attire. Many civil war re-enactors seek
redress: ‘History
is written by the winners but re-enactment gives the losers a belated chance to scribble in the margins.’
For others it’s ‘a simple and truly heart-warming quest for gregarious community’.
Perhaps re-enactment is the closest we can get to Mortimer’s ideal of what history should be: ‘A
striving to make spiritual, emotional poetic, dramatic and inspirational connections with our forebears’.
Interestingly, Mortimer quotes the poet WH Auden, who remarked that to understand your own country it
helps to have lived in at least two others. Perhaps the same applies to historical eras. The central
question, for popular historians and historical re-enactors alike, is not how to animate the past but how to
make it cast light on us today.
61. For the writer, a well-known quote from a novel
A. explains the Strange attitude of some historians.
B. has been somewhat misinterpreted by historians,
C. epitomises what historians have always tried to do.
D. indicates the problems in trying to popularise history.
62. The writer refers to being ‘thrown 50 years backwards or forwards’ as an example of Mortimer
A. doing what he claims he is not doing.
B. choosing to ignore certain evidence.
C. sticking closely to historical fact.
D. succeeding in doing something different.
63. In the fourth paragraph, the writer implies that
A. Matyszak’s defence of his book is rather overstating the case.
B. Matyszak and Mortimer have more in common than they acknowledge.
C. Matyszak’s own opinions could have been more to the fore in the book.
D. Matyszak’s book may actually have little appeal for those interested in history.
64. The word “manifesto” has the closest meaning to
A. declaration B. appearance C. allusion D. delusion
65. The word “fuelled” has the closest meaning to
A. burned B. stocked up C. fired D. oiled
66. With regard to historical re-enactors, the writer shares with author Tim Moore
A. a desire to see at first hand what motivates them.
B. a sense of scepticism about what they are doing.
C. doubts about the historical authenticity of their actions.
D. concerns that the battles they choose are given undue prominence.
67. What does Tim Moore say is the appeal of historical re-enactment for some?
A. imagining that they are famous historical figures
B. the possibility of proving something to themselves
C. investigating what life would be like if history could be changed
D. the chance to pretend that they’re influencing historical outcomes
68. The word “attire” has the closest meaning to
A. thoughts B. clothes C. food D. battles
69. The word “era” has the closest meaning to
A. fact B. re-enactment C. epoch D. description
70. The writer concludes that history as Mortimer, Matyszak and the historical re-enactors see it
A. has more in common with literary writing.
B. is a new development that will have a limited life.
C. can help us learn things about modern society.
D. may well be the way forward for historians in general.
PASSAGE 2
THE FIVE-SEVEN SHIFT
1. All major theories of child psychology state that children undergo a major change between the ages of
five and seven. In classical learning theory, this is a time when the simplest forms of learning give way to
learning that involves more complex mental processes. According to psychologist Jean Piaget, the period
from five to seven years old is a transition to operational thought, when children are able to move beyond
using only their senses toward using a new set of rational-thinking skills. Because several cognitive
changes occur in children between ages five and seven, this period is called the five-seven shift. The shift
is biological in nature and involves fundamental growth in the brain and stabilization of brain-wave
rhythms into a basically adult pattern. The five-seven shift involves many physical changes, such as the
loss of the “baby teeth” and an increase in the rates of height acquired and weight gained.
2. By the time they are five years old, children can understand and use symbols. They have developed the
ability to use words, gestures, and pictures to stand for “ real life” objects, and they are skilled in
deploying various symbol systems, such as language or drawing. However, a five-year-old child is able
to focus attention on only one quality of an object at a time, such as the object's size or shape. The use of
symbolization continues to evolve, reaching a peak around the age of seven or eight, when children
become capable of concrete operations. When this happens,, they can solve problems by using rational
thought to make generalizations from their own experience.
3. By the age of seven or eight, a new set of abilities allows children to reason systematically about the
world of objects, quantity, time, space, and causality. According to Piaget, this is because an “extra card”
is added to the child’s mental “computer” during the five-seven shift. The development of operational
thought enables the child to appreciate the relations among a series of actions upon objects. For example,
the child understands that a scene can be viewed from a different perspective and still contain the same
elements. The child also understands that objects can be rearranged and still have the same quantity and
that a substance can be changed in shape without its mass or volume being affected.
4. Piaget discovered the most widely known hallmark of the five-seven shift, an understanding of
conservation, the idea that some properties stay the same despite changes in appearance. In one of
Piaget’s classic experiments on the conservation of quantity, the experimenter shows children of different
ages
two straight rows of coins, each with six coins pressed close together, beside each other on a table. The
experimenter asks each child subject whether both rows have the same number of coins or whether one
row has more. Then the experimenter spreads out the coins of one row to make the line look longer. The
child must now say whether one row has more coins. Children younger than five years old cannot
understand conservation, so they invariably say that the spread-out row has more coins than the other
row.
5. Like most age-related tasks for children, there are other ways to set up the task. In a similar
experiment, water is poured into two identical glasses until the child subject agrees that each contains an
equal amount. Then the experimenter pours water from one of these glasses into a tall, thin glass. At that
point, the child is asked whether one glass has more water than the other. Five- year-old children will say
that there is more water in the tall, thin glass. When asked why they think that, many will confidently say,
“Because it’s
taller.” Older children, however, are likely to reply, “It looks like there’s more water in this one because
it’s taller, but they’re really the same.” Such experiments show a difference between children of five
years and children of eight years. The older children can solve the task promptly, easily, under a wide
variety of conditions, and without being taught. The younger children, even if they are taught about
conservation, cannot do what the five-seven shift will do for them naturally: provide them with a more
developed brain.
71. According to the passage, children between the ages of five and seven typically experience all of the
following EXCEPT
A. development of rational thinking
B. an interest in morality and rules
C. important changes in the brain
D. an increase in the physical growth rate
72. What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about cognitive development during the five-seven shift?
A. It is a time when children start learning in very simple ways.
B. It is the most important period in the child’s formal education.
C. It is a topic of disagreement among child psychologists.
D. It is related to biological developments in the child’s brain.
73. Why does the author mention “words, gestures, and pictures” in paragraph 2?
A. To list things that are used in experiments with children
B. To give examples of symbols that children can understand
C. To compare different ways of illustrating a child’s experience
D. To illustrate the concept of conservation of quantity
74. The word “peak” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. large vocabulary B. difficult period C. high point D. sudden
reversal
75. According to the passage, a child who is Capable of concrete operations can
A. perform tasks that may confuse an adult
B. install an extra card on a computer
C. make two rows of coins look the same
D. reason systematically about quantity and space
76. The word “hallmark” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. characteristic B. problem C. disadvantage D. experiment
77. The word “each ” in paragraph 4 refers to
A. experiment B. child C. age D. row
78. Which sentence be lo w best expresses the essential information in the underlined sentence in
paragraph 4? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Before the age of five, children think the longer line has more coins because they are incapable
of understanding conservation.
B. Five- year-old children do not understand the value of money, so they do not care if one line of
coins is longer than another.
C. Because of the five-seven shift, children can understand why the longer row of coins is a better
example of conservation.
D. Even if two rows of coins are different in length, very young children will say that both rows
have the same number of coins.
79. In paragraph 5, the author describes an experiment in which water is poured into various glasses in
order to
A. show how children approach difficult problems
B. recommend an experiment that can be done at home
C. give a variation on a classic experiment by Piaget
D. suggest an activity for parents and children
80. What can be inferred about children who easily solve the water task described in paragraph 5?
A. They have already experienced the five-seven shift.
B. They were taught about the concept of conservation.
C. They had time to practice the t ask before the experiment.
D. They are more intelligent than others of the same age.
B. WRITTEN QUESTIONS (60 PTS)
I. OPEN CLOZE (20 PTS)
Read the passsages and fill each gaps with ONE word.
PASSAGE 1
The television maker Vizio has agreed to pay $2.2 million to (1) ....................claims that it collected
data from 11 million people (2) ................ their consent. The lawsuit against the flat-panel TV maker was
(3) .....................by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the USA. The FTC discovered that Vizio
had been gathering and selling data on customers without permission for years. The FTC claimed Vizio
began making televisions in 2014 that automatically tracked what people were watching. They fitted
tracking devices to TVs made before 2014 by using software updates. The FTC said: "Consumers didn’t
know that while they were watching their TVs, Vizio was (4).........................them."
The FTC said Vizio captured second-by-second (5) .........................about what people were
watching. The company also recorded people's IP (6) ........................The FTC said this was a breach of
(7).................. and security. It said: "The data generated when you watch television can
(8) ........................a lot about you and your household." Vizio sold information to advertisers about
people’s age, sex, household size and income, (9) .......................status, home ownership, and education
level. However, the company did not (10).....................people's names. Vizio lawyer Jerry Huang said:
"Today, the FTC has made it clear that all smart-TV makers should get people's consent before collecting
and sharing television viewing information."
PASSAGE 2
For whatever reason, people assume dogs are more intelligent creatures than cats. This notion has
been called into (11)..........................by scientists in Japan, who have said that cats are as smart as dogs at
certain memory tests. Cat lovers, of course, have always known this. Researchers at Kyoto University
(12)...........................tests on how well 49 cats could recall or relate to an event from the past - known as
an episodic (13a) ............................The Japanese team got the felines to eat from one of two bowls.
Fifteen minutes later, the cats were tested on their (14) ..........................to remember which bowl they had
eaten from and which (15) .........................untouched. The team found the cats could recall what they ate
and where, suggesting they had episodic (13b)..........................
The scientists also said that cats were as good as dogs on a whole (16)....................of mental tests,
including responding to the gestures, (17)........................expressions and emotions of humans. Researcher
Saho Takagi told reporters that she believed cats think about past events (18) ..........................to the way
humans do. She said: " An interesting speculation is that they may enjoy actively recalling memories of
their experience, like humans." She added: "Episodic (13c) ..........................is viewed as being related to
an introspective function of the mind. Our study may imply a type of consciousness in cats." Ms Takagi
said
the research is good (19).........................for pet owners, saying: "Understanding cats more deeply helps to
(20 )....................better cat-human relationships."
II. WORD FORMATION (20 PTS)
21. The management body was set up in order to ........................the construction of the railway system.
(SEE)
22. Marie was an ........................campaigner for better community services. (FATIGUE)
23. The result of the election seems to be a .......................conclusion: everyone knows that Trump will
win. (GO )
24. She was completely.........................by severe burns. (FIGURE)
25. The young musician met a tragic and .......................death at the age of 25. (TIME)
26. It is the job of the police to .............................the law. (FORCE)
27. He considered himself the best in our class, but his recent scores in the examination has.....................
him of that notion. (ABUSE )
28. The government is now faced with the ......................... problems of unemployment. (SUPER)
29. We have our ............................ advertising department; therefore, we don’t need to hire other
companies to publish the materials. (HOUSE)
30. Some children ............................a complete transformation when they become teenagers. (GO)
Complete the passage with the appropriate forms from the words given in the box.
act - survive - die - earth - fate -flame - evidence
responsible - destroy -fortune
On a yearly basis, the United States is afflicted by hurricanes on the east coast, flooding in the
Midwest, forest fires, (31) .........................., and any number of tornadoes, blizzards and storms.
Historically, the weather has struck as harsh a chord in people’s lives as any we feel today. Historians list
the four major events to wreak devastation on the country as the Chicago fire of 1871, the Johnstown
flood of 1889, the Galveston hurricane of 1900, and the San Francisco earthquake of Ì906. These
disasters provide a flavour of the havoc nature’s storms have wrecked on humanity, and our
(32)..........................
to them. Galveston, Texas, located on the island of Galveston in the gulf of New Mexico, thrives on
industry and exports. Its over 30,000 citizens in the early 1900s were generally economically successful
and comfortable with existing conditions. Until the (33) ...........................morning of Sept. 7, 1900, the
people of Galveston enjoyed their life on the remote island. However, weather watchers had been
following a growing storm in the Atlantic for several days and were warning of the impending danger of
a hurricane. (34) ......................people ignored the warnings. A day after the hurricane had hit the island,
all that
remained of the beautiful city was a mass of crumbled buildings, debris and forlorn, hopeless (35) ...........
wandering aimlessly with the stench of rotting flesh all around. It is estimated that over 8,000 people and
most of the animals died that day, victims of one of the (36) ..........................natural disasters in U.S.
history. Chicago’s ‘storm’ of 1871, although unrelated to the hurricanes of the southeastern coast, was
described by poet John Greenleaf Whittier as a ‘fiery hurricane’ that struck the great city with such force
that two days later, half of the city had been destroyed and 300 lives lost. Those relating the events of that
catastrophic ‘hurricane’ say that too little rain and a strong wind blowing off the prairie had been the
cause behind the destruction of the Windy City. According to legend, however, (37) .........................was
placed on one slovenly cow who kicked over a lantern in her barn somewhere in the southwest corner of
Chicago, igniting the dry and highly (38).......................barn and ultimately bringing
(39) ..........................to a large part of the city. Two days after the sparks ignited, a steady rain on the
burning city put out the flames and within days hope had returned. Signs that the city was beginning to
heal became (40) ............................. everywhere - soon new buildings were replacing the burned, and the
lifeblood of the ravaged city was being.
III. ERROR CORRECTION (5 PTS)
Identify and correct 10 errors in the passage. Find and correct them.
Underline the mistakes and write the answers in the blanks provided.
Help may be in hand for those of US who want to keep the wrinkles and grey hair at bay and slow
down the process of aging. New research suggests that eating green vegetables can ward off the signals of
aging. Researchers say that broccoli, cabbage and avocado in particular contain a compound that helps
slow
down the rate at which we age. The key compound, present in green fruit and vegetables, is called NMN .
It helps slow down the physical signs of getting old. Scientists say NMN can also rejuvenate the
metabolism. It helps replenish degrees of energy production in our body that deteriorate as we age. It also
helps reduce weight loss and the deterioration of visibility.
The research was conducted by scientists at the Washington University School of Medicine in the
USA. Researcher professor Shinichiro Imai said: "We have shown a way to slow the physiological
decline that we see in aging mice. This means older mice have metabolism and energy levels resembling
those of
younger mice." Professor Imai said tests in mice showed that NMN reduced typical signs of aging,
including a decline in the strength of skeletal muscle, poor liver function, lower bones density and
weakening eyesight. The reason our metabolism changes over time and lead to reduced energy levels has
baffled scientists for decades. This latest research casts new lights on this mystery.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (15 PTS)
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 three and eight words, including the
word given.
51. I don’t think it was reasonable of you to complain so much about the service. justified
I don’t think you ................................................................................................fuss about the service.
52. Your attitude to life would be greatly improved by regular exercise. wonders
Regular exercise .....................................................................................at life.
53. I didn’t want to give up while some hope of success remained, defeat
I was loath....................................................................................................some hope of success.
54. The manager said that he had paid attention to my complaints and would take the appropriate
action. note
The manager said that he had ...............................................................................accordingly.
55. His behaviour at the conference gave him the bad reputation he now has. conducted
The way ......................................................................................in the bad reputation he now has.
56. He had no idea what was going to happen to him when he walked into that room. store
Little.......................................................................................him when he walked into that room.
57. He became famous but it cost him his privacy. expense
His rise .......................................................................................of his privacy.
58. You shouldn't let trivial matters worry you so much. prey
You shouldn't let trivial matters............................................................. extent.
59. I said that I thought he was wrong about the best way for us to proceed. issue
I .................................................................................. best we should proceed.
60. We decided to stay for longer because we were so thrilled by the place. prolong
We decided to .................................................................................................we by the place.
61. I’ll have to find out about the background to the problem before I can comment. acquaint
I’ll have to ........................................................................................ before I can comment.
62. I told the manager very clearly that I would not tolerate such appalling service. uncertain
I told the manager.......................................................that I would not tolerate such appalling service.
63. Since there wasn’t a better alternative, I accepted the job. absence
..........................................................................................., I accepted the job.
64. She is determined to become a doctor. heart
She..................................................................................................a doctor.
65. The forthcoming biography of him will make him seem an arrogant and selfish man. portrayed
In the forthcoming biography of him ............................................................... and selfish.
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LƯƠNG VĂN CHÁNH - PHÚ YÊN
I. PHONOLOGY (10ms)
A. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
1. A. expertise B. exhibition C. execute D. excursion
2. A. nasal B. resonant C. resource D. conserve
3. A. patriotism B. landscapes C. humane D. feign
4. A. archaic B. chaperon C. choreograph D. chasm
5. A. cleanse B. vessel C. decimal D. foetus
B. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from the others.
1. A. opportune B. aborigine C. modernity D. unambiguous
2. A. viticulture B. concertina C. preferential D. misbegotten
3. A. prevalent B. lapel C. contour D. moustache
4. A. inertia B. presidium C. psychiatry D. miniature
5. A. legislature B. obstinate C. discrepancy D. premature
II. WORD CHOICE (10ms)
Choose the word which best completes each sentence.
1. A ................... of dancers from Beijing is one of the leading attractions in the festival.
A. troupe B. troop C. herd D. packet
2. The police ..................off the street where the bomb had gone off.
A. cordoned B. battened C. fastened D. shuttered
3. The smell of the burnt cabbage was so .................that it spread to every room.
A. pervasive B. effusive C. extensive D. diffuse
4. The students paid.............attention to their distinguished professor.
A. respectable B. respected C. respectful D. respective
5. This lime juice needs...............before you can drink it.
A. diluting B. dissolving C. softening D. watering
6. I am.............. furious with Charlotte. How could she forget our wedding anniversary?
A. absolutely B. extremely C. very D. terribly
7. The puppy was.................. so much I nearly dropped him.
A. sniggering B. wriggling C. chuckling D. giggling
8. Skilled................... have produced perfect copies of many of the world’s famous paintings.
A. muggers B. smugglers C. rapists D. forgers
9. The Oscar winning actress simply....................charm and professionalism in her acceptance speech.
A. exuded B. excluded C. expunged D. extricated
10. Every time the government meets their demands, the union leaders move the ............
A. lamp-posts B. goalposts C. bus stops D. roadblocks
III. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES (10ms)
1. We’re free most of the weekend, but we’re got a few bits and.................to do on Sunday morning.
A. ends B. pieces C. stuff D. things
2. .................! You deserved to win.
A. Hard luck B. Unfair luck C. Bad fortune D. Nasty luck
3. The company had sent the advertisement to the newspaper when they realized they’d mistyped the
salary they were offering for the position. Luckily, they .................the newspaper to correct their mistake
before they printed it.
A. could have asked B. might have asked
C. must have asked D. were able to ask
4. They agreed to the changes.................that they would be introduced gradually.
A. with the conditions B. for the interpretation
C. by the comprehension D. on the understanding
5. Peter: “Do you mind if I put the television on?” Susan: “.................”
A. You are welcome B. No, not in the least
C. Not mention it. D. It’s no matter to me
6. Body language varies greatly from one culture to ................. and is one area of frequent
miscommunication.
A. the other B. one another C. other D. another
7. Many a.................it difficult to avoid the interference of mass media in their life.
A. pop stars finds B. pop star find C. pop star finds D. pop stars
find
8. "But I thought she was coming."
"Well, in spite of ................that she was coming, I don't think she meant it."
A. having her saying B. she has said
C. her having said D. she had said
9. I’m tired, ................. , I only had 3 hours sleep last night!
A. let me see B. right C. mind you D. listen
10. the steak looked tender, but it was as tough as ...............
A. a belt B. a saddle C. old boots D. rubber
IV. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS (10ms)
1. - We need to deal with burglary more severely. - Yes, we need to.................
A. crack down on it B. nip it in the bud C. tip off D. miss it out
2. He managed to.............the registration number of the car as it sped away.
A. spot up B. jot down C. dot off D. slot up
3. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Just.................... it up to experience and don’t do it again.
A. talk B. chalk C. stalk D. set
4. He .................. a technicality and the plaintiff was forced to pay the costs.
A. got her off on B. made her into
C. brought her onto D. had her over
5. “- I was nowhere near that bank that got robbed”
“- ............, Charlie. We have witnesses who saw you there.”
A. Come out of it B. Leave off it C. Leave it off D. Come off it
6. When Marston comes back from sick leave, you’ll have to...................on what’s been happening in his
absence.
A. bring him up B. carry him on C. catch him up D. fill him
in
7. I wish you wouldn’t................ me about neglecting the housework.
A. talk down to B. have it out with C. play down to D. keep on
at
8 - I really like oceanography. I think I'm going to read ................ on that subject more in the future in
order to get more knowledgeable about it. Maybe. I'll get a degree in that area one day.
A. up B. with C. down D. for
9. We need to ............. food before the strike.
A. stock up on B. knock up on C. club up on D. fork up for
10. I never meant to ........... fun at you. I was just teasing you a bit, that’s all.
Please don’t hold it against me.
A. poke B. make C. joke D. stick
V. READING COMPREHENSIONS. (20ms)
PASSAGE 1: Read the text below and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to each question.
Tides are the periodic rise and fall of the Earth's waters that are caused the Moon's and Sun's forces
of gravity acting on the Earth. It is important to distinguish natural tidal phenomena from huge tsunamis,
with the latter being caused by earthquakes and undersea volcanic eruptions.
The Moon is a main factor controlling ordinary tides. At the location on the Earth closest to the
Moon, it exerts a powerful gravitational pull on the water. The resulting rise in the water produces higher
tides. The water on the side of the Earth farthest away from the Moon also gets pulled by this lunar
gravity, but not as strongly. The Earth itself has its own gravitational force that is constantly pulling
waters downward, which is why the oceans do not simply bulge out toward the Moon. Ordinary tides
usually feature high and low waters alternating in relation to the Earth's rotation. Most shores around the
world have high waters and two low waters for each day, which last about 24 hours and 50 minutes. The
difference in height between the high water and low water is called the range of tide, and it can be quite
dramatic in narrower bays. Canada’s bays of Fundy, for example, commonly experiences the world’s
most extreme tidal ranges, with daily differences of the 16 metres.
Two other types of tides are influenced by the Sun, which is much farther away from the Earth and
exerts less than half of the Moon's gravitational force. When the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are directly
in line, the solar and lunar gravitational forces add up to produce higher spring tides. The range of spring
tides is intensified, with higher water marks and lower low water marks. However, when the Moon is in
the first or third quarter, it is at a 90-degree angle with the Sun in relation to the Earth The opposing solar
and lunar forces partially cancel each other out, and the result is a lower tide. This is called a neap tide,
which comes twice a month and has lower high water marks and higher low water marks. The range of
neap tides is minimum.
Some tides do not occur over water at all. The solid body of the Earth has slight elasticity, so lunar
and solar gravity cause it to stretch very subtly. These changes in the Earth's shape,
although imperceptible to humans, are known as Earth tides. Another tidal phenomenon, atmospheric
tides, is caused by the Sun's
heating of the Earth's atmosphere. Like ordinary tides, they usually occur over 12 hour periods.
A. Tides are influenced more by the Moon than the Sun.
B. Tides are a natural phenomenon but are not a natural disaster.
C. Tides always occur over water and are usually predictable.
D. Tides are a phenomenon mainly caused by forces of gravity.
2. Why does the author mention tsunamis in the passage?
A. to explain that not lal tides are caused by gravity.
B. to give an example of an extreme tidal phenomenon.
C. to show that they are not related to natural tides.
D. to suggest that more categories for tides are needed.
3. The word exerts in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. mixes with B. brings into use C. infers from D. connects with
4. The word it in paragraph 2 refers to
A. height B. the high water C. the low water D. the range of
tide
5. What can be inferred about Canada’s Bay of Fundy?
A. It may experience tsunamis because of its extreme tides.
B. It may have a longer tide cycle because of its wide variations.
C. It may be very narrow because it has wide tidal variations.
D. It may be influenced more by gravity than other places.
6. The word imperceptible in the last paragraph could best be replaced by
A. not noticeable B. difficult to explain
C. not generally known D. not able to be said
7. According to paragraph 3, it is true that
A. neap tides are characterised by lower water during the low tide period.
B. spring tides occur when the Moon is in the first and the third quarter.
C. The Sun has more gravitational force than the Moon because of its larger size.
D. the range of tide is greater in spring tides than in ordinary tides.
8. What is true about the Moon’s gravitational force?
A. It pulls water on the far side of the Earth more strongly.
B. It is more than twice as powerful as that of the Sun.
C. It has reduced gravity when it lined up with the Sun and the Earth.
D. Its force is strongest when it is located at 90 degrees to the Earth.
9. Besides ordinary tides, how many other types of tide are mentioned in the passage?
A. two B. three C. four D. five
10. Which of the following does not relate to Ordinary Tides?
A. receiving greatest influence from the Moon.
B. influenced by the Sun’s position relative to the Moon.
C. taking turns the higher and lower water relating to the Earth ’s rotation.
D. having the striking range of tide in narrower bays.
PASSAGE 2: Rea d the passage and choose A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of
the questions.
ENERGY FROM THE WAVES
The quest for sustainable sources of energy has led humans to study the energy potential of the sun
and the wind, as well as the immense power created by dammed rivers. The oceans, too, represent an
impressive source of potential energy. For example, it has been estimated that the oceans could provide
nearly 3,000 times the energy generated by hydroelectric dams such as the Hoover Dam. Yet, this
source remains quite difficult to exploit.
But this challenge has not prevented scientists from trying. Within the last few decades, several
technologies that can transform the ocean’s immense forces into usable electricity have been invented and
introduced. Some focus on capturing the power of the changing tides, while others rely on thermal energy
created by oceans in certain tropical regions. However, the most common and easiest-to-develop
technologies are those designed to harness the power inherent in the ocean’s waves.
There are several methods by which ocean-wave energy can be collected. All of them work because
the movement of the water that the waves induce creates storable energy by directly or indirectly driving
a power generator. In one such technology, the changing water levels in the ocean that are produced by
waves
lift a long floating tube comprised of many sections connected by hinges. As the sections move up and
down with the water, they pump a special fluid through the tube that can be used to drive a generator.
Another technique works on a similar principle, only the floating object rocks back and forth with the
motion of the water instead of up and down. A third method of collecting wave energy relies on the rising
water from the waves to compress air in a partially submerged chamber. As the waves rush into the
chamber, they push the air out through a narrow tunnel. Located inside this tunnel is a turbine connected
to a power generator. The movement of the air turns the turbine, which feeds energy into the generator.
The drawback to each of these concepts is that they make it necessary to have many pieces of
machinery linked together. This presents a problem because the larger the device, the more vulnerable it
is to damage from hazardous ocean environments, and the more likely it is to interfere with otherwise
unspoiled coastal scenery. Also, these methods demand the construction of site-specific machines that
take into consideration average local wave heights and sea conditions. In other words, the ability to get
power from waves differs from region to region.
Japan, Norway, and the UK have all attempted to generate energy by capturing the power of ocean
waves. In northern Scotland, the first power plant to use wave power, OSPREY (Ocean Swell Powered
Renewable Energy), began operating in 1995. It followed the principle of the third method described
above:
waves entering a partially submerged chamber pushed air into turbines to generate electricity. The
electricity was then transmitted to power collectors on the shore via underwater cables. Unfortunately, the
OSPREY plant was destroyed in a large storm, highlighting an unavoidable difficulty associated with
this kind of power generation.
The potential benefits of wave-based energy are hard to ignore. Once the proper machinery is
produced and installed, the energy is free. Maintenance costs are small, and the equipment does not pose
any threats of environmental pollution. And best of all, the amounts of energy produced are enormous.
However, these theoretical advantages have yet to be fully realized. In many cases, a lack of government
funding has inhibited the technologies from advancing. For example, despite the relative abundance of
proposed wave-power devices, many have not been adequately tested, and most have been evaluated
only in artificial pools where they are not subjected to the harsh marine conditions that exist in actual
oceans. Protecting the equipment from the sea's destructive forces, as well as the fundamental task of
determining feasible locations for collecting energy, also present formidable challenges. All in all,
while ocean power offers some intriguing possibilities, the difficulties involved in harnessing this energy
source are substantial and will require more time to overcome.
1. The phrase this source in the passage refers to
A. sun B. wind C. dammed rivers D. oceans
2. The word exploit in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. utilize B. declare C. contain D. determine
3. Why does the author mention the Hoover Dam in paragraph one?
A. to give a current example of ocean-based energy technology.
B. to explain that dams are effective producers of sustainable energy.
C. to draw a comparison between two sources of renewable energy.
D. to show that alterantive energy sources have not been successful.
4. In paragraph 2, the author states that
A. waves do not represent the only form of ocean power.
B. tropical oceans produce the greatest amount of energy.
C. scientists first attempted to collect power from ocean tides.
D. most of the electricity created by oceans is not usable.
5. The word induce in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. cause B. define C. order D. monitor
6. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true about wave-power technologies?
A. Mnay of them use submerged objects to obtain the waves’ energy.
B. Compressed air must be present for them to work properly.
C. They undertake three steps in order to collect wave power.
D. They rely on the water’s motion to create electricity.
7. According to paragraph 5, what part did the cables play in OSPREY’S design?
A. They attached the partially submerged chamber to the sea floor.
B. They generated the electricity which was then collected in turbines,
C. They conducted the electricity from the generator to the shore.
D. They provided stability during powerful ocean storms.
8. The word inhibited in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. delivered B. prevented C. protected D. approved
9. What can be inferred from paragraph 7 about governments?
A. They do not believe wave-energy devices can withstand ocean forces.
B. Their interests often conflict with those of the energy industries.
C. They demand much scientific research before they provide funding.
D. Their support is often essential to the success of new endeavors.
10. All of these are problems associated with the collection of wave energy EXCEPT
A. the difficulty of finding feasible locations
B. the destructive power of the ocean
C. the size of the equipment involved
D. the constant changing of the tides
VI. CLOZE TEST. (20ms)
A. Read the following passage and then decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
The issues for (1) ................. economies are a little more straightforward. The desire to build on
undeveloped land is not (2).................out of desperation or necessity, but is a result of the relentless
march of progress. Cheap labour and a relatively highly-skilled workforce make these countries highly
competitive and there is a flood of inward investment, particularly from (3) .................looking to take
advantage of the low wages before the cost and standard of living begin to rise. It is factors such as these
that are making many Asian economies extremely attractive when viewed as investment opportunities at
the moment. Similarly, in Africa, the relative (4) .................of precious metals and natural resources tends
to attract a lot of (5)..................companies and a whole sub-industry develops around and is completely
dependent on this foreign-direct investment. It is understandable that countries that are the focus of this
sort of attention can lose sight of the environmental implications of large-scale industrial development,
and this can have devastating consequences for the natural world. And it is a (6).................cycle because
the more industrially active a nation becomes, the greater the demand for and harvesting of natural
resources. For some, the environmental issues, though they can hardly be ignored, are viewed as a
(7) .................concern. Indeed,
having an environmental conscience or taking environmental matters into consideration when it comes to
decisions on whether or not to build rubber-tree (8).................. or grow biofuel crops would be quite
(9) .... indeed. For those involved in such schemes it is a pretty black-and-white issue. And, for vast
(10).............of
land in Latin America, for example, it is clear that the welfare of the rainforests matters little to local
government when vast sums of money can be made from cultivating the land.
1. A. emerging B. emergent C. convergent D. resurgent
2. A. grown B. born C. bred D. arisen
3. A. multinationals B. migrants C. continentals D.
intercontinentals
4. A. premonition B. abundance C. amplitude D. accumulation
5. A. exploitation B. exploration C. surveyance D. research
6. A. vacuous B. viscous C. vexatious D. vicious
7. A. parallel B. extrinsic C. peripheral D. exponential
8. A. plantations B. homesteads C. ranches D. holdings
9. A. proscriptive B. prohibitive C. prospective D. imperative
10. A. regions B. plots C. tracts D. sectors
B. Read the following passage and then decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space.
DRSEUSS
Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as ‘Dr Seuss’, began writing for chidren quite by chance.
During a long sea voyage in 1936, Seuss amused himself by (1)................together a nonsense poem to the
rhythm of the ship’s engine. Later he illustrated the rhyme and published it as And to think that I saw it
on Mulberry Street. Many critics (2) .................it as Seuss’best work.
A later book, McElligot’s Pool (3).................the first appearance of Seuss’ famous fantasy
characters, and Horton Hatches the Egg introduces an (4).................of morality. Seuss’ reputation as a
major children’s writer was sealed with the publication of The Cat in the Hat. This book uses easy-to-read
words to tell the
story of two children alone at home on a rainy day. A cat wearing a tall hat arrives to entertain them,
wrecking their house in the (5) ....................The enthusiastic (6)................ of this book delighted Seuss
and (7) ................ him to found Beginner Books, a publishing company specialising in easy-to-read books
for children. Some of his books have been made into an ingenious and (8)................successful feature
film starring Jim Carrey.
At one point in his career. Seuss (9)...................gave up writing for children and devoted his talents
to making documentary films. One of these (10).................a great deal of attention and won an Academy
Award.
1. A. placing B. laying C. putting D. setting
2. A. look beyond B. look upon C. look through D. look towards
3. A. indicates B. shows C. means D. marks
4. A. amount B. ingredient C. element D. item
6. A. practice B. method C. process D. action
7. A. reception B. welcome C. greeting D. asmission
8. A. guided B. led C. told D. pointed
8. A. highly B. intensively C. strongly D. widely
9. A. shortly B. momentarily C. temporarily D. presently
10. A. called B. attracted C. engaged D. pulled
VII. OPEN CLOZE TEST. (20 ms)
For questions 1-20, read the texts below and think of the word which best fits in each space. Use
only one word in each space.
PASSAGE 1
WHEN IS A THIEF NOT A THIEF?
The impression that more women shoplift than men may be due to publicity. As a recent report on
shoplifting pointed out: “Every week, newspapers report the conviction of some middle-aged woman of
blameless (1)................... who has stolen, for quite unexplained motives, some objects of little value
which she could easily have (2) ................. to buy. Most psychiatrists, have at some time seen patients
who were (3).................. of this sort of theft.
This (4) ....................the question of whether the middle class have a better chance of getting off
shop-lifting charges than the working class. The shops insist that they are (5).....................solely with
whether customers have paid for the goods: their accent, class or ability to browbeat is (6)................. But,
once
charged, the middle class are undoubtedly in a better (7).................. They are more likely to have, or call
in, a solicitor; and they are financially able to risk paying legal costs. The solicitor - or friends or relations
- may (8).................... a psychological assessment. And a “respectable” first time (9)......................,backed
by a psychological explanation of a mom entary aberration, and defended
by a solicitor, surely goes into the dock with more chance of acquittal than someone (10)................. these
attributes.
PASSAGE 2
BEARS ON CAMPUS
Svalbard University, on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, has more than one claim
(1)................. fame Firstly, it is the world’s most northerly campus, located in an area dotted
(2)..............international establishments at the frontiers of scientific research. The university itself is
recognized as a centre of excellence, specializing in things (3).................climate change and marine
biology. What’s more, there are no fewer than fourteen professors on campus, which gives probably the
best ratio of professors to students anywhere in the world.
Even (4)................ surprising, however, is the fact that Svalbard is the only campus in Europe
where the students are routinely armed by the university authorities. Safety is a big issue here and on
arrival, students must master such skills as the best way to pack a sledge or signal to a passing helicopter,
as well as
learning how to protect (5) .............. against attack from polar bears. (6)................. great is the risk of
attack from these creatures, that students are told never to venture out (7)............. their rifles.
In spite of the bears, Svalbard is a great place to be a student, especially for those into winter sports.
(8).................to the warm currents of the Gulf Stream, it is one of the warmest places in the Arctic, with
temperatures only twenty degrees below zero in winter compared to minus forty in parts of Canada which
are much (9)............... south. In summer, it can be warm (10)............... to sunbathe.
VIII. WORD FORM . (20ms)
A. Complete the sentences below with the correct form of the words at the end of the lines.
1. The speaker had to break off midway in his long speech on agrarian revolution owing to the chorus
of.................(CALL) erupting from his audience.
2. Mr. Lavrov, when asked about the violation of the previous .................(FIRE) among the belligerents,
refused to point out who was to blame for.
3.................(MASCULINE) by his Achilles heel, Tom was bitterly defeated by his opponent.
4. When the bomb went out, Mr. Mohamad was laying quiet, .................(INSOMNIA) on the bed beside
the entrance after a long day full of all the drudgery.
5. Suffering from ................. (PHOBIC) has made many people desperately struggle to be in confined
spaces.
6. "We regret to say that", the doctor sadly informed his patient, "once the.................(VENOM) has
begun, you are bound to die a painful death."
7. The coffee shop named Den Da is decorated with a jazzy panoramic ceramic picture, impressing the
guests by its.................(CHROMA).
8. A large number of people would not have suffered from cancers if they had paid attention to their body
changes during the early stages of .................(GENESIS).
9. The distribution of nonideal fish communities can be roughly calculated by the.................(METER) of
suitable variables.
10. Pythagoras, with a great many of important mathematical discoveries in such an early stage of human
civilization, made a name for himself as a .................(GENITAL) of Greek mathematics.
B. Use the correct form of the words given in the box to complete the passage.
access appear commit deny exclude
immerse infant institute lonely see
One of the most challenging aspects of the science anthropology comes from its fieldwork.
Certainly, in its (1).................as a profession, anthropology was distinguished by its con centration on so-
called primary societies in which social (2)................. appear to be fairly limited and social interaction to
be conducted almost (3).................face - to - face. Such societies, it was felt, provided anthropologists
with a
valuable (4)................. into the workings of society that contrasted with the many complexities of more
highly developed societies. There was also a sense that the way of life represented by these smaller
societies were rapidly (5).................and that preserving a record of them was a matter of some urgency.
The (6).................of anthropologists to the first - hand collection of data led them to some of the
most (7).................places on earth. Most often they worked alone. Such lack of contact with other people
created feelings of intense (8)................. in some anthropologists, especially in the early stages of
fieldwork.
Nevertheless, this process of (9)................. in a totally alien culture continues to attract men and women
to anthropology, and is (10)................. the most effective way of understanding in depth how other people
see the world.
IX. ERROR RECOGNITION. (10 ms)
The passage below contains 10 mistakes. Under line the mistakes and write their correct forms.
Line 0 THE SAHARA MARATHON
1 One of the most amazing marathon races in the world is the marathon
2 of the Sands. It takes places every April in the Sahara Desert in the
3 south of Morocco, a part of the world when temperatures can reach fifty
4 degrees centigrade. The standard length of the marathon is 42.5
5 kilometers but this one is 240 kilometers long and spends seven days to
6 complete. It began in 1986 and now attracts about two hundred runners,
7 the majority of their ages range from seventeen to forty-seven. About
8 half of them come from France and the rest to all over the world. From
9 Britain it costs £2,500 to enter, this includes return air fares. The race is
10 rapidly getting more and more popular despite, and perhaps because of,
11 the harsh conditions that runners must endure. They have to carry food
12 and something else they need for seven days in rucksack weighing no
13 more than twelve kilograms. In addition to this, they are given a litre
14 and a half of water every ten kilometers. Incredibly, near all the runners
15 finish the course. One man, Ibrahim El Joual, took part in every race
16 from 1986 to 2004. Runners do suffer terrible physical hardships.
17 Sometimes they lose toenails and skin peels on their foot. However,
18 doctors are always on hand to deal with minor injuries and to make sure
19 that runners do not push themselves too far.

X. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION. (20 ms)
A. Rewrite the following sentences with the given words in such a way that the second sentence has
the same meaning as the first one. Do not change the form of the words in brackets.
1. I felt vaguely that something was wrong, but what was it? BACK
……………………………………………………………………………………
2. What exactly am 1 supposed to have done wrong? STAND
……………………………………………………………………………………
3. The incident ruined my chances of promotion . PAID
……………………………………………………………………………………
4. Sam made absolutely sure nothing would go wrong when he planned the expedition. CHANCE
Sam .....................................................................when he planned the expedition.
5. I don’t really know why, but I don’t trust him. FINGER
I can't ................................................................................I don’t trust him.
6. Being inexperienced was a disadvantage to her when she applied for promotion. COUNTED
Her.....................................................................when she applied for promotion.
B. Rewrite the following sentences in such a way that the second sentence has the same meaning as
the first one.
1. The brochure gives hardly any useful information.
Precious ........................................................................................................
2. Trudy was quite relieved when she found out the truth.
It was something ..........................................................................................
3. The collision didn’t damage my car much.
Not a great....................................................................................................
4. Just thinking about his face at theat moment makes me laugh.
The very .......................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÝ TỰ TRỌNG - CẦN THƠ
MULTIPLE CHOICE (40pts)
1.A. island B. aisle C. conserve D. debris
2.A. chorus B. cherish C. chaos D. character
3.A. comb B. debt C. doubt D. absorb
4.A. finale B. plagiarise C. simultaneous D. invasion
5.A. supposedly B. allegedly C. confusedly D. wickedly
6. A. convoluted B. pedagogy C. surfeit D. superfluous
7. A. aggrandisement B. anachronism C. adumbrate D. assuage
8. A. euphemism B. officialdom C. arithmetic D. millennium
9. A. antiquity B. anticipate C. antipathy D. antiquated
10. A. analysis B. antithesis C. diagnosis D. parenthesis
Choose the best option to complete the following sentences.
1. His strange behaviour aroused the .................... of police.
A. doubt B. suspicion C. disbelief D. notice
2. Media reports on the outcome of military intervention often ....................the true facts.
A. divert B. detract C. depose D. distort
3. The day their first child was born, the new parents were.................... with joy.
A. overthrown B. overpowered C. overtaken D. overcome
4. We may win, we may lose - it’s just the luck of the.....................
A. chance B. draw C. odds D. fate
5. They’re having serious problems. Their relationship is on the .....................
A. cliffs B. rocks C. stones D. grass
6. I sold my shares in the company one week before it went bankrupt. That was a .................... shave!
A. thin B. luck C. close D. narrow
7. The renewed interest in Elizabethan times is evident in the ....................of new Hollywood films set
during that period.
A. spate B. hypocrisy C. transience D. demise
8. The car was....................speed.
A. gathering B. collecting C. consuming D. firing
9. Lack of rain early in the season means that the field....................a poor crop.
A. surrendered B. yielded C. generated D. suffered
10. I hope you won’t take....................if I tell the truth.
A. annoyance B. resentment C. offence D. irritation
III. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES (5 PTS)
1. I’ll be kind to her....................she decide to leave me.
A. in case B. whereas C. so as not D. lest
2. 'Did you enjoy the picnic?' 'I was okay, but I'd rather ....................to a movie.'
A. go B. be going C. have gone D. went
3. It is widely believed that the pull of gravity on a falling rain drop changes....................round shape into
a teardrop shape.
A. of the drop B. the drop’s C. drop of D. drops their
4. All of the plants now raised on farms have been developed from plants.................... wild.
A. once they grew B. they grew once C. that once grew D. once grew
5. I hope everything’s OK. They ....................several hours ago.
A. were to have called B. would have called
C. have called D. supposed to call
6....................irritating effect on humans, the use of phenol as a general antiseptic has been largely
discontinued.
A. Its B. Where its C. Since its D. Because of its
7. Owning and living in a freestanding house is still a goal of young adults, ....................earlier
generations.
A. as did B. as it was of C. like that of D. so have
8....................circling the globe faster than Jules Verne’s fictional Phileas Fogg.
A. A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly’s exploits included.
C. The exploits of Nellie Bly, a pioneer journalist, included
9. Business has been thriving for the past few years. Long....................it continue to do so.
A. could B. does C. may D. might
10. We all wished to be treated....................
A. as equal B. as equally C. as equals D. as equal as
1. I can easily while the whole afternoon....................reading a good book.
A. under B. over C. up D. away
2. The area has been cordoned ....................following a bomb threat.
A. on B. aside C. off D. behind
3. My speech is okay but I just hope I don’t ....................as soon as I get to the podium.
A. dry up B. pass on C. speak out D. get across
4. Many people only manage to give up gambling....................dint of a lot of hard work.
A. in B. at C. by D. with
5. I can’t believe you bet your car....................the toss of a coin!
A. over B. on C. through D. by
6. Mull my offer....................for a few days and then let me know what you think.
A. down B. apart C. over D. through
7. Mr. Deacon had a very serious operation. Apparently, it’s a miracle he.....................
A. warded off B. cottoned on C. lashed out D. pulled
through
8. These carrots have shriveled....................a bit so I think I ’ll throw them away.
A. up B. down C. back D. out
9. What annoys me is that the man got....................with just 100 hours’ community service.
A. back B. in C. over D. off
10. The hotel manager promised to keep my valuables.................... lock and key.
A. in B. under C. by D. with
V. GUIDED CLOZE 1 (5 PTS)
Sad as it is, a social misperception of the disabled is still (1)....................in many communities. It is
only in a few highly civilized states where the problems and needs of people with physical and mental
incapacities are given the proper consideration. In the remaining countries, the discrimination against the
disabled is still (2)....................in many areas of social life. As in the past, they are ignored, denounced
and forced to stay away from the normal community which, unfortunately, isn’t capable of making any
(3).................... for its less fit members.
For decades, the (4)....................and hearty part of every society has (5)....................the disabled of
their fundamental rights as their job applications have been turned down, their active participation in
business life has on most occasions been disallowed and there has been little concern for their
convenience in (6) ....................to public transport. Equally little effort has been made to help the disabled
fully (7) ......... with the able-bodied thus laying foundations for greater community awareness of the
drawbacks that the handicapped have to wrestle with daily.
There’s an urgent need to offer the disabled more adequate assistance and support in the struggle
for putting their basic rights into (8)..................... The key principle is that the stereotype approach
towards the impaired individuals ought to be exchanged for a more considerate one. Another pressing
matter is that the
disabled shouldn’t be (9)....................on the basis of their handicap, but society should rather focus on
providing them with complete acceptance irrespective of any imperfections thus treating them as (10).......
citizens.
1. A. prevalent B. infinite C. abundant D. universal
2. A. implemented B. practised C. occurred D. remained
3. A. accounts B. provisions C. measures D. concerns
4. A. right B. vivid C. fit D. hale
5. A. stripped B. sneaked C. seized D. shelled
6. A. entry B. admittance C. access D. exploitation
7. A. collaborate B. incorporate C. ally D. integrate
8. A. handling B. operation C. activation D. performance
9. A. measured B. deduced C. reckoned D. appraised
10. A. fully-fledged B. well-developed C. fully-grown D. well-built
VI. GUIDED CLOZE 2 (5 PTS)
Located in an elegant 18th century building in London is the nerve centre of one of the world’s most
prolific companies. It (1).................. by the name eBay. Not only has the company gone from Internet
hobby site to (2).................. economic force, with 95 million users in 10 years, it is widely regarded as
having altered the (3).................. of commercial life as we know it.
If you want to buy anything, from a nail file to an airliner, eBay is the Internet site to go to. A
million items appear for sale each day in what is effectively online auction. If you like the description of
an item, you made a bid within a given time limit; if you (4).................. to be the highest bidder, you
become the (5)..................owner of the goods in questions. But the most astounding factor behind eBay is
not the range and the value of the goods on offer, but the fact that the whole business is based on mutual
trust. Rarely do you find people so willing to buy unseen goods from an unknown source.
Part of the explanation for this (6) ..................in the fact that 95% of eBay buyers and sellers are
private individuals. The company has expanded through (7)..................recommendations rather than
smart marketing, and there’s a real (8)..................of community about it. What’s more,
using eBay (9)................to that instinctive sense of satisfaction people get from the process of bargaining
– and from actually getting a bargain at the end of it. (10).................. , it puts the fun back into shopping.
1. A. goes B. calls C. knows D. greets
2. A. reactionary B. countervailing C. potent D. subversive
3. A. route B. course C. flow D. trend
4. A. check in B. turned out C. show up D. send off
5. A. boastful B. conceited C. proud D. vain
6. A. finds B. draws C. lies D. comes
7. A. word of mouth B. man to man C. hand on heart D. face to
face
8. A. taste B. sense C. touch D. mood
9. A. entices B. attracts C. appeals D. tempts
10. A. Otherwise B. In short C. Instead D.
However
VII. READING PASSAGE 1 (5 PTS)
Every day, millions of shoppers hit the stores in full force - both online and on foot - searching
frantically for the perfect gift. Last year, Americans spent over $30 billion at retail stores in the month of
December alone. Aside from purchasing holiday gifts, most people regularly buy presents for other
occasions throughout the year, including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and baby
showers. This frequent experience of gift-giving can engender ambivalent feelings in gift-givers. Many
relish the opportunity to buy presents because gift-giving offers a powerful means to build stronger bonds
with one’s closest peers. At the same time, many dread the thought of buying gifts; they worry that their
purchases will disappoint rather than delight the intended recipients.
Anthropologists describe gift-giving as a positive social process, serving various political, religious,
and psychological functions. Economists, however, offer a less favourable view. According to Waldfogel
(1993), gift-giving represents an objective waste of resources. People buy gifts that recipients would not
choose to buy on their own, or at least not spend as much money to purchase (a phenomenon referred to
as “ the deadweight loss of Christmas”). To wit, givers are likely to spend $100 to purchase a gift that
receivers would spend only $80 to buy themselves. This “deadweight loss” suggests that gift-givers are
not very good at predicting what gifts others will appreciate. That in itself is not surprising to social
psychologists. Research has found that people often struggle to take account of others’ perspectives -
their insights are subject to egocentrism, social projection, and multiple attribution errors. What is
surprising is that gift-givers have considerable experience acting as both gift-givers and gift-recipients,
but nevertheless tend to overspend each time they set out to purchase a meaningful gift.
In the present research, we propose a unique psychological explanation for this overspending
problem - i.e., that gift-givers equate how much they spend with how much recipients will appreciate the
gift (the more expensive the gift, the stronger a gift-recipient’s feelings of appreciation). Although a link
between
gift price and feelings of appreciation might seem intuitive to gift-givers, such an assumption may be
unfounded. Indeed, we propose that gift-recipients will be less inclined to base their feelings of
appreciation on the magnitude of a gift than givers assume.
Why do gift-givers assume that gift price is closely linked to gift-recipients’ feelings of
appreciation? Perhaps givers believe that bigger (that is, more expensive) gifts convey stronger signals of
thoughtfulness and consideration. According to Camerer (1988) and others, gift-giving represents a
symbolic ritual, whereby gift-givers attempt to signal their positive attitudes toward the intended recipient
and their willingness to invest resources in a future relationship. In this sense, gift-givers may be
motivated to spend more money on a gift in order to send a “stronger signal” to their intended recipient.
As for gift-recipients, they may not construe smaller and larger gifts as representing smaller and larger
signals of thoughtfulness and consideration.
1. What is the main idea discussed in the passage?
A. Gift-giving, despite its uneconomical downsides, cultivates a positive social process.
B. Gift- recipients are widely acknowledged as considerably experienced in gift-giving.
C. Gifts can serve as implicit signals of thoughtfulness and consideration.
D. Gift-giving may have certain drawbacks alongside its positive qualities.
2. The author most likely uses the examples of gift-giving occasions in paragraph 1 to highlight
the...................
A. regularity with which people shop for gifts
B. recent increase in the amount of money spent on gifts
C. anxiety gift shopping causes for consumers
D. number of special occasions involving gift-giving
3. In paragraph 1, the word “ambivalent” most nearly means...................
A. unrealistic B. apprehensive C. conflicted D. supportive
4. The author indicates that people value gift-giving because they feel it...................
A. functions as a form of self-expression
B. is an inexpensive way to show appreciation
C. requires the gift-recipient to reciprocate
D. can serve, to strengthen a relationship
5. The “social psychologists” mentioned in paragraph 2 would likely describe the “deadweight loss”
phenomenon as...................
A. predictable B. unprecedented C. disturbing D. questionable
6. In paragraph 3, the authors indicate that the assumption made by gift-givers may be..................
A. insincere B. unreasonable C. incorrect D. substantiated
7. The word “convey” in paragraph 4 most nearly means..................
A. transport B. counteract C. exchange D. communicate
8. In paragraph 4, the author refers to works by Camerer and others in order to..................
A. offer an explanation B. introduce an argument
C. question a motive D. support a conclusion
9. In paragraph 4, the word “construe” most probably means..................
A. view B. understand C. consider D. take
10. Which of the following best characterises the tone of the author?
A. authoritative B. pessimistic C. ironic D. informative
VIII. READING PASSAGE 2 (5 PTS)
Shadow puppetry is a traditional art form that often goes unappreciated in modern times. A large
part of the appeal of puppet shows is the craftsmanship behind the creation of the actual puppets. In
shadow puppetry, on the other hand, the puppets remain unseen, so the real artistry is in the presentation.
The
combination of the puppet's shape, the background screen, and the light itself creates the overall effect of
the shadow puppet show. The task of the director is to ensure these elements are working together
harmoniously in order to produce the optimal experience for the audience.
The screen is the medium through which the audience experiences the performance, so selecting the
best screen is essential. First, it must transmit as much light as possible to better capture the shape of the
puppet. However, it shouldn't transmit so much light that the puppeteer is visible. The material should
obviously be durable but thin. A thin material gives superior definition to the edges of the shadows.
Traditionally, cotton was used for the screen, but it was very grainy. As new kinds of textiles have been
developed, more suitable materials have become the standard. Silk works well but is expensive. A more
affordable option is vinyl, which is thin and transmits light evenly. The only problem is that it stretches
too easily. In order to allow the puppets to press up against the screen, it must be strung very tightly. If
the material stretches too easily, it will sag.
One unique challenge for the puppet show director is that the presentation is two-dimensional. The
screen is flat, so puppets can only move forwards and backwards. In order to create a three-dimensional
appearance, directors often design a set in which the background is smaller than the foreground. Then, by
using different-sized puppets at different heights on the screen, a more interesting scene can be created. If
the script requires two puppets to pass by each other, it can be accurately reproduced on the screen. The
"fade-out" is a common tool used by directors to avoid this problem. In this technique, the puppet is
moved away from the screen, and the image becomes fuzzy before fading out altogether.
Having chosen a screen and designed the set, the next step is to determine the light that will be
used. There are several factors to be considered: intensity, spread, and angle. Naturally, more light is
required behind the screen than in front. The power or intensity of this light is best determined through
experimentation. If the light is too bright, it will appear harsh to audience members positioned close to
the screen. Dim light, though harder to see, can create an intimate mood. The intensity of the light can be
manipulated throughout the performance by using a dimmer switch.
Spread describes how the intensity of light is dispersed over the screen. If it is too focused on the
center, it can leave dark areas at the edges. In contrast, if the spread is too wide, light might spillover the
edges of the screen, thus producing shadows of objects that aren't supposed to be part of the performance.
Additionally, the angle at which the light hits the screen will affect the spread. The director can
manipulate the angle of the light in order to alter the shape and size of the puppets and to create dramatic
effects.
The shadow puppet show is an art that goes beyond the construction of the puppets and the
performance of the script. Finding the optimal combination of light and shadow involves careful planning
and meticulous design. Every detail must be considered and controlled in relation to every other detail,
making shadow puppetry an art of precision.
1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "produce" as used in paragraph 1?
A. fresh food B. create C. pay for D. oversee
2. The word "harsh" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to...................
A. very cold B. crisp C. insulting D. severe
3. What word does "it" refer to in paragraph 2?
A. option B. vinyl C. light D. problem
4. In paragraph 2, the author explains the importance of the screen by...................
A. showing how difficult it is to find good material
B. explaining the elements to be considered
C. saying what it is used for
D. giving examples of materials
5. According to the passage, which of the following can cause unwanted shadows?
A. A light that's too bright B. A light that's not bright enough
C. A light that's too focused D. A light that's not focused enough.
6. What does "this technique" refer to in paragraph 3?
A. Using different-sized puppets B. The script
C. Using a smaller background D. The "fade-out"
7. Which of the following sentences best expresses the essential information of the underlined
sentence? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Shadow puppetry, in contrast, is a truly artistic show.
B. Because the puppeteers remain out of sight in shadow puppetry, the presentation becomes more
expressive.
C. In contrast, the true skill and appeal in shadow puppetry lies in the presentation, as the actual
puppets are kept hidden.
D. Similarly, in shadow puppetry, the true skill is in the presentation of the show.
8. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To inspire people to become shadow puppeteers
B. To increase the popularity of shadow puppet shows
C. To show how shadow puppetry is better than regular puppetry
D. To demonstrate the challenges involved in shadow puppetry
9. All of the following are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT...................
A. color B. intensity C. spread D. angle
10. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about regular, non-shadow puppet shows?
A. They're not as good as shadow puppet shows.
B. They 're easier to produce than shadow puppet shows.
C. Most of the work happens before the show.
D. It's not really an art form.
B. WRITTEN TEST (70 pts)
I. CLOZE TEST:
Read the text below and fill each gap with ONE suitable word.
No (1) .................. of the dinosaurs’ time on Earth is complete without an explanation of their
extinction. Over the years many theories have been put (2).................., but no (3)..................theory can
explain all the facts as we know them. Nowadays, the most likely theory that scientists have come up
with is that dinosaurs were killed (4) ..................by a combination of several factors. The overall effect of
these factors was the extinction of the dinosaurs, together with many other animal groups. It is known
that there was a lot of volcanic activity at the time of the dinosaurs' extinction. Their environment would
have already been under considerable (5) .................. as well as being poisoned. Added to this it is
believed that a very large meteor or comet, some 10 kilometers wide, hit the Earth and caused
(6).................. destruction. (7)..................of the impact can be found in the Gulf of Mexico, where there is
a large crater and a (8)..................of rock containing the rare element iridium. As the meteor entered the
Earth's atmosphere, the dinosaurs would have seen a bright light in the sky followed by an explosion. The
shock waves from the explosion (9).................. everything, (10)..................after, a rain of dust and rock
fell and covered everything, the temperature rose dramatically and that was the end of dinosaurs.
OPEN CLOZE 2 (10 PTS)
Read the text below and fill each gap with ONE suitable word.
Recently, organizers (1)..................on a huge concert called Live Earth. They wanted to make
everyone more (2).................. of the dangers of climate change. The event consisted of a series of
concerts (3)..................in seven continents around the world. The concerts needed to be (4).................. ,
so the organizers used biofuels to (5).................. the lights and used recycled car tyres to make the stage.
They also
provided recycling containers for people to dump their empty drinks cans in. Over 100 musicians and
celebrities took part in the live shows. They urged fans to take (6).................. against global warming by
demanding more (7)..................energy, and by helping to conserve the rainforests. They explained that
the earth is (8).................. threat but stressed that it’s not too late to change things as long as we all act
now. Together we can make a big (9)................... Superstar Madonna closed the London show and gave a
great performance. “Let’s hope the concerts that are happening around the world are not just about
entertainment, but about starting a (10)..................,” she told the audience, who cheered and applauded in
their thousands.
II. WORD FORMS (20 PTS)
1. She should take these ...............................................drugs to treat her state. (DEPRESS)
2. Are you in favor of...............................................marriage? (RACE)
3. Have you ever ............................................... anyone of anything? (USE)
4. These results seem................................................ (INTUITION)
5. A ..............................................force is being sent to the trouble spot. (NATION)
6. She sailed around the world............................................... (HAND)
7. The results of the tests............................................... his claims. (SUBSTANCE)
8. This is a plant with...............................................leaves. (VARY)
9. He is being trained as a ............................................... to help a lawyer. (LAW)
10. What he said was a ...............................................argument. (SHOP)
PART 2: Complete the passage with appropriate forms from the words given in the box.
go idiosyncrasy ordinary charily picture
locate real neighbor perfect essence
A DAY OUT TO ROSSLYN CHAPEL
If you have a spare afternoon, why not take the kids to visit the remarkable Rosslyn Chapel?
This must surely be one of Britain’s most (1)......................buildings. If you were shown pictures of
it without any clues to its (2)....................., you might guess it to be somewhere like Moldavia or
Transylvania. In fact, it is just outside Edinburgh. The chapel and the (3)..................... village of Rosslyn
are both quite stunning; in fact, the whole area is generally very (4)......................Nearly the entire surface
of the chapel’s stonework is carved with flowers or stars and another (5)..................... feature of the
chapel is that although most of the design of the chapel is Gothic, the aisles are similar to architecture
found in Babylon or Egypt. The chapel’s 15 th century builder, St. Clair Prince of Orkney, believed that he
was (6)..................... buying his way into heaven by creating such an exquisite chapel. He was famous for
his (7).....................but this in itself created problems. Because everything had to be exactly as he
dreamed it should be, it was (8)..................... of him to expect the work to be finished in his lifetime. The
chapel is now considered to be a local treasure and a (9).....................trust was set up in 1996 to oversee
and fund its
(10).....................restoration.
III. ERROR CORRECTION (10 PTS)
In most lines of the following text there is one mistake. It is either grammatically incorrect or does
not fit in with the sense of the text. For each numbered line, underline the mistake and then correct
it in the space provided. Some lines are correct. Indicate these with a tick (/). The exercise begins
with two examples (0).
Ex: 0. eating
SUGAR
Have you ever wanted to stop to eat something sweet but you just couldn't? Is the first thing you do
when you get home from school is to look in the biscuit tin? Can you eat a huge bar of chocolate all on
yourself? Can you say ‘no’ to sweets at parties? If you can’t, then there is a reason ... perhaps you’re a
sugar
addict! Does that sound fun? Well, doctors say that people who eat sweets on a regular basic can easily
become addicted to sugar. What is more, most sugar addicts don't even realize that they are addicted!
Sugar addiction is serious so it can really damage your health. Doctors say that we should eat food which
is
healthy such as fresh fruit and vegetables and which we shouldn’t eat a lot of sugar, fat or fast food. And
sugar addicts can’t follow this advice. They know they must stop eating sugary food, but they can’t. So
what can you do whether you’re addicted to the taste of sugar? Well, here are some tips:
- Eat some fresh fruit when you get a craving to something sweet.
- Cut down on sweet food slowly. Don’t try stopping eating it all at once.
- You have to tell your parents. If they know, they will help you.
1. Arguing with her won’t get you anywhere.
→ It won’t ..............................................................................................................
2. It won’t harm us to see what special offers are on at the moment.
→ We might............................................................................................................
3. He discontinues his studies because he is poor.
→ His .....................................................................................................................
4. You certainly could never accuse Tom of being mean. (NOTHING)
→ Tom ...................................................................................................................
5. Why on earth did you do something as dangerous as that? (POSSESSED)
→ What .................................................................................................................?
6. Brian is a strong contender for the position. (LIST)
→ Brian .................................................................................................................
7. Katy hasn’t been feeling well lately. (RUN)
→...........................................................................................................................
8. There was no further delay in awarding the prizes. (ADO)
→ The prizes .......................................................................................................
9. The money was released very gradually. (DRIBS)
→ The money ......................................................................................................
10. You have said exactly the right thing. (NAIL)
→ You..................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN BỈNH KHIÊM - VĨNH
LONG
I. PHONOLOGY
A. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other three.
1. A. host B. most C. cost D. post
2. A. naked B. completed C. wicked D. looked
3. A. legal B. legend C. generous D. manager
4. A. band B. thank C. complain D. insert
5. A. nothing B. purpose C. welcome D. compare
B. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the other three.
6. A. communicate B. achieve C. poetic D. necessary
7. A. exhausted B. atmosphere C. suspect D. computer
hypersensitive
9. A. electrician B. comfortable C. manufacture D. accidental
10. A. monotonous B. refundable C. residential D. renewable
II. VOCABULARY
Word choice
1. The goods were stored in a ....................cinema.
A. misused B. unused C. reused D. disused
2. It’s very................... of you to offer me your seat, but really I’m quite happy to stand.
A. sympathetic B. grateful C. considerate D.
appreciative
3. The...................thought of exams makes her feel ill.
A. sole B. only C. mere D. just
4. The student’s hard work was ...................with success in his degree examinations.
A. rewarded B. thanked C. awarded D. presented
5. The thought of another world war is a ...................prospect.
A. scaring B. dreading C. frightened D. terrifying
6. Many students find it difficult to make................... meet on their small grants.
A. ends B. points C. circles D. edges
7. This emerald bracelet is ...................; it is the only one of its kind in the world.
A. only B. original C. peerless D. genuine
8. That window needs a new ...................of glass.
A. pane B. slice C. mirror D. portion
9. I am...................to Mr. Morrison because of the kindness and concern that he showed me when I was at
the airport.
A. indebted B. gratified C. beholden D. liable
10. How could you just abandon me in the middle of London with no money and leave me...................and
dry?
A. cold B. out C. high D. low
III. STRUCTURES AND GRAMMAR
1. It is imperative that your facebook password ...................confidential.
A. need keeping B. need to keep
C. needs to be kept D. needed keeping
2…........... appear, they are really much larger than the Earth.
A. Small as the stars B. The stars as small
C. As the small stars D. Despite the small stars
3..................... by four nice children, the bride and the groom entered the weeding hall.
A. Preceding B. Precede C. To precede D. Preceded
4.................. the fifth largest among the nine planets that make up our solar system is not surprising to
me.
A. The Earth being B. The Earth is
C. That the Earth is D. Being the Earth
5. Bacteria of the harmful kind ...................diseases.
A. cause B. causes C. is caused D. was caused
6. He showed me a photo of the museum...................I had visited some months before.
A. whom B. which C. What D. where
7. This shirt is...................that one.
A. much far expensive than B. a bit less expensive
C. as much expensive as D. not nearly as expensive as
8. My friend bought...................from a shop on Tran Phu street.
A. a nice brown leather belt B. a brown nice leather belt
C. a leather brown nice belt D. a nice leather brown belt
9.................... that she could not say anything.
A. So upset was she B. But upset was she
C. However upset was she D. Therefore upset was she
10. A keystone species is a species of plants or animals...................absence has a major effect on an
ecological system.
A. its B. that is C. whose D. with its
1. They decided to ....................their differences and became friends.
A. put aside B. take on C. give away D. go over
2. What chemical is this? It is................... a horrible smell.
A. giving down B. giving off C. giving up D. giving out
3. It was too late to ...................of the contract.
A. back out B. back down C. back up D. back away
4. The teachers at the school...................with flu one after the other.
A. went down B. went off C. went out D. went under
5. The trouble with Frank is that he never turns up on time for the meeting.
A. arrives B. tests C. delays D. takes after
6. Has anyone shown you .........................yet?
A. round B. up C. off D. with
7. The driver skidded and ....................a dog.
A. ran B. ran into C. ran after D. ran over
8. I know we had an argument, but now I’d quite like to ..........................
A. look down B. make up C. fall out D. bring up
9. I just can’t ........................that noise any longer.
A. put up with B. stand in for C. sit out D. stand up to
10. She ran .. .. .. .. . an interesting article about fashion while she was reading the newspaper
A. cross B. after C. away D. out
V. READING COMPREHENSION :
READING 1 : Read the passage carefully an d then choose the correct answer for the following
questions:
No education medium better serves as a means of spatial communication than the atlas. Atlases deal
with such invaluable information as population distribution and density. One of the best, Pennycooke’s
World Atlas, has been widely accepted as a standard owing to the quality of its maps and photographs,
which not only show various settlements but also portray them in a variety of scales. In fact, the very first
map in the atlas is a cleverly designed population cartogram that projects the size of each country if
geographical size were proportional to population. Following the proportional layout, a sequence of
smaller maps shows the world’s population density, each country’s birth and death rates, population
increase or decrease, industrialization, urbanization, gross national product in terms of per capita income,
the quality of medical care, literacy, and language. To give readers a perspective on how their own
country
fits in with the global view, additional projections depict the world’s patterns in nutrition, calorie and
protein consumption, health care, number of physicians per unit of population, and life expectancy by
region. Population density maps on a subcontinental scale, as well as political maps, convey the diverse
demographic phenomena of the world in a broad array of scales.
1. What is the main topic of this passage?
A. The educational benefits of atlases B. Physical maps in an atlas
C. The ideal in the making of atlases D. Partial maps and their uses
2. According to the passage, the first map in Pennycooke’s World Atlas shows…………..
A. the population policy in each country
B. the hypothetical sizes of countries
C. geographical proportions of each country
D. national boundaries relative to population
3. In the passage, the world “invaluable” is closest in meaning to ...................
A. incremental B. invalid C. priceless D. shapeless
4. The world “cleverly” in the passage is closest in meaning to ....................
A. clearly B. immaculately C. intelligently D.
accurately
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Calorie consumption B. Currency exchange rates
C. A level of education D. Population decline
6. The word “layout” in the passage refers to...................
A. the cartogram ? B. the geographical size
C. population D. each country
7. The phrase “in terms of” used in the passage is closest in meaning to ...................
A. for considering aspects B. in spite of
C. with a view to D. in regard to
8. It can be inferred from the passage that maps can be used to ...................
A. pinpoint ethnic strife in each country
B. identify a shortage of qualified labour
C. give readers a new perspective on their own country
D. show readers photographs in a new form
9. The author of the passage implies that....................
A. atlases provide a bird’s eye view of countries
B. maps use a variety of scales in each projection
C. maps of countries differ in size
D. atlases can be versatile instruments
10. The word “convey” in the passage is closest meaning to ...................
A. devise B. conjure up C. demonstrate D. indicate
READING 2:
Read the passage carefully and then choose the correct answer for the following questions:
Today’s cars are smaller, safer, cleaner, and more economical than their predecessors, but the car of
the future will be far more pollution-free than those on the road today. Several new types of automobile
engines have already been developed than run on alternative sources of power, such as electricity,
compressed natural gas, methanol, steam, hydrogen, and propane. Electricity, however, is the only zero-
emission option presently available.
Although electric vehicles will not be truly practical until a powerful, compact battery or other
dependable source of current is available, transport experts foresee a new assortment of electric vehicles
entering everyday life: shorter-range commuter electric cars, three-wheeled neighborhood cars, electric
delivery vans, bikes and trolleys.
As automakers work to develop practical electrical vehicles, urban planners and utility engineers
are focusing on infrastructure systems to support and make the best use of the new cars.
Public charging facilities will need to be as common as today's gas stations. Public parking spots on the
street or in commercial lots will need to be equipped with devices that allow drivers to charge their
batteries while they stop, dine, or attend a concert. To encourage the use of electric vehicles, the most
convenient parking in transportation centers might be reserved for electric cars.
Planners foresee electric shuttle buses, trains, buses and neighborhood vehicles all meeting at
transit centers that would have facilities for charging and renting. Commuters will be able to rent a
variety of electric cars to suit their needs: light trucks, one-person three-wheelers, small cars, or
electric/gasoline
hybrid cars for longer trips, which will no doubt take place on automated freeways capable of handling
five times the number of vehicles that can be carried by freeway today.
1. The following electrical vehicles are all mentioned in the passage EXCEPT
A. vans B. trains C. planes D. trolleys
2. The author’s purpose in the passage is to
A. criticize conventional vehicles
B. support the invention of electric cars
C. narrate a story about alternative energy vehicles
D. describe the possibilities for transportation in the future
3. The passage would most likely be followed by details about
A. automated freeways B. pollution restrictions in the future
C. the neighborhood of the future D. electric shuttle buses
4. The word “compact” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. long-range B. inexpensive C. concentrated D. squared
5. In the second paragraph, the author implies that
A. a dependable source of electric energy will eventually be developed.
B. everyday life will stay much the same in the future.
C. a single electric vehicle will eventually replace several modes of transportation
D. electric vehicles are not practical for the future
6. According to the passage, public parking lots of the future will be
A. more convenient than they are today
B. equipped with charging devices
C. much larger than they are today
D. as common as today’s gas stations
7. The word “charging” in this passage refers to
A. electricity B. credit cards C. Aggression D. lightning
8. The word “foresee” in this passage could best be replaced with
A. count on B. invent C. imagine D. rely on
9. The word “commuters” in paragraph 4 refers to
A. daily travelers B. visitors C. cab drivers D. shoppers
10. The word “hybrid” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. combination B. hazardous C. futuristic D. automated
VI. GUIDED CLOZE TEST 1
Read the following passage and choose the options that best complete the blanks.
I was reading an article last week in which the writer described how her children had changed as
they grew up. When they were small, she had to (1)...................noisy games in the house or
(2)................... interminable games of football in the garden which (3).................... If the house went
quiet, she wondered what the monsters were getting up to or what crisis she had to (4) ...................next.
She dreaded the fact that they might (5)................... her husband, who admitted having been an
uncontrollable child who spent most of the time (6)...................to his friends by breaking things or getting
into fights. What was worse was that everyone else thought he was a sweet child and he
(7)...................the most terrible things!
However, she had experienced an even greater shock with her children. They had grown out of all
their naughty behaviour and (8)................... serious hobbies such as chess and playing the piano. They
never did anything without (9) ................... and coming to a serious decision. She had to
(10)...................the fact that they made her feel rather childish and they got older and that in some ways
she preferred them
when they were young and noisy!
l. A. take into B. put down to C. put away D. put up with
2.A. got onto B. took in C. made up D. took part in
3.A. set her up B. worn her out C. tore her away D. turned
her out
4.A. get in B. look at C. deal with D. take on
5.A. look after B. see after C. take after D. look for
6.A. saying for B. showing off C. bursting to D. bushing
around
7.A. involved in B. yielded with C. made room for D. threw away
with
8.A. taken in B. taken up C. taken place D. joined into
9.A. talking about B. saying it into C. thinking it over D. talking into it
10.A. face up to B. come across C. come up with D. get
along with
GUIDED CLOZE TEST 2
Read the following passage and choose the options that best complete the blanks.
Any change in one part of an ecosystem can cause changes in other parts. Droughts, storms and
fires can change ecosystems. Some changes (1)………….ecosystems. If there is too (2)………….rainfall,
plants will not have enough water to live. If a kind of plant dies off, the animals that (3)………….it may
also die or move
away. Some changes are good for ecosystems. Some pine forests need (4)………….for the pine trees to
reproduce. The seeds are sealed inside pinecones. Heat from a forest fire melts the seal and lets the seeds
(5) ………….Polluting the air, soil, and water can harm ecosystems. Building (6)………….on rivers for
electric power and irrigation can harm ecosystems (7) …………. the rivers. Bulldozing wetlands and
cutting down (8)………….destroy ecosystems. Ecologists are working with companies and governments
to find better ways of (9)………….fish, cutting down trees, and building dams. They are looking for
ways to get food, lumber, and other products for people (10)………….causing harm to ecosystems.
1. A harms B. harmful C. harmless D. harm
2. A. little B. a little C. few D. a few
3. A. fed B. feed C. feed on D. food
4. A. flame B. fires C. blaze D. burning
5. A. out B. in C. go D. fly
6. A. moats B. ditches C. bridges D. dams
7. A. on B. around C. over D. under
8. A. hills B. jungles C. forests D. woods
9. A. catching B. holding C. carrying D. taking
10. A. avoid B. without C. not D. no
VII. OPEN CLOZE TEST 1 :
A. Fin in each gap with ONE suitable word:
Mrs. Bruce was no stranger to adventure. She loved (1) ......................with an element of danger in
it. She was (2) .....................the first women in Britain to buy a motorcycle and she (3) ....................to
driving racing cars when she married the racing driver Vitor Bruce in 1926. As a couple, they once drove
as (4) ..... as they could into the Artie Circle before they (5) ......................out of the road. In 1929,
she(6).................... a record by covering 674 nautical miles in a power boat.
Then (7) ..................... the moment she spotted the plane. She later recalled: ‘I asked the price, then
I left the shop. A little (8) ................... down the street I saw a marvellous dress in another window, so I
went in. Well, the dress didn’t suit me one (9) .......................so I went back to the earoplane showroom. I
asked the man, ‘will this take me round the world?’ He said, ‘Of course, it will, mad am.’
(10)....................a week, she was flying solo.
OPEN CLOZE TEST 2 :
B. Fill in each gap with ONE suitable word:
So you think you have one of the most evil commuting journeys known to mankinds? You travel
for an hour, maybe an hour and a half, to work. You change trains, you fight (1) ......................crowds,
down tunnels and up escalators and you (2)......................at work crumpled and sweaty and wrung out
(3)............ face the day.
Well, it (4) .................... be the wholelot worse. (5) ..................... a passing thought for Tadao
Masuda. At (6) ........................glance he does not particularly (7) ..........................out in the crowdss of
blue-suited
office workers who swarm into, central Tokyo from suburbs (8)....................morning. Not, that is,
(9) ......... you learn that not only (10)................he travel for three and a quarter hours to travelling home
again.
VIII. WORD FORMS
A. Complete the sentences, using the correct form of the word in parentheses.
1. The boy was very violent and his parents found him (MANAGE)
………………………………………………….
2. People in the village no longer use water in that well because of its (PURITY)
………………………………………………….
3. ‘Would you like some (REFRESH).................................?’, Lan asked
4. We have to take care of our own ( POSSESS) ............................ for nobody else will do this for us.
5. Be careful! That’s a ( DEAD)................................poison.
6. If we could find the ( PREVENT)..............................for cancer, thousands of people would be saved
every year.
7. The talks were totally (PRODUCE).............................We didn’t reach agreement on anything.
8. I was so angry I was absolutely (SPEECH) ........................................
9. The evidence in this case is entirely (CIRCUMSTANCE) ............................
10. A list of (COME) ........................... events will be posted on the noticeboard.
B. Complete the following passage with the correct forms of the words given
Go pessimism overwhelm destroy be
question anxious assume technology high perfection
THE IMAGE OF SCIENCE
The image that we have of science has (0).... undergone.... radical change in last hundred years. An
enormous (1).....................explosion, together with a number of very real (2)................... About the
environment and all the moral and political ramifications of economic growth have (3).........................
put science at the centre of public debate.
The twentieth century began with a challenge to the (4)................... that human knowledge was
approaching completion. It will come, perhaps, as something of a surprise to all of us to realise that the
emergence of this highly (5)..................... Process came both from within and outside science.
New scientific theories (6) .......................reveal the limitations of the old perspective. We had
thought that the world, understood through the medium of rational (7).....................was, indeed, the real
world. Now we know that this is no more than a simplification that just happened to work. Once we
realise this, though, we can move in a number of opposing directions. We can re- evaluate all knowledge
(8)……............and decide that it is eternally fragmentary and full of a vast number of (9)....................., or
we can be more positive and view these vast explosions of scientific awareness as new challenges still to
come and as celebrations of the (10)..................... that the human imagination has so far scaled.
IX. ERROR IDENTIFICATION
There is one mistake in each numbered line. Underline the mistakes and correct them in the
numbered lines of the following passage.
Ex: but - so
A DISAPPOINTING MEAL
Have you ever complained in a restaurant? I never thought I would, but last week I ended up doing
just that. It was my best friend’s birthday, but I had booked a table at a new restaurant that had just
opened in the city centre. But while we arrived, exactly on time, they told me that it was no record of my
booking and we would have to wait for a table to become free. I suspected that they had given our table to
anyone else, but I didn’t say anything. Then we were kept waiting for an hour without an apology,
because they did take our order. We both chose soup as a starter and my friend ordered a steak like a
main course. I thought I would be a bit more adventurous, and decided to try something called Ossobuco,
if I wasn’t quite sure what it was. To cut a long story short, a soup was almost cold, my friend’s steak was
uncooked at the middle and my Ossobuco turned out to be a plate of bone within a very acidic sauce. So,
we called the manager and told we would not pay because the meal had been substandard. But in the end
we paid because we had eaten it all, but we won’t be going there again!
X. SENTENCES TRANSFORMATION
1. The alarm went off just as they came out of the building.
→ Scarcely..............................................................................................................
2. Good working relations depend on effective management.
→ The more .................. .........................................................................................
3. Alice and Charles did not decide to move to a bigger house until after the birth of their second child.
→ Only when ........................................................................................................
4. Tony’s very charming, but I wouldn’t trust him.
→ Charming.............. ...........................................................................................
5. Don’t tell the boss anything about this. (BREATHE)
→ ..........................................................................................................................
6. At the moment I can’t afford to buy a new car. (QUESTION)
→ ....... ....................................................................................................................
7. I was not sure whether to go with him or not. (MINDS)
→ .............................................................................................................................
8. “I don’t approve of people who tell lies”, said Jack (EXPRESSED)
→ .............................................................................................................................
9. Our boss criticizes our work all time (FAULT)
→ ................................................................................................................................................
10. Louise should have been given more time to complete her thesis.(INSUFFICIENT).
→ ................................................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN ĐÌNH CHIỂU – ĐỒNG THÁP
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
I. PHONOLOGY
1. A. gone B. none C. want D. knot
2. A. blessed B. wicked C. wretched D. minced
3. A. heifer B. masseur C. attorney D. pearl
4. A. naughty B. slaughter C. draught D. plaudits
5. A. prayer B. player C. mayor D. flare
6. A. xenophobia B. salmonberry C. palindrome D. pachyderm
7. A. bilharzia B. fandango C. insurance D. moderator
8. A. apparatus B. counterbalance C. aperitif D. aluminium
9. A. misrepresent B. pharmacopoeia C. extramural D. amanuensis
10. A. beriberi B. vigilance C. altimeter D. obsolete
II. WORD CHOICE:
11. The hope of a raise was a powerful…………..for Larry to work harder .
A. incentive B. revival C. supplement D. excitement
12. Sensing that war was, the leader prepared for defense.
A. immediate B. immune C. immense D. imminent
13. The competition he set up for young musicians is another………….of his life -long support for the
arts.
A. exposition B. manifestation C. token D. exhibition
14. She had just enough time to………….into the report before the meeting .
A. jump B. dip C. turn D. surf
15. He was arrested for trying to pass………….notes at the bank .
A. false B. fraudulent C. fake D. counterfeit
16. These documents are strictly ………….. Only reliable people are allowed to read them.
A. confident B. confidential C. self -confident D. confiding
17. Hummock grasses grow in ………….sand on the crest, the top of the slope.
A. lost B. loose C. lose D. loosened
18. True learning does not………….in gathering facts from the teachers; it requires active assimilation of
knowledge.
A. achieve B. contain C. come D. consist
19. Have you considered applying for a job with the………….service?
A. civil B. civic C. national D. governmental
20. As far as Adam is concerned, he is nowhere …………. so good at swimming as his sister is.
A. there B. much C. near D. that
III. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURE
21. He rushed out of the room, ………….. the door as he went.
A. slamming B. slams C. slammed D. to slam
22………….. , she continued to carry out her duty.
A. Although she is in good health B. No matter how poor her health
C. Although in poor health D. Despite her good health
23. Tim is only eleven years old, but he is………….. as his elder brother.
A. as high B. as highly C. as height D. the same height
24. It was………….. that we all felt surprised.
A. so beautiful flower show B. so beautiful a flower show
C. such beautiful flower show D. too beautiful flower show
25………….. you notice anyone who is acting oddly, please notify the police at once!
A. Should B. Do C. Have D. Could
26. Poor ………….. my friend Dave is, he always looks optimist and leads an independent life.
A. since B. like C. as D. whether
27. A lone in a deserted house, he was so busy with his research work that he felt………….. lonely.
A. all but B. nothing but C. everything but D. anything but
28. There were two small rooms in the big house,………….. served as a kitchen.
A. the smaller of which B. the smaller of them
C. the smallest of which D. smaller of which
29. It is a medieval palace. The king hid in its tower during the civil war. It is a medieval palace,
…………..
A. whose tower the king hid during the civil war
B. in whose tower the king hid during the civil war
C. in which the king hid in its tower during the civil war
D. Where the king hid in its tower during the civil war
30. My teacher in primary school was very strict. He always………….. .
A. said us to study harder B. told us study harder
C. said to study harder D. told to study harder
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS
31. If the rain doesn’t…………….soon, we shall have to look for a taxi.
A. go off B. die down C. turn in D. let up
32. I had the news………….. the horse’s mouth; John himself told me he was planning to change jobs.
A. straight from B. right in C. out of D. into
33. Delilah wasn’t at a hungry, and could only ………….. with the food on her plates.
A. finger B. snack C. toy D. side
34. I must go on a diet. I………….. a lot of weight while I was on holiday.
A. held up B. put on C. settle down D. weigh up
35. My youngest brother first dabbled………….. buying old maps for his colletion.
A. on B. at C. for D. in
36. Keren was terribly nervous before the interview but she managed to pull herself………….. and act
confidently.
A. off B. over C. through D. together
37. David’s leaving on Friday. I suggest we all………….. and get him a going-away present. £1 each
should do.
A. chip in B. pay on nail C. pass the buck D. dish out
38. It was a good idea, but I’m afraid it didn’t quite………….. .
A. break up B. follow up C. come off D. drop off
39. Ben’s wife is a terrible snob. She ………….. almost all hisfriends because they have north country
accents
A. look up to B. looks down on C. looks forward to D. looks out on
40. As we waited on the pavement, a black Mercedes………….. beside us.
A. pulled down B. pulled off C. pulled through D. pulled up
V. READING
PASSAGE 1: Read the passage carefully and choose one suitable answer for each question
It’s a sound you will probably never hear, a sickened tree sending out a distress signal. However, a
team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has recently heard the cries, and
they think some insects also hear the trees and are drawn to them like vultures attracted to a dying
animal.
Researchers hypothesized that these sounds - actually vibrations produced by the surface of plants -
were caused by a severe lack of moisture. They fastened electronic sensors to the bark of drought-stricken
trees and clearly heard distress calls. According to one of the scientists, most parched trees transmit
their plight in the 50-500 -kilohertz range, (The unaided human ear can detect no more than 20
kilohertz.) They experimented on red oak, maple, white pine, aspen, and birch and found that all make
slightly different sounds. With practice, scientists could identify the species of tree by its characteristic
sound signature.
The scientists surmise that the vibrations are created when the water columns inside tubes that run
the length of the trees are cracked as a result of too little water flowing through them.
These fractured columns send out distinctive vibration patterns. Because some insects communicate at
ultrasonic frequencies, they may pick up the trees’ vibrations and attack the weakened trees. Researchers
are now running tests with potted trees that have been deprived of water to see if the sound is what
attracts the insects. “Water-stressed trees also have a different smell from other trees, and they experience
thermal changes, so insects could be responding to something other than sound,’’ one scientist said.
1. Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?
A. The vibrations produced by insects
B. The mission of the U.S. Forest Service
C. The effect of insects on trees
D. The sounds made by trees
2. The word them in paragraph 1 refers to
A. trees B. scientists C. insects D. vultures
3. The word plight in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. cry B. condition C. need D. presence
4. It can be inferred from the passage that the sounds produced by the trees
A. serve as a form of communication among trees.
B. are the same no matter what type of tree produces them.
C. cannot be heard by the unaided human ear.
D. fall into the 1-20 kilohertz range plight parched.
5. the word fractured is closest in meaning to
A. mended B. cracked C. created D. divided
6. Which of the following is believed to be a cause of the trees’ distress signals?
A. Torn roots B. Attacks by insects
C. Experiments by scientists D. Lack of water
7. The word they refers to
A. columns. B. patterns C. insects D. vibrations.
8. In paragraph 3, the phrase pick up could best be replaced by which of the following?
A. Perceive B. Lift C. Transmit D. Attack
9. All of the following are mentioned as possible factors in drawing insects to weakened trees EXCEPT .
A. thermal changes B. smells
C. sounds. D. changes in color
10. It can be inferred from the passage that, at the time the passage was written, research concerning the
distress signals of trees
A. had been conducted many years previously.
B. had been unproductive up until then.
C. was continuing.
D. was no longer sponsored by the Government.
PASSAGE 2: Read the passage carefully and choose one suitable answer for each question.
It is said that George Washington was one of the first to realize how important the building of
canals would be to the nation’s development. In fact, before he became President, he headed the first
company in the United States to build a canal, which was to connect the Ohio and Potomac rivers. It was
never completed, but it showed the nation the feasibility of canals. As the country expanded westward,
settlers in western New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio needed a means to ship goods. Canals linking
natural waterways seemed to supply an effective method.
In 1791 engineers commissioned by the state of New York investigated the possibility of a canal
between Albany on the Hudson River and Buffalo on Lake Erie to link the Great Lakes area with the
Atlantic seacoast. It would avoid the mountains that served as a barrier to canals from the Delaware and
Potomac rivers.
The, first attempt to dig the canal, to be called the Erie Canal, was made by private companies but
only a comparatively small portion was built before the project was halted for lack of funds. The cost of
the project was an estimated $5 million, an enormous amount for those days. There was some on-again-
off-again federal funding, but this time the War of 1812 put an end to construction. In 1817, DeWitt
Clinton was elected Governor of New York and persuaded the state to finance and build the canal. It was
completed in 1825, costing $2 million more than expected.
The canal rapidly lived up to its sponsors’ faith, quickly paying for itself through tolls. It was far
more economical than any other form of transportation at the time. It permitted trade between the Great
Lake region and the East coast, robbing the Mississippi River of much of its traffic. It allowed New York
to
supplant Boston, Philadelphia, and other eastern cities as the chief center of both domestic and foreign
commerce. Cities sprang up along the canal. It also contributed in a number of ways to the North’s
victory over the South in the Civil War.
An expansion of the canal was planned in 1849. Increased traffic would undoubtedly have
warranted its construction had it not been for the development of the railroads.
1. Why does the author most likely mention George Washington in the first paragraph?
A. He was President at the time the Erie Canal was built.
B. He was involved in pioneering efforts to build canals.
C. He successfully opened the first canal in the United States.
D. He commissioned engineers to study the possibility of building the Erie Canal.
2. The word feasibility in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. profitability B. difficulty C. possibility D. capability
3. According to the passage, the Erie Canal connected the
A. Potomac and Ohio Rivers.
B. Hudson River and Lake Erie.
C. Delaware and Potomac Rivers.
D. Atlantic Ocean and the Hudson River.
4. The phrase on-again-off-again in paragraph 3 could be replaced by which of the following with the
least change in meaning?
A. Intermittent B. Unsolicited C. Ineffectual D. Gradual
5. The completion of the Erie Canal was financed by
A. New York B. private companies
C. the federal government D. DeWitt Clinton
6. The actual cost of building the Erie Canal was
A. $5 million B. less than had been estimated
C. $7 million D. more than could be repaid
7. The word tolls in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
A. Jobs B. Grants C. Links D. Fees
8. Which of the following is NOT given as an effect of the building of the Erie Canal in paragraph 4?
A. It allowed the East coast to trade with the Great Lakes area.
B. It took water traffic away from the Mississippi River.
C. It helped determine the outcome of the Civil War.
D. It established Boston and Philadelphia as the most important centers of trade.
9. What can be inferred about railroads in 1849 from the information in the last paragraph?
A. They were being planned but had not yet been built.
B. They were seriously underdeveloped.
C. They had begun to compete with the Erie Canal for traffic.
D. They were weakened by the expansion of the canal.
10. The word warranted in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to
A. guaranteed B. justified C. hastened D. prevented
VI. GUIDED CLOZE TEST
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the best option for each of
the blanks.
The Industrial Revolution in Britain was built on the use of machines in factories. Since the 1950s,
Britain's (1) ................ industries have replaced machine operators with computers, and this (2).................
has led to a decline in the number of (3) ................. in many factories. Goods are bought and used much
more than ever before but a lot of these goods are imported. By the beginning of the 20th century , other
industrial countries like the USA were (4) ................. with Britain's exports, and countries in the Far East
have been able to provide cheaper (5).................since the 1970s. Areas located with heavy industries are
suffering high unemployment. During the last 30 years, there has been a constant rise in smaller
industries (6) ........... as "light industries". These ones use electricity and are not (7) ................ on raw
materials such as coal so they are "footloose", i.e. they can be located anywhere. They produce such
things as washing machines or spare (8) ................. Some of these industries produce nothing at all, but
provide services like distribution. The consumer boom of the 1980s and the increased leisure time of
most Britons have led to rapid (9) ................. in service industries like banking, tourism, retailing and
information processing, and in industries which distribute, maintain, and repair (10 )................. consumer
goods.
1. A. manufacturing B. big C. large D. running
2. A. replacement B. change C. exchange D. automation
3. A. employers B. employees C. labors D. servers
4. A. working B. familiar C. competing D. fed up
5. A. things B. products C. produce D. imports
6. A. considered B. regarded C. known D. worked
7. A. dependent B. reliable C. dependable D. command
8. A. details B. parts C. sections D. gadgets
9. A. growth B. increase C. expansion D. extension
10. A. everyday B. home C. household D. expensive
OPEN CLOZE TEST
According to the best (1) .................... gathered by space probes and astronomers, Mars is an
(2) ........ planet, more similar to Earth’s Moon than to Earth (3) ................... - a dry, stark, seemingly
lifeless world.
Mars’ air pressure is equal to Earth’s at an altitude of 100,000 feet. The air there is 95 percent carbon
dioxide. Mars has no ozone (4) .......................to screen out the sun’s lethal (5) .................... Daytime
temperatures may reach above freezing, but because the planet is blanketed by the mere wisp of an
(6) .......,
the heat radiates back into space. Even at the (7).................... , the temperature drops to -50 °C (- 60°F) at
night.
Today there is no liquid water, although valleys and channels, on the surface show evidence of
having been (8) ..................... by running water. The polar ice caps are made (9)...................... frozen
water and carbon dioxide, and water may be frozen in the ground as (10).........................
VII. WORD FORMS
THE FUTURE OF TALL BUILDINGS
construct fortunate agree rare high
press require inhabit wonder popular wide
Architects responsible for the (0). .....construction....... of many skyscrapers believe that a tall
building must always have a certain minimum (1).....................but that there is no limit to its absolute
(2) .......................This means that the skyscrapers of the future are likely to be even taller.
Engineers agree with this, but there is (3) .......................... over the best shape for very tall, slim
buildings, the effects of wind (4) ..........................mean that cylindrical designs have enjoyed some
(5) ........ in recent years, and these are quite pleasing to the eyes. ( 6 ) ................,however, the ideal shape
is an ugly square with heavily rounded corners.
Would these tall buildings of the future offer more than a (7)......................view? Some believe tall
towers could contain all the (8) ..........................for modern living. The (9)......................... if these vertical
villages would travel up and down between their home and work zones and would (10)......................
need to journey to ground level.
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. CLOZE TEST
each space.
CLOZE TEST 1:
DANGER FACING ANTARCTICE
Antarctica is becoming a popular tourist destination and in the last decade! (1) ............. has been a
dramatic increase in visitors to the area some tourists simply want to see the last unspoiled continent
(2) ........... others have more active pursuits such as adventure sports in mind And of course, there are also
those adventurous souls who want to follow (3) ............the footsteps of the great polar explorers.
However, environmentalists are concerned that the booming tourist industry may
(4)................endangering the Antarctic environment and sowing the seeds of its own destruction.
One of the problems facing the area is pollution resulting (5).................tourism. Careless visitors
throw rubbish into the sea, not realising (6) ................... harmful this can be to wildlife. Another danger is
oil spills. In the freezing water, oil does not disperse effectively. Consequently, oil from even a small spill
will remain a hazard (7 )...............wildlife for many years. And this is a very real danger: some of the
cruise ships visiting Antarctica have not been reinforced to (8)................into account the dangers. A
collision with an iceberg could (9)................... a disaster of major proportions. This is by no means a far-
fetched notion. From time to time icebergs do appear in these waters, and global warming means that
massive chunks of ice are breaking (10).................. the continental ice sheet more and more frequently. If
a ship collided with one of these, it could spell disaster for tourism .
FINDING THE RIGHT WORD
A recent study has suggested an answer to a question that has occupied philosophers for centuries:
Do people need words in order to think tribe living in the Amazon basin could provide the answer. The
Piraha tribe may be small there are only about 200 members all told (1)................. they exhibit a
fascinating culural peculiarity. These people have no words for numbers, (2)................ from ‘one’, ‘two’
and ‘many’. What is more, (3 )..............words for ‘one’ and ‘two’ are very similar. As far as anyone can
tell, this tribe has never had any sort of vocabulary for numbers, but they appear to survive quite well
(4)................ it.
It was soon realised that these people might supply an insight (5) .............. the way our minds work.
Studies have shown that adult members of the tribe are not (6)................at counting than a baby is at
speaking. (7) ............. they were shown a row of objects and asked to duplicate the number they saw, they
could not get beyond two or three before starting to make mistakes. This applies even to adults who
appear reasonably intelligent in (8)............... other way.
So it looks (9)................though the Piraha are not very good at counting simply because they do not
have a vocabulary for numbers. This would suggest that human beings in general cannot think if they
have no words to do (10)..................
II. WORD FO RM S
1. Data on economic reforms show that those………….. which heavily depend on agriculture achieve
low ecnomic growth rates. (LOCAL)
2. Scientists try their best to…………..the serious sicknesses . (DIE)
3. That young woman used to suffer from her life-time physical………….. (NORMAL)
4. Some gases,………….. at cold temperatures . (LIQUID)
5. You're entitled to receive a government allowance for each…………..who is living with you.
(DEPEND)
6. The team has won six………….. game. (SUCCESSION)
7. Was the…………..of International Red Cross inspired by a Sweden? (FOUND)
8. Noise from this zone has reached an …………..level. (ACCEPT)
9. These remote areas are still …………..to the Internet. (ACCESS)
10. He is …………..for his charitable activities than for his business in the steel industry. (KNOW)
B. Choose a word from the box and give it a pro per form to fill in each gap to complete the
passage:
fruit constitute satisfy sure please
hear resent far fill present
"... And so ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to know that if I'm elected, I will do everything
in my power to (1)…………that the voters of this (2)…………will be fully and fairly represented in all
phases of the governmental process. While your beliefs have been (3)…………if not completely
neglected in the past, I shall consider it my duty to make your voice (4)………… in the corridors of
Whitehall as they have never been heard before, clearly stating the (5)…………which you have every
right to feel. (6)…….., I shall consider my duty (7)…………until I have done everything in my power to
remove every cause of your (8)………… and (9)………… . I thank you, ladies and gentlmen, and I look
forward to what I hope will be many (10)………… meetings where together we can face the problems of
this great country.
III. ERROR CORRECTIO N
The passage below contains ten errors. Find and correct them. An example has been given.
0. but → and
Lines Errors
1 Despite our complex language skills, the face is still our primary
5 mean of communication. It is precisely because our faces are so
10 complex of appearance, that we can easily spot a friend in a crowd to
attemp to check the trustworthiness of a stranger. Indeed, our ability
to recognise faces quickly, in most sorts of circumstances, is arguable
our most important and remarkable visual skill. Thanks to their
elastic skin, animated by a complexity masculature capaple of an
enormous range of intricate movements, the human face can quickly
in display a whole array of contrasted emotions. As a result of
evolution, making judgements about them basing on our experience,
without effort and without anything to be said.
1. The only reason I was late is that the traffic was heavy.
Had it ........................................................................................
2. I certainly don't mean to do it before tomorrow.
I have.........................................................................................
3. The book was too expensive for me to buy
So .................................................... ........................................
4. He agreed to give us a hand just because Mary proposed him.
It was at ...................................................................................
5. Could you watch my bag while I'm away.
Could you keep.........................................................................?
1. I'd rather not go out this afternoon. (FEEL)
I ........................................................this afternoon
2. Milan is sure that he was right to turn down the job. (REGRETS).
Milan .................................................................................. the job.
3. In spite of his efforts, his plans failed. (NOTHING)
His plans...................................................................... tried hard.
4. There are are plans to close down the cinema due to poor attendance levels. (THREATS)
The cinema................................................. due to poor attendance levels.
5. Mr Downson accused Richard of leaking the news. (PUT)
Mr Downson..................................................... leaking the news.
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN THĂNG LONG - ĐÀ LẠT
I. PHONOLOGY
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the rest:
1. A. theist B. thermite C. thrice D. thereat
2. A. celestial B. commercial C. presidential D. essential
3. A. longer B. stronger C. swinger D. younger
4. A. gelatin B. genie C. margarine D. gaiety
5. A. rouge B. espionage C. vestige D. prestige
Choose the word that is stressed differently from the others in the list:
6. A. fulltime B. farmhand C. fertile D. tradesman
7. A. paralysis B. monetary C. analogous D. protagonist
8. A. counterculture B. countersubject C. countertenor D.
countermeasure
9. A. showerhead B. tangential C. abeyance D. persistence
10. A. paralysis B. elephantine C. leguminous D.
accouterments
II. WORD CHOICE
1. Many people were killed instantly at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but thousands more died from .............
radiation sickness.
A. succeeding B. following C. subsequent D. afterwards
2. I am not by ...................... a particularly ambitious man.
A. inclination B. habit C. character D. tendency
3. After much debate, he reached a ........................................
A. manifestation B. consensus C. precision D. cohesion
4. We can expect to treble our turnover once the January sales get into full.................
A. force B. flight C. speed D. swing
5. She expressed her...................for certain kinds of cheaply produced movies.
A. disapproval B. distaste C. dissatisfaction D. disloyalty
6. The police have been ordered not to ................ if the students attack them.
A. combat B. rebuff C. retaliate D. challenge
7. Radio and television make it possible for the news to be widely...................
A. disseminated B. dislocated C. dismantled D. expressed
8. We weren't able to drive down the street because of a .................. in the middle of the road.
A. broadening B. border C. barricade D. buttress
9. Researchers have made a (n)............... plea for more sponsorship so that they can continue their
project.
A. compassionate B. dispassionate C. encompassed D.
impassioned
10. I appealed to all ..................... people to support me and I was successful.
A. same-minded B. thought-sharing
C. familiar-thinking D. like-minded
III. GRAMMAR & STRUCTURES
1. I have never seen ................ before.
A. such good film B. so good film
C. so good a film D. such good a film
2. I am in favour of his proposal that a special committee..................... to examine the problem.
A. sets up B. be set up C. will be set up D. has to be
set up
3. The scientists................the festival of Ramadan, but they were too busy with their research in the
laboratory.
A. would have liked to commemorate B. would have loved to have observed
C. would prefer to have obeyed D. would sooner have celebrated
4. You promised to have a day off and go camping with us and you were at work until midnight this
Sunday. I would rather you.................your word.
A. keep B. would have kept C . had kept D. kept
5. I.................He should have................ than to lend them money.
A. am not sorry once and for all / thought more
B. am not sorry for once / been better
C. for one thing am not sorry / known more
D. for one am not sorry / known better
6. It just................that was in their area that, so I went to visit them.
A. so occurred B. so happened C. so chanced D. so arose
7. I'll be kind to her.................. she decide to leave me.
A. in case B. whereas C. so as not D. lest
8. A new generation of performers, .................. those who by now had become a household name, honed
their skills before following the same path onto television.
A. no less talented than B. along with talented as
C. together with talented as D. having been more talented than
9. I don't suppose there is anyone there,................?
A. is there B. isn't there C. do I D. don’t I
10. “The inflation rate in Greece is five times …............. my country,” he said.
A. as much as that in B. more than that in
C. as many as that in D. as high as that in
IV. PREPOSITIONS & PHRASAL VERBS
1. I’m afraid you’ve caught me on the …............. I wasn’t expecting you until this afternoon.
A. hop B. grapevine C. spot D. stove
2. Alice is going to put................ the job of a sales assistant in Newcastle.
A. forward to B. up to C. down on D. in for
3. I don’t have time to clean the kitchen right now. Maybe I can ..................it later.
A. get around to B. put off C. get away with D. come
up with
4. The young man got............... for damaging his bicycle.
A. browned off B. frightened off C. ticked off D. bitten off
5. That wall would fall over if it wasn’t .....................with planks of wood.
A. propped up B. watered down C. chanced upon D. stored
up
6. My parents had a lot of children, so sometimes there wasn't enough food to...................
A. put on B. fall back on C. give out D. go round
7. Unfortunately, our secret plans had been given ................. by someone before we managed to put them
into practice.
A. up B. out C. away D. in
8. ‘Do you think Robert is a good candidate for the job? ’ ‘Well, I have known the boy for many years
and I can .................his great capacity for solving complex questions.’
A. set in B. vouch for C. take back D. account for
9. We knew the concert was sold out, but we still went to the stadium ..................the off-chance that
someone might want to sell us their tickets.
A. with B.by C. in D. on
10. After a fall in profits, the company decided to ...................the hotel business.
A. back off from B. pull out of C. take out of D. keep away
from
READING 1: Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question
Ethology is concerned with the study of adaptive, or survival, value of behavior and its
Evolutionary history. Ethological theory began to be applied to research on children in thel96 0’s but has
become even more influential today. The origins of ethology can be traced Line to the work of Darwin.
Its modern
foundations were laid by two European zoologists, Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen.
Watching the behaviors diverse animal species in their natural habitats, Lorenz, and Tinbergen
observed behavior patterns that promote survival. The most well-known of these is imprinting, the early
following behavior of certain baby birds that ensures that the young will stay close to their mother and be
fed and protected from danger. Imprinting takes place during- an early, restricted time period of
development. If the mother goose is not present during this time, but an object resembling her in
important features is, young goslings may imprint on it instead. Observations of imprinting led to major
concept that has been applied in child Development” the critical period. It refers to a limited times span
during which the child is biologically prepared to acquire certain adaptive behaviors but needs the
support of suitably stimulating environment. Many researchers have conducted studies to find out
whether complex cognitive
and social behaviors must be learned during restricted time periods. For example, if children are deprived
of adequate food or physical and social stimulation during the early years of life, will their intelligence be
permanently impaired? If language is not mastered during the preschool years, is the child’s
capacity to acquire if reduced?
Inspired by observations of imprinting, in 1969 the British psychoanalyst John Bowlby applied
ethological theory to the understanding of the relationship between an infant and its parents. He argued
that attachment behaviors of babies, such as smiling, babbling, grasping, and crying, are built-in social
signals that encourage the parents to approach, care for, and interact with the baby. By keeping a parent
near, these behaviors help ensure that the baby will be fed, protected from danger, and provided with the
stimulation and affection necessary for healthy growth. The development of attachment in human infants
is a lengthy
process involving changes in psychological structures that lead to a deep affectional tie between parent
and baby.
1. What was Darwin’s contribution to ethology?
A. Darwin improved on the original principles of ethology.
B. Darwin was the professor who taught Lorenz and Tinbergen.
C. Darwin’s work provided the basis for ethology.
D. Darwin was the first person to apply ethological theory to children.
2. The word “diverse” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to..............
A. small B. varied C. wild D. particular
3. The word “ensures” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to..............
A. guarantees B. proves C. teaches D. assumes
4. According to the passage, if a mother goose is not present during the time period when imprinting
takes place, which of the following will most likely occur?
A. The gosling will not imprint on any object.
B. The gosling may not find a mate when it matures.
C. The mother will later imprint on the gosling.
D. The gosling may imprint on another object.
5. The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to ............
A. development B. goose C. time D. object
6. The word “suitably” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to..............
A. willingly B. moderately C. appropriately D. emotionally
7. The author mentions all of the following as attachment behaviors of human infants EXCEPT.............
A. grasping B. crying C. eating D. smiling
8. According to the passage, attachment behaviors of infants are intended to............
A. get the physical, emotional and social needs of the infant met
B. allow the infant to become imprinted on objects that resemble the parent
C. provide the infant with a means of self-stimulation
D. prepare the infant to cope with separation
9. The phrase “affectional tie” paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to.............
A. cognitive development B. emotional attachment
C. psychological need D. behavioral change
10. It can be inferred from the passage that ethological theory assumes that
A. to learn about human behavior only human subjects should be studied
B. failure to imprint has no influence on intelligence
C. the notion of critical periods applies only to animals
D. there are similarities between animal and human behavior
REA DING 2
Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question
LEARNING A LANGUAGE
Learning a language is not for everyone. Some people find it very difficult and stressful; others
actually enjoy the mental challenge and still others (although these are rare people) find it easy to learn a
foreign language. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in trying to define the characteristics of a
‘good’ language learner. Here are four examples - can you select the person who is likely to make the
best language learner from these descriptions of their needs and personalities?
Perhaps it is best to take a typical example at the outset. Fred Brown had to retire last year because
of a bad heart. He went to Spain for a holiday and decided he liked the country and the people so much he
would like to learn the language. He already speaks good French and a little Italian and he thinks these
will give him a head start in learning another Latin language.
He sees language learning as a detective game: he hunts for clues and likes to find the answers
himself. He knows that language learning is hard work, but he gives himself a little to learn each day. He
listens to himself and usually knows when he has made a mistake. He knows exactly what sort of Spanish
he wants to learn and is only interested in that.
Mary Green has friends in Athens and she has been to Greece several times. Through her friends
she met a Greek working in London and now they are engaged to be married. They plan to live in London
but she feels she must learn Greek to talk to her future in-laws. She is going to Greek cookery classes as
well. She says she is ‘hopeless at languages' and she hated the French teacher at school. She thinks
language is all about talking and she tries to experiment with the language she knows: she takes risks. She
is rather lazy about reading Greek and ‘switches off when she sees it written down. She finds the classes a
bit
boring because she is not learning the things she wants to learn but she has not spoken to the teacher
about this.
In total contrast to someone who has the need to integrate into a family situation, however, is John
Freeman. John's company is starting to sell sportswear in France next May and John will have to visit
Marseilles four times a year. There will be a local agent so he will not have to negotiate in French. He
has been to France on holiday three times and knows a few words already. He enjoyed the sunshine but
doesn't really like foreigners: "They're all a funny lot." He is a very precise person who always likes to be
accurate and doesn't like to make a fool of himself. He does not speak any other languages and is
motivated
to learn French because of his work. He knows that language can be described as a series of rules and he
tries hard to learn the system. He likes the teacher to translate so that he can be sure he has understood
exactly what every word means. He is not interested in wasting his time guessing. He has not thought
about what kind of French he needs to learn.
Jane Smith, on the other hand, hasn't even started work so she won't have the strong motivation that
working in a language gives people who are trying to sell their products. However, she doesn't think that
foreigners are strange people and she isn't frightened of making mistakes because ‘it's all a bit of fun'. She
has now finished her first school examinations and, although she is going on to study science in the 6th
Form, she doesn't want to forget the German she has studied. She can't bear writing, though, and is
impatient with herself when she makes grammatical mistakes. She doesn't really know why she is
continuing to learn and she has already said that if her German studies take up too much of her time, she
will drop them and focus on ‘real' work.
All of these learners have their own reasons and they are all different in how they approach the task
and what they think learning is all about. The experts' view is that people who have a clear idea of the
reasons for learning will do well and, on that basis, Fred Brown, John Freeman and Mary Green are
clearly
advantaged. However, it is also true that those who take risks and experiment do well and here John
doesn't do too well. Additionally, those who have high motivation and regular exposure to the language
do well and here, of course, John and Mary may have the edge over people like Jane. There's also a case
to be made that for those who enjoy learning and don't care too much about making mistakes, success can
come easily.
1. The person with the lowest motivation is probably.................
A. John B. Jane C. Fred D. Mary
2. John Freeman is learning French.................
A. to be able to make business deals in French.
B. because he needs to go to Marseilles.
C. to integrate into the French business community.
D. only for professional reasons.
3. Mary Green is learning Greek because...................
A. she wants to live in Greece.
B. she is going to cookery classes in Greek.
C. she wants to be able to talk to her family.
D. she needs it for professional reasons.
4. Fred Brown's approach to learning is best described as .................
A. problem solving
B. talking to and learning from Spanish speakers.
C. working hard every day.
D. making full use of the Spanish he already knows.
5. Jane..................
A. makes a lot of written mistakes.
B. isn't bothered about any mistakes she makes.
C. has taken examinations in German.
D. thinks that learning German will help her 6th Form studies.
6. Fred, John and Mary have an advantage because..............
A. they understand the structure of language.
B. they know why they are learning the language.
C. they aren't afraid to experiment
D. they know what they want to learn.
7. Contact with native speakers helps you to learn, so ................
A. Jane will have an advantage.
B. Jane and John will be at a disadvantage.
C. Fred will be at a definite disadvantage.
D. John and Mary will have an advantage .
8. Learning a language is not for everyone because....................
A. it's difficult to define a ‘good’ learner.
B. people react differently to the challenge.
C. very few people find it easy.
D. it's very stressful.
9. Of all the four people , who is most likely to be successful in learning the foreign language he/ she
interested in?
A. Jane Smith B. Mary Green C. Fred Brown D. John
Freeman
10. Which sentence does not represent the ideas in the paragraph?
A. Those language learners with no clear ideas of what, why, and how they learn are not to get
success.
B. Those who dare to take risk of making mistakes while learning are to welcome success.
C. Those with ambiguous motivation and irregular exposure to the language do well.
D. All of the four learners have one reason and various ways to approach their tasks.
VI. GUIDED CLOZE TESTS
GUIDED CLOZE TEST 1
Read the following passages and choose the options that best complete the blanks.
Interpreting the fee lings of other people is not always easy, as we all know, and we (1)…………as
much on what they seem to be telling us, as on the (2)…………words they say. Facial expression and
tone of voice are obvious ways of showing our (3)…………to something , and it may well be that we
unconsciously express views that we are trying to hide. The art of being tactful lies in (4)…………these
signals, realizing what the other person is trying to say, and acting so that they are not embarrassed in any
way . For example, we may understand that they are in fact reluctant to answer our question , and so we
stop pressing them. Body movements in general may also (5)…………feelings,, and interviewers often
(6)…………particular attention to the way a can did ate for a job walks into the room and sits down.
However , it is not difficult to present the right kind of appearance, while what many employers want to
know relates to the candidate’s character (7)…………, and psychological stability. This raises the (8)
……..
questions of whether job candidates should be asked to complete psychological tests, and the further
problem of whether such tests actually produce reliable results. For many people, being asked to take part
in such a test would be objectionable (9)…………into their private lives. Quite apart from this problem,
can such tests predict whether a person is likely to be a (10)…………employee or a valued colleague?
1. A. estimate B. rely C. reckon D. trust
2. A. actual B. real C. identical D. other
3. A. view B. feeling C. notion D. reaction
4. A. picking up B. putting across C. taking down D.
goingover
5. A. display B. infer C. imply D. indicate
6. A. have B. show C. pay D. make
7. A. quirks B. mannerisms C. points D. traits
8. A. unpleasant B. risky C. awkward D. touchy
9. A. invasion B. intrusion C. infringement D. interference
10. A. conscientious B. particular C. laborious D. pedantic
GUIDED CLOZE TEST 2
Read the following passages and choose the options that best complete the blanks.
SMART SHOES
Smart shoes that adjust their size throughout the day could soon be available. A prototype of such a
shoe has already been produced and a commercial (1) …………. may be in production within a few
years. The shoe contains sensors that constantly (2)………….the amount of room left in it. If the foot has
become too large, a tiny valve opens and the shoe (3)………….slightly. The entire control system is
about 5mm square and is (4)………….inside the shoe. This radical shoe meets a need because the
volume of the (5)…
foot can change by as much as 8% during the course of the day. The system is able to learn about the
wearer's feet and (6)………….up a picture of the size of his or her feet throughout the day. It will allow
the shoes to change in size by up to 8% so that they always fit exactly. They are obviously more
comfortable and less likely to (7)………….blisters. From an athlete's point of view, they can help
improve (8)………..
a little, and that is why the first use for the system is likely to be in a sports shoe. Eventually, this system
will find a (9)………….in other household items, from beds that automatically change to fit the person
sleeping in them, to power tools that (10) ………….themselves to the user's hand for better grip. There is
no reason why the system couldn't be adapted for use in hundreds of consumer goods
1.A. assortment B. style C. version D. variety
2.A. prove B. check C. inspect D. confirm
3.A. expands B. develops C. amplifies D. increases
4.A. laid B. sited C. established D. located
5.A. average B. general C. usual D. medium
6.A. pick B. build C. grow D. set
7.A. provoke B. form C. cause D. initiate
8. A. achievement B. winning C. success D. performance
9. A. function B. part C. way D. place
10. A. respond B. change C. shape D. convert
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST
OPEN CLOZE TEST 1
Fill in each blank with ONE word to make a complete passage
THE WELSH
When it (1)…………. to violent nationalism, the Welsh are not in the (2………….league as the
Basques or the Northern Irish, but they can be bad enough. The Welsh do have a distinct nationality, (3)
…………. a language and literature of their own. Indeed, they have their own cultural festival, with
music and singing, (4)………….an Eisteddfod, which dates back to 1176. The Eisteddfod forms part of
the Gorsedd, or assembly, founded many centuries before the Christian era. At the Eisteddfod, the poets,
or bards, wear long white, flowing robes, and (5)…………. themselves very seriously.
(6)………….Brittany, Wales is rather isolated. It is a mountainous lump between England and the
Irish Sea. (7)………….it is isolated, and because it contains little (8)…………. stealing, the place has
been left to its own devices, so that half a million people (9)…………. speak the ancient Welsh language.
(10)…………., the proportion of the population who speak Welsh has fallen since 1960 from about 30
per cent to about 20 per cent.
OPEN CLOZE TEST 2
Fill in each blank with ONE word to make a complete passage
I had a difficult time last year with my health. For several months I was (1)................... from
periodic headaches and almost constant nausea. I made several visits to my GP, who (2) .................my
headaches to migraine and provided me with medication. When this failed to work he (3)..................... on
my nausea as the root cause, blaming my headaches on the nausea. I was (4).................... to five blood
tests, none of which revealed anything significant. I (5).................... my diet with the doctor at length, and
we tried eliminating certain foods from my meals. He said that I might (6)....................from a low-fibre
diet. But still the symptoms persisted, and I was starting to (7) .................myself to feeling ill for the rest
of my life. I was understandably concerned about the possibility of it being something serious, even a
brain tumour, but the doctor said that my anxiety in this respect (8) ...................from nervous tension and
stress. After six months I was referred to a consultant at the hospital, who (9)..................in stomach
disorders. She said that, even allowing for my age and stressful lifestyle, it was still abnormal to
experience symptoms like these for so
long. She (10 ).................. on all the possible causes of nausea in detail, and suggested that in my case the
nausea might be the result of a liver disorder.
II. WORD FORMS
A. Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the given word
1. The brochure displayed very tempting photographs of the tourist attractions in Sweden. They were
so ..................................... that it was hard for viewers to resist booking that tour immediately. (mouth)
2. What must be avoided at all costs is the suppression of anger, as feelings of resentment can lead a
relationship to break down....................... (retrieve).
3. Six-core processor is one of the most.........................technologies yet invented to revolutionise the way
computers work. (cut)
4. Tourists can see many ................................views of the ocean and mountain. (panorama)
5. Though they are students, their ...........................made a good impression on the local audience.
(theatre)
6. The islands have been .................................... by the growth of tourism. (west)
7. Dolphins, ............................species, sometimes jump above the surface of the water. (mammal)
8. We like Mary. She’s very nice and................................. (lady)
9. It’s Frank’s .................................. ............. that drives his parents crazy.
They can’t even persuade him to brush his teeth in the morning. (obstinate)
10. He is a bad manager in that factory and everyone is in an attempt to ................him. (fame)
B. Fill in each blank with the correct form of one suitable word from the list given
compare young criticize employ abound
size collect prosper pursue tend
Ask any adult over forty to make a (1)…………. between the past and present and most will tell
you that things have been getting steadily worse for as long as they can remember. Take the weather for
example. Everyone remembers that in their (2)…………. the summers are considerably hotter, and that
winter always included (3)…………. falls of snow just when the school holidays had started. Of course,
the food in those days was far superior too, as nothing was imported and everything was fresh. (4)
…………. was negligible, the money in your pocket really was worth something, and you could buy a (5)
…………. house even if your means were limited. And above all, people were somehow nicer in those
days, and spent their free time on innocent (6)…………. making model boats and tending their stamp (7)
…………. rather than gazing at the television screen for hours on end. As we know, this figure of the past
simply cannot be true, and there are plenty of statistics dealing with heath and (8)………….which prove
that it is not true. So, why is it that we all have a (9)………….to idealize the past and to be so (10)
………….of the present?
III. ERROR IDENTIFICAT ION
There are 10 mistakes in this passage. Underline and correct them
STEEPLE CHASING
Steeple chasing early began in the eighteenth century as a sport among the fox-hunting gentry. In
those days, they raced through the countryside to a place marked by a distant church spire, or steeple. It
was a reckless and dangerous sport. By 1830, it became a part of formally racing, and is today an
established
winter sport. The courses, which there are over 40 in England and nearly 30 in Ireland, have artificial
barriers in place of the real ditches, walls, streams and hedges. From October to March, hundreds of
steeplechase jockeys, professional and amateur, risk life and limbs. Of all the races in the steeple chasing
calendar, the most popular is the Grand National, run over a distance of ten kilometres and forty high
jumps. Everyone in the country takes an interest to it and most people seems to buy a sweepstake ticket,
or put a pound or two on the horse they think will win. In some years, where the going is especially bad,
as much as three-quarters of the horses will not finish the race.
Rewrite each of the sentences with the given word or the given beginning so that the new sentence
has the same meaning as the previous one
1. It was not until five years had elapsed that the whole truth about the murder came out.
Not for another.....................................................................................................
2. The inhabitants were far worse-off twenty years ago than they are now.
The inhabitants are nowhere.................................................................................
3. Arguing with her won’t get you anywhere.
It won’t do....................................... .....................................................................
4. We only ingratiated ourselves with our teacher because Kate insisted. (CURRIED)
It was................................................................................................ our teacher.
5. Don’t make me suffer because of your problems! (ON)
Don’t take............................. ...............................................................................
6. She just pretended to welcome him, then quickly left the waiting room. (MOTIONS)
She just...............................................................................................................
7. We have made neither a profit nor a loss this year. (EVEN)
We.......................................................................................................................
8. It would be easy to make a film adaptation of Danielle Steel’s latest novel. (ITSELF)
9. George seems to have been putting his website together for a long time. (CONSTRUCTION)
George’s web site...........................................................................................
10. Recent research has changed theories about the causes of bird flu. (LIGHT)
Theories.. .......................................................................................................
LỚP 11
ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC
I. PHONOLOGY (5PTS)
1. A. laid B. lain C. said D. gait
2. A. sanctuary B. monkey C. sanguine D. sincerity
3. A. atheism B. theatricality C. breathalyzer D. potheen
4. A. bachelor B. angel C. amoral D. chamber
5. A. allegedly B. confusedly C. supposedly D. wickedly
6. A. taxidermy B. modernity C. orientate D. systematize
7. A. deluge B. lupine C. sangfroid D. stratosphere
8. A. veracity B. philanthropy C. impertinent D. confiscate
9. A. rucksack B. gazelle C. molest D. bereave
10. A. promenade B. bruschetta C. trigonometry D. spontaneity
II. WORD CHOICE (5 PTS):
11. Fiona didn’t lie but she did give rather………….. a picture of the situation.
A . defaced B. distorted C. disfigured D. disfigured
12. As Michelle told me the story, tears…………..up in her eyes.
A. welled B. raised C. filled D. mounted
13. J. Edgar Hoover was a( n)…………..professional who served as director of the FBI for 48 years.
A. astounding B. resilient C. determined D. perceptive
14. When threatened, the opossum often………….. death.
A. avoids B. confronts C. feigns D. withstands
15. Most tadpoles are vegetarians,…………..those of some species are carnivorous.
A. albeit B. simply C. supposedly D.
notwithstanding
16. I hope you won’t take it …………….if I suggest an alternative remedy.
A. offence B. amiss C. upset D. heart
17.……………. for the defence made an application for more time to discuss matters with his clients.
A. Counsel B. Lawyer C. Judge D. Legislation
18. Psychologists still wonder if some personality traits are…………….
A. inevitable B. interminable C. inadvertent D. innate
19. I thought you were looking a little…………….this morning.
A. tumble-down B. downcast C. run-down D. down-and-
out
20. Do you think your family members would…………….ranks if criticized?
A. close B. bridge C. order D. join
III. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES (5PTS):
21. Nebrask a has floods in some years,…………….
A. droughts are others B. others in droughts
C. in others droughts D. while others droughts
22. Mai is…………….her sister is.
A. nowhere like so clever as B. nothing near as clever as
C. nothing as clever as D. nowhere near as clever as
23. Four miles off the southern coast of Massachusetts…………….. , a popular summer resort.
A. lies the island of Martha’s Vineyard
B. the island of Martha’s Vineyard lies there
C. does the island of Martha’s Vineyard lie
D. where the island of Martha’s Vineyard lies
24. How can I pull myself together when this is not…………….. a challenge?
A. more a worry than B. so much a worry as
C. worth worrying for D. as worrying as
25. It’s not quite …………….. straightforward a problem as it might at first seem.
A. much B. such C. too D. so
26. Saturn, the second largest planet in the solar system, has many unusual characteristics,……………..
of which is the structure of its rings.
A. no less B. not the least C. nonetheless D. without
27…………….. to be an announcement about the proposed building next month.
A. It is expected B. The expectation is
C. People expect D. There is expected
28. B-phone’s rising inventories,…………….. correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead to
production cutbacks that would hamper economic growth.
A. if not unaccompanied B. though accompanied
C. unless accompanied D. when unaccompanied
29. If he…………….. as honest as you believe, he wouldn’t have stolen the money.
A. would be B. had been C. were D. is
30…………….. to interfere in your affairs but I would like to give you just one piece of advice.
A. It is far from clear B. Far from it for me
C. Far and wide for me D. Far be it from me
31. Silkworms feed …………….. mulberry leaves which can hardly be seen here.
A. in B. with C. on D. x
32. The political critic’s contempt ……………..some politicians was clearly expressed in his speeches
and articles.
A. to B. for C. of D. towards
33. I am aware of the honor bestowed…………….. me.
A. of B. on C. to D. for
34. Let’s find a place where we can ……………..the storm.
A. wait out B. wear off C. shrug off D. pull
through
35. I am not sufficiently versed……………..computers to understand what you’re saying.
A. to B. into C. about D. in
36. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right, but I’ll try to press…………….. with it anyway.
A. up B. ahead C. for D. in
37. They’re planning to ……………..their operation in North America and focus on Eastern Europe.
A. wind down B. start up C. fire up D. face up
38. Could you lend me some money to ……………..me……………..to the end of the month?
A. hand .. .up B. get. .. out C. tide ... over D. make ...
through
39. I’m just…………….. for clues.
A. climbing out B. ranking up C. pushing back D. nosing
around
40. He fled from the stadium with the police…………….. his heels.
A. under B. in C. at D. with
V. GUIDED CLOZE (10 PTS):
PASSAGE A:
It is the human factor that (41)………….. to the absolute majority of road accidents which involve
the tremendous (42)………….. of fatalities each year. Other, less decisive, causes are vehicle
malfunctions or road shortcomings.
Speeding motorists are notorious for failing to give (43)…………..at junctions, misjudging the
situation on the road or being unable to (44)…………..estimate the distance while overtaking the “(45)
………….. ” ahead. Drinkers who settle behind the wheel after one glass or two may be running the (46)
………….. of causing a tragedy through their impaired perception, which is not so rare a case, again.
Unfortunately, it is much simpler to introduce the necessary alterations in the traffic system than
change the behavioural (47 )………….. of drivers. There are voices that more severe disciplinary
resolutions ought to be put into practice if the vehicle users are to benefit from greater security on the
road. The idea of producing safe road users through pre-school parental instruction or through (48)
…………..the safety regulations into school curriculum has been (49)…………..acclaimed in many
communities and is expected to yield the required results as the first step in bettering the qualifications of
the future drivers and acquainting them with the (50)…………..hazards that may arise en route.
41. A. attributes B. contributes C. dedicates D. distributes
42. A. total B. rate C. toll D. list
43. A. way B. room C. road D. space
44. A. exactly B. accurately C. properly D. approximately
45.A. snail-pacers B. sloth-propellers C. tortoise-inchers D. worm-lumps
46. A. risk B. stake C. threat D. hazard
47. A. patterns B. manners C. styles D. structures
48. A. involving B. intriguing C. incorporating D.
integrating
49. A. widely B. worldwide C. globally D. worldly
50. A. substantial B. potential C. considerable D. extreme
PASSAGE B:
In the 1980s the United States Department of Energy was looking for suitable sites to bury
radioactive waste material (51) ………… by its nuclear energy programs. The government was
considering burying the dangerous wastes in deep underground (52)………… in remote desert areas. The
problem, however, was that nuclear waste remains highly radioactive for thousands of years. The
commission (53) …………with tackling the problem of waste disposal was aware that the dangers posed
by radioactive emissions must be (54)………… to our descendants of at least 10,000 years hence. So the
task became one of finding a way to tell future societies about the risk posed by these deadly deposits.
Of course, human society in the distant future may be well aware of the (55) …………of radiation.
Technological advances may one day provide the solutions to this dilemma. But the belief in constant
technological advancement is based on our (56) …………of advances made throughout history and
prehistory. We cannot be sure that society won’t have slipped (57)………… into an age of barbarism due
to any of several catastrophic events, whether the result of nature such as the onset of a new ice age or
perhaps man kind’s failure to solve the (58)………… of war and pollution. In the event of global
catastrophe, it is quite possible that humans of the distant future will be on the far side of a (59) …………
link of communication and technological understanding.
The problem then becomes how to inform our descendants that they must avoid areas of potential
radioactive (60) …………given that they may not understand any currently existing language and may
have no historical or cultural memory. So, any message indicated to future reception and decipherment
must be as universally understandable as possible.
51. A. caused B. generated C. arisen D. supported
52. A. chambers B. partitions C. openings D. fissures
53. A. trusted B. entrusted C. ensured D. done
54. A. contacted B. transferred C. transformed D.
communicated
55. A. influences B. impacts C. hazards D. stimuli
56. A. perceptions B. conceptions C. views D. thoughts
57. A. onward B. forward C. toward D. backward
58. A. pressures B. scourges C. worries D. annoyances
59. A. broken B. useful C. accessible D. inaccessible
60. A. flow B. remainder C. seep age D. current
VI. READING COMPREHENSION (10 PTS):
Read the texts below and choose the best answer to each question.
PASSAGE A
‘CLIP CULTURE’
Could the short films on video-sharing sites such as YouTube ever rival films at the cinema?
In parallel with its own exponential growth, my fascination with YouTube has galloped into a
raging obsession. Whole evenings, theoretically dedicated to writing, have been hijacked by a terrible
need to click away from the Microsoft Word document, onto the internet browser, and from there the lure
of YouTube
is inevitable. What's not to be fascinated by? However slick or however rickety, the best of these mini-
movies have an unmediated quality, a found-object realness that is completely lacking in anything
available in the cinema or on TV.
For a growing number of people, time spent surfing the web exceeds the time spent watching TV,
so who knows if this way of making and watching movies might not become a huge and serious rival to
the mainstream. Many contemporary films-makers have become fascinated by the video aesthetic, and by
camera work with a deadpan surveillance feel, which has risen in parallel to this Internet revolution.
The cinema, though, does have something in common with the confessional, video blog aspect of
YouTube. The popularity of the horror film The Blair Witch Project was inflamed by a vast, grassroots
Internet campaign which mischievously suggested that the film's horrors were real. Plus there's a cousin
to
this blurring of fact and fiction in YouTube - confessional blogs which turn out to be faked by ingenious
actors. In the past, some documentaries that you could see on TV or at the cinema had YouTube qualities,
in that the footage was shot by the participants themselves, although they needed a professional cinema
practitioner to bring it to light. If the unhappy heroes of these films were making their videos now, they
would probably bypass these directors and take them straight to YouTube. Where straight cinema and
YouTube come more closely into parallel is the use of the continuous shot: the persistent, unjudging,
almost
uncom prehending gaze; an unedited, deep-focus scene in which our attention as audience is
not coerced or directed. The true YouTube gems are not the digitally carpentered mini-features. The most
gripping material is raw, unedited footage in one continuous take. Outstanding examples range from
domestic events in the home to windows on international events. Watching these, and going through the
events in real time, is riveting yet disturbing at the same time.
Many film directors have tried exploiting the eerie, disquieting quality of video-surveillance
footage. But they should look further as they might all be fascinated by, and even learn something from,
what I think of as YouTube’s comedy genre: bizarre things captured more by accident than design, which
often have a sublime quality. One such clip of a woman falling down a hole was captured by CCTV; the
camera is apparently fixed above a bar in a busy pub. Someone opens up a trap door directly behind a
woman serving drinks, with results that Buster Keaton himself would have admired. The scene is shot
and framed with unshowy formal perfection; a professional director and crew could work for months on a
slapstick scene and not get is as right as this. It’s something in the way the woman disappears so utterly
from view.
Unlike the cinema, where we have to wait for reviews, you can get your material reviewed on
YouTube instantly since there is a ratings and comments section for each video. Just as the videos are
more real than films, this type of reviewing is also more honest. Cinema reviews may comment on the
predictable
elements, such as plot, setting, actors, etc., but YouTube reviews are boiled down to the essence of
entertainment appeal. Are you interested enough to watch it to the end? Would you recommend it to your
friends? Do you go back in and watch it again?
The cinema of YouTube has, at its best, an appealing amateurism, unrestricted by the conventions
of narrative interest or good taste. It is a quality to be savoured, and quite different from documentary or
the attempts at realism in feature films. What makes it so involving is that the viewers extend this
amateur
process in choosing, playing and sharing the files. Consequently, they supplement production with a new
type of distribution. It’s this that makes YouTube so addictive and unless the cinema learns from it, it
may be outclassed.
61. What does the writer say about his interest in YouTube?
A. He enjoys watching YouTube while he is writing.
B. He prefers the short films on YouTube to the cinema.
C. He finds it hard to resist watching YouTube films.
D. He likes the fact that the films on YouTube are short.
62. The writer suggests YouTube will become more popular because
A. the films in it capture people when they are unaware.
B. people have changed how they use their leisure time.
C. people no longer have time to watch full-length films.
D. the films on it mimic real life with real people.
63. The word “unmediated” is closest in meaning to
A. direct B. surreal C. of high standard D.
mesmerizing
64. In the third paragraph, the writer says the similarity between YouTube videos and commercial films is
that
A. they both produce realistic horror films.
B. they both have directors who are also actors.
C. they both depend on the Internet for publicity.
D. they are both effective at faking reality.
65. The word “coerced” is closest in meaning to
A. pressed B. terrorized C. forced D. bullied
66. The word “eerie” is closest in meaning to
A. awesome B. strange C. obliging D. dominant
67. What does the writer say is the appeal of the continuous shot?
A. that nobody is managing the events on screen
B. that it can be used effectively in any setting
C. that we can see things we wouldn’t otherwise see
D. that the camera acts as our eyes on the event
68. In the fifth paragraph, the writer uses the example of the woman falling to show that
A. YouTube uses a range of sources for its films.
B. it is difficult to replicate real-life comedy.
C. YouTube has funnier films than those at the cinema.
D. it is better when participants are unaware they are being filmed.
69. Why does the writer use questions at the end of the sixth paragraph?
A. to suggest what questions cinema reviews should address
B. to illustrate how YouTube reviews have a single focus
C. to guide the reader about what a review should contain
D. to show the broad range of views on YouTube
70. The writer concludes that YouTube is addictive because
A. it has so many potential viewers.
B. it offers films which have unique qualities.
C. it shows better films than those available commercially.
D. it has become part of the process of making films.
PASSAGE B:
Psychologists are interested in the reasons why some people like taking part in risky sports. When
they studied people who were learning to jump from a plane with a parachute, they found that
parachutists’ bodies produced large amounts of two hormones, adrenaline and nor adrenaline, just before
they made their jump.
These hormones help to prepare US for any sudden activity. Adrenaline increases the heart rate and
provides more sugar for the muscles, while nor adrenaline does make us react more quickly. However,
nor adrenaline also stimulates apart of the brain which controls feelings of pleasure. Some psychologists
have concluded that it is a feeling of pleasure caused by this hormone which makes certain people want to
participate in dangerous sports.
Another possible reason is the level of arousal in part of the brain. According to some
psychologists, the brain tries to maintain a certain level of arousal. They believe that people who
normally have a low level of arousal look for excitement and new experiences in order to stimulate
themselves, whereas people who usually have a high level of arousal try to avoid risks and unfamiliar
situations in order not to become overexcited. If the psychologists are right, people with a low arousal are
the ones who enjoy participating in dangerous sports and activities.
It is thought that people with low levels of arousal have a slower-reacting nervous system than
people with higher arousal levels. It may therefore be possible to find out your level of arousal by testing
your nervous system. A quick way of doing this is to put some lemon juice on your tongue. If you
produce a lot
of saliva, your nervous system has been affected by the lemon and so you probably have a high level of
arousal; if you produce little of saliva, you probably have a low arousal level. If you have a low level, you
might enjoy taking part in risky sports. However, this does not mean that you have to try parachuting!
71. Why did the parachutists’ bodies produce a lot of adrenaline and nor adrenaline before they jumped
from a plane?
A. It is a natural reaction which guards them against the effects of accidents.
B. This is a natural reaction which helps to prepare one for sudden activity,
C. Because they had high arousal levels.
D. Because they had taken drugs which led to the production of these two hormones.
72. What two possible reasons are given for some people’s desire to participate in dangerous sports?
A. The pleasure that results from the production o f nor adrenaline, and a low level of arousal.
B. A low level of arousal, and an inborn desire for adventure,
C. A lack of common sense, and a high level of arousal.
D. A desire to show off, and a lack of common sense.
73. What does the brain try to maintain, according to some psychologists?
A. A certain level of arousal. B. A high temperature.
C. A sense of safety. D. A low temperature.
74. What does the word “they” in line 2 refer to?
A. people who were learning to jump from a plane
B. parachutists’ bodies
C. parachutists
D. psychologists
75. What is shown by putting lemon juice on your tongue?
A. It indicates your level of arousal by amount of saliva that is produced.
B. It shows that you have a high level of arousal if no saliva is produced.
C. It is a good test of your sense of taste.
D. It can indicate whether your saliva is more acidic or more alkaline.
76. What kinds of substances are adrenaline and nor adrenaline?
A. Vitamins. B. Minerals.
C. Hormones. D. Subatomic particles.
77. What substances is thought to stimulate the brain to make US feel pleasure?
A. Adrenaline B. Nor adrenaline
C. Lemon juice. D. Manganese dioxide
78. Which of the following does adrenaline do?
A. It makes the heart beat more quickly. B. It makes the heart beat more slowly.
C. It makes people afraid. D. It weakens the muscles.
79. Where were the parachutists when, according to the passage, they produced large amount of the two
hormones?
A. On the ground B. In the air C. At sea D. On an airplane
80. According to some psychologists, what kind of people try to avoid unfamiliar situations?
A. People who do not like lemon juice.
B. People who normally have a high level of arousal.
C. People who have a low hormone content.
D. People who normally have a low level of arousal.
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. CLOZE TEST (20 PTS):
Rea d the texts below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE WORD for
each space.
PASSAGE A:
Some famous places are disappointing: dirty, cramped, and a bit of a cliché. But there are (1)
……… which, even though you've seen every television programme ever (2)………….. about them, are
every bit as wonderful as you'd imagined. The Grand Canyon is one of these and so, despite being next
door to a
main road, is Stonehenge. Another is Venice which, in its entirety, (3)…………..a great work of art, each
decaying aspect revealing an unexpected glimpse of water or startling architecture, each individual
building or piazza displaying an exquisite (4)…………..of proportion. I return to Venice every so often
in the
course of my work and on each of these (5)………….. I have found something new to marvel (6)
…………... Alarm cries about how long this can last are sounded every now and then each time the water
levels rise. But the fact that this city is (7)………….. into the sea seems to add to its romantic
atmosphere. Far more serious is the depopulation, for it seems that just about every week another family
leaves. (8)………….. 1945 more than half the population of Venice has moved to the mainland. The rich
own the great palazzos along the Grand Canal and visit every (9)………….. in a while, but leave the
windows dark for the rest of the time. Mass tourism threatens the very structure of the city. It is a sad
(10) ………….. of its own success.
PASSAG E B:
Thomas Cook could be said to have invented the global tourist industry. He was born in England in
1808 and became a cabinet-maker. Then he hit (11) …………..the idea of using the newly-invented
railways for pleasure trips and by the summer of 1845, he was organizing commercial trips. The first was
to
Liverpool and featured a 60-page handbook for the journey, the forerunner of the modern holiday
brochure. The Paris Exhibition of 1855 inspired him to create his first great tour taking in France,
Belgium and Germany. This also included a remarkable breakthrough - Cook's first cruise, an
extraordinary journey along the Rhine. Nothing (12) ………….this had been available before, (13)
………….it was only the beginning. Cook had invented (14) …………. tourism and now became a
pioneering giant, striding across the world, traveling incessantly, researching every little detail before
being absolutely confident that he could send the public to retrace his steps. Cook was not (15) ………….
in thinking beyond Europe, and he turned his gaze upon Africa. The expertise he had (16)…………. with
his pioneering cruise along the Rhine in 1855 stood him in good (17)…………. when it came to
organizing a fantastic journey along the Nile in 1869.
Few civilians had so much as (18) …………. foot in Egypt, let (19) ………….traveled along this
waterway through history and the remains of a vanished civilization going back thousands of years. Then
whole adventure took 222 days and the world of travel has not been the same (20)…………..
II. WORD FORMATION: (20PTS)
1. I was under the…………that the course was for complete beginners. (APPREHEND)
2. The slight………… in his left hand was corrected by surgery. (FORM)
3. He demanded…………sentences for those behind the violence. (EXAMPLE)
4. Although he is not a native speaker, his foreign accent seems ………… (PERCEIVE)
5. It was very ………… of you to do the shopping for her. (NEIGHBOUR)
6. The car veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a(n)…………truck. (COME)
7. The government imposed a ………… tax on some industries. (WIND)
8. The role of clouds is one of the big conundrums of………… (CLIMATE)
9. Those clothes do nothing for your…………. (STREET)
10. She didn’t want to be………… as a dumb blonde. (TYPE)
conscious defend indignity life ocean
peace plane superstitious stick water
There has long been a (11)……………among mariners that porpoises will save drowning men by
pushing them to the surface, or protect them from sharks by surrounding them in (12)…………
formation. Marine Studio biologists have pointed out that, however intelligent they may be, it is probably
a mistake
to credit dolphins with any motive of (13)……………. On the occasion when they have pushed to shore
an (14)…………… man they have much more likely done it out of curiosity or for sport, as in riding the
bow waves of a ship. In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a
(15).….. mattress. If, as has been reported, they have protected humans from sharks, it may have been
because curiosity attracted them and because the scent of a possible meal attracted the sharks. Porpoises
and sharks are natural enemies. It is possible that upon such an occasion, a battle happened, with the
sharks being driven away or killed.
Whether it be bird, fish or beast, the porpoise is intrigued with anything that is alive. They are
constantly after the turtles, the Ferdinands of marine life, who (16) …………… submit to all sorts of (17)
……………. One young calf especially enjoyed raising a turtle to the surface with his snout and then
showing him across the tank like an (18)…………… . Almost any day a young porpoise may be seen
trying to turn a 300-pound turtle over by (19)…………… his snout under the edge of his shell and
pushing up for dear life. This is not easy, and may require two porpoises working together. In another
game, as the turtle swims across the (20)…………… , the first porpoise swoops down from above and
butts his shell with his belly.
III. ERROR CORRECTION: (10PTS)
A COMPUTER BAG WITH STYLE
1 It came as something as a surprise in the fashion industry when Julien
5 MacDonald, the well-known dress designer, teamed along with the
10 company Intel to produce a computer bag. MacDonald made his name
15 creating the type of dresses that major celebrities like to see wearing at
20 high-profile events such as film premiers and awards ceremonies.
The computer bag, however, was not designed on such occasions in mind.
Rather, it was created for the modern woman who relies on technology
but hopes to look more chic than geek. MacDonald first got inspiration
for the bag when he caught sight of female friends and colleagues at
fashion shows, furiously typed away on their laptops. He couldn’t help
noticing, yet, that the rather unstylish carrying cases needed to transport
the machines tended to get pushed out of sight under their chairs. It was
as if the women had been somehow ashamed of them. MacDonald set out
to change all that.
The challenge facing the designer was how to combine a ‘must-have’
handbag from the stylistic point of view, with the functionality required to
protect expensive computer equipments. In shocking fuchsia pink, the
resulting multi-pocketed ‘Nappa’ bag certainly lacked nothing of
Mac Donald’s signature style. It was enough stylish to grace the front row
of any fashion show. And even those finding such a particular shade of
pink a little scary were catered for; MacDonald also produced versions
in simply plain black and minimalist white.
IV. SENTENC E TRANSFORMATION: (20 PTS)
1. I won’t change my mind about that problem whatever happens.
Come....................................................................................................................
2. I must have offended her because she isn’t being friendly towards me. (SHOULDER)
I .................... ..................................................................................... .................
3. Initially, I think you develop the plot very convincingly. (UNFOLDS)
.................... ........................................................................................................
4. Bad publicity badly affected sales figures. (DETRIMENTAL)
Bad publicity had ................................................................................................
5. I'm sure Rachel will become a famous model one day.
I think it’s only ...................................................................................................
6. Once we had made sure there was no reason to be afraid, we went ahead. (FEAR)
Having satisfied ..................................................................................................
7. She was concentrating so hard on her work that she didn’t notice when I came in. (TOOK)
She was so wrapped ...........................................................................................
8. I didn’t want to give up while some hope of success remained. (DEFEAT)
I was loath...........................................................................................................
9. Laura’s tendency to interrupt every conversation makes me furious! (BEND)
It ..........................................................................................................................
10. This property has been totally neglected and is in need of complete renovation. (DISREPAIR)
Having fallen............................................... ................................... completely.
ĐỀ THI ĐỀ NGHỊ
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN BẢO LỘC - TP. BẢO LỘC
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
I. PHONOLOGY (5 marks)
Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from the other three of each group
1. A. juxtapose B. monoculture C. geothermal D.
intermittent
2. A. stratosphere B. dictaphone C. cornerback D. hendiadys
3. A. doctrinaire B. tutelage C. binary D. epicenter
4. A. dominion B. omnivore C. hologram D. retrofit
5. A. synchronous B. agriculture C. enchilada D. necessary
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from those of the others of each
group
6. A. trimester B. trimmer C. trinity D. triplicate
7. A. prostate B. federate C. congregate D. aggregate
8. A. initialize B. sentient C. potential D. tertiary
9. A. gibe B. giblets C. gigabit D. gibber
10. A. Chablis B. chador C. chagrin D. chaconne
II. WORD CHOICE (5 marks)
1. …………..the step when you go in.
A. Consider B. Mind C. Attend D. Look
2. John argued, ‘if you know about a crime but don’t report it, you are…………..in that crime because
you allowed it to happen.’
A. acquitted B. steadfast C. complicit D. nullified
3. He has a strong………………………………………to succeed.
A. dream B. priority C. desire D. feeling
4. Being able to afford this luxury car will…………..getting a better-paying job.
A. maximize B. reiterate C. necessitate D. reciprocate
5. Shakespeare, a(n)…………..writer, entertained audiences by writing many tragic and comic plays.
A. numeric B. dutiful C. generic D. prolific
6. I had the…………..experience of sitting next to an over-talkative passenger on my flight home from
Brussels.
A. satisfactory B. commendable C. galling D. acute
7. The speeding car only missed us by a hair's…………..
A. width B. high C. breadth D. length
8. Steven is always...................... about showing up for work because he feels that tardiness is a sign of
irresponsibility.
A. legible B. tolerable C. punctual D. belligerent
9. Kim was...................... in choosing her friends, so her parties were attended by vastly different and
sometimes bizarre personalities.
A. indispensable B. indiscriminate C. propulsive D. indisputable
10. With her ...................... eyesight, Christina spotted a trio of deer in the hillside and she reduced the
speed of her car.
A. keen B. impressionable C. ductile D. conspiratorial
IV. PREPOSITIONS & PH RASAL VERBS (5 marks)
1. Mel's decided to leave his job and branch...................... on his own.
A. up B. out C. off D. over
2. I’m absolutely ...................... at work. I hope things ease up soon.
A. stayed behind B. faced up C. snowed under D. jumped
out
3. Sales have been very poor so far this year but there are signs that they may be ...................... up now.
A. picking B. pulling C. improving D. coming
4. It is rumoured that they are planning to......................off more staff next month. I hope I’m not one of
them.
A. put B. lay C. call D. give
5. Jo’s been slogging ...................... at her revision all morning. Why don’t you take her a cup of coffee?
A. away B. out C. for D. from
6. The papers are full of scandals, but in a few days it will all have......................away.
A. given B. taken C. thrown D. blown
7. He was very ill last night but, thank goodness, he pulled.......................
A. up B. down C. through D. on
8. He has………….. to make way for someone younger.
A. stood down B. left for C. thought straight D. worked out
9. I think we should...................... our original plan.
A. get on to B. follow up C. keep to D. put aside
10. Don't read too much...................... her leaving so suddenly - she probably just had a train to catch.
A. in B. into C. to D. at
V. READING COMPREHE NSION (10 marks)
READING 1
LIFTOFF AND REENTRY
During any space mission, whether it is manned or unmanned, the two most critical periods are
liftoff and reentry. This fact is proven by the fact that every loss of life in the history of space exploration
has occurred during a liftoff or reentry maneuver. Liftoff and reentry not only represent the times of
greatest
danger during a space mission, they also present the greatest science and engineering challenges to the
planners and organizers of a space mission.
The major challenge during liftoff is to achieve a great enough velocity to break free of the Earth’s
gravitational pull and escape the atmosphere. The velocity required varies depending on the type of the
mission in question. For example, most orbital missions, like those to the International Space Station or
the launching of a satellite, do not require the spacecraft to complete escape Earth’s gravitation pull.
These spacecraft simply need enough velocity to achieve a certain distance from Earth and then to
maintain their orbit. The speed necessary for this is dependent on the type of orbit desired, but is
generally around 24,000 kilometers per hour. Completely escaping the Earth’s gravity, as is needed for
interplanetary missions, is a far more difficult undertaking, requiring a speed of 40,200 kilometers per
hour.
To achieve such high speeds, huge rockets must be built. This, however, presents another problem:
the larger the rocket, the larger the total mass that must be lifted into space. This means more fuel is
needed, adding more weight. For this reason, as spacecraft grow larger it becomes increasingly more
difficult to lift them into space. For example, NASA ’s space shuttle weighs 78,000 kg, but the rocket
required to lift it into orbit weighs nearly 2,000,000 kg. This means that rockets are actually
highly inefficient, since much of the rocket’s energy is expended lifting the rocket into space, rather than
simply the spacecraft that one wants to place in space.
To help offset this inefficiency, launch sites for rockets are planned carefully. With the exception of
a few launch sites used for highly specialized purposes, nearly all launch sites are placed as near the
equator as possible. Since the equator is the Earth’s widest point, it is also the point where the Earth is
spinning
the fastest. Spacecraft can use this fact to receive a little extra “push” from the Earth, reducing the work
their rockets must do during liftoff.
Once a spacecraft has made it safely into space, the next major challenge is for it to return to Earth
in one piece. While the major challenge during liftoff is gaining speed, the three major challenges of
reentry are and reducing speed, controlling the angle of reentry, and reducing heat. To initiate reentry,
spacecraft
perform a maneuver called a deorbital burn. Simply put, this means they fire their engines in reverse to
slow the spacecraft down. Once the spacecraft has passed below the critical orbital velocity, gravity will
once again take over and begin to pull the spacecraft back towards Earth.
The amount of speed lost during the deorbital burn will determine the angle of reentry, and this
angle is of critical importance. If the reentry angle is too low, the spacecraft will skip off the Earth
atmosphere, much as pebble skips across the water when thrown into a pond. If the angle is too high, the
spacecraft will
generate too much heat and burn up during reentry. Even with a correct angle of reentry, spacecraft
generate enormous amounts of heat. As the y enter the Earth’s atmosphere, the friction bet ween the
spacecraft and the surrounding air serves to slow the spacecraft, but it also can
heat the outer surfaces of the spacecraft to 5,500°C. To minimize this effect, spacecraft are designed to
create the smallest amount of friction possible during reentry. Special, heat- resistant materials are also
used on reentry surfaces of the spacecraft. In this way, the heat of reentry can be kept to manageable
levels.
1. The word maneuver in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. accident B. period C. procedure D. control
2. According to the information in paragraph 2, interplanetary missions are more difficult because
A. they require more fuel
B. they use larger spacecraft
C. they must complete reentry maneuvers twice
D. they must attain higher escape velocities
3. The word this in the passage refers to
A. escaping the Earth’s gravity
B. maintaining an orb it around the Earth
C. launching a spacecraft into space
D. reaching the International Space Station
4. Why does the author mention NASA’s space shuttle?
A. To suggest that it is the most inefficient spacecraft in the history of spaceflight
B. To better illustrate the disparity between the size of a spacecraft and the size of the rocket needed
to launch it
C. To show that even with modern technology, spacecraft are still very heavy
D. To better illustrate exactly how difficult it is to construct a spacecraft as large as a rocket
5. The word inefficient in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. technical B. massive C. uneconomic D. ineffective
6. According to paragraph 4, what advantage do space gain being launched near the equator?
A. They are able to gain speed from the rotational spin of the Earth.
B. They are able to achieve specialized orbits that are not possible in other locations,
C. They can shorten their flight time during liftoff.
D. They can take advantage of the better weather conditions prevalent at the equator .
7. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 5 as problems during reentry EXCEPT
A. achieving the correct reentry angle B. reducing s peed
C. initiating a deorbital burn D. reducing heat
8. The word initiate in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. control B. accelerate C. alter D. start
9. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 6 about reentry angles?
A. They must be controlled by very precise computers.
B. Failures to achieve the proper angle are responsible for most space disasters.
C. Higher reentry angle s result in higher levels of air friction.
D. Reentry angles determine the amount of fuel during reentry.
10. How does the author explain the effect of an improper reentry angle in paragraph 6?
A. By likening it to a pebble skipping off a pond
B. By explaining the scientific causes of friction
C. By dis cussing the maximum temperature a spacecraft can reduce
D. By explaining how higher speeds create greater levels of heat
READING 2
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION MAN
Travel journalist Richard Madden report s on his first trip with a camera crew.
It was books that first captured my imagination about faraway places. TV travelogues always
seemed the poor relation to the classic written accounts, although of course the pictures were rather
better. And then there was the issue of authenticity. All those pretentious theatrical types dying of thirst in
the desert, as if we didn’t realise there was a cam era crew on hand to cater for their every need. These
days programme-makers know that the audience is more sophisticated and the presence of the cam era is
acknowledged. But can a journey with filming equipment ever be anything other than a cleverly
constructed fiction?
I recently got the chance to find out, when I was asked to present two one hour programmes for an
adventure travel series. The project was the brainchild of the production comp any Trans- Atlantic Films,
which wanted the series presented by writers and adventurers, as well as TV professionals. My sole
qualification was as a journalist specialising in ‘adventure’ travel. However, I was thought to have ‘on -
screen’ potential.
The first program me was filmed in Costa Rica. Within 24 hours of my arrival, I realised that this
was going to be very different from my usual ‘one man and his laptop’ expeditions. For a start, there were
five of us - director, cameraman, sound recordist, producer and presenter. And then there was the small
matter of
£1 00 ,00 0 worth of equipment. I soon realised that the director, Peter Macpherson, was a vastly
experienced adventure filmmaker. In his case, the term ‘adventure’ me ant precisely that 'Made a film
with X,’ he would say (normally a famous mountaineer or skier), before describing a death - defying
sequence at the top of a glacier in Alaska or hang-gliding off the Angel Falls in Venezuela. Invariably,
these reminiscences would end with the words: ‘Had a great deal of respect for X. Dead now, sadly...’
Part of the brief for the series was to put the presenter in unusual situations and see how he or she
coped. One such sequence was the night we spent in the rainforest canopy near the Rincón de la Vieja
National Park in Guanacaste province. I don't have a head for heights and would make a poor rock-
climber,
so my distress is real enough as the camera catches me dangling on a rope some 30 metres up, well short
of the canopy platform.
Ironically, it was the presence of the camera, looking down on me from above, that gave me
the impetus for die final push to the top. By this time, I'd learnt how ‘sequences' were cut together and
realised that one last effort was required. I had to struggle to stay coherent while the camera swooped
within a few
millimetres of my face for my reaction. In the end, it was a magical experience, heightened all the more
by the sounds of the forest - a family of howler monkeys in a nearby tree, amplified through the sound
recordist’s headphones.
Learning how to establish a rapport with the camera is vital and it took me a while to think of it as a
friend rather than a judge and jury. The most intimidating moments were when Peter strolled up to me,
saying that the light would only be right for another 10 minutes, and that he needed a ‘link’ from one
sequence to another. The brie f was simple. It needed to be 30 seconds long, sum up my feelings, be
informative, well-structured and, most important of all, riveting to watch. ‘Ready to go in about five
minutes?’ he would say breezily.
I soon discovered that the effect of the camera on what was going on around us was far
less intrusive than I had imagined. After a first flurry of curiosity, people usually lost interest and let us
get on with our job. We were also flexible enough to be spontaneous. Our trip coincided with an 80 per
cent solar eclipse, a
rare event anywhere in the world. We were in a village called Santa Elena and captured the whole event
on camera. The carnival atmosphere was infectious and made a welcome addition to our shooting
schedule.
1. One thing the writer used to dislike about travel programmes on TV was
A. the repetitive nature of many of them.
B. the dull images that they frequently contained.
C. their lack of respect for the intelligence of the viewers.
D. their tendency to copy the style of famous written accounts.
2. What reason is given for the writer becoming involved in making TV travel programmes?
A. other people’s belief that he might be suited to appearing on them
B. his own desire to discover whether it was possible to make good ones
C. his own belief that it was natural for him to move from journalism to TV
D. a shortage of writers and adventurers willing to take part in them
3. Shortly after arriving in Costa Rica, the writer became aware that
A. the director had a reputation that was undeserved.
B. he would probably dislike working as part o f a team rather than alone.
C. he would probably get on well with the director personally.
D. his role in the filming would be likely to involve real danger.
4. The writer uses the sequence filmed in the National Park as an example of
A. something he had been worried about before any filming started.
B. the sort of challenge that presenters were intended to face in the series.
C. something he was expected to be unable to deal with.
D. the technical difficulties involved in making films in certain places.
5. The word “impetus” in the passage is closest in meaning to...................
A. stimulus B. hope C. disappointment D. argument
6. What does the writer say about the last part of the sequence in the National Park?
A. It taught him a lot about the technical aspects of film-making.
B. He was encouraged to complete it when he looked up at the camera,
C. It changed his whole attitude towards doing dangerous things.
D. He was unable to say anything that made sense at this time.
7. The word “intimidating” in the passage is closest in meaning to..................
A. interesting B. enthusiastic C. expected D. frightening
8. In paragraph six the writer says that he found it particularly difficult to ..................
A. understand what was required of him for a ‘link’.
B. change things he was going to do at very short notice.
C. accept certain advice given to him about presenting a film.
D. meet certain demands the director made on him.
9. The word “intrusive” in the passage is opposite in meaning to ..................
A. annoying B. disappointing C. satisfying D. delighting
10. What does the writer use the experience in Santa Elena as an example of?
A. something they filmed although they had not planned to
B. the friendly way in which they were treated by the local people
C. By discussing the maximum temperature a spacecraft can reduce
D. By explaining how higher speeds create greater levels of heat
VI. CLOZE TESTS (10 marks)
Rea d the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
CLOSE TEST 1:
HOLIDAYS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Roaring across the bay in a motorised rubber boat, we were told by the captain to keep our eyes
open. With the engine turned off, it wasn’t long before half a dozen dolphins came swimming around us.
Eventually, two came up (1)....................beside the boat and popped their heads out of the water to give
us a
wide grin.
Dolphin watching is just one of the many unexpected attractions of a holiday in South Carolina, in
the USA. The state has long been popular with golfers and, with dozens of (2).................... in the area, it
is truly a golfer’s paradise. But even the keenest golfer needs other diversions and we soon found the
resorts had
plenty to (3) ....................
In fact. Charleston, which is midway along the (4).................... , is one of the most interesting cities
in the USA and is where the first shots in the Civil War were (5)....................Taking a guided horse and
carriage tour through the quiet back streets you get a real (6).................... of the city ’s past. Strict
regulations apply to buildings so that original (7).................... are preserved.
South of Charleston lies Hilton Head, an island resort about 18 km long and (8)....................like a
foot. It has a fantastic sandy beach (9)....................the length of the island and this is perfect for all
manner of water sports. Alternatively, if you feel like doing nothing, (10).................... a chair and
umbrella, head for an open space and just sit back and watch the pelicans diving for fish.
1. A. direct B. right C. precise D. exact
2. A. courses B. pitches C. grounds D. courts
3. A. show B. provide C. offer D. supply
4. A. beach B. coast C. sea D. shore
5. A. thrown B. aimed C. pulled D. fired
6. A. significance B. meaning C. sense D. comprehension
7. A. points B. characters C. factors D. features
8. A. formed B. shaped C. made D. moulded
9. A. lying B. running C. going D. following
10. A. charge B. lend C. hire D. loan
CLOSE TEST 2:
One of the groups of consumers targeted by advertisers is, oddly enough, a group with very little
money of its own, but which has a huge (1)........................the way others spend their money. And in some
ways, children and advertisers could have been made for (2)........................ . After all, it is easy to fool
younger children into believing (3)........................ anything and if an advertisement shows them how
Biffo Breakfast Cereal will help them run faster than their friends, then (4)........................ they are
concerned, that is the truth. They also have strong feelings of admiration for action heroes or cartoon
characters or sports stars, and will want to be (5)........................ their favourite star, and drink the same
cola or eat the same sweets. And when children want something badly enough, they won’t stop nagging
their parents until they get it. Advertisements will even (6)........................ them with the arguments they
can use when they are told that a water-firing robot or a giant chocolate bar is not good (7).......................,
or too expensive, or not available in the supermarket. This is why most EU countries place
(8)........................ upon television advertising aimed at children. Some countries have (9) ........................
ban or ads promoting toys during children’s programmes. Others restrict the advertising of unhealthy
food, or ads involving anything dangerous. This seems to be a sensible way of preventing advertisers
from taking (10)......................... of children, but in some ways it also helps to make a more damning
point.
1. A. cause of B. reason why C. influence upon D. outcome which
2. A. each other B. the worst C. ever D. the time being
3. A. more and more B. all in all C. as good as D. just about
4. A. unless B. whatsoever C. as far as D. supposing
5. A. just like B. exactly the same C. as in D. in imitation
6. A. offer B. explain C. fill D. supply
7. A. at it B. for them C. with them D. to it
8. A. handicaps B. rules C. restrictions D. conditions
9. A. an utter B. a total C. a sheer D. a thorough
10. A. advantage B. pity C. an interest D. responsibility
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST (20 marks)
Fill in each blank with ONE word to make a complete passage.
TEST 1:
What will the city of the future look like? This question has been asked so many times in recent
history - and answered inconclusively (1)....................... equal number of times - that we can be sure of
(2)....................... thing only: no one can predict with (3)....................... degree of accuracy how cities will
look 50 or 500 years from now.
The reason is simple - cities are (4)....................... a continual state of change. Over the last fifty
years they have changed so rapidly that the oldest residents will remember a time when their city seemed
to belong not just to another era (5)....................... to a different dimension.
This is true both of planned and unplanned cities. Planned cities such as New York and Paris,
(6)....................... are closely organized on a grid or (7).......................of streets and avenues, have
effectively burst at the seams this century, while unplanned cities such as Tokyo and Los Angeles have
grown just (8).......................dramatically. Although their centres might remain much as they were many
years ago, their suburbs have spread (9)....................... the tentacles of an octopus. Some economists
argue that expansion is a (10)....................... of a healthy economy and that it is expanding cities that
attract international investment.
TEST 2:
There has long been a superstition among mariners that porpoises will save drowning men by
pushing them to the surface, or (1).......................them from sharks by surrounding them in defensive
formation. Marine Studio biologists have pointed (2)....................... that, however intelligent they may be,
it is
probably a (3)....................... to credit dolphins with any motive of life -saving. On the occasion when
they have pushed to shore an unconscious man they have much more (4) ....................... done it out of
curiosity or for sport, as in riding the bow waves of a ship. In 1928 some porpoises were photo graphed
working
like beavers to push ashore a water logged mattress. If, as has been reported, they have protected humans
from sharks, it m ay have been because curiosity attracted them and because the scent of a possible meal
attracted the sharks. Porpoises and sharks are (5).......................enemies. It is possible that upon such an
(6 )........................, a battle happened, with the sharks being driven away or killed.
(7)....................... it be bird, fish or beast, the porpoise is intrigued with anything that is alive. They
are constantly after the turtles, the Ferdinands of marine life, who peacefully submit to all
(8)....................... of indignities. One young calf especially enjoyed raising a turtle to the surface with his
snout and then showing him across the tank like an aquaplane. (9)....................... any day a young
porpoise may be seen trying to turn a 300-pound turtle over by sticking his snout under the edge of his
shell and pushing up for dear life. This is not easy, and may (10)....................... two porpoises working
together. In another
game, as the turtle swims across the oceanarium, the first porpoise swoops down from above and butts his
shell with his belly.
II. WORD FORMS (20 marks)
A. Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the given words
SILENT ACTING
Mime and pantomime was a Greek and Roman dramatic entertainment ridicule
representing scenes from life, often in a (1).......................manner. portray
Currently, the art has evolved into the (2) ....................... of a mime
character or the narration of a story solely by means of body number
movement. face
The Greco-Roman mime was a farce that stressed (3)....................... company
action but which included song and spoken dialogue. In Roman dispense
pantomime , unlike the mime actor, the players wore (4).................... symbol
masks, which identified their characters but deprived them of comprehend
speech and of the use of (5)....................... gestures. Thus hand noble
movements were particularly expressive and important. Pantomirnus.
dressed like a tragic actor in a cloak and long tunic, usually
performed solo (6)....................... by an orchestra.
In the theatre of China and Japan, mime acquired a role unknown in
the West, becoming a(n) (7)....................... part of the major
dramatic genres. In Chinese dram a the conventions of gesticulation,
as well as the (8).......................of the stage properties, are
immense in scope and (9) ....................... to those unfamiliar
with the traditional forms.
The high art of modern mime was (10)......................
philosophically by such artists as Marcel Marceau, who defined
mime as "the art of expressing feelings by attitudes and not a means
of expressing words through gestures."
B. Fill in each blank with the correct form of one suitable wordfrom the list given.
scene ordinary suffice access settle
art note habitat populate grade
CAPRI
One of the most frequently visited areas in Italy is the island of Capri in the Southern part of the
country. (1).....................in prehistoric times, the island later became a Greek colony and then a resort of
emperors in the early years of the Roman Empire. During the 10th century the (2).....................,fearing
pirate raids, moved from seaside (3) ..................... to the present towns, Capri (east) and Anacapri (west),
high above the shore. It changed hands between the French and the British several times during the
Napoleonic Wars, before being returned to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1813. Stone
(4)..................... has been found in one of the caves with which the rocky shores of Capri abound: the
most (5)..................... of these is the Blue Grotto, rediscovered in 1826 and (6)..................... only by boat.
Sunlight entering through the water that fills most of the entrance gives it an (7)..................... blue light,
hence its name. Since the second half of the 19th century, Capri has (8) ..................... become one of the
most popular resorts in Southern Italy, famous for its magnificent (9)..................... and the mild climate in
which vegetation flourishes despite the (10).....................amount of water.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 marks)
There are 10 mistakes in this passage. Underline and correct litem.
LIVING ON A COMMUNE
Communes have existed when history was first recorded. I grew up on one in the late 1960s, when
more than 2,000 were formed in the USA. However, I was never sure what exact a commune was defined
as: only what it was like to live on one. When I left the commune in twelve years old, I was astounded to
encounter almost entirely negative views of communes from people in ‘mainstream’ society.
There are two main types of communes. In the ’anarchistic commune’ there is an agreement to
reject establishment and organizational worlds. Usually anyone is welcomed, members are temporary,
and they are no rules. This type of commune usually doesn’t last long. For example, the Oregon Farm, a
small and short-lived rural commune, emphasized individual so much so that there were no real
guidelines for living - no norms for membership, behaviour or meal times.
Members were transient and there were many arguments about who got what and why, and about
work. For example, the women felt it was unfair that they had all the housework and childcare
responsibilities though the men worked in the fields.
The second type is the ‘service commune’, which people pool resources and agree to live a certain
way with a motivating philosophy. Membership is more closed, residents must commit to the commune’s
purpose. This type is socially organized by leaders and rules. Usually this type of commune has a sense of
purpose that bind the people within the commune together toward a common goal.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFO RMATION (20 marks)
Rewrite each of the sentences with the given word or the given beginning so that the new sentence
has the same meaning as the previous one
1. We weren’t surprised by his success.
- It came.................................................................................................................
2. I admit he’s clever, but I don’t think he’ll solve this problem.
- How ever..............................................................................................................
3. I'm sure Jemma is going to become a famous model one day.
- I think it’s only.....................................................................................................
4. Most of the children ignored what the teacher had told them.
- Few of the children..............................................................................................
5. The only reason the party was a success was that a famous film star attended.
- But.......................................................................................................................
6. Brian couldn’t explain how the stolen computer got into the boot of his car. LOSS
- Brian................................................................................................... the stolen computer got into the
boot of his car.
7. The company is unable to guarantee an allocated car-parking space to all employees. COUNT
- The company’s employees shouldn’t...........................................................a car-parking space.
8. My grandfather had completely forgotten that he phoned me last night. RECOLLECTION
- My grandfather didn’t.........................................................................................me last night.
9. Your mobile phone should be switched off at all times during the performance. SHOULD
- Under no...............................................................your mobile phone switched on during the
performance.
10. The public reacted angrily to the minister’s remarks. DREW
- The .................................................................................................. the public.
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN HOÀNG LÊ KHA - TÂY NINH
I. PHONOLOGY (5pts)
1. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. prodigal B. prodigy C. procurement D. province
2. A. extradite B. extrapolate C. extramural D. extracurricular
3. A. salmon B. calculate C. shoulder D. poultry
4. A. chihuahua B. extinguish C. dissuade D. pursue
5. A. chignon B. chiffon C. chilblain D. chic
2. Choose the word whose main stressed syllable is placed differently from that of the others.
6. A. cheerio B. envelop C. eventual D. fiasco
7. A. ultraviolet B. paradoxical C. correlative D. influential
8. A. connoisseur B. imperial C. incestuous D. interpreter
9. A. menagerie B. meretricious C. meridian D.
metastasis
10. A. munificent B. Olympian C. figurative D. potassium
II. VOCABULARY & STRUCTURE (10 pts)
11. ‘You won’t get away with this!’ the old woman....................angrily.
A. chirped B. chattered C. screeched D. croaked
12. The project became.................... in a lot of political arguments, which was a great shame.
A. disrupted B. extracted C. encroached D. enmeshed
13. We woke up at the....................of dawn this morning.
A. touch B. turn C. burst D. crack
14. He doesn’t give a .................... about anyone or anything except himself. He’s the most selfish person
I know.
A. howl B. chirp C. hoot D. twitch
15. Crazed with thirst, they .................... wildly over the rocks to get to the river.
A. scrambled B. stalked C. strolled D. skulked
16. The.................... section of our supermarket has a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables.
A. production B. produce C. product D.
productive
17. The environment and atmosphere at the spa hotel was .................... to total relaxation. It was the most
relaxing holiday I’ve ever had.
A. conducive B. inspiring C. encouraging D. assertive
18. Certain food can.................... a sense of calm in a person.
A. reap B. derive C. persuade D. evoke
19. The writer makes his....................eloquently and with total conviction, but I think some of them could
do more harm than good.
A. fabrications B. pronouncements C. proponents D. inspirations
20. The government has.................... the idea until at least next year.
A. stockpiled B. overthrown C. shelved D. disrupted
21. The bank has over over 100 branches,.................... in a major urban area.
A. each locating B. the location of which
C. and are located D. each located
22. She has a twelve-year-old and a five-year-old, so I guess I spoke to the...................two.
A. older one out of B. one who is older than the
C. older of the D. older than the
23...................that she burst into tears.
A. Her anger was such B. So angry she was
C. She was so anger D. Such her anger was
24. It’s urgent...................of the problem as soon as humanly possible.
A. the boss be informed B. to be informed the boss
C. the boss’s being informing D. informing the boss
25. “I bought you some flowers.”
“They’re beautiful, but you....................”
A. shouldn’t have B. needn’t
C. mustn’t have D. didn’t have
26. Global warming has progressed....................glaciers everywhere are shrinking.
A. too much that B. to such an extent that
C. enough to cause D. so great an extent that
27. “Do you play an instrument?”
“I have an accordion, but....................”
A. I haven’t played it in years B. I have years to play it
C. it has years to play D. it hasn’t played for years
28. It’s unlikely that two students would write identical compositions without....................
A. one who copies the other B. one to copy the other’s
C. each other’s copying D. one copying from the other
29. I hope everything’s OK. They .................... several hours ago.
A. would have called B. must have called
C. were to have called D. supposed to call
30. The accountant broke the law, so it would be irresponsible of the firm....................
A. not to fire him B. if they won’t fire him
C. that they not fire him D. for not firing him
III. PREPOSITIONS & PHRASAL VERBS (5 pts)
31. He was hoping to sell his house for $100,000, but he had to settle....................$80,000.
A. by B. at C. for D. in
32. You should see.................... getting your hair cut.
A. about B. over C. around D. through
33. The rain held.................... just long enough for us to have our picnic.
A. in B. on C. by D. off
34. Cycling is potentially very dangerous in London - you really need to keep your wits.................... you.
A. on B. in C. with D. about
35. John: “Have you been able to persuade your father to buy a computer?”
Edward: “No, he is dead....................the idea.”
A. on B. against C. forward D. out
36. Our medicine has not done.................... the disease.
A. against B. away with C. up with D. at
37. I did eliminate egg yolks and cut.................... a bit on red meat. But I still enjoy eating out.
A. back B. off C. out D. away
38. Mrs. Stannard shook hands, her eyes taking.................... Karin from head to foot.
A. at B. on C. onto D. in
39. They.................... a two-month tour of the US with a party in Washington.
A. set forth B. brought off C. came up with D. kicked off
40. There was very little traffic on the way, so I went flat.................... all the way and got here early.
A. in B. out C. down D. on
IV. READING COMPREHENSION (10pts)
1. You are going to read a magazine article. For questions 1-7, choose the answer (A, B, C or D)
which you think fits best according to the text.
ARE YOU A SLUMPER?
Ashley Seager was, but cured bad posture - and her chronic back pain - with the Alexander technique
Many people will have heard of the Alexander technique but have only a vague idea what it is
about. Until earlier this year, I didn’t have the faintest idea about it. But, hunched over a computer screen
one day, I noticed that the neck - and backache I regularly suffered were more painful than usual. I
consulted an
osteopath, who said: ‘I can treat the symptoms by messaging your neck and upper back. But you actually
have bad posture. That is what you need to get sorted out. Go off and learn the Alexander technique.’
I had regularly been told by friends and family that 1 tend to slouch in chairs but had thought bad
posture was something one was born with and could do nothing about. That is not true. Dentists and car
mechanics, among others, tend to develop bad posture from leaning over patients or engine bays. Mothers
often stress and strain their necks and backs lifting and carrying children, and those of us who sit in front
of computers all day are almost certainly not doing our bodies any favors.
A few clicks on the web and I found an Alexander technique teacher, Tanya Shoop, in my area of
south London and booked a first appointment. Three months later I am walking straighter and sitting
better, while my neck and back pain are things of the past. I feel taller, too, which I may be imagining,
but the
technique can increase your height by up to five centimeters I you were badly slumped beforehand.
The teaching centers on the neck, head and back. It trains you to use your body less harshly and to
perform familiar movements and actions with less effort. There is very little effort in the lessons
themselves, which sets apart the Alexander technique from Pilates or Yoga, which are exercise-based.
A typical lesson involves standing in front of a chair and learning to sit and stand with minimal
effort. You spend some time lying on a bench with your knees bent to straighten the spine and relax your
body while the teacher moves your arms and legs to train you to move them correctly.
The key is learning to break the bad habits accumulated over years. Try, for example, folding your
arms the opposite way to normal. It feels odd, doesn’t it? This is an example of a habit the body has
formed which can be hard to break. Many of us carry our heads too far back and tilted skywards. The
technique
teaches you to let go of the muscles holding the head back, allowing it to resume its natural place on the
summit of our spines. The head weighs four to six kilos, so any misalignment can cause problems for the
neck and body.
The Alexander technique teaches you to think of the space above your head. This may sound daft,
but it is an important element in the process of learning to hold yourself upright. You learn to observe
how you use your body and how others use theirs - usually badly. Look how a colleague slumps back in a
chair with his or her legs crossed. That puts all sorts of stresses and strains on the body. Even swimming
can harm the neck. The Alexander technique can teach you to swim better, concentrating on technique
rather than clocking up lengths. ‘In too many of our activities we concentrate on how we get to a
destination
rather than the means or way of getting there,’ says Shoop.
So who was Alexander and how did he come up with the technique? Frederick Matthias Alexander,
an Australian theatrical orator born in 1869, found in his youth that his voice was failing during
performances. He analyzed himself and realized his posture was bad. He worked on improving it, with
dramatic results. He brought his technique to London 100 years ago and quickly gathered a following that
included some very famous people. He died in 1955, having established a teacher-training school in
London, which is thriving today.
So if you are slouching along the road one day, feeling weighed down by your troubles, give a
thought to the Alexander technique. It could help you walk tall again.
1. The writer learnt about the Alexander technique
A. after telling someone about her problems.
B. when she suddenly developed a bad back.
C. when massage failed to alleviate her back pain.
D. after a doctor told her she had bad posture.
2. The writer had been
A. concerned that her neck and back problems were caused by bad posture.
B. under the impression that poor posture was innate and could not be rectified.
C. aware that she had problems similar to those experienced by car mechanics.
D. uncertain about placing her trust in the Alexander technique.
3. The Alexander technique teaches that familiar movements
A. have been learnt by incorrect methods.
B. need more energy and effort than we think.
C. do not have to be performed so strenuously.
D. are the most common cause of backache.
4. It appears that the body forms habits that
A. inevitably cause physical pain. B. can be difficult to change.
C. are a consequence of actions we perform. D. develop in early childhood.
5. The Alexander technique
A. makes you aware of other people’s faults.
B. has immediate and dramatic results.
C. helps athletes perform better.
D. brings about a change in body posture.
6. It is suggested that Frederick Alexander
A. believed in the benefits of exercise. B. invented an alternative to yoga.
C. developed a form of exercise for actors. D. recovered his vocal powers.
7. What is the writer’s main purpose in the article?
A. to recommend regular physical exercise
B. to explain how debilitating backache can be
C. to suggest that back problems can be remedied
D. to explain the widespread occurrence of back pain.
2. You are going to re ad an article about photographers. For questions 8-20, choose from the
photographers (A-E). The people may be chosen more than one.
Which photographer ...
8 ..................says there’s a need to be flexible at a shoot?
9 ..................admits to relying on instinctive decisions during a shoot?
10 ..................consciously adopts a particular type of behavior during a shoot?
11 ..................criticizes the attitude of certain other photographers?
12 .................. feels that aspects of a photographer’s skill cannot be taught?
13 .................. welcomes suggestions for shots from the subjects themselves?
14 ........... ......is critical of recent developments on photography courses?
15 ..................is keen to introduce new ideas in one branch of photography?
16 ..................likes to keep the photography focused on social interaction?
17 ..................prefers not to take shots of people in a photographic studio?
18 ..................tends to work to a set routine?
19 ..................prefers not to do research about a subject before doing the shoot?
20 ..................believes in investing in the time needed to get the best shots?
THE CRITICAL MOMENT
Some of the world’s greatest photographers tell us how they get their extraordinary images
A. Mary Elton Mark
I loved photography from the moment I first picked up a camera and knew my life would be
devoted to it. I don’t think you can develop or learn a ‘way of seeing’ or a ‘point of view’. It’s something
that’s inside you. It’s how you look at the world. I want my photographs not only to be real but to portray
the
essence of my subjects, too. To do that, you have to be patient - it can’t be rushed. I prefer doing
portraiture on location. On a subject’s home ground you pick up certain hints that tell you personal things
and they come up with ideas. During a session with an animal trainer who had a massive ego, he took the
trunk of his beloved elephant Shyama and wrapped it around his neck like a necklace, and of course that
was my picture. I’d never have thought of something that clever.
B. Tina Barney
I don ’t know how my brain works, but I do know that I work really fast. My shoots don’t vary: an
hour to set up, an hour to take the shots. And the minute I walk into a room I know what I’m going to
shoot, although what that is only becomes clear to me after seeing the result. So it’s a subconscious
process.
You couldn’t get those pictures in a million years if you took your time. I started taking pictures in the
1970s for all the beautiful reasons photography was known for. Then all of a sudden digital technology
booms and darkrooms get annihilated from photography schools. But I really believe in the classical way.
It all comes down to looking at a piece of art and dissecting it and understanding how it’s put together. I
think the most important thing is to go out in the world and see.
C. Rankin
I think if you aren’t fascinated by people, you’ll never succeed as a portrait photographer, because
your pictures will look cold. You don’t have to know anything about the people in advance of the session,
you just tap into them - it’s a skill. Every shoot is different and you have to alter your approach
accordingly. You have to try to get into people’s heads, so that they can open up to you and give you
something. Sometimes we chat first, but sometimes it’s good for everyone to be fresh and tense when you
start out. I use the technique of being cheeky and rude or asking my subjects to do ridiculous things, but I
don ’t set out_to upset anyone. I hope the viewer sees what I see, I think two words that would describe
my work well are: humour and honesty.
D. Mario Sorrenti
I’ve always tried to push the boundaries of fashion photography. After all, why should a fashion
photograph only talk about clothes? Why can’t it talk about something else? I want my pictures to ask
questions; I want people to think. You don ’t need to be technically great, because if you have a strong
philosophy people will be moved by your pictures regardless. The most important thing is to figure out
what you want to try and say. To make your name as a photographer, you have to have a unique point of
view that the viewer can recognize as yours, otherwise you ’ll get lost in the mix. For me, photography is
about exploring - either myself or another place.
E. Sebastiao Salgado
It’s difficult to explain why we’re more attracted to certain images than others. For me, black and
white photography has a certain kind of power. I’m not talking about conceptual photography but
instantaneous photography, the kind that happens in a fraction of a second. A great picture is one that
transmits a lot of emotion and where you can see who took it; who that person is. I come from a Latin
American world, where you believe in things and you form a relationship with your surroundings. I also
grew up with a sense of mysticism and belonging. The cynicism that exists in certain kinds of
photography, and that pleasure of seeing oneself as a deep individualist, that’s not for me. We’re a
gregarious species made to live together. That’s the point of view of my photography and the starting
point of all my work.
Read the following passages and choose the options th at best complete the blanks.
PASSAGE 1
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SOUVENIR?
On my desk at home, I have a collection of souvenirs; objects that remind me of places I’ve visited
and important events in my life. These objects include a model boat that I saw being (1)................ from a
piece of wood on a Caribbean island, a piece of lava that (2)............... hot from a volcano in the year I
was born, and a shell (3)............... on my favorite childhood beach.
Unlike everything else, from which memory and detail fades, it is as if the longer you hold on to
certain objects, the (4)............... their associations with the past become, and the sharper the recollections
that gather around them. They are, (5)…………, real souvenirs, encapsulations not only of the place, but
of your time in the place. But these days, the term ‘real souvenirs’ sounds like a contradiction in
(6) ............... , and this is because the objects sold to tourists as souvenirs are often cheap mass-produced
imports that have nothing to (7) ............... with the place at all.
It’s often the (8) ............... that the best souvenirs, like my shell, are found rather than purchased,
but (9) ...............for souvenirs can also be a fun holiday activity. But if you are buying souvenirs on
holiday this summer, make sure they pass the reality test. A good souvenir is not just made in the area
where it is
bought, it also says something about the culture of that area. It is something made by local people using
sustainable local materials, and because you are effectively supporting the local economy, it shouldn’t
(10)............... too cheap, either.
1. A. sketched B. carved C. thrown D. scratched
2. A. developed B. appeared C. emerged D. arrived
3. A. found out B. bumped into C. come across D. picked up
4. A. wider B. greater C. larger D. harder
5. A. albeit B. otherwise C. whereas D. therefore
6. A. terms B. meanings C. words D. names
7. A. gain B. do C. make D. get
8. A. point B. fact C. case D. truth
9. A. browsing B. seeking C. surfing D. pursuing
10. A. come B. charge C. go D. cost
PASSAGE 2
RAISING AWARENESS
In cities around the world wide range of schemes is being instigated to promote environmental
awareness. ‘It’s just as easy to (1) ............... of litter properly as it is to drop it on the streets,’ says city
councilor Mike Edwards, who has (2)............... on the government to mount a concerted campaign to deal
with the problem of litter. ‘It’s just a matter of encouraging people to do so as a (3)............... of course.
Once the habit is ingrained, they won’t even (4)...............they are doing it. After all, think what we have
achieved with recyclable waste in the home. Sorting paper, glass, aluminum and plastic waste and then
depositing it in the appropriate container outside is (5)............... a great chore any more. People have
become accustomed to doing this, so it doesn’t (6)............... to them that they are spending any additional
time in the process. Only if they have to carry this waste for some appreciable distance to find a suitable
container do they feel they are (7)............... .’
Most people know they should behave in a responsible way and just need (8)............... to do so. So
a quirky, (9)..............., gimmick might be enough to change behavior. With this in (10)............... , the city
of Berlin is introducing rubbish bins that say ‘danke’ ‘thank you’ and ‘mere? - Berlin is a(n)
cosmopolitan city - when someone drops an item of rubbish into them. It might just do the trick in this
city, too.
1. A. dispose B. discard C. jettison D. throw
2. A. appealed B. called C. approached D. urged
3. A. principle B. system C. matter D. duty
4. A. notice B. remark C. comprehend D. appreciate
5. A. almost B. barely C. virtually D. hardly
6. A. concern B. occur C. impress D. strike
7. A. inconvenienced B. sacrificed C. complicated D. imposed
8. A. ordering B. prompting C. forcing D. obliging
9. A. lighthearted B. mundane C. subjective D. intense
10. A. context B. thought C. spirit D. mind
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. CLOZE TEST (20pts)
Fill in each blank in the following passages with ONE suitable word to make meaningful passages.
CLOZE TEST 1
SUSHI CHEF
Kazutoshi Endo has been making the Japanese fish and rice delicacy known as sushi for thirteen
years. Yet he wants to make it clear that he is still (1)............... much a beg inner. In fact, he is quite
adamant about it, (2)............... being head sushi chef at one of London’s leading Japanese restaurants.
Endo comes from a hard- working family in the port city of Yokohama and is a third generation
sushi chef. Although as a child he was (3)...............encouraged to follow in his father’s footsteps, and
actually trained to be a PE teacher instead, it was always Endo’s ambition to do so. Yet he was never
taught what to do. The (4) ............... you learn in Japan is to watch. Some chefs spend three years
washing sushi rice, whilst at the same time watching their masters at work.
It takes some concentration to (5)............... an eye on Endo’s hands as he makes sushi, however. All
it takes is just a (6)...............quick cuts with his knife and a neat pile of perfectly sliced octopus sits on the
counter. A sushi roll may look (7) ............... a piece of rice, but apparently it takes years to get the touch,
to be (8)...............to roll rice (9)............... exactly the right amount of pressure. As End o says: ‘Sushi
(10)........ to be mastered. I can’t explain the process in words .’
CLOZE TEST 2.
A COMPUTER BAG WITH STYLE
It came as something as a surprise in the fashion industry when Julien MacDonald, the well-known
dress designer, teamed (1)...............with the company Intel to produce a computer bag. MacDonald made
his name creating the type of dresses that major celebrities like to be seen wearing at high-profile events
such as film premieres and awards ceremonies.
The computer bag, however, was not designed with such occasions (2)............... mind. Rather, it
was created for the modern woman who relies on technology but hopes to look more chic than geek.
MacDonald first got inspiration for the bag (3).............. he caught sight of female friends and colleagues
at fashion shows, furiously typing away on their laptops. He couldn’t (4)............... noticing, however, that
the rather unstylish carrying cases needed to transport the machines tended to get pushed (5)............... of
sight under their chairs. It was as if the women were somehow ashamed of them. MacDonald set out to
change all that.
The challenge facing the designer was (6) ............... to combine a ‘must-have’ handbag from the
stylistic point of view, with the functionality required to protect expensive computer equipment. In
shocking fuchsia pink, (7)...............resulting multi-pocketed ‘Nappa’ bag certainly lacked (8) ............... of
MacDonald’s signature style. It was stylish enough to grace the front row of any fashion show. And even
those finding such (9)............... particular shade of pink a little scary were catered (10)............... ;
MacDonald also produced versions in plain black and minimalist white.
II. WORD FORMS (20pts)
PART I: Give the correct form of words in brackets.
1. There are ............... stories of them cleaning out thousands of pounds worth of stock in a matter of
days. (APOCALYPTIC)
2. Soldiers must be aware of the............... risks and responsibilities of military service. (COME)
3. A spinning............... of rain swept around the mountain. (STREAM)
4. There is no need to learn all the............... signs before beginning to signal. (SEMANTIC)
5. Not all couples are............... during long car trips. (SYMPATHETIC)
6. A number of ............... are still researching into telepathy and hypnosis. (PSYCHOLOGY)
7. Many studies have examined various psychological correlates of...............perception scores, such as
personality traits. (SENSE)
8. If you are ............... , sooner or later everyone will find out and you will be loathed. (FACE)
9. In a ...............annuity, your money grows much faster than in a taxable account. (TAX)
10. Ava told me something...............under her breath, which I could not make head or tail of.
(INTELLIGENT)
PART 2: Supply each gap with the correct form of the word given in the box.
qualify fame move qualify sure
train educate demand young free
With some personal fitness trainers charging as much as $50 an hour, it’s not surprising that only
the rich and (1)....................can afford the kind of one-to-one that will (2).................... they work out
enough to stay in shape. However, the idea that they are for the elite is about to be shattered by Get
Motivated, a new
London-based company that charges just $15 for an hour with a (3)....................trainer. I decided to put
this scheme to the test and asked Get Motivated to send a personal trainer to my home for a
(4).................... session. When 23 year old Stephanie arrived, I was skeptical about her (5).................... ,
but what followed
was a very hour. Stephanie grew up in Australia and has a degree in human (6).................... studies and a
diploma in (8) .................... - the minimum (9).................... Get Motivated requires. Stephanie says that
what appeals most to her about GM scheme is that it gives her the (10).................... to design her own
sessions for clients.
III. ERROR RECOGNITION (10 pts)
PETER MOLYNEUX: Compute r Games Creator
A lot of the time I don’t know where my ideas come from. It’s not as if I see a picture gradual
forming - it’s like ‘ping’, a picture is suddenly there, and it can make you feel slightly out in control of
the process. It can be quite disturbing sometimes. But I find the computer game an incredibly creative
medium. It brings together so many different discipline that you would think are totally incompatible:
there’s the logic of programming, mathematics and physics, mixing with entertainment, storytelling,
narrative, excitement and the emotions you feel when you are playing a game. I have a vast number of
little notebooks
for work, full of scribbles and some texts, although I’m not in any way artist - I can’t draw or sketch - and
being dyslexic, I find communicating via a written medium very difficult.
The big picture ideas are easy. The devil is in the detail. The real challenge always comes about six
months down the line when you have to design all the minutiae of the game. You have to consider things
as how many pieces of information players can take before they’ll get confusing and frustrated. I really
believe the only difference between a creative person and the non-creative person is that creative people
tend not to have a little voice in their head said. ‘That’s not going to work, that’s a stupid idea.’ People
who are very creative just have a ridiculous amount of confidence. I don’t believe they are genius. If you
look at any children when they’re playing, they are making up scenarios and fighting battles of good and
evil - huge epic stories with just a couple of sticks, a ball and a sandpit. I just think creative people tend
not lose that. They tend not to get that adult voice.
Rewrite the sentences so that they mean almost the same as the ones before them.
1. His smooth manner didn’t deceive us. (TAKEN)
→.........................................................................................................................................
2. I haven’t realized what it means yet. (SUNK)
→.........................................................................................................................................
3. The disagreement is a lot of fuss about nothing. (TEACUP)
→.........................................................................................................................................
4. Organic vegetables are said to be very healthy. (WONDERS)
→.........................................................................................................................................
5. The regiment’s reputation was greatly damaged by his outrageous conduct. (HARM)
→.........................................................................................................................................
6. Christmas and roast turkey go together in my mind. (WITH)
→.........................................................................................................................................
7. Don’t eat so many sweets and you won’t have to visit the dentist so often. (SAVE)
→.........................................................................................................................................
8. The fact that he will never race again is something he cannot accept. (TERMS)
→.........................................................................................................................................
9. It was a tight fit, but we parked the car eventually. (DEAL)
→ There wasn’t .................................................................., but we parked the car eventually.
10. They are waiting for him to arrive at any minute. (DUE)
→ He ..................................................................at any minute.
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ THÁNH TÔNG - QUẢNG NAM
I. PHONOLOGY (5 pts)
1. A. catastrophe B. recipe C. apostrophe D. cantaloupe
2. A. Monday B. monkey C. punctual D. language
3. A. surface B. preface C. gazelle D. flamingo
4. A. naughty B. audience C. water D. document
5. A. cussed B. ragged C. docked D. crooked
6. A. lunatic B. allergic C. arithmetic D. magnetic
7. A. oceanic B. advantageous C. compulsory D. influential
8. A. entrepreneur B. managerial C. engineering D. medieval
9. A. legitimate B. extravagant C. septicaemia D.
demonstrative
10. A. engineer B. refugee C. referee D. employee
II. WORD CHOICE (5pts)
1. I think I understand the nuts and .....................of the operation.
A. screws B. hammer C. bolts D. nails
2. Why do I always.............. the short straw?
A. pull B. pluck C. draw D. drag
3. Journalists were.............. around the hotel, waiting to interview the star.
A. staggering B. trudging C. milling D. sauntering
4. The play wasn’t very good but it wasn’t very bad either. .............. , I’d say.
A. Medium B. Mediocre C. Metric D. Mellow
5. It was a hot summer day and ice cream salesmen were doing a .............. trade.
A. busy B. lucrative C. bustling D. roaring
6. It’s hard to get back into the.............. of things after a long holiday.
A. pace B. swing C. way D. rhythm
7. She ..............a name for herself in politics by running for mayor.
A. gave B. made C. did D. wrote
8. In my opinion, it’s only common..............to wear a seat belt in a car.
A. judgement B. sense C. intelligence D. wit
9. My mother is a real.............. potato. She watches TV all the time.
A. couch B. sofa C. armchair D. cushion
10. Tempers began to..............as the lorries forced their way through the picket lines.
A. break B. fray C. grate D. fire
III. STRUCTURE AND GRAMMAR (5pts)
Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence.
1. “I’m going out now.” - “.............. you happen to pass a chemist’s, would you get me some aspirins?”
A. Had B. Did C. Would D. Should
2. All the invitations have been sent............... the seating plan, that can wait till next week.
A. But for B. As well as C. As for D. Unlike
3. After a successful career as a model, Cara..............in several theatrical productions.
A. went on starring B. would go on as star
C. was going on to star D. went on to star
4. “It’s strange Pat never learned to swim, isn’t it?” - “..............she grew up by the sea, it’s
incomprehensible.”
A. Given that B. Even if C. In a sense D. On account
of
5. The bandages will be taken off a few days after the operation,.............. we will be able to judge how
effective the treatment has been.
A. at which point B. by which point
C. during which time D. in which case
6. You have cut the material in the wrong place. It ought.............. just here but it wasn’t.
A. to be cut B. to have been cut C. to have cut D. to cut
7. She .............. the flowers. If she had, they wouldn’t have died.
A. may not have watered B. shouldn’t have watered
C. can’t have watered D. might not have watered
8. He is a nice guy but I don’t know why he.............. so rude today.
A. is B. has been C. is being D. is to be
9. There has been a recommendation that Peter..............the president of the country.
A. will be elected B. was elected C. is elected D. be elected
10. The salary of a bus driver is much higher..............
A. in comparison with the salary of a teacher B. than a teacher
C. than that of a teacher D. to compare as a teacher
Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence.
1. She felt so stupid. She’d never be able to .............. it down.
A. let B. give C. settle D. live
2. He was wearing very shabby, dirty clothes and looked very down..............heel.
A. at B. to C. in D. on
3. I am not sure my brother will ever get married because he hates the feeling of being..............
A. tied up B. tied in C. tied in with D. tied down
4. This area is absolutely.............. for more investment.
A. crying out B. breaking down C. better off D. cutting back
5. We are .............. our ears in work.
A. in for B. up to C. on about D. on with
6. I’ve got to.............. idioms and phrasal verbs for the forthcoming school-team selection test.
A. mull over B. rub off C. swot up D. enlarge
upon
7. Peter.............. the news.............. before we could stop him.
A. finished/off B. blurted/out C. rattled/off D. raked/up
8. I was promised a good job from January this year, but it’s April now and I’m afraid that they are
just.............. me along.
A. cheating B. swindling C. stringing D. bringing
9. The tablets brought temporary respite.............. the excruciating pain.
A. away B. from C. over D. out of
10. Capital punishment was done.............. in Britain nearly half a century ago.
A. out for B. off by C. over from D. away with
V. READING COMPREHENSION (10 pts)
PASSAGE 1
THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS
The domestication of wild species led directly to denser human population by yielding more food
than the hunter-gatherer lifestyle could provide. In societies that possessed domestic animals, livestock
helped to feed more people by providing meat, milk, and fertilizer, and by pulling plows. Large domestic
animals
became the societies' main source of animal protein, replacing wild game, and they also furnished wool,
leather, and land transport. Humans have domesticated only a few species of large animals, with "large"
defined as those weighing over 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Fourteen such species were domesticated
before the twentieth century; all of them terrestrial mammals and herbivores. The five most important of
these are sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and cattle or oxen.
Small animals such as ducks, geese, rabbits, dogs, cats, mink, bees, and silkworms have also been
domesticated. Many of these small animals provided food, clothing, or warmth. However, none of them
pulled plows or wagons, none carried riders, and none except dogs pulled sleds. Furthermore, no small
domestic animals have been as important for food as have large domestic animals.
Early herding societies quickly domesticated all large mammal species that were suitable for
domestication. There is archeological evidence that these species were domesticated between 10,000 and
4,500 years ago, within the first few thousand years of the origins of farming herding societies after the
last Ice Age. The continent of Eurasia has been the primary size of large mammal domestication. Eurasia
is a huge, ecologically diverse landmass, and therefore has a great many large mammal species. Having
the most species of wild mammals to begin with, and losing the fewest to extinction in the last 40,000
years, Eurasia has generated the most candidates for domestication.
Domestication involves transforming wild animals into something more useful to humans. Truly
domesticated animals differ in many ways from their wild ancestors. These differences result from two
processes: human selection of individual animals that are more-useful to humans that other individuals of
the same species, and evolutionary responses of animals to the forces of natural selection operating in
human environments rather than in wild environments.
To be domesticated, a wild species must possess several characteristics. A candidate for
domestication must be primarily a herbivore because it takes less plant biomass to feed a plant eater than
it does to feed a carnivore that consumes plant eaters. No carnivorous mammal has ever been
domesticated for food simply because it would be too costly. A candidate must not only weigh an average
of over 100 pounds but also grow quickly. That eliminates gorillas and elephants, even though they are
herbivores. Moreover, candidates for domestication must be able to breed successfully in captivity.
Since almost any sufficiently large mammal species is capable of killing a human, certain
qualities disqualify a wild animal for domestication. The animal cannot have a disposition that is nasty,
dangerous, or unpredictable characteristics that eliminate bears, African buffaloes, and some species of
wild horses. The animal cannot be so nervous that it panics around humans. Large herbivorous mammal
species react to danger from predators or humans in different ways. Some species are nervous, fast, and
programmed for instant flight when they perceive danger. Others are less nervous, seek protection in
herds, and do not run until necessary. Most species of deer and antelope are of the former type, while
sheep and goats are of the latter.
Almost all domesticated large mammals are species whose wild ancestors share three social
characteristics: living in a herd, maintaining a dominance hierarchy in the herd, and having herds that
occupy overlapping home ranges instead of mutually exclusive territories. Humans have taken advantage
of those characteristics in keeping domestic animals together with others of their species and in close
proximity to other species of domestic animals.
1. The word furnished in par.l is closest in meaning to
A. demanded B. invented C. provided D. changed
2. According to the passage, what benefit of large domestic animals is not also provided by small
animals?
A. A source of food B. A source of clothing
C. The ability to pull a plow D. The ability to be ridden
3. Which of the following can be inferred about large mammal species?
A. Relatively few species have the necessary characteristics for domestication.
B. More species of large mammals are domesticated as pets than for food.
C. Only a few large terrestrial mammal species are primarily herbivores.
D. All large mammals can be classified into one of five important groups.
4. According to the passage, when did early humans domesticate all suitable large mammal species?
A. After humans had populated every continent
B. Before the Ice Age caused many animals to become extinct
C. At the same time they domesticated small animals
D. Within a few thousand years after farming and herding began
5. According to the passage, what is one reason that domesticated animals differ from their wild
ancestors?
A. Wild animals find food easily, but domesticated animals must work for food.
B. Domesticated animals live near humans, so they forget their wild ancestors.
C. Animals' evolutionary responses in captivity differ from those in the wild.
D. More animals survive in human environments than in wild environments.
6. Why does the author mention gorillas and elephants in par. 5?
A. To suggest that some overlooked animals could be domesticated
B. To illustrate the wide variety among large herbivores
C. To identify animals intelligent enough to avoid domestication
D. To give examples of animals that grow too slowly for domestication
7. The word disqualify in par.6 is closest in meaning to
A. identify B. display C. reject D. punish
8. The word panic in par.6 is closest in meaning to
A. feels terror B. refuses to eat C. attacks others D.
becomes ill
9. What can be inferred from par.6 about deer and antelope?
A. They run away from humans only if threatened.
B. They do not supply meat of a consistent quality,
C. They are as dangerous as certain wild horses.
D. They have not successfully been domesticated.
10. All of the following are characteristics favorable to domestication EXCEPT
A. weighing over 100 pounds B. unpredictable behavior
C. ability to breed in captivity D. living in a herd with hierarchy
PASSAGE 2
TWO STYLES OF GREEK POTTERY PAINTING
A tradition as old as the civilization itself, Greek pottery can be studied as a chronicle of ancient
Greek society. It was designed to fulfill a functional rather than decorative purpose, so Greek pottery was
fundamentally related to everyday life, not separated from it. Furthermore, the Greeks’ pottery is an
essential source of historical information because so much of it survives today. Although vessels may be
broken, even these remnants of pottery contribute to contemporary historians’ understanding of ancient
Greek culture. Thus, today’s archaeologists and art historians enjoy a rich record of Greece’s cultural
progress and significant insight into the routines of people’s daily lives in this civilization.
Analysis of ancient Greek pottery paintings shows several distinct periods, each capitalizing on and
advancing the style that preceded it. This gradual progression that preceded it. This gradual progression
parallels developments in other areas of Greek society - how their cultural inrerest shifted
mythological figures in their pottery paintings with images of everyday Greeks. Early pottery
decorations were composed of abstract shapes and lines that did not represent human activities. Then, as
cultural influences from trade with Middle Eastern regions were introduced, the Greeks began to decorate
their pottery using more realistically painted human and animal figures. It was not until Greek artists
began producing black-figure-style paintings, however, that Greek pottery gained maturity as a fine art.
The black-figure style of decorating pottery emerged around 700 BC. It soon evolved into a
narrative technique that focused on the stories of mythical gods, heroes, and demons. Abandoning the
practice of drawing outlined images, artists working in the black- figure style created silhouettes, figures
that were
completely black except for small details drawn in contrasting red or white. By creating solid figures and
using added details, artists working in the black-figure style created human forms that were much more
realistic than those of previous styles. However, their figure drawing was still limited to one perspective -
a flat side view. In the black-figure style, human poses were always captured in two-dimensional profiles.
That is, the images never possessed any feeling of depth, no sense of background or foreground.
To paint pottery in the black-figure style, artists first used slip, a mixture of water and clay, to paint
silhouettes on a clay vessel. Then, by etching details into the silhouettes painted in slip, artists exposed
the clay beneath. Depending on the type of clay, the etched lines developed into a white, ochre, or red as
the pot was fired. The primary drawback of the black-figure style was the constraints imposed by the
tools used to etch designs in the black slip, a limitation that the red-figure style, developed in 530 BC,
was able to overcome.
Centuries of experimentation with figure painting peaked with the red-figure style’s achievements
of accurately representing the body. Developments in Greek sculpture around the same time helped
painters visualize figures as three-dimensional forms occupying three-dimensional spaces. Artists began
to create
an illusion of depth on a two- dimensional surface through a technique known as “foreshortening.” They
suggested distance by changing the proportions of objects in the foreground and background of the
composition. By 500 BC, Greek artists were no longer limited to two-dimensional profiles in creating
human figures and incorporated three-quarters frontal poses that demonstrated their mastery of the style.
By painting figures that are turned slightly toward or away from the viewer, the artists incorporated
a sense of depth that was absent in the black-figure style. In essentially the reverse of the black- figure-
style process, red-figure-style artists painted the backgrounds of their pictures black and let the red clay
show
through as shapes in the foreground. By then painting details s directly on the red clay instead of etching
lines to remove slip, artists were able to make finer, more precise accents that increased the realism of
figures’ hair, muscles, and skin. This style’s potential for naturalism led to a focus on facial expressions
and
motion that enriched the narrative, advancing Greek pottery design to its apex.
1. According to paragraph I, which of the following best explains why Greek pottery is valuable to
historians?
A. It shows distinct changes in pottery painting over time.
B. It is a source of information that survives in large quantities.
C. It depicts images of everyday activities and people in Greek society.
D. It is not broken by the natural forces that destroy other cultural artifacts.
2. The word it in paragraph 2 refers to
A. analysis B. pottery C. period D. style
3. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the underlined sentence in
paragraph 2?
A. Greek pottery paintings primarily focused on the culture’s mythology, the heroes and gods it
admired most
B. Changes in G reek society included a new fascination with their own daily lives and routines,
which replaced their interest in mythology.
C. Changes in pottery painting that showed the new artistic interest in everyday life came from
changes in the way Greek society viewed itself.
D. Greek pottery paintings eventually became less significant as mythology grew in popularity and
became the culture’s dominant art form.
4. Why does the author mention abstract shapes in paragraph 2?
A. To provide a point of origin for describing the development of Greek pottery painting styles
B. To suggest that the Greeks were influenced by the civilizations with whom they frequently
traded
C. To demonstrate that the Greeks considered pottery painting an essential part of their culture
D. To provide an example of the helpful information that pottery painting provides contemporary
historians
5. The word imposed in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. established B. allowed C. favored D. delivered
6. According to paragraph 4, what is the main weakness of the black figure style?
A. The etching tools used to add details
B. The figures painted as black silhouettes
C. The range of colored slip available
D. The kind of clay used as a base
7. The word visualize in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to
A. draw B. imagine C. develop D. explore
8. According to paragraph 6, what was the most significant achievement of the red figure style?
A. It etched details into the clay instead of the slip.
B. It used a black background to make figures more visible.
C. It used red clay that gave more natural- colored skin tones.
D. It developed realistically painted human figures.
9. The word apex in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. termination B. objective C. precision D. summit
10. According to the passage, a sense of depth in pottery paintings
A. was not considered important by Greek artists
B. was attempted but never achieved by Greek artists
C. was incorporated by artists of the red- figure style
D. was mastered by Greek artists who studied Middle Eastern art
VI. GUIDED CLOZE TEST (10 pts)
Read the following passage and decide which option A, B, C or D best fits each space.
PASSAGE 1:
Have you ever had a brilliant idea which you thought might change the world? Strangely enough,
people who have (1)....................with some of the most brilliant ideas never imagined the extent to which
they would change the way we live. Most brilliant ideas seem to have emerged as a result of a scientist
trying to (2)....................a problem, often totally unrelated to the use the idea is finally put to. In fact,
invariably, great ideas and inventions are the (3).................... of many people’s work over many years or
even centuries. For example the original idea for a computer was probably brought to light by a
seventeenth-century philosopher, GW Leibniz, and people like Charles Babbage just added to his initial
speculations. However, (4).................... we often credit Babbage with being the inventor of the modern
computer, his work would not have been possible without the developments in logic explored by people
like Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein. In fact, today’s complex communication networks would
not exist if it weren’t for the Quantum Theory, developed mainly by Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrodinger, Max
Planck and Werner Heisenberg. These men were working on purely theoretical physics because they
liked the (5)....................of finding answers to their (6) ....................and they little realised that our world
would not be able to operate today without their experiments and discoveries. For them, the
(7)....................
of discovering these answers was reward enough. There have been many stories of frustration and
(8)....................amongst scientists working on the same ideas over the centuries but today, due to the
massive amount of information available to all and sundry, it’s almost impossible to develop a new idea
totally on one’s own. Guaranteed, if one scientist is working on a particular ‘new’ concept, there are
others on every continent (9).................... much of each other’s work. On (10)....................inspection, it’s
almost impossible to say that a new idea is completely new, as someone has usually thought of it before.
1. A turned up B. come up C. taken up D. gone up
2. A decide B. determine C. resolve D. relieve
3. A culmination B. cultivation C. implication D.
interpretation
4. A despite B. even so C. furthermore D. although
5. A experiment B. challenge C. assessment D. evaluation
6. A guesses B. possibilities C. opinions D. hypotheses
7. A exhilaration B. indifference C. cheerfulness D. hysteria
8. A friendliness B. bitterness C. fierceness D. moodiness
9. A deciphering B. projecting C. duplicating D. donning
10. A closer B. other C. more D. extra
PASSAGE 2:
A LANGUAGE EXPERIMENT
Language is thought to be a(n) (1).................. for transmitting the information within thoughts. One
experiment used to demonstrate this idea (2)..................subjects to listen to a short passage of several
sentences, then to repeat the passage. Most people will accurately convey the (3).................. of the
passage in the sentences they produce, but will not come close to repeating the sentences verbatim. It
appears that two (4)..................are occuring. Upon hearing the passage, the subjects (5).................. the
language of the passage into a more abstract representation of its meaning, which is more easily
(6).................. within memory. Then in order to recreate the passage, the subject (7).................. this
representation and converts its meaning back into language.
This separation of thought and language is less intuitive than it might be because language can be a
powerful (8).................. with which to manipulate thoughts. It provides a mechanism to internally
rehearse, critique and (9)..................thoughts. This internal form of communication is (10) .................. for
a social animal and could certainly be, in part, responsible for the strong selective pressures for improved
language use.
1. A. indication B. mechanism C. obligation D. invention
2. A. requires B. obtains C. demands D. promotes
3. A. hunch B. hub C. gist D. precision
4. A. transformations B. instigations C. iterations D. applications
5. A. turn B. convert C. make D. put
6. A. stored B. reminded C. acquired D. retrieved
7. A. supplies B. discovers C. reveals D. recalls
8. A. boon B. prompt C. tool D. motive
9. A. obscure B. modify C. reflect D. accept
10. A. incidental B. insignificant C. essential D. definitive
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST: Fill each blank with ONE word. (20 pts)
CLOZE TEST 1:
LOOKING INTO SPACE
Outer space has intrigued mankind ever since we first gazed upward. It was easy enough to see
stars in the night sky with the (1)................... eye and many early civilizations also noticed that certain
groups appeared to form familiar shapes. They used these constellations to help with navigation and as a
(2) ........ of predicting the seasons and making calendars. Ancient astronomers also perceived points of
light that moved. They believed they were wandering stars and the word ‘planet’ (3)................... from the
Greek word for ‘wanderer’. For much of human history, it was also believed that the Earth was the centre
of the Universe and that the planets circled the Earth, and that falling meteorites and solar eclipses were
omens of disaster. It was not (4) ................... the 16th century that Polish mathematician and astronomer
Nicolaus Copernicus presented a mathematical model of (5)................... the sun actually moved around
the Earth, challenging the prevailing understanding of how the solar system worked. The Italian physicist
and astronomer Galileo Galilei then used a telescope to (6)................... this theory to be correct. Many
technological advances have allowed us to probe into space since then, and one of the most pioneering
was when the first manned spacecraft, the Apollo 11, successfully (7)...................through gravity and
touched down on the moon’s surface. Nevertheless, much of our research must be done from
(8)................... greater distances. The Hubble space Telescope was carried into orbit by a space shuttle in
April 1990 and it has enabled cosmologists to gather incredible data. Most significantly, it has provided a
great deal of evidence to (9)................... the Big Bang theory, that is, the idea that the Universe originated
as a hot, dense state at a certain time in the (10)................... and has continued to expand since then.
CLOZE TEST 2:
IN SUPPORT OF LANGUAGE DIVERSITY
There are solid reasons (1)................... supporting, preserving, and documenting endangered
languages. First, each and (2) ................... language is a celebration of the rich cultural diversity of our
planet; second, each language is an expression of a unique ethnic, social, regional or cultural identity and
world view; third, language is the repository (3)...................the history and beliefs of a people; and
finally, every language encodes a particular subset of fragile human knowledge (4)...................
agriculture, botany, medicine and ecology.
(5) ................... a doubt, mother tongues are comprised of far more (6)...................gram mar and
words. For example, Thangmi, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by an ethnic community of around
30,000 people in estern Nepal, (7)...................a mine of uniqueindigenous terms for local flora and fauna
that have medical and ritual value. Much of this local knowledge is falling (8)................... disuse as
fluency
in Nepali, the national language, increases. (9) ...................children cease to speak their mother tongues,
the oral transmission of specific ethnobotanical and medical knowledge also (10) ................... to an end.
1. My friends started going out late to nightclubs so I decided to .......................myself from the group.
(SOCIAL)
2. The witness claimed she was capable of discovering the man’s evil intentions from
the ....................look in his eyes. (MURDER)
3. Research has proved that certain types of meditation can decrease key stress symptoms such as anxiety
and ............................(IRRITATE).
4. My father is a strict.................who always believes in 'spare the rod, spoil the child'. (DISCIPLINE)
5. Sales forecasts indicate a poor............. for the clothing industry. (LOOK)
6. An alarm sounds when the temperature reaches a .............................level. (DETERMINE)
7. Children who grow up in time of war are more likely to be ..........................than others. (ADJUST)
8. She stood there completely...................... , so I had no idea at all what she was thinking. (EXPRESS)
9. I’ve tried to advise my daughter against hitch-hiking around Europe alone, but she won’t listen to me.
She’s so ........................... (HEAD)
10. How awful! What an ..........................thing for anyone to do! (OUTRAGE)
PART 2: Complete the passage with appropriate forms from the words given in the box. (10 pts)
persist dispose adequate confer out
condition part fail lone conscious
More than half of the World’s population consider themselves shy, delegates to the first
international (1)..................on shyness, being held in Cardiff, will be told today. One in 10 cases is
severe. Effects include mutism, speech problems, (2).................. , blushing, shaking and trembling, lack
of eye contact, difficulty in forming relationships and social phobia- the most extreme form of shyness,
defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a pronounced and (3)..................fear of social or
performance situations in which embarrassment may occur. Shy people tend to blame themselves for
social (4)................ and attribute success to (5).................. factors. They expect their behaviour to be
(6).................., remember
only negative information about themselves and accept without challenge adverse comments from others.
The causes are complex and not fully understood. The latest theory is that it can be traced to genes
as well as to social (7)................... One estimate, based on research with twins, is that around 15 percent
of the population are born with a (8)..................to shyness. Some psychologists believe there are two
types: an early developing, fearful shyness and a later developing, (9).................. shyness. The fearful
version emerges often in the first year of life and is thought to be (10)..................inherited.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 pts)
The pas sag e below contains ten errors. IDENTIFY and CORRECT them. Write your answer in the
space provided in the column on the right.
It is the human factor that contributes to the absolute majority of road accidents which involves the
tremendous toll of fatalities each year. Other, less decisive, causes are vehicle functions or road
shortcomings.
Speeding motorists are notorious about failing to give way at junctions, judging the situation on the
road or being unable to accurately estimate the distance while overtaking the “snailpacers” ahead.
Drinkers who settle behind the wheel after one glass or two may be running the risk of causing a tragedy
through their impairing perception, which is not so rare a case, again.
Unfortunately, it is much simpler to introduce the necessary alterations in the traffic system that
change the behavioural patterns of drivers. There are voices that more severe disciplinary resolutions
ought to put into practice if the vehicle users are to benefit from greater security on the road. The idea of
producing safe road users through pre-school parental instruction or through incorporating the safety
regulations for school curriculum has been widely acclaimed in many communities and are expected to
yield the required results as the first step in bettering the qualifications of the future drivers and acquaint
them with the potential hazards that may arise en route.
Rewrite the sentences with the given words or beginning in such a way that their meanings remain
unchanged. (20 pts)
1. Nobody else in the country possesses his skills on the trumpet. UNMATCHED
…………………………………………………………………………………………
2. My son has finally come to accept that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. DAWNING
…………………………………………………………………………………………
3. I think he’s at last beginning to agree with me. ROUND
…………………………………………………………………………………………
4. Initially, I think you develop the plot very convingcingly. UNFOLDS
…………………………………………………………………………………………
5. Why didn’t you ask me before you used my computer? RATHER
…………………………………………………………………………………………
6. What he told me made me very curious to hear the rest of the story. APPETITE
…………………………………………………………………………………………
7. Competitors were amazed by how shrewdly he conducted his business affairs. MARVELLED
…………………………………………………………………………………………
Competitors.......................................which he conducted his business affairs.
8. After a long hard journey, I cheered up when I saw my home. SIGHT
After a long hard journey, my spirits............................................. of my home.
9. I said that I thought he was wrong about the best way for us to proceed. ISSUE
I......................................... best we should proceed.
10. I didn't want to give up while some hope of success remained. DEFEAT
I was loath................................................... some hope of success.
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN QUANG TRUNG - BÌNH PHƯỚC
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40PTS)
I. PHONOLOGY (5PTS)
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the other three.
1. A. expunge B. expurgate C. external D. extenuating
2. A. indict B. indie C. jive D. fiery
3. A. thenar B. theocracy C. theorem D. thenceforth
4. A. hydrogen B. lymph C. typhoid D. myopia
5. A. chambermaid B. chancellor C. chandelier D. chaplaincy
Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other three.
6. A. adventurous B. luminous C. laborious D. autonomous
7. A. predecessor B. maternal C. accredit D.
paralysis
8. A. hormone B. premature C. dilemma D. terraces
9. A. architecture B. controversy C. susceptible D. excellency
10. A. habitable B. infamously C. communism D. solidify
1. The vegetation on the island was .....................
A. exuberant B. chivalrous C. overcast D. ingenious
2. The old lady was becoming increasingly affected by .....................
A. masculinity B. senility C. virility D. audacity
3. The problem of petty crime has largely been ......................
A. annihilated B. exterminated C. decimated D. eradicated
4. The Prime Minister will decide whether to release the prisoner or not; that’s his .....................
A. prerogative B. derogatory C. abdication D. humanity
5. The Red Cross is .....................an international aid organization.
A. intriguingly B. intrusively C. intrinsically D. intrepidly
6. Job losses are mainly in the..................... sectors of the industry.
A. blue-collar B. red-collar C. stiff-collar D. high-collar
7. Tom won’t buy that old car because it has too much..................... on it.
A. ups and downs B. odds and ends C. wear and tear D. white lie
8. It was a(n)..................... location with an intoxicating sense of romance, something akin to what one
might find described in a fairytale.
A. whimsical B. enchanting C. extravagant D. extortionate
9. Our hotel room was surprisingly....................., especially taking into consideration that it was very
reasonably priced.
A. decadent B. languid C. vivacious D. commodious
10. Closure of schools took place ..................... falling numbers of pupils.
A. in the context of B. with regard to
C. with a concern for D. in consideration of
III. GRAM MAR AND STRUCTURES (5PTS)
1. Out of his pocket.....................
A. came the stolen purse B. did the stolen purse come
C. the stolen purse came D. did come the stolen purse
2. Superconductivity will revolutionize the way that energy is used for the next millennium,
and..............the first truly superconductive substance will be remembered as a technological hero.
A. what the discovery of B. the discovery of
C. whoever discovers D. whose discovery
3. The new manager is.....................easy-going. He is always very serious about the work.
A. by no means B. by means of
C. by all means D. in the mean time
4. Before they go to the university, most senior high school graduates have……………idea of what
college life is like.
A. no less B. no least C. not less D. not the
least
5. I am sorry. I meant..................... to you, but I have been so busy recently.
A. to write B. to have been writing C. writing D. to have
written
6. The population of our city today is..................... before 1975.
A. as 60 % much as B. 60% as much as
C. more 60% than that D. 70 % as much as that
7. I’m ..................... my brother is.
8.....................what most people say about him, he has a very good sense of humour.
A. Opposite to B. Against C. Contrary to D. Opposing
9. Betty says she cannot stand looking at the rat,..................... touching it.
A. even so B. let alone C. what if D. as far as
10. - John: “....................” - Peter: “It’s not likely.”
A. How important is it to attend university?
B. Is it possible to get a good job without attending university?
C. Would you be interested in attending university in a foreign country?
D. Is it very important to attend a university in a foreign country?
IV. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS (5PTS)
Choose the best option to complete each of the following sentences:
1. We met each other at the meeting.....................coincidence.
A. by B. in C. for D. to
2. No one can function properly if he or she is ..................... adequate sleep.
A. took away B. deprived of C. derived from D. got rid of
3. The concert was given..................... the auspices of the Y.M.C.A.
A. on B. with C. through D. under
4. When he suddenly.....................up the subject of genetic engineering, there was an embarrassed silence
A. took B. brought C. showed D. came
5. The weather was fine and everyone was ..................... the coast
A. going in for B. making for C. joining in D. seeing about
6. After she ate the chocolates, her face broke..................... in a rash.
A. out B. in C. off D. up
7. The situation is very confusing in that country and calls.....................diplomacy.
A. for B. at C. in D. over
8. No witness of the accident has come..................... yet.
A. forth B. for C. forward D. off
9. You don’t..................... all this nonsense, do you?
A. cordon off B. buy into C. edge out D. hit on
10. If I’m late for work again, I’ll be..................... a severe warning from my boss.
A. up to B. in for C. onto D. after
V. GUIDED CLOZE TEST (10PTS)
TEST 1 (5PTS)
MULTITASKING CHILDREN
The trend for children to multitask by judging all sorts of electronic gadgets at the same time is
seriously damaging their levels of concentration, scientists have warned. (l) ..................... use of the
Internet, iPod, mobile phones and DVDs (2) .....................behind that finding. Scientists have (3)..............
the belief of many parents that it is impossible to concentrate on more than one thing at the same time.
They found that children (4)..................... homework while sending messages via the Internet can
(5)..................... up spending 50% longer than if they had done each task separately.
David E Meyer, Professor of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Michigan, said that true
multitasking is (6)..................... possible for simple activities such as ironing and listening to the radio.
He (7)..................... experiments demonstrating that young adults who had to (8)..................... from one
maths problem to another wasted significant amounts of time. Meyer said: “For situations
(9)..................... more
complex tasks, especially those requiring language, the total time taken to get all the tasks done will
increase greatly. Over long periods, this kind of multitasking can stress you out and (10) .....................to
mental and physical exhaustion.”
1. A. Rocketing B. Heightening C. Ascending D. Leaping
2. A. stands B. rests C. lies D. sits
3. A. assured B. guaranteed C. authorized D. confirmed
4. A. engaging B. tackling C. attending D. undergoing
5. A. turn B. come C. use D. end
6. A. merely B. purely C. only D. simply
7. A. set B. put C. took D. ran
8. A. alter B. switch C. interrupt D. exchange
9. A. consisting B. involving C. composing D. concerning
10. A. result B. proceed C. lead D. bring
TEST 2 (5PTS)
SMART SHOES
Smart shoes that adjust their size throughout the day could soon be available. A prototype of such a
shoe has already been produced and a commercial (1).....................may be in production within a few
years. The shoe contains sensors that constantly check the amount of (2).....................left in it. If the foot
has become too large, a tiny valve opens and the shoe (3) ..................... slightly. The entire control system
is about 5mm square and is located inside the shoe. This radical shoe (4)..................... a need because the
volume of the average foot can change by as much as 8% during the course of the day. The system is able
to learn about the wearer's feet and (5) ..................... up a picture of the size of his or her feet throughout
the
day. It will allow the shoes to change in size by up to 8% so that they always fit (6) ..................... They
are obviously more comfortable and less likely to cause blisters. From an athlete's point of view, they can
help improve (7).....................a little, and that is why the first use for the system is likely to be in a sports
shoe.
Eventually, this system will find a (8)..................... in other household items, from beds that
automatically change to fit the person sleeping in them, to power tools that (9)..................... themselves to
the user's hand for better grip. There is no reason why the system couldn't be adapted for use in hundreds
of consumer (10)......................
1. A. assortment B. version C. style D. variety
2. A. room B. gap C. area D. emptiness
3. A. amplifies B. develops C. expands D. increases
4. A. detects B. finds C. meets D. faces
5. A. build B. pick C. grow D. set
6. A. exactly B. absolutely C. completely D. totally
7. A. achievement B. performance C. success D. winning
8. A. function B. part C. way D. place
9. A. shape B. change C. respond D. convert
10. A. commodities B. possessions C. goods D. objects
VI. READING COMPREHENSION (10 PTS)
READING COMPREHENSION 1 (5PTS)
Read the passage and choose the right answer for each question:
THE EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS
Joy and sadness are experienced by people in all cultures around the world, but how can we tell
when other people are happy or despondent? It turns out that the expression of many emotions may be
universal. Smiling is apparently a universal sign of friendliness and approval. Baring the teeth in a
hostile way, as noted by Charles Darwin in the nineteenth century, may be a universal sign of anger. As
the originator of the theory of evolution, Darwin believed that the universal recognition of facial
expressions would have survival value. For example, facial expressions could signal the approach of
enemies (or friends) in the absence of language.
Most investigators concur that certain facial expressions suggest the same emotions in all people.
Moreover, people in diverse cultures recognize the emotions manifested by the facial expressions. In
classic research Paul Ekman took photographs of people exhibiting the emotions of anger, disgust, fear,
happiness, and sadness. He then asked people around the world to indicate what emotions were being
depicted in them. Those queried ranged from European college students to members of the Fore, a tribe
that dwells in the New Guinea highlands. All groups, including the Fore, who had almost no contact with
Western culture, agreed on the portrayed emotions. The Fore also displayed familiar facial expressions
when asked how they would respond if they were the characters in stories that called for basic
emotional responses. Ekman and his colleagues more recently obtained similar results in a study of ten
cultures in which participants were permitted to report that multiple emotions were shown by facial
expressions. The participants generally agreed on which two emotions were being shown and which
emotion was more intense. Psychological researchers generally recognize that facial expressions reflect
emotional states. In fact, various emotional states give rise to certain patterns of electrical activity in the
facial muscles and in the brain. The facial-feedback hypothesis argues, however, that the causal
relationship between emotions and facial expressions can also work in the opposite direction. According
to this hypothesis, signals from the facial muscles ("feedback") are sent back to emotion centers of the
brain, and so a person's facial expression can influence that person's emotional state. Consider Darwin's
words: "The free expression by
outward signs of an emotion intensifies it. On the other hand, the repression, as far as possible, of all
outward signs softens our emotions. Can smiling give rise to feelings of good will, for example, and
frowning to anger?
Psychological research has given rise to some interesting findings concerning the facial-feedback
hypothesis. Causing participants in experiments to smile, for example, leads them to report more positive
feelings and to rate cartoons (humorous drawings of people or situations) as being more humorous. When
they are caused to frown, they rate cartoons as being more aggressive.
What are the possible links bet ween facial expressions and emotion? One link is arousal, which is
the level of activity or preparedness for activity in an organism. Intense contraction of facial muscles,
such as those used in signifying fear, heightens arousal. Self-perception of heightened arousal then leads
to heightened emotional activity. Other links may involve changes in brain temperature and the release of
neurotransmitters (sub stances that transmit nerve impulses.) The contraction of facial muscles both
influences the internal emotional state and reflects it. Ekman has found that the so-called Duchenne
smile, which is characterized by "crow's feet” wrinkles around the eyes and a subtle drop in the eye cover
fold so that the skin above the eye moves down slightly toward the eyeball, can lead to pleasant fee lings.
Ekman's observation may berelevant to the British expression "keep a stiff upper lips” as a
recommendation for handling stress. It might be that a "stiff” lip suppresses emotional response-as long
as the lip is not quivering with fear or tension. But when the emotion that leads to stiffening lip is more
intense, and involves strong muscle tension, facial feedback may heighten emotional response.
1. The word “despondent” in the passage is closest in meaning to ...................
A. curious B. unhappy C. thoughtful D. uncertain
2. The author mentions "Baring the teeth in a hos tile way" in order to ....................
A. differentiate one possible meaning of a particular facial expression from other meanings of it
B. support Darwin's theory of evolution
C. provide an example of a facial expression whose meaning is widely understood.
D. contrast a facial expression that is easily understood with other facial expressions.
3. The word “concur” in the passage is closest in meaning to ....................
A. estimate B. agree C. expect D. understand
4. The word “them” in the passage refers to ....................
A. emotions B. people C. photographs D. cultures
5. According to paragraph 2, which of the following was true of the Fore people of New Guinea?
A. They did not want to be shown photographs.
B. They w ere famous for their story-telling skills.
C. They knew very little about Western culture.
D. They did not encourage the expression of emotions.
6. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in
the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. The Fore's facial expressions indicated their unwillingness to pre tend to be story characters.
B. The Fore were asked to display familiar facial expressions when they told their stories.
C. The Fore exhibited the same relationship of facial expressions and basic emotions that is seen in
Western culture when they acted out stories.
D. The Fore were familiar with the facial expressions and basic emotions of characters in stories.
7. According to the passage, what did Darwin believe would happen to human emotions that were not
expressed?
A. They would become less intense.
B. They would last longer than usual.
C. They would cause problems later.
D. They would become more negative
8. According to the passage, research involving which of the following supported the facial-feedback
hypothesis?
A. The reactions of people in experiments to cartoons
B. The tendency of people in experiments to cooperate
C. The release of neurotransmitters by people during experiments
D. The long-term effects of repressing emotions
9. The word “rate’' in the passage is closest in meaning to ...................
A. judge B. reject C. draw D. want
10. According to the passage, stiffening the upper lip may have which of the following effects?
A. It first suppresses stress, then intensifies it.
B. It may cause fear and tension in those who see it.
C. It can damage the lip muscles.
D. It may either heighten or reduce emotional response.
READING COMPREHENSION 2 (5PTS)
Read the passage then choose the correct answer to each question.
In the 1930s, before the onset of war, rationing, and army drafts, art reflected the somewhat serene
lives of the people. Mundane scenes such as factory workers or office settings were routinely painted to
depict the era. They were reminiscent of the people living a routine life in middle-class, ordinary settings.
Yet in 1939, fighting spread throughout the world. War and the subsequent struggles for power,
existence, and peace brought great unrest for countries around the world following World War II. With
the changes wrought by war, many countries felt the need to convey a new, postwar image. It was from
this need that abstract expressionism evolved as a modern and recognized art form.
Abstract artist Jackson Pollock gave a clear picture of the emergence of abstract art when he said,
"The modern painter cannot express this age-the airplane, the atom bomb, the radio- in the old forms of
the renaissance or of any other past culture. Each finds its own technique. It was the art of this
revolutionary painter that helped define the abstract movement. Postwar artists like Pollock developed
free-form aesthetics by abandoning conventions of past styles while maintaining focused, self-reflexive
qualities and the feelings of each individual artist. The method for creating abstract art involved paintings
free of religious, political, and popular subjects. The paintings were instead comprised of bright colors
and shapes, characterized by personal expression rather than development of a predictable art style. Much
personal empowerment grew out of this profound freedom of expression.
After World War II and during the uncertainty of the Cold War the world tottered back and forth
between stability and instability. People felt great anxiety amidst their growing prosperity. They viewed
the modern art of the time as bold, triumphant, and self-assured. Although the work seemed
to exude postwar
confidence, artists portrayed profound uneasy and viewed their work much differently. Their images were
the expression of desperation in the midst of a tough reality inspired by unrest and contrasted with
material growth. The psychology of the abstract art form emerged from this altered mindset that was at
once strong and vulnerable, confident and subdued. Consequently, artists at the time had the need to feel
their experiences in ways that were intense, immediate, direct, subtle, unified and vivid. "Painting is a
state of being . . . painting is self-discovery. Every good artist paints what he is," stated Pollock. Abstract
expressionism, as the new art style became known, was a way to embody the artist's yearning for stability
in an unstable world as well as a way to emphasize his own personal ideas and use those as expression.
Pollock's chief ambition in his art was to incorporate opposition. He did this by pairing order with chaos,
reason with passion, and modernism with primitivism. Similar to other abstract artists, he preferred to
portray notions of the subconscious, giving free reign to forgotten personal memories and psychic
impulses. George Tooker, another artist of the time, painted The Subway, which illustrated postwar
expectations of
individuality and conformity. The affluence of the nation's newfound economic success combined with
anxiety over political instability to form a dual consciousness that is said to haunt America's identity
still. Each had a set of signature styles that expressed personal and societal isolation of the artist in
abstract ways.
During this time, modern art became identified widely as "American" art, having its focal point
primarily on the nation. The Museum of Modern Art in New York began to ship abstract expressionistic
works to be displayed in places like Milan, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, and London. Some critics
overseas were dismayed, stating that this type of abstract art was not new. As this art was practiced
elsewhere, they continued by saying it was not good quality painting and was not purely American. One
writer hailed typical American abstract art as "heir of the pioneer and immigrant. Another saw the artists
as heroic rebels, comparing them to movie stars of the same caliber as James Dean and Marlon Brando or
teen idols such as Elvis Presley.
As the US was celebrating a highly contradictory mix of freedom and individuality, abstract
expressionism became a political pawn of sorts. The art reflected the ambiguity of the world at the time
as war-ravaged countries worked to recover their economy and people worked to achieve a normal state
of life. The artists of abstract expressionism effectively captured the emotion of the nation as it emerged
from a time of stress and tried to form an updated image.
1. The author discusses art from the 1930s in order to.....................
A. demonstrate the drastic change in art
B. explain the change in America's culture
C. describe the hardships of the people
D. list the events that transpired
2. The word “conventions” in the passage is closest in meaning to ......................
A. perceptions B. agreements C. situations D. traditions
3. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the change in art?
A. Artists sough t ways to distinguish their art from previous artists
B. The painters used traditional design elements in whole new ways
C. Consistency in art overpowered the need for originality
D. Artwork reflected the personal empowerment of the artist.
4. The word “exude” in the passage is closest in meaning to ......................
A. discourage B. portray C. replace D. instruct
5. Which of the sentences below best expresses the information highlighted sentence in the passage.
Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Abstract expressionism represents both the artist's desires for certainty and the artist's own
personal expressions.
B. This new art form revealed personal style and confidence of expression.
C. The Abstract expressionist used bold strategies in his art to reveal inner feelings and personal
expression.
D. This new style showed the determination in life along with desire for personal freedom.
6. According to paragraph 3, although work of abstract artists appeared confident, it was in
fact...................
A. identical to the nation's certain.
B. representative of the country's
C. reflective of the anxiety of the era
D. expressive of the artists' low self-esteem
7. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 4 as Pollock's techniques painting
EXCEPT...................
A. Stark displays of contrasts and opposition
B. Feelings and impulses from within the mind
C. Emotion mixed with ordinary scenes
D. Intense emotions from personal experiences
8. The word “each” in the passage refers to.....................
A. artist B. dual consciousness
C. physic impulse D. notion of the unconscious
9. According to paragraph 5, abstract expressionism was critiqued for being.....................
A. widely followed and admired B. labeled "American"
C. exhibited worldwide D. claiming to be modern
10. The word “its” in the passage refers to .....................
A. ambiguity B. nation C. modern art D. world
B. WRITTEN TEST (70PTS
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST (20PTS)
For questions 1-20, read the texts below and think of the word which best fits in each space. Use
only one word in each space.
OPEN CLOZE TEST 1 (10PTS)
The Ministry of Health has said the Zika (1)..................... might hit Vietnam as Aedes aegypti
mosquitoes, which transmit dengue fever, abound here in the nation. The warming comes after the head
of the World Health Organization said last Thursday that the mosquito-borne virus is “is now
(2)..................... explosively” in the Americas, with 3 million to 4 million infections estimated in the
American
region over a 12-month period. The ministry said Vietnam’s strong trade, tourism and labor exchanges
with other nations could (3).....................to a Zika outbreak in the Southeast Asian country. Though no
Zika (4)..................... have been detected in Vietnam, the ministry has written to the Pasteur institutes and
institutes of hygiene and epidemiology across the nation instructing them to (5)....................on alert for
Zika. They were told to monitor those patients (6).....................of contracting the disease, especially
(7).....................returning home from Zika-hit countries. The ministry said Zika and dengue fever should
be monitored at the same time. People are advised to closely monitor their health in the first 14 days after
going home from affected nations, and if they develop any (8)..................... of fever, they should come to
medical centers and hospitals for examination. Residents are urged to keep a watchful eye
(9)..................... sources of still and stagnant water where (10)..................... can replicate.
OPEN CLOZE TEST 2(10PTS)
In its simplest sense the word “advertising” means “drawing attention to something”; or notifying
or informing someone of something. You can advertise by (1).....................of mouth, quite informally and
locally and without incurring great expense. But if you want to inform a large number of people about
something, you might need to advertise in the more (2).....................sense of the word, by
(3).....................
announcement. If you put a notice in a local newsagent's shop, design a poster or (4) ..................... some
space in a local newspaper, you are likely to (5) ..................... the information you wish to communicate
to the attention of more people than if you simply (6)..................... the word around friends and
neighbours. You could (7).....................further and distribute leaflets as well, get someone to
(8)..................... a placard around, even advertise on local radio and organize a publicity stunt. However,
you might not be (9)............. to simply convey certain facts and leave it at that. You might wish to add a
bit of emphasis or even to exaggerate the facts by (10)..................... to people 's emotions. And this is of
course where all the controversy about advertising in its current form arises.
II. WORD FORMATION(20PTS)
1.....................includes beliefs, theories, or practices that have been or are considered scientific, but have
no basis in scientific fact. (SCIENCE)
2. They argue that killing seals for ..................... products cannot be justified. (ESSENTIAL)
3. They were accused of ..................... of the terms of the contract. (OBSERVE)
4. A business that teaches and reinforces.....................performance at all levels is a business that is
dedicated to the well-being of its employees. (ERROR)
5. From September 1829 until March 1830 Lundy was assisted in the .....................of the paper by
William Lloyd Garrison. (EDITE)
6. “....................., this show is harmful to your belief structure," Stewart said in disbelief.
(EDUCATION)
7. The aim of this project is to create a ..................... house that will serve as Dormitories, Restaurant with
terrace, Bar, Dh arm a Shop, Office and Meeting area. (PURPOSE)
8. Determining why some high ability students demonstrate low levels of achievement is difficult because
.....................occurs for many different reasons. (ACHIEVE)
9. This chapter explores how judicial.....................about what is at stake for constitutional losers puts
constitutional stature at risk. (TRUE)
10. A ..................... person always tries to be fair and rea son able, and always listens to other people's
opinions. (MIND)
Complete the passage with appropriate forms of the words given in the box.
favour precedent equal decorate captive
compare exploit economy attend destroy
Gold has several qualities that have made it a commodity of exceptional value throughout history. It
is attractive in colour, durable to the point of virtual (11)..................... , and usually found in nature in a
(12).....................pure form. The history of gold is (13).....................by that of any other metal because of
its value in the minds of men from earliest times. Because it is visually pleasing it was one of the first
metals to attract human (14)......................Examples of elaborate gold workmanship, many in nearly
perfect condition, survive from ancient Egyptian, Minoan, Assyrian , and Etruscan artisans, and gold has
continued to be a highly (15)..................... material out of which jewellery and other (16) .....................
objects are crafted. The era of gold production that followed the Spanish discovery of the Americ as in
the 1490s was
probably the greatest had the world witnessed to that time. The (17).....................of mines by slave labour
and the looting of Indian palaces, temples, and graves in Central and South America resulted in a(n)
(18)... influx of gold that literally unbalanced the (19)..................... structure of Europe. Until today the
world remains (20)..................... by the allure of gold.
III. ERROR CORRECTION (10PTS)
Line Biofeedback is on the verge of becoming an important tool in medicinal
1 therapy. Using biofeedback, a patient can learn to control certain body
2 systems, such as heartbeat, temperature or blood pressure, that are
3 normally autonomic or self-regulated. The patient is attached to a machine
4 measure the function he wishes to control. When the desire result is
5 achieved, the patient hears a steady tone that indicates that the patient has
6 successfully manipulated that body function to a more desire state. For
7 example, if a patient wishes to control his heartbeat, he is attached to a
8 biofeedback machine monitoring his heartbeat. When the patient manages
9 to successfully slow his heartbeat, the biofeedback machine rewards him in
10 a low, dull noise. Today researchers are using biofeedback to treat patients
11 with such malady as regular heartbeat, migraine headaches, and high blood
12 pressure. The medical community foresees myriads applications that may
13 be treated by biofeedback in the future.
14

IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20PTS)
Rewrite each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the one
given.
1. It was more of an argument than a discussion.
→ It was not so ..............................................................................................................
2. The direct aim of the statement is to make the public aware of the present situation.
→ The statement boils....................................................................................................
3. The Mountain Rescue Team is pessimistic about the missing climbers.
→ The Mountain Rescue Team doesn’t hold ................................................................
4. He threatened the officers with violence.
→ He made ....................................................................................................................
5. Despite difficulties there may be, I promise to protect her.
→ Against .......................................................... ...........................................................
6. You have to use logic and lateral thinking in equal measure in this job. (strike)
→ You have to................................................................................................................
7. The effects of the gale were felt mainly along the south coast. (brunt)
→ The south coast....... ..................................................................................................
8. Ours is the only company allowed to import these chemicals. (monopoly)
→ Our company h a s.....................................................................................................
9. The handling of the matter has been heavily criticised by the press. (scorn)
→ The press..............................................................................................the matter.
10. Joan was not sure if it was a good idea to employ such young staff. (misgivings)
→ Joan ...................................................................................................young staff.
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN PHAN NGỌC HIỂN - CÀ MAU
I. MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
I. PHONOLOGY (5.0 points)
Choose the word (A, B, C or D) whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the
others.
1. A. dorsal B. corps C. lord D. thorough
2. A. suit B. suite C. fruit D. bruit
3. A. gasoline B. desert C. Kansas D. resemble
4. A. healer B. cease C. feathery D. feast
5. A. grieve B. diesel C. fiend D. sieve
Choose the word (A, B, C or D) whose stress pattern is different from that of the others.
6. A. koala B. antena C. antelope D. giraffe
7. A. input B. uphill C. printout D. outcome
8. A. appetizer B. malignant C. democracy D. hydraulics
9. A. acquiescence B. understanding C. entertainment D.
photocopy
10. A. impeccable B. mischievous C. hypocrisy D. insatiable
II. VOCABUARY (5.0 points)
Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) which best completes each sentence.
1. The sporting…………of the young are focused on the achievements of their heroes.
A. expectations B. inspirations C. aspirations D. intentions
2. Georgina…………admiration and adoration which is no doubt why she’s such a successful film- star
and an impossible wife.
A. blooms on B. thrives on C. profit from D. grows up on
3. My boss is totally incompetent: every time you ask him for a decision or even an opinion he just
…………his shoulders.
A. cranes B. swivels C. shrugs D. knits
4. Many schools set a lot of…………by the success of their students in examinations.
A. prize B. honour C. value D. store
5. The middle class take their right to public money for sports facilities for…………
A. granted B. given C. awarded D. pleasure
6. This train ticket is ................... for three months.
A. valid B. serviceable C. valuable D. functional
7. People who never read or travel tend to be....................
A. sheltered B. closed C. straight-laced D. narrow-
minded
8. At each race meeting Hawkins desperately................... to beat Owen, nut his always arrives at the tape
a split-second behind.
A. strives B. exerts C. contends D. drives
9. I had forgotten to take my identity card into the examination, but it was no of ................... since
nobody asked to see it.
A. moment B. matter C. seriousness D. mark
10. Executives in international companies usually have to do at least a three year................... abroad.
A. span B. service C. run D. stint
III. GRAMMAR - STRUCTURE (5.0 points)
1................... is present in the body in greater amounts than any other mineral.
A. Calcium B. There is calcium C. Calcium, which D. It is calcium
2. Astronomers estimate...................called the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus is 415 light-year away
from Earth.
A. there is a loose cluster of stars B. a loose cluster of stars is
C. that is a loose cluster of stars D. that a loose cluster of stars
3. The importance of the hand, and more generally of the body, in children’s acquisition of
arithmetic...................
A. can hardly be exaggerated B. hardly exaggerated can be
C. can be exaggerated hardly D. exaggerated can be hardly
4. Stage producers Klaw and Erlanger were the first to eliminate arguments among leading
performers ................... in order of appearance, instead of prominence.
A. of whom list the program B. by listing them on the program
C. for them the program listed D. the program listing
5. Not until the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries................... as a unified science.
A. did ecology emerge B. when ecology emerged
C. ecology emerged D. when did ecology emerge
6. ................... that life began billions of years ago in the water.
A. In the belief B. It is believed C. The belief D. Believing
7. Roads in the United States remained crude,................... with graved or wood planks, until the
beginning of the twentieth century.
A. were unsurefaced or they covered them
B. which unsureface or covered
C. unsurfaced or covered
D. un surfaced or covered them
8. ................... at the site of a fort established by the Northwest Mounted Police, Calgary is now one of
Canada’s fastest growing cities.
A. It is built B. To build C. Having built D. Built
9...................one after another, parallel computers perform groups of operations at the same time.
A. Conventional computers, by handling tasks
B. Since tasks being handled by conventional computers
C. Whereas conventional computers handle tasks
D. While tasks handled by conventional computers
10. A three-foot octopus can crawl through a hole................... in diameter.
A. than one inch less B. less than one inch
C. one less inch than D. than less one inch
IV. PHRASAL VERBS - PREPOSITIONS (5.0 points)
1. Katie really................... her mother. She has got the same character.
A. takes up B. takes in C. takes on D. takes after
2. If the strike’s still on we’ll have to ................... our trip till another time.
A. call off B. carry on C. go through D. put off
3. They should................... -corporal punishment at school, if you ask me.
A. get back B. keep up C. bring back D. carry on
4. We have employed a person to ................... the condition of our ancestral home from time to time.
A. check into B. check in C. check up on D. check out of
5. Susan says she feels less nervous since she................... on tea and coffee.
A. cut down B. stopped off C. turned back D. cut out
6. I was trying to catch up ................... the work I’ve missed.
A. on B. with C. in D. under
7. The health ministry has come................... fire from all sides.
A. on B. under C. with D. of
8. They are working................... time to try and get people out of the rubble alive.
A. on B. against C. in D. at
9. ................... on fault of his own, Tony was an hour late for the meeting.
A. From B. For C. By D. Through
10. While Diana was very much ................... awe of her grandfather, she adores her grandmother.
A. in B. by C. for D. on
V. READING COMPREHENSION (10.0 points)
FIRST PASSAGE: Questions 1 -1 0
Cities develop as a result of functions that they can perform. Some functions result directly from
the ingenuity of the citizenry, but most functions result from the needs of the local area and of the
surrounding hinterland (the region that supplies goods to the city and to which the city furnishes services
and other
goods). Geographers often make a distinction between the situation and the site of a city. Situation refers
to the general position in relation to the surrounding region, whereas site involves physical characteristics
of the specific location. Situation is normally much more important to the continuing prosperity of a city.
If a city is well situated in regard to its hinterland, its development is much more likely to continue.
Chicago, for example, possesses an almost unparalleled situation: it is located at the southern end of a
huge lake that forces east-west transportation lines to be compressed into its vicinity, and at a meeting of
significant land and water transport routes. It also overlooks what is one of the world’s finest large
farming regions. These factors ensured that Chicago would become a great city regardless of the
disadvantageous characteristics of the available site, such as being prone to flooding during
thunderstorm activity.
Similarly, it can be argued that much of New York City’s importance stems from its early and
continuing advantage of situation. Philadephia and Boston both originated at about the same time as New
York and shared New York’s location at the western end of one of the world’s most important oceanic
trade
routes, but only New York possesses an easy-access functional connection (the Hudson-Mohawk
lowland) to the vast Midwestern hinterland. This account does not alone explain New York ’s primacy,
but it does include several important factors. Among the many aspects of situation that help to explain
why some
cities grow and others do not, original location on a navigable waterway seems particularly applicable. Of
course, such characteristic as slope, drainage, power resources, river crossings, coastal shapes, and other
physical characteristics help to determine city location, but such factors are normally more significant in
early stages of city development than later.
A. The development of trade routes through United States cities
B. Contrasts in settlement patterns in United States
C. Historical differences among three large United States cities
D. The importance of geographical situation in the growth of United States cities
2. The word “ingenuity” in line 2 is closest in meaning to...................
A. wealth B. resourcefulness C. traditions D. organization
3. The passage suggests that a geographer would consider a city’s soil type part of its....................
A. hinterland B. situation C. site D. function
4. According to the passage, a city’s situation is more important than its site in regard to the
city’s..............
A. long-term growth and prosperity
B. ability to protect its citizenry
C. possession of favorable weather conditions
D. need to import food supplies
5. The author mentions each of the following as an advantage of Chicago’s location EXCEPT
its.................
A. hinterland B. nearness to a large lake
C. position in regard to transport routes D. flat terrain
6. The word “characteristics” in line 15 is closest in meaning to ....................
A. choices B. attitudes C. qualities D. inhabitants
7. The primary purpose of paragraph 1 is to....................
A. summarize past research and introduce a new study
B. describe a historical period
C. emphasize the advantages of one theory over another
D. define a term and illustrate it with an example
8. According to the passage, Philadelphia and Boston are similar to New York City in……………
A. size of population B. age
C. site D. availability of rail transportation
9. The word “functional” in line 21 is closest in meaning to...................
A. alternate B. unknown C. original D. usable
10. The word “it” in line 23 refers to....................
A. account B. primacy C. connection D.
hinterland
SECOND PASSAGE: Questions 11 - 20
There are only a few clues in the rock record about climate in the Proterozoiccon. Much of our
information about climate in the more recent periods of geologic history comes from the fossil record,
because we have a reasonably good understanding of the types of environment in which many fossil
organisms flourished. The scarce fossils of the Proterozoic, mostly single-celled bacteria, provide little
evidence in this regard. However, the rocks themselves do include the earliest evidence for glaciation,
probably a global ice age.
The inference that some types of sedimentary rocks are the result of glacial activity is based on the
principle of uniformitarianism, which posits that natural processes now at work on and within the Earth
operated in the same manner in the distant past. The deposits associated with present-day glaciers have
been well studied, and some of their characteristics are quite distinctive. In 2.3-billionyear-old rocks in
Canada near Lake Huron (dating from the early part of the Proterozoic age), there are thin laminae of
fine-grained sediments that resemble varves, the annual layers of sediment deposited in glacial lakes.
Typically, present-day varves show two-layered annual cycle, one layer corresponding to the rapid ice
melting and sediment transport of the summer season, and the other, finer-grained, layer corresponding
to slower winter deposition. Although it is not easy to discern such details in the Proterozoic examples,
they are almost certainly glacial varves. These fine-grained, layered sediments even contain occasional
large pebbles or “dropstones,” a characteristic feature of glacial environments where coarse material is
sometimes carried on floating ice and dropped far from its source, into otherwise very fine grained
sediment. Glacial sediments of about the same age as those in Canada have been found in other parts of
North America and in Africa, India, and Europe. This indicates that the glaciation was global, and that for
a period of time in the early Proterozoic the Earth was gripped in an ice age.
Following the early Proterozoic glaciation, however, the climate appears to have been fairly benign
for a very long time. There is no evidence for glaciation for the next 1.5 billion years or so. Then,
suddenly, the rock record indicates a series of Glacial episodes between about 850 and 600 million year
ago, near the
end of the Proterozoiccon.
11. Which of the following does the passage mainly discuss?
A. How patterns in rock layers have been used to construct theories about the climate of the
Proterozoic age
B. What some rare fossils indicate about glacial conditions during the late Proterozoic age
C. The varying characteristics of Proterozoic glacial varves in different parts of the world
D. The number of glacial episodes that the Earth has experienced since the Proterozoic age
12. According to the passage, the fossil record of the Proterozoiccon is...................
A. highly regarded because it preserves the remains of many kinds of organisms
B. less informative than the fossil record of more recent periods
C. very difficult to interpret due to damage from bacteria
D. more useful to researchers than other aspects of the rock record
13. The word “scarce” in line 5 is closest in meaning to....................
A. ancient B. tiny C. available D. rare
14. It can be inferred from the passage that the principle of uniformitarianism indicates that....................
A. similar conditions produce similar rock formations
B. rock layers in a given region remain undisturbed over time
C. different kinds of sedimentary rocks may
D. each continent has its own distinctive pattern of sediment layers
15. The word “resemble” in line 14 is closest in meaning to....................
A. result from B. penetrate
C. look like D. replace have similar origins
16. According to the passage, the layers in varves are primarily formed by ...................
A. fossilized bacteria
B. pieces of ancient dropstones
C. a combination of ancient and recent sediments
D. annual cycles of sediment transport and deposition
17. The phrase “the other” in line 17 refers to another...................
A. annual cycle B. glacial lake C. layer of sediment D. season
18. According to the passage, the presence of dropstones indicates that....................
A. the glacial environment has been unusually server
B. the fine-grained sediment has built up very slowly
C. there has been a global ice age
D. coarse rock material has been carried great distances
19. Why does the author mention Canada, North America, Africa, India, and Europe in lines 24-25?
A. To provide evidence for the theory that there was a global ice age in the early Proterozoiceon
B. To demonstrate the global spread of dropstones
C. To explain the principles of varve formation
D. To illustrate the varied climatic changes of the Proterozoic con in different parts of the globe
20. Which of the following terms is defined in the passage?
A. fossil record (line 4) B. laminae (line 14)
C. varves (line 15) D. glacial episodes (line 30)
VI. GUIDED CLOZE TEST (10.0 points)
Re ad the passages below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
FIRST PASSAGE: Questions 1-10
It is not difficult to discover an unknown animal. Spend a day in the tropical forests of South
America, turning over logs, looking beneath bark, sifting through the moist litter of leaves, followed by
an evening (l).................... a mercury lamp on a white screen, and one way and another you will
(2)............... hundreds of different kinds of small creatures. Moths, Caterpillars, spiders, long-nosed bugs,
luminous
beetles harmless butterflies (3).....................as wasps, wasps shaed like ants, stickes that walk, leaves that
open wings and fly - the variety will be (4).....................and one of these creatures will almost certainly be
undescribed by science. The difficulty will be to find (5)....................who know enough about the groups
concerned to be able to single out the new one.
No one can say (6)....................how many species of animals there are in these greenhouse-humid
dimly lit jungles. They contain the (7).....................and the most varied assemblage of animal and plant
life to be found anywhere on earth. Not only are there many categories of creatures - monkeys, rodents,
spiders, hummingbirds, butterflies, but most of those types (8)....................in many different forms. There
are over
forty different species of parrot, over seventy different monkeys, three hundred hummingbirds and tens of
thousands of butterflies. If you are not (9)...................., you can even be (10)......................by a hundred
different kinds of mosquito.
1. A. lighting B. pointing C. shining D. reflecting
2. A. collect B. glimpse C. identify D. pick up
3. A. disguised B. dressed C. masquerading D. posing
4. A. big B. enormous C. ample D. giant
5. A. pals B. guys C. friends D. specialists
6. A. almost B. just C. nearly D. sincerely
7. A. richest B. deepest C. wildest D. thickest
8. A. are B. become C. exist D. happen
9. A. unlucky B. awake C. cunning D. careful
10. A. eaten B. threatened C. poisoned D. bitten
SECOND PASSAGE: Questions 11-20
THEART OF BEING A PARENT
In order to bring up children, many qualities are required. As well as the (11)....................
requirements such as love, patience and understanding, a sense of humour is an important feature of any
parent's personality. (12)...................., it's quite an art to transform a child's bad mood into (13).............
everyone in the family can live with.
Another aspect of child rearing is teaching children limits and rules. This means the child needs to
be (14)....................of what his or her rights are and what other people's are, too. Setting limits on
children must occur on a daily basis. Temporary measures don't achieve anything but just waste time. A
(15)............
mistake, however, is being far stricter than necessary. Parents must be (16).................... to allow their
children the opportunity to explore and learn (17)..................... experience.
What's more, most parents must know the importance of (18)....................as it gets children used to
certain everyday activities. For instance, eating at the same time (19).................... parents gets them into
the habit of sitting at a table and (20).................... them how to conduct them selves properly.
Overall, child rearing is no easy task but it is certainly a challenge and a learning experience.
11. A. routine B. popular C. usual D. ordinary
12. A. Infact B. But C. All in all D. As well as
13. A. character B. behaviour C. manner D. temper
14. A. accustomed B. known C. familiar D. aware
15. A. famous B. continuous C. common D. willing
16. A. keen B. willing C. eager D. interested
17. A. with B. by C. on D. from
18. A. routine B. fashion C. custom D. trend
19. A. than B. like C. of D. as
20. A. teaches B. instructs C. learns D. educates
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST (20 points)
Read the passages below an d think of ONE word which best fits each space.
FIRST PASSAGE: Questions 1-10
STABILIZING POPULATION LEVELS
Once the number of children per couple has been reduced, the primary tool for stabilizing
population growth is family planning. Family planning (1)....... potential parents with reproductive health
(2)....... , contraception, and counseling on fertility control choices. There is (3)....... substantial unmet
need for these services in the developing world. According to Bulatao, from 10 to 40 percent of married
women of reproductive age in developing countries - and a large, (4)....... unknown, number of unmarried
women - want but do not have access to these services.
Beyond the many maternal and child health benefits of family planning, (5)....... as improved health
care, the AIDS epidemic offers (6)....... powerful reason for filling this family planning gap. The same
family planning network can provide the grassroots foundation (7)...... halting the spread of AIDS. The
same condom s that limit fertility can (8).......limit the spread of the virus that causes AIDS.
High population growth rates and high rates of HIV infection are (9).......to the same social
problems such as inadequate public education and health services. Most experts agree that efforts to
provide these basic social entitlements will help combat both (10)........
SECOND PASSAGE: Questions 11-20
The general picture is one of worldwide repression of the cinema. Censorship systems inevitably
reflect the societies in which they exist. In most places strong state control or religious or judicial
pressure ensure heavy restrictions. Political changes are often quickly followed by changes in censorship
law- new
government in Argentina and Venezuela, for (11)....... , have introduced more liberal methods- but
(12)....... swings are usually temporary. There is even evidence that movement to the right in Denmark
and Sweden is leading to a diminution of the freedom of the media in (13)....... countries. The liberal
trend of the sixties has been halted or reversed in almost all places that (14).......affected.
There is, however, one notable exception to this swing towards relaxed censorship, for in Australia
the traditionally tough line has (15)....... relaxed to a remarkable extent.
But Australia is an interesting case simply (16 )....... it has reversed the general trend. The hope that
censorship would be coming to (17)....... end judging by worldwide trends of that time, has been soundly
dashed in the years (18)........ In most places censorship seems as firmly based as ever, reinforced by the
turn to the right that has characterized politics in so many countries that have done (19 )....... with
censorship have suffered in any calculable sense, there is (20)....... reason to believe that their lead is
likely to be widely followed in the immediate future.
II. WORD FORMATION (20 points)
Supply the correct form of the words given in capitals to complete the text and sentences below.
1. The teacher expressed her.....................with Tony because he’s so disobedient in SATISFY
class. FORTUNATE
2. Homework is a part of every student's school life...................... , many of them PROPERTY
disapprove of the amount of homework they are given. MEDICINE
3. He was discovered to have been .....................company funds. LONG
4. Children should be..................... examined at least twice a year. SLAP
5. China is another vast country which shares a single time zone - but it spans far JUSTIFY
more....................., which has resulted in some quirky schedules. PREDICT
6. Hunger and a .....................meal did not sit happily side by side. CRITIC
7. There can be little..................... for ignoring the destruction of our natural ANNUAL
environment.
8. Being so close to the Atlantic, the weather in Ireland is often both changeable and
very......................
9. The hotel was harshly.....................for refusing to give refunds and the bad
publicity harmed it.
10. After 2012, the base shifted the event to a..................... schedule, but budget cuts
forced it to cancel the 2014 show.
Choose the suitable word given the box and supply its correct form to complete the text below.
caffeine diverse consume aroma certain
technology continent science strike relation
Further research by Nestle's (11)...................... to capture more fully the taste of home-made coffee
resulted in the invention of the freeze-drying process in 1966 and the launch of Nescafe Gold Blend.
In simple terms, Nescafe is made by selecting the right mix of beans, extracting liquid coffee in
much the same way as the conventional coffee machine, and then freeze-drying the results. The
(12)...................... skills lie in the roasting, extracting and dehydrating processes employed. There are two
basic coffee plants: arabica, a highly (13)...................... variety grown in central and south America and
the east coast of Africa at altitudes between 600 and 2,000 metres, and robusta, a more pungent, stronger-
tasting coffee grown
below 600 metres in parts of Africa and Asia. Arabica accounts for two-thirds of world coffee production,
robusta for the rest.
Nestle estimates that on average 3,000 cups of Nescafe are drunk every second, with an overall
(14)...................... of no fewer than 100 billion cups per year. More than 40 million cups of Nescafe are
drunk every day in Britain.
In 1974 the Nestle board, concerned about the company's dependence upon (15)......................
commodity prices and sources of supply in politically and economically unstable regions, decided to
(16)...................... outside its core food business. The company bought a large stake in the French
cosmetics group L'Oreal.
In the next three years the price of coffee quadrupled and the price of cocoa tripled. Nevertheless,
Nescafe continued to be a big seller, and a greater variety of coffee drinks was brought out under its
brand name. These included Blend 37, with a more (17)...................... coffee taste, an after-dinner coffee
using just arabica beans, (18)...................... Nescafe and an instant cappuccino.
In the 1960s Nescafe started to replace its tins with glass jars. More (19)....................was its 1980s-
90s Gold Blend TV campaign, a mini soap opera about the developing (20)...................... between a
young couple. It grabbed the nation's attention, perhaps more for its story line than the product.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 points)
Identify 10 errors in the following passage. Underline the errors and correct them.
HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON
Line Hanging Gardens of Babylon, gardens considered one of the Seven
5 Wonders of the World and thought to be locating near the royal palace
10 in Babylon. By the beginning of the 21st century, the site of the Hanging
15 Gardens had not yet been conclusive established. Nevertheless, many
20 theories persisted regarding the structure and location of the gardens. Some
25 researchers proposed that these were rooftop gardens. Other theory,
30 popularized by the writings of British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley,
suggested that the gardens were built within the walls of the royal palace at
Babylon, the capital of Babylonia (now in southern Iraq), and did not
actually “hang” but were instead “up in the air”; that is, they were roof
gardens laid over on a series of ziggurat terraces that were irrigated by
pumps from the Euphrates River. Traditionally, they were thought being the
work either of the semilegendary Queen Sammu-ramat (Greek Semiramis,
mother of the Assyrian king Adad-nirari III, that reigned from 810 to
783 BCE) or of King Nebuchadrezzar II (reigned c. 605-c. 561 BCE), who
built them to console his Median wife, Amytis, because she missed the
mountains and greenery of her homeland.
The Hanging Gardens were described in detail by a number of Classical
authors. Despite some sources disagreed on who built them, a number of
descriptions concurred that the gardens were located near the royal palace
and were set upon vaulted terraces. They were also described as having been
watered by an exceptional system of irrigation and roofed with stone
balconies on which was layered various materials, such as reeds, bitumen,
and lead, so that the irrigation water would not seep through the terraces.
Although none certain traces of the Hanging Gardens have been found, a
German archaeologist, Robert Koldewey, did uncover an unusual series of
foundation chambers and vaults in the northeastern corner of the palace at
Babylon. A well in one of the vaults may have been used in conjunction to a
chain pump and thus was thought perhaps to be part of the substructure of
the once towering Hanging Gardens.
(Source: britannica.com)
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20 points)
1. We could catch an earlier train but we still wouldn’t arrive before 11.00.
Even.........................................................................................................................
2. A rather nasty problem has appeared to me.
I 've come.................................................................................................................
3. It was such a heavy snowfall that all the flights had to be cancelled.
So..............................................................................................................................
4. After making Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in The Beach. (PREVIOUS)
Leonardo DiCaprio....................................................................................................
5. You can’t possibly expect me to pay for the tickets. (QUESTION)
There...........................................................................................................................
6. He’s so garrulous that we are not able to say anything. (WORD)
....................................................................................................................................
7. Tony’s habit of taking risks doesn’t fit in his image as a family man. (COMPATIBLE)
...................................................................................................................................
8. The authorities had decided they would get tough with dissidents. (CRACK DOWN)
...................................................................................................................................
9. Have you decided to enter the poster competition? (GO)
...................................................................................................................................
10. Don’t expect him to spare y our feelings: he always says exactly what he thinks. (MIND)
……...........................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN THIỆN THÀNH - TRÀ VINH
I. PHONOLOGY
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the rest.
1. A. missile B. filament C. dilate D. silage
2. A. salsa B. salmon C. salsify D. salvage
3. A. poultry B. pouch C. pouty D. poundage
4. A. release B. base C. expertise D. obese
5. A. thorough B. plough C. trough D. neigh
Choose the word that is stressed differently from the others in the list.
6. A. culminate B. negligence C. diplomat D. intriguing
7. A. gazelle B. rucksack C. bereave D. molest
8. A. testimony B. respiratory C. aristocrat D. commentary
9. A. lucrative B. promenade C. reconcile D. intimate
10. A. collaborator B. preparatory C. momentary D. contributory
II. WORD CHOICE
1. Richard started the race well but went out of..................... in the later stage.
A. power B. steam C. force D. effort
2. The real test of your relationship will come when you start to see your new boyfriend.....................and
all.
A. faults B. spots C. moles D. warts
3. Miss Green gave me the greatest gift a teacher can..................... - an awakening of a passion for
learning.
A. cherish B. specify C. bestow D. authorize
4. A new computer has been produced, which will.....................all the previous models.
A. overdo B. supersede C. excel D. overwhelm
5. The whole movie was filmed on ..................... in southern India.
A. site B. location C. spot D. venue
6. I know you never lend things, but..................... and let me borrow your guitar. I promise I’ll take good
care of it.
A. miss the point B. stretch a point
C. come to the point D. make the point
7. The High Street in Cambridge is blocked by a lorry that has ..................... its load.
A. slipped B. shed C. loosed D. overturned
8.....................ambition is what most great leaders have in common.
A. managing B. driving C. rising D. leading
9. You'll have .....................opportunity to ask questions after the talk.
A. superfluous B. ample C. lavish D. infinite
10. Since he is too old to be a porter, they have decided to put him out to .....................,
A. the door B. grounds C. grass D. the kerb
III. STRUCTURE AND GRAMMAR
1. He dreads..................... what may happen to his sister living all alone in the village.
A. imagining B. imagine C. to imagine D. have
imagined
2.....................is understood to be no question of a criminal act having taken place.
A. There B. It C. What D. Whether it
3. Country life differs from urban life in .....................a sense of community generally binds the
inhabitants of small villages together.
A. it B. what C. which D. that
4. It was only when the police came to the house to question him that he realized…………
A. what he had made a fool of himself B. what a fool he had made of himself
C. what he had made himself a fool of D. what he himself had made a fool of
5. He seems.....................for the experience.
A. none worse B. none the worse C. none worse at all D. none the
worst
6. Why didn't you ask for help,……………to do it on your own?
A. in view of trying B. nowhere near trying. C. rather than trying D. far from
trying
7.....................the bones of prehistoric man, scientists hope to determine what their owners ate.
A. By studying B. In study of C. To study D. Studying
8. It is requested that adequate measure..................... to settle down the strike.
A. are applied B. will be applied C. were applied D. be applied
9. Modern design features have enabled the area of the “sweet spot” on tennis racquets.....................
almost 300 per cent.
A. increasing B. increased C. to increase D. to be increased
10. Prior to the eighteenth century,..................... storms formed and died out at the same location.
A. a common belief that B. that a common belief
C. it was commonly believed that D. because it was commonly believed
1. ‘Relax,’ said Harry. ‘We’re ..................... the worst.’
A. over B. against C. done with D. finished off
2. The government has come.....................fire for its decision to close the mines
A. on B. under C. in D. to
3. Dr. Frampton is in charge, but..................... all practical purposes, her assistant runs the office.
A. with B. in C. for D. over
4.....................his own account, he's quite wealthy.
A. By B. On C. For D. With
5. I only went to the meeting..................... protest.
A. under B. in C. beyond D. out of
6. Ignoring their protests, Newman..................... waiting journalists.
A. brushed past B. wore down C. washed down D. dressed
down
7. His car was completely..................... in the accident.
A. marked off B. written off C. shaken off D. coned off
8. We must..................... the situation before we decide what to do.
A. clock up B. drum up C. size up D. mount up
9. To get his proposal accepted, the Finance Manager had to ..................... heavy pressure from
colleagues.
A. fend off B. laugh off C. send off D. push off
10. This type of cheese is very hard to ..................... by.
A. get B. come C. go D. put
V. READING COMPREHENSIO N
Read the following passages and choose the best answer.
READING 1
Between 4000 and 3000 B.C., significant technical developments began to transform the Neolithic
towns. The invention of writing enabled records to be kept, and the use of metals marked a new level of
human control over the environment and its resources.
At first, Neolithic settlements were hardly more than villages. But as their inhabitants mastered the
art of farming, they gradually began to give birth to more complex human societies. As wealth increased,
such societies began to develop armies and to build walled cities. By the beginning of the Bronze Age,
the concentration of larger numbers of people in the river valleys of Mesopotamia and Egypt was leading
to a whole new pattern for human life.
As we have seen, early human beings formed small groups that developed a simple culture that
enabled them to survive. As human societies grew and developed greater complexity, a new form of
human existence - called civilization came into being. A civilization is a complex culture in which large
numbers of human beings share a number of common elements. Historians have identified a number of
basic characteristics of civilizations, most of which are evident in the Mesopotamian and Egyptian
civilizations. These include (1) an urban revolution; (2) a distinct religious structure; (3) new political and
military structures; (4) a new social structure based on economic power; while kings and an upper class
of priests, political leaders, and warriors dominated, there also existed a large group of free people
(farmers, artisans, craftspeople) and at the very bottom, socially, a class of slaves; (5) the development of
writing; and (6) new forms of significant artistic and intellectual activity, such as monumental
architectural structures, usually religious, occupied a prominent place in urban environments.
Why early civilizations developed remains difficult to explain. [A] Since civilizations developed
independently in India, China, Mesopotamia, and Egypt, can general causes be identified that would
explain why all of these civilizations emerged? [B] A number of possible explanations of the beginning
of civilization have been suggested. [C] A theory of challenge and response maintains that challenges
forced human beings to make efforts that resulted in the rise of civilization. Some scholars
have adhered to a material explanation. [D] Material forces, such as the growth of food surpluses, made
possible the specialization of labour and development of large communities with bureaucratic
organization. But the area of the Fertile Crescent, in which Mesopotamian civilization emerged, was not
naturally conducive to agriculture.
Abundant food could only be produced with a massive human effort to carefully manage the water,
an effort that created the need for organization and bureaucratic control and led to civilized cities. Some
historians have argued that nonmaterial forces, primarily religious, provided the sense of unity and
purpose
that made such organized activities possible. Finally, some scholars doubt that we are capable of ever
discovering the actual causes of early civilization.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that a civilization is .....................
A. large population centers B. Neolithic towns and cities
C. types of complex cultures D. an agricultural community
2. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true of what happens as societies become more
prosperous?
A. More goods are produced. B. Walled cities are built,
C. Laws are instituted. D. The size of families is increased.
3. The word hardly in the passage is closest in meaning to .....................
A. frequently B. likely C. barely D. obviously
4. The author mentions Neolithic towns in order to......................
A. give an example of a civilization
B. explain the invention of writing systems
C. argue that they should be classified as villages
D. contrast them with the civilizations that evolved
5. According to the passage, which of the following is true of how the social class was structured?
A. There was an upper class and a lower class.
B. There were slaves, free people, and a ruling class.
C. There was a king, an army, and slaves.
D. There were intellectuals, and uneducated farmers and workers.
6. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that......................
A. Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations exhibit the majority of the characteristics identified by
historians.
B. The characteristics that historians have identified are not found in the Egyptian and
Mesopotamian cultures.
C. Civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt were identified by historians who were studying the
characteristics of early cultures.
D. The identification of most historical civilizations includes either Egypt or Mesopotamia on the
list.
7. The word prominent in the passage means mostly the same as .....................
A. weak B. important C. small D. new
8. According to paragraph 4, how can the independent development of civilization in different geographic
regions be explained?
A. Scholars agree that food surpluses encouraged populations to be concentrated in certain areas.
B. There are several theories that explain the rise of civilization in the ancient world.
C. The model of civilization was probably carried from one region to another along trade routes.
D. Historians attribute the emergence of early cities at about the same time as a coincidence.
9. All of the following are cited as reasons why civilizations developed EXCEPT......................
A. Religious practices unified the population.
B. The management of water required organization.
C. A major climate change made living in groups necessary.
D. Extra food resulted in the expansion of population centres.
10. Where in the passage is the best place of the following sentence?
Some historians believe they can be established.
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]
READING 2
Inside the tree's protective outer bark is the circulatory system, consisting of two cellular pipelines
that transport water, mineral nutrients, and; other organic substances to all living tissues of the tree. One
pipeline, called the xylem or sapwood transports water and nutrients up from the roots to the leaves. The
other, the phloem or inner bark carries the downward flow of foodstuffs from the leaves to the branches,
trunk, and roots. Between these two pipelines is the vascular cambium, a single-cell layer too thin to be
seen by the naked eye. This is the tree's major growth organ, responsible for the outward widening of the
trunk, branches, twigs, and roots. During each growing season, the vascular cambium produces new
phloem cells on its outer surface and new xylem cells on its inner surface.
Xylem cells in the roots draw water molecules into the tree, taking in hydrogen and oxygen and
also carrying chemical nutrients from the soil. The xylem pipeline transports this life-sustaining mixture
upward as xylem sap, all the way from the roots to the leaves. Xylem sap flows upward at rates of 15
meters per hour or faster. Xylem veins branch throughout each leaf, bringing xylem sap to thirsty cells.
Leaves depend on this delivery system for their water supply because trees lose a tremendous amount of
water through transpiration, evaporation of water from air spaces in the leaves. Unless the transpired
water is replaced by water transported up from the roots, the leaves will wilt and eventually die.
How a tree manages to lift several liters of water so high into the air against the pull of gravity is an
amazing feat of hydraulics. Water moves through the tree because it is driven by negative pressure-
tension in the leaves due to the physical properties of water. Transpiration, the evaporation of water from
leaves
creates the tension that drives long-distance transport up through the xylem pipeline. Transpiration
provides the pull, and the cohesion of water due to hydrogen bonding transmits the pull along the entire
length of xylem. Within the xylem cell, water molecules adhere to each other and are pulled upward
through
the trunk, into the branches and toward the cells and air spaces of the leaves.
Late in the growing season, xylem cells diminish in size and develop thicker skins, but they retain
their capacity to carry water. Over time the innermost xylem cells become clogged with hard
and gummy waste products and can no longer transport fluids.
A similar situation occurs in clogging of arteries in the aging human body. However, since the
vascular cambium manufactures healthy new xylem cells each year, the death of the old cells does not
mean the death of the tree. When they cease to function as living sapwood, the dead xylem cells become
part of
the central column of heartwood, the supportive structure of the tree.
1. What are the primary components of the tree’s circulatory system?
A. Water, minerals, and organic substances
B. Xylem and phloem
C. Leaves, branches, and trunk
D. Roots and heartwood
2. The word this in paragraph 1 refers to
A. phloem B. inner bark C. vascular cambium D. naked eye
3. It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that the xylem is located
A. on the surface of the outer bark
B. inside the phloem and the vascular cambium
C. next to the inner bark
D. between the vascular cambium and the phloem
4. What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about xylem sap?
A. I is composed mainly of water. B. It causes water loss by transpiration,
C. It gives leaves their green colour. D. It is manufactured in the leaves.
5. The word wilt in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. melt B. grow C. swell D. sag
6. Why is the process of transpiration essential to the tree’s circulatory system?
A. It supplies the hydrogen and oxygen that trees need to live and grow.
B. It produces new phloem and xylem in the trunk, branches, and roots,
C. It causes the negative pressure that moves water through the xylem.
D. It replaces the water vapour that is lost through the leaves’ air spaces.
7. The phrase adhere to in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. depend on B. stick to C. warm up D. respond to
8. The word gummy in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. sticky B. liquid C. smelly D. fluffy
9. Why does the author mention “arteries in the aging human body” in paragraph 4?
A. To show that trees and people get the same diseases
B. To imply that trees might provide a solution to human problems
C. To compare what happens in two aging circulatory systems
D. To explain the cause of death in most trees
10. All of the following are functions of the xylem EXCEPT
A. transporting food from the leaves to the trunk
B. taking in chemical nutrients from the soil
C. forming part of the tree’s structural support
D. moving water upward through the trunk
VI. CLOZE TEST
Read the texts below and decide which answer best fits each space.
CLOZE TEST 1
DRIVING FROM BEIJING TO PARIS
'Every journey begins with a single step.' We might (1).....................this proverb for the 16,000 km
Beijing to Paris car rally, and say that every rally begins with a (2).....................of the wheel. From China,
several hundred courageous men and women will set out for Paris in pursuit of what, for many, is likely
to prove an impossible (3)..................... . Everybody is prepared for the worst and expects a high drop-out
(4)..................... , especially on the rally's difficult first (5)..................... across central China and over the
high mountain passes of the Himalayas. 'If twenty-five cars (6)..................... it to Paris, we'll be doing
well,' says Philip Young, the rally organiser.
Now planned as an annual event, the first Beijing-Paris car rally took place in 1907. It was won by
Prince Borghese, an Italian adventurer, who crossed the finishing line just a few metres ahead of the only
other car to complete the race. Nowadays, not many people know about Prince Borghese, but at the time
his
achievement was (7)..................... as comparable to that of Marco Polo, who travelled from Venice to
China in the thirteenth century.
According to the (8)..................... , all the cars in the rally must be more than thirty years old, which
means that the (9)..................... roads and high altitude are a (10)..................... test of both the cars and the
drivers. A sense of adventure is essential. One driver said, 'Our aim is to have a good time, enjoy the
experience and the magnificent scenery - and the adventure of a lifetime.'
1. A. adapt B. moderate C. improve D. form
2. A. revolution B. circle C. rotation D. turn
3. A. vision B. fantasy C. hope D. dream
4. A. rate B. number C. speed D. frequency
5. A. period B. stage C. time D. round
6. A. get B. take C. have D. make
7. A. thought B. referred C. regarded D. noted
8. A. orders B. rules C. laws D. customs
9. A. crude B. undeveloped C. broken D. rough
10.A. firm B. strict C. severe D. grave
CLOZE TEST 2
THE EARLY RAILWAY IN BRITAIN
In 1830, there were under 100 miles of public railway in Britain. Yet within 20 years, this figure
had grown to more than 5,000 miles. By the end of the century, almost enough rail track to encircle the
world covered this small island, (1) ...................the nature of travel forever and contributing to the
industrial
revolution that changed the (2)................... of history in many parts of the world.
Wherever railways were introduced, economic and social progress quickly (3) ................... In a
single day, rail passengers could travel hundreds of miles, cutting previous journey times by huge
margins and bringing rapid travel within the (4) ................... of ordinary people. Previously, many people
had never
ventured (5) ...................the outskirts of their towns and villages. The railway brought them greater
freedom and enlightenment.
In the 19th century, the railway in Britain (6)................... something more than just the business of
carrying goods and passengers. Trains were associated with romance, adventure and, frequently, (7).........
luxury. The great steam locomotives that thundered across the land were the jet airliners of their day,
carrying passengers in comfort over vast distances in unimaginably short times. But the railways
(8)............ more than revolutionise travel; they also (9)...................a distinctive and permanent mark on
the British landscape. Whole towns and industrial centres (10) ..................up around major rail junctions,
monumental
bridges and viaducts crossed rivers and valleys and the railway stations themselves became desirable
places to spend time between journeys.
1. A. altering B. amending C. adapting D. adjusting
2. A. route B. way C. line D. course
3. A. pursued B. followed C. succeeded D. chased
4. A. reach B. capacity C. facility D. hold
5. A. further B. over C. beyond D. above
6. A. served B. functioned C. represented D. performed
7. A. considerable B. generous C. plentiful D. sizeable
8. A. caused B. did C. produced D. turned
9. A. laid B. set C. settled D. left
10. A. jumped B. stood C. burst D. sprang
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST
OPEN CLOZE TEST 1
A key component of any vigorous economic system is its transportation system. The growth of the
ability and need to (1)...................... large quantities of goods or numbers of people over long distances at
high speeds in comfort and safety has been an index of civilization and, in (2) ......................, of
technological progress. Communication and commerce are facilitated by the smooth and rapid
movements of goods and people from one place to (3)....................... Such movement requires a (4)
well-...................... infrastructure. The term “infrastructure” is used to (5) ...................... all the facilities
that an economic system has in place, inclusive (6) ...................... its network of roadways, railroads, and
ports, as well as the vehicles and vessel to (7)...................... them. These facilities must be in place before
trade can be handled on a regular (8) ....................... Transportation systems are necessary in order for
goods to (9)...................... markets where they can be sold or (10)...................... for other merchandise or
services.
OPEN COLZE TEST 2
The advancement of the noble profession of nursing has its (1)......................in two sources, one
scientific, the other social. From the period of the renaissance to the eighteenth century, there was little
advancement in the (2) ...................... of medical science. (3) ......................, there was an explosion of
discovery during the nineteenth century. At that time, germs were discovered as the leading cause of
death. “Hence the “germ theory” of disease was developed and methods of preventing and treating
infectious diseases were discovered. In addition, anesthesia was discovered. Since the time of these
advancements, the (4)......................volume of medical knowledge has challenged healthcare
professionals to keep (5) ...................... of the latest developments in the field of medicine. In fact,
medical (6).................. has produced more medical and health knowledge since the 1950s than in all
previous centuries (7)............. This expanding (8) ...................... of new information to be applied by
health services workers has challenged the educational systems for physicians, nurse, and other
healthcare professionals, and applied (9) ...................... on the delivery system of services to a public that
is better (10)...................... about healthcare issues.
II. WORD FORMS
Put the correct form of the words in brackets.
WORD FORMS 1
1. Both countries are signatories to the Nuclear......................Treaty. (PROLIFERATE)
2. I admire her ......................way of dealing with people. (RIGHT)
3. The economy appears to be...................... in people's minds. (MOST)
4. He demanded......................sentences for those behind the violence. (EXAMPLE)
5. It's a ......................sort of a house with books and papers lying around everywhere . (ORDER)
6. It seems important to ...................... people to the fact that depression is more than the blues. (SENSE)
7. Our...................... were down this week because the weather was so bad. (TAKE)
8. The program gives the facts but does not...................... blame. (PORTION)
9. Teachers have joined a strike aimed at forcing the government to pay…………..salaries and
allowances. (DUE)
10. Most people believe that the government dispenses...................... justice. (HAND)
WORD FORMS 2
Supply each gap with the correct form of the word given in the box.
surgeon infectious prosecute intestine attend
sick food notion hospital devote
TOO MUCH IN COMMON
Kathleen Bush and Yvonne Eldridge had a lot in common. First, both cared for children with
extremely complex medical problems: Jennifer Bush suffered from constant (1) ..................... problems,
and Eldridge’s two foster daughters had many ailments that left them weak and emaciated. Second, both
Bush and Eldridge spent most of their time taking their (2)..................... girls from doctor to doctor?
Jennifer was (3)..................... 200 times, and all three children had to undergo (4).....................to place (5)
..................... tubes into their stomachs. Third, both parents received the highest praise for their
(6).....................to their little charges. Bush was praised by Hilary Clinton at a 1994 White House rally,
while Eldridge was named (7)..................... “Mother of the Year” in 1988 by First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Yet (8) ..................... later discovered that Kathleen Bush and Yvonne Eldridge also shared a dark
secret. Bush and Eldridge were accused of having a strange psychiatric ailment called “Munchausen
syndrome by proxy" that made them manufacture the girls’ illnesses because of their own needs for
(9)..................... and sympathy. Bush deliberately poisoned and (10)..................... her daughter; Eldridge
starved her foster children and reported symptoms that never existed.
A WEB OF DECEIT
The term Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) coined around twenty years ago. Hundreds of
cases have been reported since then. For most cases, a mother either claims how her child is sick, or she
goes even further to actually make the child sick. This “devoted” parent then continuously takes the child
for medical treatment, always denies any knowledge of the origin of the problem - that is, herself. As a
result, MSBP victims may undertake extraordinary numbers of lab tests, medications, and even surgery
procedures that aren’t needed. For instance, by the age of eight, Jennifer Bush had more than 40
operations,
including the removal of much of her intestine. Other children are forced to spend almost every day of
their lives in the hospital or in the doctor’s office.
Rewrite the sentences with the given words or beginning in such a way that their meanings remain
unchanged.
1. It was the receptionist’s fault that we didn’t get the message.
The receptionist was ..........................................................................................
2. She thought she had paid the bill, but she hadn’t.
She was .............................................................................................................
3. It was only then that many of them thought about it.
Before................................................................................................................
4. In 1967 programs began to be transmitted in color.
1967 ..................................................................................................................
5. After leaving home, she walked to a spot near the motorway.
After leaving home, she made...........................................................................
6. I always had the feeling she was not pushing our friendship forward. (ARM)
....................................................................................................................................
7. One day, she suddenly announced that she was leaving. (BLUE)
.....................................................................................................................................
8. There's no one available at this moment to take her class. (NOTICE)
.....................................................................................................................................
9. Romania won all of the medals. (SWEEP)
.....................................................................................................................................
10. It all boils down to one thing - we need another ten thousand dollars to complete the project.
(BOTTOM)
.....................................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN THỊ MINH KHAI - SÓC TRĂNG
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (40 points)
1 .1-10 PHO NOL OGY
1. A. holy B. holly C. holey D. hole
2. A. charade B. chargeable C. chant D. charter
3. A. humor B. honesty C. hurricane D. hypothesis
4. A. dazzle B. daze C. datum D. dame
5. A. thyme B. thermal C. thesaurus D. thesis
6. A. chimpanzee B. diagram C. crocodile D. Dictaphone
7. A. poultry B. eyelid C. dictate D. gangster
8. A. telesales B. oppression C. slavery D. teenager
9. A. agency B. civilize C. charisma D. strategy
10. A. clementine B. eyewitness C. chaperone D. foreshorten
II. 11-20 WORD CHOICE
1. The carriage was………….by four horses.
A. tied B. rolled C. drawn D. driven
2. His………….for the local tennis club costs $ 10 a year.
A. subscription B. fee C. tax D. premium
3. The country has a large………….on its balance of payments.
A. extra B. addition C. overflow D. surplus
4. He read a book on the plane to………….away the time.
A. while B. throw C. absorb D. waste
5. Please………….the milk carefully, I don’t want it to boil over.
A. watch B. look at C. regard D. notice
6. That window needs a new………….of glass.
A. pane B. slice C. square D. mirror
7. The boy had a………….escape when he ran across the road in front of the bus.
A. close B. good C. narrow D. fine
8. He looked rather untidy as there were two buttons………….from his coat.
A. loosing B. losing C. off D. missing
9. As it had not rained for several months, there was a………….of water.
A. waste B. shortage C. drop D. loss
10. The exact questions she had prepared perfect answers for………….in the exam.
A. came out B. came in C. came through D. came up
III. 21-30 GRAMMA R AND STRUCTURES
21. “It was such a bargain; I wish it hadn’t fallen to bits.’’ - “ It was a waste of money,....................cheap
it was.”
A. however B. still C. yet D. but
22. “How about joining me on a skiing trip this week end?” - “Well, I really can’t take a holiday until
I .................... my thesis.”
A. am finished B. finished
C. will have finished D. have finished
23. “Where have you been, Mary?” - “Well, my tutor.................... some research into post graduate
studies.”
A. made me to do B. had me to do
C. got me to do D. put me do
24. “ Susan looks ready to cry.” - “It looks as if Peter....................her birthday again!”
A. has forgotten B. has been forgetting
C. had forgotten D. had been forgetting
25. It was unwise of David to make light of such a sensitive issue.” - “ Exactly.
No sooner.................... the joke than everyone got up and left.”
A. has he told B. had he told C. he told D. having told
26. The fire-fighter ordered....................the building at once.
A. to everyone evacuating B. evacuating
C. to be evacuated D. everyone to evacuate
27. Suppose she.................... that outrageous story circulating around the office; she’d be furious.
A. has heard B. had heard C. were heard D. would hear
28. “It’s a pity Sarah is still unemployed.” - “Yes, if only she.................... university.”
A. would have finished B. had finished
C. would finish D. finishes
29. “Jane is really conscientious, isn’t she?” - “Absolutely....................., she is very efficient.”
A. So B. All the same C. What is more D. Still
30. It’s high time you....................the balcony. It’s covered in leaves and dust.
A. to be cleaned B. cleaned C. had cleaned D. to have
cleaned
IV. 31-40 PREPOSITIONS - PARTICLES
Complete the following sentences with suitable prepositions or particles.
31. Mary was impatient....................the Christmas holidays to arrive.
32. Their school building is .................... repair, so they are having lessons in the old library.
33. She was ....................the point of leaving when the phone rang.
34. People was chosen....................random to try the new product.
35. Jam oozed.................... the doughnut when she bit into it.
36. The tomato seeds I planted in the spring haven’t come.................... yet.
37. The teacher reluctantly gave .................... to the students’ request to change the date of the exam.
38. He was against the plan at first, but they managed to talk him....................
39. Ann was told .................... by her father for coming home late.
40. I’ll stand ....................Ryan, no matter what people say about him.
V. 41-55 REA DING COMPREHENSION
You are going to read a newspaper article about singing in choirs. Six paragraphs have been
removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A-G the one which fits each gap (41-45). There
is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.
INTRODUCING CHORAL MUSIC TO CHILDREN IS LIKE OPENING A
DOOR TO A MAGICAL WORLD
Here’s an important question. What’s calming, therapeutic, healthier than drugs, and could well
prolong your life? Answer: singing in a choir.
41
In fairness, there was a specific angle to this study, which compared the collective experience of
choral singing to that of apparently win hands down, because there’s “a stronger sense of being part of a
meaningful group”, related to “the synchronicity of moving and breathing with other people”. And as
someone who since childhood has use singing as a refuge from the sports field, I take no issue with that.
42
I know there are occasional initiatives. From time to time I get invited as a music critic to the
launch of some scheme or other to encourage more collective singing among school-age children. There
as smiles and brave words. Then, six months later, everything goes quiet - until the next launch of the
next initiatives.
43
I know a woman who’s been crying hard to organize a performance of Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s
Fludde - perhaps the greatest work ever devised for young children to sing together - as a tribute to the
com poser’s centenary this year. But has she found her local schools responsive? Sadly not: it was all too
much trouble.
44
We sang Herbert Howell’s Like as the Hart. And whatever it did or didn’t do for my cardiovascular
system, my emotion health, or any of the other things that turn up in research papers it was the most
significant experience of my childhood. It opened a world to which 11-year-olds from unfashionable
parts of east London don’t generally het access. It was magical, transcendent. It spoke possibilities.
And that, for me, is what a choir can offer. All the physical and mental pluses are a happy bonus.
But the joy and thrill of access to that world of music is what counts.
The other weekend I was in Suffolk, celebrating Britten, where in fact there were a lot of children
privileged enough to be pulled into the centenary events. There was a great Noye’s Fludde in Lowestoft.
And on the actual birthday countless hordes of infant voices piled into Snape Makings to sing Britten’s
school songs, Friday Afternoons, part of a project that involved 100,000 other, internationally, doing
likewise.
45
Just think: if we could finally get Britain’s children singing, it would filter upwards. And we
wouldn’t need university researchers. We’d just do it, and be all the better for it.
A It was an extraordinary experience that many of B In fact, I have no argument with any of these
those children will carry with them all their lives, piles of research - bring them on, the more the
like my experience all those years ago. There a plan better - better because what they have to say is true.
for it to be repeated every year on Britten’s The only things I find annoying is that such an
birthday. But that will only happen if there are endlessly repeated truth results in relatively little
resources and sustained commitment (for a change). action from the kind of people who could put it to
C One of my enduring life regrets is that I never good use.
got the chance to take part in such an event as a D But being there was better. And as I was sitting
child. I guess I went to schools where it was near the choir - who were magnificent - I saw the
also too much trouble. But I did, just once, aged 11, faces of the boys and thought how fabulously
get the chance to go with a choir and sing at privileged they were to have this opportunity
Chelmsford Cathedral. given to them.
E The hard fact is that most state schools don’t F It’s not a new discovery: there are endless
bother much with singing, unless someone' in the dissertations on the subject, libraries of research,
hierarchies of government steps in to make it worth and
their while. They say they don’t have the resources celebrity endorsements. But people have short
or the time. And even when a worthwhile singing memories. So every time another academic paper is
project drops into their lap, they turn it down. published, it gets into the news - which was what
happened this week when Oxford Brookes
University came up with the latest “singing is good
for you” revelation.
PASSAGE 2
Read the passage below and choose the correct answers
For a long time, amphibians were confused with reptiles. Like retiles, they have three-chambered
hearts and are cold-blooded. Some amphibians, such as salamanders, are even shaped like lizards.
However, unlike reptiles, amphibians never have claws on their toes or scales on their bodies.
Furthermore, the eggs of amphibians lack shells, so they must be lid in water or moist places.
Amphibians were the first creatures to spend sizable amounts of their lives on land. The larvae of
most amphibians, such as frog tadpoles, are born with grills and live in water. However their grills
disappear as they develop lungs. Most retain the ability to breathe through the moist surface of their skin.
This comes in handy when they hibernate in the bottom mud of lakes and ponds during the coldest
months. They take in the small amount of oxygen they need through their skin. Some amphibians
undergo what is known as a “double metamorphosis” changing not only from, grill breathers to lung
breathers but also from
vegetarians to insectivores.
Although the amphibian class is rather small in number of species, it shows great diversity. There
are three major types. The caecilians of the tropics are long, legless burrowing creatures. Caudate
amphibians, such as newts and salamanders, mostly have long tails and stubby legs. Salientians, which
include both frogs and toads, are tailless as adults and have powerful hind legs. Toads differ from frogs
primarily in that they have dry, warty skin.
46. The author’s main purpose in writing this passage is to....................
A. define and describe amphibians
B. contrast different types of amphibians
C. trace the development of amphibians from larvae to adults.
D. explain how amphibians differ from other creatures
47. According to the passage, which of the following is not a characteristic of amphibians?
A. They have three-chambered hearts. B. They lay eggs without shells.
C. They have claws on their toes. D. They are cold-blooded.
48. “Scale” is closet meaning to ....................
A. devices used to measure weight.
B. plates covering the bodies of certain animals,
C. sounds made by various animals.
D. proportions between different sets of dimensions.
49. According to the passage, the term “double metamorphosis” refers to the fact that
amphibians ...............
A. first breathe through their gills, then through their lungs, then through their skin
B. change both the shape of their bodies and the way in which they lay eggs
C. first live in water, then on land, then in mud in the bottom of ponds and lakes
D. change both their methods of breathing and their feeding habits
50. It can be inferred from the passage that amphibians’ ability to breathe through their skin is especially
useful during the....................
A. summer B. fall C. winter D. spring
51. All of the following are identified in the passage as amphibians except....................
A. newts B. salamanders C. caecilians D. lizards
52. The word “stubby” is closet in meaning to ....................
A. long and thin B. undeveloped C. thick and short D. powerful
53. The word “they”' in the last sentence refers to....................
A. toads B. tails C. adults D. frogs
54. The word “sizable” is closet in meaning to ....................
A. condensed B. large C. whole D. small
55. Which detail can mostly be used to recognize a certain type of amphibians?
A. lungs B. skin C. legs D. gills
VI. 56-80 MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE TESTS
PASSAGE 1
The final years of secondary school are generally regarded as a fairly stressful period for students.
There are exams to (56)....................ready for, decisions about the future to be (57).................... and many
other aspects of growing up to come to (58).................... with. It may seem surprising, (59).................... ,
that students of this age have enough time an energy left for (60).................... relationships. For many,
however, such relationships (61).................... an important part of both their social life and their personal
development. But what are most teenagers (62)……………for in a high school romance?
For some, it’s the chance to (63).................... this wonderful period of discovery and adventure with
somebody else. They (64)...................., having a loyal friend who will be there to (65).................... by
them in times of need or difficulty. It’s also someone they can (66).................... their trust in, someone to
whom their deepest secrets can be (67)....................
For others, it’s an opportunity to experiment with emotions and ideas. (68)....................of being in a
relationship, they learn what it is like to feel committed to one other person. (69).................... a feeling of
security, such relationships can also give a (70).................... of what marriage must be like.
56. A. come B. set C. get D. learn
57. A. brought B. done C. had D. made
58. A. face B. terms C. rights D. agree
59. A. given B. although C. whether D. therefore
60. A. growing B. raising C. forming D. shaping
61. A. play B. result C. remind D.
recommend
62. A. wanting B. looking C. liking D. seeking
63. A. share B. join C. give D. know
64. A. approve B. appreciate C. identify D. relate
65. A. support B. remain C. stand D. return
66. A. mind B. let C. lay D. put
67. A. told B. said C. kept D. placed
68. A. Despite B. As a result C. Instead D. In case
69. A. As far as B. As long as C. As soon as D. As well as
70. A. sense B. thought C. slice D. touch
PASSAGE 2
COFFEE CULTURE
The other day I wanted a cup of coffee, so I popped into a bank. I sat in a soft armchair and
watched the world (71)...................., which, in this case, was the (72)....................for the services of the
bank clerks. I’m joking, of course, but this could soon be common in banks in big cities.
The (73)....................for “ real coffee” in Britain, like that for mobile phones, seem never-ending.
However, the (74)....................is that the attraction for many British people (75)....................not so much
in the coffee as in the “coffee culture” that surrounds it. This is to do with big, soft sofas and the idea that
you sit on one, you too can (76)....................the actors in the American TV comedy Friends.
In London, the first café opened in 1652. Men would (77)....................there, often at
(78)................... times during the day, to (79)....................news and gossip, discus (80)....................of the
day and do business. The café acted as offices and shops in which merchants and agents, clerks and
bankers could carry out their transactions.
71. A. fly past B. go by C. pass on D. walk along
72. A. queue B. line C. wait D. search
73. A. demand B. development C. claim D. supply
74. A. sense B. suspect C. suspicion D. style
75. A. leans B. lies C. occupies D. rests
77. A. bring B. fetch C. take D. gather
78. A. regular B. right C. correct D. perfect
79. A. give B. exchange C. offer D. establish
80. A. thoughts B. issues C. feelings D.
circumstances
B. WRITTEN QUESTIONS (70 points)
I .1-20 OPEN CLOZE TESTS
Read the texts below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE WORD for
each space.
PASSAGE 1
A SPORTING GOAL FOR WOMEN
Football is traditionally, a man ’s sport, but now the women are muscling in on their act, or so it
(1).................... So many top male footballers have been transferred (2).................... astronomical sums of
money that the game has been more a high-powered business that a sport. This is (3)....................the
women came in, more motivated, more interested in the game (4)....................than in promoting
themselves and generally better behaved both (5)....................and off the pitch. (6)....................a strong
contrast to (7)......... male counterpart’s greed and cynicism. Indeed, according to FIFA, the world football
governing body, the future of football belongs to women, and the organization has (8).................... out to
actively promote women’s football. Perhaps, in (9).................... of the fact that women are half of the
world’s population, this is how it should be. In the USA, many members of national women’s football
teams are (10).................... known than male footballers, and some professional female players in both
North American and Europe have attracted lucrative sponsorship deals.
PASSAGE 2
BEWARE OF VITAMINS!
Vitamins are good for our health, aren’t they? Perhaps not. New research suggests that rather than
ward off disease, high doses of certain vitamins may (11).................... more harm than good and could
even put you in an early grave. A variety of recent studies suggest that (12).................... from improving
health, these vitamins, (13).................... taken in very high doses, may actually increase the risks of
cancer and a range (14).................... deliberating diseases, a discovery that has sent the medical world
into a spin. Scientists are unsure (15).................... to why vitamins, so essential to health, can be toxic in
high doses. The most likely explanation is that the body is only equipped to deal with the levels found
naturally in the
environment. If the intake is too far (16)....................the normal range, then the body’s internal chemistry
can be shunted out of alignment. (17).................... this means is that the commercially sold vitamins and
(18).................... provided by nature are not always compatible. The commercial forms may interfere with
the body’s internal chemistry (19).................... “crowding out” the most natural and beneficial forms of
the nutrients. The vitamins obtained (20).................... food are also allied with a host of other substances
which may moderate or argument their activity in the body. The lasted advice is to eat a balanced diet to
ensure you get all the nutrients you need, and if you must take supplements make sure you take the lowest
recommended dose and follow the instructions on the bottle.
II. 21-40 WORD FORMATION
WHAT MAKES A CLOSE FRIEND
For all of us, close (0) personal (person) friends are important. Good friends are above all
(21).................... (rely) people who you can trust to keep a secret. If you have a problem to solve, or a
(22).................... (confess) to make, they will listen and given you (23).................... (help) advice. Their
(24).................... (generous) is such, that they do not expect anything in return, but they know with
(25)....................(certain) that you would do the same for them. Close friends are (26).................... (like)
ever to let you down or make you feel (27).................... (ridicule) when you tell them about your
problems. On the contrary they are a real source of (28)....................(strong)when you feel weak and in
need of support. They will tell you (29).................... (sincere) what they think, and help you find your
way out. As a result, your (30).....................(friend) will grow even stronger.
Make compounds using a word on the left with a word on the right. Then use them to complete the
sentences below.
barbed break last part out down
nursery open shake cut minded
turn short absent minute wire rhymes
spare up
31. You need to be more.................... and listen to new ideas.
32. We made a .................... booking on the internet and flew out the following day.
33. She thinks she’s too old to listen to .....................
34. We were a bit late, so I decided to take a ..................... What a silly idea that was?
35. There was an impressive.................... for the meeting -over 100, in fact.
36. I’m a bit worried about my grandmother - she’s getting rather....................
37. We need a .................... for the coffee machine - I’ll order one on the internet.
38. There’s been a management....................so I think things will start looking up soon.
39. If you have car.................... insurance, you can get help very quickly on the road.
40. The.................... is designed to keep the animals in and people out.
III. 41-50 ERROR CORRECTION
ON TO EVEREST
Line 1 After four years of backbreaking training and also preparation. The
2 Singapore Mt Everest Expedition Team is ready to mount the summit of
3 the world’s high peak in the next few weeks. In 1953, the Sir John Hunt
4 expedition has put two climbers on the summit. On this expedition, they
5 mounted the summit in the South Col route. The Singapore team will
6 attempt to retrace the same route as they begin their ascent. The idea to
7 climb Everest was first bring up in 1900.
8 The Singapore Mountaineering Federation, being established in 1993
9 and a permit for the climb was finally given in May 1994. The
10 Singapore Everest team, comprises eight climbers and a support team,
11 left for Katmandu in early March: a relative young team with the
12 average age of members being about 30 years old and whose members
13 come from all walk of life. The journey will be gruel and members are
14 fully aware of that they may not succeed, or worse, survive. Our hopes
15 and prayers will follow them.
IV. 51-60 SENTENCE TRANSFORM ATION
I. Finish each of the sentences in such a way that it means the same as the given one.
51. Dave had to cut in pay to keep from losing his job.
→ Dave’s salary ........................... ....................... ............................................ .
52. The students’ rebellious behaviours should have been severely punished.
→ The students deserved......................................................................................
53. It’s almost nine months since I stopped subscribing to that magazine.
→ I cancelled........................ ................................................................................
54. Only an unforeseen problem can stop the scheme now.
→ Nothing ...........................................................................................................
55. It doesn’t matter which chemical you put inti the mixture first. The results
will be the same.
→ It makes.............................................................................................................
II. Rewrite the following sentences using the given words. The given word must not be altered in
any way.
56. I never thought of borrowing money from him. (OCCURRED)
It .................................................................................. ........................ from him.
57. The boys hurled lots of snowballs at their next-door neighbor. (PELTED)
The boys .............................................................................................. snowballs.
58. We want to breathe new life into this project. (REJUVENATE)
We..........................................................................................................project.
59. This essay shows a slight improvement on the last. (MARGINALLY)
This essay.............................. ................................................................................
60. Jim knew he would have to go on the business trip at a moment’s notice. (POISED)
Jim.............................. ...........................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN TẤT THÀNH - KON
TUM
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40 POINTS)
I. PH ONO LOG Y (5 POINTS)
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. chronicle B. chorus C. orchard D. orchid
2. A. subsidy B. substantial C. undergraduate D. drugtaker
3. A. preferable B. derivation C. preparation D. preliminary
4.
A. recommend B. recollect C. reclaim D. recognitio
n
5. A. default B. decimal C. decay D. decent
6. A. Christianity B. temperamental C. experimental D.
Configuration
7. A. constituency B. constitution C. presentiment D. subsidiary
8. A. aborigine B. geographical C. undergraduate D. parallelism
10. A. anachronism B. simultaneous C. decaffeinated D.
exasperation
II. WORD CHOICE (5 POINTS)
11. Most people feel a slight......................of nostalgia as they think back on their schooldays.
A. feeling B. surge C. pang D. chain
12. The cost of a new house in the UK has become ...................... high over the last few years.
A. totally B. astronomically C. blatantly D. utterly
13. The entire staff was thrown off......................when the news of the takeover was announced.
A. composure B. disarray C. stable D. balance
14. Mr. Simkins is the big.....................in the company as he has just been promoted to the position of
Managing Director.
A. bread B. cheese C. apple D. meat
15. Of all entries received, his was.....................out for special raise.
A. isolated B. brought C. opted D. singled
16. I was in a.....................as to what to do. If I told the truth, he would get into trouble, but if I said
nothing I would be more in trouble.
A. doubt B. quandary C. hitch D. complexity
17. The matter has been left in ...................... until the legal ramifications have been explored.
A. recess B. suspension C. abeyance D. criticism
18. It was an extremely hostile article which cast......................on the conduct of the entire cabinet.
A. criticism B. aspersions C. disapproval D. abuse
19. He's so lazy! We all have to work harder because he's always...................... his duties.
A. evading B. shirking C. ducking D.
dodging
20. I found the information for the project in the encyclopedia but I couldn't give................and verse on it.
A. chapter B. unit C. poem D. extract
III. GRA MMAR AND STRUCTURES (5 POINTS)
21. Beth.................... all night working on her assignment as the tutor was absent the next day and an
extension was given.
A. needn’t have stayed up B. shouldn’t have stayed up
C. shouldn’t be staying up D. didn’t have to stay up
22. The monthly installment .................... at the end of the month without delay or else your car will be
confiscated
A. is to be paid B. is being paid C. is to be paying D. being paid
23. If Joanne hadn’t decided to stop working to look after her children, her medical practice....................
now.
A. would have thrived B. would be thrived
C. would have been thriving D. would be thriving
24. Legend.................... that Robin Hood fired an arrow from his dead-bed and was buried where the
arrow landed.
A. tells it B. says it C. makes it D. has it
25. She was at the....................of her fame when tragedy struck.
A. height B. point C. advantage D. profit
26. I used to dislike Ho Chi Minh City, but I now seem resigned.................... there.
A. to living B. from living C. living D. to live
27....................after the 2nd World War that test pilots first attempted to break the "sound barrier".
A. There was shortly B. Was it shortly C. Shortly D. It was
shortly
28...................., everyone in it would have been killed.
A. Were the plane to have taken off B. Had the plane not taken off
C. Should the plane take off D. Were the plane to be taking off
29. Can you recite the alphabet.................... ?
A. around B. reverse C. backwards D. returned
30. He should....................the blame for the delay because he forgot to place the order.
A. put B. take C. get D. declare
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS (5 POINTS)
31. I usually....................work at about 5.30, so I’m home by 6.30 most nights.
A. end up B. kick off C. knock off D. knuckle
down
32. We were walking through the woods when we.................... a trap set by hunters.
A. slipped up B. dug up C. chanced upon D. threw out
33. The small boat drifted helplessly.................... the mercy of the wind and waves.
A. in B. with C. to D. at
34. The staff can’t take leaves at the same time. They have to take holidays...................rotation.
A. on B. under C. by D. in
35. We have been really busy, but things are starting to slacken ....................now.
A. away B. off C. out D. on
36. We had an argument about it and she got al fired .....................
A. up B. on C. against D. away
37. In those days, doctors ladled ....................antibiotics to patients.
A. with B. out C. on D. in
38. We had to .................... pages of legal jargon before we could sign the contract.
A. wade through B. delve into C. dispense with D. blurt out
39. It is necessary to .................... this curse from their country.
A. flare up B. march on C. weed out D. fire away
40. This song is really .................... me.
A. growing on B. getting on C. picking up D. coming out
V. GUIDED CLOZE TEST (10 POINTS)
GUIDED CLOZE 1: (5 POINTS)
Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space.
SAVE MONEY ON THE BOOK THAT AIMS TO SAVE ANIMALS
Do you want to take part in the battle to save the world's wildlife? Animal Watch is a book which
will involve you in the fight for survival that (41)............many of our endangered animals and show how
they struggle on the (42)............of extinction. As you enjoy the book's 250 pages and over 150 color
photographs, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that part of your purchase money is being used to
help animals (43)............. From the comfort of your armchair, you will be able to observe the world's
animals close- up and explore their habitats. You will also discover the terrible results of human (44)........
for land, flesh and skins.
Animal Watch is packed with fascinating facts. Did you know that polar bears cover their black
noses with their (45)...........so they can hunt their prey in the snow without being seen, for example? Or
that for each orangutan which is captures, one has to die?
This superb (46).............has so (47).............. Britain's leading wildlife charity that it has been
chosen as Book of the Year, a (48).............awarded to books which are considered to have made a major
contribution to wildlife conservation. You will find animal Watch at a special low (49)............. price at all
good bookshops, but hurry while (50).............last.
41. A. meets B. opposes C. forces D. faces
42. A. edge B. start C. limit D. end
43. A. preserve B. conserve C. revive D. survive
44. A. greed B. interest C. care D. concern
45. A. feet B. claws C. paws D. toes
46. A. publicity B. periodical C. publication D. reference
47. A. imposed B. impressed C. persuaded D. admired
48. A. symbol B. title C. trademark D. nickname
49. A. beginning B. preparatory C. original D.
introductory
50. A. stoles B. stocks C. goods D. funds
GUIDED CLOZE 2: (5 POINTS)
Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space.
There is growing evidence that urbanization has a sharp (51).......................on climate, causing
changes that can wreak (52) ...................... on precipitation patterns that supply the precious resource of
water. The heavy amounts of heat and pollution rising from cities both delay and stimulate the fall of
precipitation, (53).................... some areas of rain while drenching others.
Cities are (54) .................... one to ten degrees warmer than surrounding underdeveloped areas.
Cities also produce large amounts of (55) ....................called aerosols, gaseous suspensions of dust
particles or byproducts from the (56 ).................... of fossil fuels. Both heat and aerosols change the
dynamics of
clouds. When hoisted up in the sky, the microscopic particles act as multiple surfaces on which the
(57)................... in clouds can condense as tiny droplets. This can prevent or delay the formation of larger
raindrops that fall more easily from the sky, or it can cause the rain to fall in another location.
In California, pollution blows eastward and causes a precipitation (58) ....................of around one
trillion gallons a year across the Sierra Nevada mountain range. (59).................... , in very humid cities,
such as Houston, heat and pollutants seem to (60) ............... . summer storm activity by allowing clouds
to build higher and fuller before releasing torrential rains.
51 A. impression B. impact C. influence D. affection
52 A. havoc B. damage C. chaos D. breakage
53 A. accusing B. mugging C. depriving D. avoiding
54 A. at most B. in majority C. in priority D. on average
55 A. filters B. fertilizers C. pollutants D. poisons
56 A. firing B. burning C. lighting D. flaming
57 A. moisture B. water C. wetness D. humidity
58 A. lack B. emptiness C. shortage D. inefficiency
59 A. Therefore B. Furthermore C. Otherwise D. By contrast
60 A. lessen B. invigorate C. fasten D. eliminate
VI. READING COMPR EHENSION
READING 1: (5 POINTS)
Read the following text and choose the best option to complete the blank or answer the question.
The ocean bottom- a region nearly 2.5 times greater than total land area of the Earth- is a
vast frontier that even today is largely unexplored and uncharted. Until about a century ago, the deep-
ocean floor was completely inaccessible, hidden beneath waters averaging over 3,6000 meters deep.
Totally without light
and subjected to intense pressures hundreds of times greater than at the Earth’s surface, deep-ocean
bottom is a hostile environment to humans, in some ways as forbidding and remote as the void of outer
space.
Although researchers have taken samples of deep-ocean rocks and sediments for over a century, the
first detailed global investigation of the ocean bottom did not actually start until 1968, with the beginning
of the National Science Foundation’s Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP). Using techniques first
developed
for the offshore oil gas industry, the Dad’s drill ship, the Glomar Challenger, was able to maintain a
steady position on the ocean’s surface and drill in very deep waters, extracting samples of sediments and
rock from the ocean floor.
The Glomar Challenger completed 96 voyages in a 15 - year research program that ended in
November 1983. During this time, the vessel logged 600,000 kilometers and took almost 20,000 core
samples of seabed sediments and rocks at 624 drilling sites around the world. The Glomar Challenger’s
core samples have allowed geologists to reconstruct what the planet looked like hundreds of millions of
years ago and to calculate what it will problem look like millions of years in the future. Today, largely on
the strength of evidence gathered during the Glomar Challenger’s voyages, nearly all earth scientists
agree on the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift that explain many of the geological processes
that shape the Earth.
The cores of sediment drilled by the Glomar Challenger have also yielded information critical to
understanding the world’s past climates . Deep-ocean sediments provide a climatic record stretching back
hundreds of millions of years, because they are largely isolated from the mechanical erosion and the
intense chemical and biological activity that rapidly destroy much land-based evidence of past climates.
This record has already provided insights into the patterns and causes of past climatic change-information
that may be used to predict future climates
61. The author refers to the ocean bottom as a “frontier” because it...................
A. attracts courageous explorers
B. is not a popular area for scientific research
C. is an unknown territory
D. contains a wide variety of life forms
62. The word “inaccessible” is closest meaning to ...................
A. unsafe B. unrecognizable C. unreachable D. unusable
63. The author mention outer space in the first paragraph because....................
A. techniques used by scientists to explore outer space were similar to those used in ocean
exploration.
B. it is similar to the ocean floor in being alien to the human environment
C. the Earth’s climate millions of years ago was similar to condition in outer space.
D. rock formations in outré space are similar to those found on the ocean floor
64. Which of the following is True of the Glomar Challenger ?
A. It has gone on over 100 voyages.
B. It made its first DSDP voyage in 1968.
C. It is a type of submarine.
D. It is an ongoing project.
65. The word “extracting” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ....................
A. locating B. analyzing C. removing D. breaking
66. The Deep Sea Drilling Project was significant because it was...................
A. attempt to find new sources of oil and gas
B. composed of geologists from all over the world
C. the first extensive exploration of the ocean bottom
D. funded entirely by the gas and oil industry
67. The word “strength” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to...................
A. endurance B. basis C. discovery D. purpose
68. The word “they” in the last paragraph refers to...................
A. years B. sediments C. climates D. cores
69. The DSDP can be said to be...................in terms of geological exploration.
A. of crucial importance B. a total flop
C. a great success D. a west of time and effort
70. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being a result of the Deep Sea Drilling
Project?
A. Geologists observed forms of marine life never before seen
B. Information was revealed about the Earth ’s past climatic changes.
C. Geologists were able to determine the Earth’s appearance hundreds of millions of years ago.
D. Two geological theories became more widely accepted by scientists.
READING 2: (5 POINTS)
A. Read the following pas sage and then choose from the list A -G given below the best phrase to fill
each of the spaces.
STAYING HEALTHY IN SPACE
The range of foods available to astronauts is vast, and great care is taken to ensure that it looks and
smells appetizing. Meals are organized to provide an average of 3,000 calories a day, which seems high
for living in an enclosed environment in which there is no gravity. But astronauts can expend a great deal
of
energy in doing the simplest things. For example, if they try to turn a handle, they turn themselves as
well. If they bend down to do up a shoelace, (71) ................Finding unusual ways of doing such ordinary
things uses up the excess calories. The space diet is balanced rather differently from a terrestrial diet. This
is to try
and compensate for changes that take place in the body during space flight. Bodily changes begin as soon
as astronauts go into space (72) ...................Among the most serious is calcium loss, which causes a
marked reduction in the mass and strength of bones. There is also a progressive loss of red blood cells.
What causes these effects is not known, (73)...................... The heart muscles, with no gravity to battle
against, start to waste away. The leg muscles start to waste away too, since walking, as done on Earth,
(74).............. Exercise also helps to reduce muscle wastage and is vital on very long flights. No one yet
knows the limit
of human endurance in space. If astronauts can withstand two years or more of continuous
weightlessness, then mankind’s dream of visiting other planets (75)……………
A. and the question must be answered before long-duration space-flight is really safe
B. and are quite noticeable after even a week
C. they start turning somersaults
D. and will never be known
E. which is rather more than astronauts really need
F. could become reality in the early decades of the next century
G. can only be done if astronauts put on their heavy spacesuits
B. You are going to read a newspaper article about sleep. Five paragraphs have been removed
from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A - F the one which fits each gap (76 - 80). There is
one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.
Tiredness, it is often claimed, has become the modern conditions. As the richer, busier countries have
grown, so sleeplessness and anxiety have also grown in the popular psyche. Research in the USA has
found 40 million Americans to be chronically affected, and some recent best-selling novels in Britain
have featured insomniacs as protagonists, or sleep-research laboratories as their settings.
76. ... ................................
Recently, a sleep researcher fried an experiment. He offered his subjects the opposite of the modern
routine. “I allowed them to sleep for up to 14 hours a night for a month. It took them three weeks to reach
an equilibrium of eight-and-a-quarter hours. That indicates a great rebound of sleep - sleep that they
hadn’t been getting.
77 .................................................
For guinea pigs, they advertise in the student newspapers. Subjects are picked up by taxi, paid $ 5 an
hour, and asked to adjust their sleeping patterns according to instructions. Dr. Louise Reyner provides
reassurance: “Some people are quite worried, because you’re putting electrodes on their heads, and they
think you can see what they’re dreaming or thinking.”
78 ............................................. .
The young men all deny they are going to fall asleep. Dr. Reyner has a video recording of one trying not
to. At first the person at the wheel is very upright, wet and bleary eyes determinedly fixed on the
windscreen. Then he begins to blink briefly, every now and again; then for longer, and more often, with a
slight drop of the head. Each nod grows heavier than the last. The blinks become a 10-second blackout.
Every time, he jerks awake as if nothing has happened. But the car, by the second or third occasion, has
shot off the
carriageway.
79 ..........................................
But apart from these findings, what else do we know about human sleep with any kind of certainty? It is
known that humans sleep, like other mammals, according to a daily cycle. Once asleep, they switch
between four different stages of unconsciousness, from stage one sleep, the shallowest, to the stage
four, the deepest. When dreams occur, which is usually during the lightest sleep, the brain paralyses the
body except for the hands and eyelids, thus preventing injuries.
80 ...........................................
However, there is a strong degree of certainty among scientists that women sleep for half an hour longer
than men, and that older people require less sleep, though they don’t know why. When asked what sleep
is for, some sleep researchers reply in cosmic terms: “Sleep is a tactic to travel through time without
injury.”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
A. Beyond this, certainties blur into theories. It is often suggested, for example, that sleep repairs body
tissue, or restores muscles, or rests the frontal section of the brain that controls speech and creativity. But
all of this may happen more quickly during relaxed wakefulness, so no one is really sure.
B. Part of this interest is in sleep in general: in its rhythms, its uses and in problems with sleeping. But a
central preoccupation remains. “People need more sleep,” says one leading sleep researcher. “People cut
back on sleep when they’re busy. They get up too early to avoid rush hour.”
C . The sleep researchers seems interested in this theory. But the laboratory is not funded to investigate
such matters. Its sponsors what its research to lead to practical solutions such as deciding where Take a
break signs should be placed on motorways, and how different kinds of food and drink can affect driving
and sleeplessness.
D. A coffee might have helped. Two cups, Dr. Reyner says, even after no sleep at all, can make you a
safe driver for half an hour or more. She recommends a whole basket of alertness products: tablets,
energy drinks, caffeinated chewing gum. Shift workers, she is quite sure, could probably use them.
E. In fact, the laboratory’s interest is more physical. In a darkened room stands a motorway simulator, the
front section of a car facing a wide projection screen. The subjects are always told to arrive at 2pm, in the
body’s natural mid-afternoon lull, after a short night’s sleep or no sleep at all. The projector is switched
on and they are asked to drive, while answering questions. An endless road rolls ahead, sunlight glares;
and the air is warm.
F. In Europe, such propositions are perhaps most thoroughly tested in a small, unassuming building on a
university campus in the English midlands. The university sleep research laboratory has-investigated,
among many subjects, the effects of fatigue on. sailors, the effects of airport noise on sleepers, and the
dangers of motorway driving for flagging drivers.
B. WRITTEN TEST (70 POINTS)
I. OPE N CLOZE TEST (20 POINTS)
each space.
CLOZE TEST 1: (10 POINTS)
MOBILE PHONE THROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Mobile Phone Throwing Championships (0) are held every year in Finland, the birthplace of
the first mobile phone, which was more (1).................size of a small briefcase than tiny accessories
(2)............. today. When the championships first took place in 2000 there were (3)................... mere 30
competitors, but now the championship attracts well (4).................. 100 people from around the world, all
of (5) ................ boiling over with frustration at one of the past century’s most influential inventions.
The competition is divided (6)................... two sections, contested by teams and individuals. The
original category is judged simply on length of throw, but in the freestyle event competitors win one
points awarded (7)................. notable performances during the run-up. (8). .............. some competitors
use their own handsets, more betray a grudging dependence on their phone (9) .................selecting a
missile from a large range of second-hand phones (10)..................are supplied by the organizers.
CLOZE TEST 2: (10 POINTS)
Phoenix-like from amidst the ecological ashes comes as a story of hope. At dawn, on a usually
deserted beach on the Greek island of Cephalonia, crowds compete (11) ................journalists and
television crews, gathered together to witness the arrival of something rather special.
Four years ago, eggs (12)............... by the rare Loggerhead turtle were found in a nest on this very
beach. It was judged by expert that it was too late in the season for the hatchings to have any
(13).............of survival in the wild, so action was taken. The British charity, Care for the Wide, decided to
fly eggs back to Southampton University and attempt to hatch them under special conditions in
incubators. All four eggs hatched successfully and it was decided that when they were four years old,
they were (14)..................of surviving in the wild. They were returned to the remote beach, which
remains unmolested by the ravages of tourism, and released in (15).................. of an audience of excited
well-wishers. An example, one night say, of positive human intervention in the process of natural
selection!
However, their fight for survival is far from over. The Loggerhead turtle is one of the (16)................
endangered species of all. It has inhabited the earth for approximately ninety million years and is now
facing a man-made threat which has put its survival in precarious (17)................. . The turtles can live as
long as one hundred years but they don’t even begin to (18).................characteristics of their gender until
they rich thirty. Effectively, our four heroes will have to struggle for another quarter of a century until
they begin to fight back and fulfill some of the hopes invested (19). ................. them. In that time, they
will be forced to resist not only natural threats, but also dangers imposed on them by fishing industry and
tourist development. Their chances are slim to say the least, but it is hoped that their story might
(20) ............ awareness of the plight of the turtles.
II. WORD FORMATION (20 POINTS)
PART 1: (10 POINTS)
Use the right form of the words given in capitals to complete the sentences below. Write your
answers in the box provided.
1. Unfortunately, many people are still worrying........... of the facts about AIDS. (IGNORE)
2. There are ............... versions of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, but this recording is by far the best I’ve heard.
(COUNT)
3. We’ll have to walk to the village - it’s ..................to cars. (ACCESS)
4. We have discussed these problems on ............... occasions and still nothing has been decided.
(NUMBER)
5. Not ........................... perhaps, sales of air conditioning systems increased considerably during the
recent hot spell. (SURPRISE)
6. Bed of Rose, widely seen as the finest .................... work about the period, was published in 1976.
(LITERATE)
7. After several ............... attempts, he finally passed his driving test in June last year. (SUCCEED)
8. A ................study of farming procedures in fifteen African countries has just been published.
(COMPARE)
9. Unemployment rose .....................last year. (DRAMA)
10. As a special ....................offer, there is a 10% discount on all kitchen units in the new range.
(INTRODUCE)
PART 2: (10 POINTS)
Choose and write the correct form of the words in the box to finish the following passage.
botany reveal molecule please compare
evolution pollinate ordinary distant like
RAFFLESIA
Rafflesia is a rare parasitic plant species found in Southeast Asia. Rafflesia has been (11)..................
to a fungus because it lacks chlorophyll and is incapable of photosynthesis. Perhaps the only part
of Rafflesia that is discernible as distinctly plant-like is the flower, which is said to be the world ’s
largest.
Many (12 ).................have been keen to discover why the flower is so large, so they recently
conducted (13).................analysis on the plant. This resulted in the (14 )................. that it has evolved
almost 80 times from its origin as a tiny bud to today’s seven-kilo mega-bloom. Although this
(15).............. transformation took tens of millions of years, such an (16)...................... spurt is still one of
the most dramatic size changes ever reported. Such growth rates in humans would be (17)................. to us
being 146 meters tall today.
The plant is also unusual in another way. Its smell is extremely (18).................but this horrible trait
attracts such (19).................. . as flies. It is thought that Rafflesia’s huge flower helps radiate the smell
over long (20) ......................
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 POINTS)
The passage below contains 10 mistakes. Identify and correct them.
THE MUSEUM OF ADVERTISEMENT AND PACKA GEING
In the heart of the historical city of Gloucester, visitors can experience a sentimental journey back
through the memories of their childhood, all brought vividly to life again at the Museum of Advertising
and Packaging. The result of one man’s enthusiastic, the museum is the production of twenty five years’
research and collecting by Robert Opie. This true remarkable collection, the largest of its type in the
world, now numbers some 300,000 items relating to the evolution of our consumer society. The including
of packets, tins, bottle and signs shows the variety which was introduced into the shops. For this reason,
the
colorful exhibit is called a Century of Shopping History. The change in shopping habits is in part
attributive to the development of the persuasion power of advertising, together with increasing advanced
technology.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION. (20 PO INTS)
Rewrite the following sentences with the given words in such a way that the second sentence has the
same meaning as the first one. Do not change the form of the given words. You must use between
three and eight words, including the word given.
1. They were never aware of any moment that something was wrong. TIME
At …………………………………………………….. that something was wrong.
2. It’s difficult to answer her question adequately. A
Hers……………………………………………………..answer adequately.
3. Being in prison seems to have changed Kevin’s behavior for the better. LEAF
Kevin has ……………………………………………………..he got out of prison.
4. She just managed to see the Queen as she went past in her carriage. GLIMPSE
I just…………………………………………………….. the Queen as she went past in her carriage.
5. We were lucky to find somewhere to park so quickly. STROKE
It was…………………………………………………….. somewhere to park so quickly.
6. The modern factory doesn’t look right in the countryside, surrounded by fields and hedges. PLACE
The modern factory …………………………………………………….. in the countryside,
surrounded by fields and hedges.
7. Everyone knows that Janet hates insects. AVERSION
Janet’s ……………………………………………………..well known.
8. I didn’t want to give up while some hope of success remained. DEFEAT
I was loath……………………………………………………..some hope of success.
9. The police have put a barrier around the building to keep people out. CORDONED
The building…………………………………………………….. police.
10. I can’t cope at all with my new job, and that bothers me. DEPTH
I wish……………………………………………………..my new job.
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN QUANG DIỆU - ĐỒNG THÁP
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40 PTS
I. PHONOLOGY (5PTS)
1. A. carriages B. whistles C. assures D. costumes
2. A. fungicide B. inductive C. mustard D. mutinous
3. A. suggestion B. initiative C. confidential D. demotion
4. A. niche B. machete C. monarch D. gauche
5. A. hazard B. bombard C. custard D. mustard
6. A. pedant B. abscond C. lupine D. cognate
7. A. referendum B. attenuate C. encomium D. virility
hypersensitive
9. A. photograph B. payroll C. accent D. regretful
10. A. habitable B. infamously C. geneticist D. communes
II. WORD CHOICE (5 PTS):
11. There has been a slight, improvement in his health, but he is not out of the …………….. yet.
A. forests B. woods C. mountain D. cave
12. She is a very dominant woman; she certainly has her husband under her …………….
A. head B. finger C. thumb D. hand
13. Do you think your family members would…………… ranks if criticized?
A. close B. bridge C. order D. join
14. He is tough, ambitious, and he is nobody’s …………… - He is our best hope as a manager.
A. boss B. slave C. maid D. fool
15. She bought that ugly big house because she has got more money than…………….
A. sense B. mind C. thought D. reason
16. Going on this diet has really …………… me good. I've lost weight and I feel fantastic!
A. made B. taken C. done D. had
17. Dr. Parker gave my mum a lovely …………… for spaghetti carbonara.
A. recipe B. prescription C. receipt D. paper
18. The first sign of vitamin A disorder is night……………
A. loss of sight B. lack of vision C. invisibility D. blindness
19. As a model, you have to …………… the art of walking in high heels.
A. master B. grasp C. study D. gain
20. They are bring in …………… changes to the way the office is run.
A. large B. radical C. deep D. immense
21. The leaves of the white mulberry provide food for silkworms…………… silk fabrics are woven
A. whose cocoons B. from cocoons
C. whose cocoons are from D. from whose cocoons
22. He’ll be very upset if you……………his offer of help.
A. turn away B. turn from C. turn down D. turn against
23. As…………… in Greek and Roman mythology, harpies were frightful monsters that were half
woman and half bird.
A. described B. to describe C. description D. describing
23. She’s got a new job. She’s been put in …………… of the Loans Department in the bank.
A. control B. authority C. power D. charge
25. …………… is that a chicken stands up to lay its eggs.
A. Because many people don’t realize B. That many people don’t realize
C. It is that many people don’t realize D. What many people don ’t realize
26. Prices continued to rise while wages remained low …………… the Government became increasingly
unpopular.
A. on condition that B. with the result that
C. provided that D. in order that
27. My arm hurt so much I felt sure I …………… it.
A. should have broken B. must have broken
C. might have broken D. ought to have broken
28. …………… sighting an approaching car, some drivers tend to speed up.
A. When slowing down instead of B. Instead when slowing down at
C. When instead of slowing down D. Instead of slowing down when
29. On his desk……………, which he usually sits in front of and looks at.
A. stood the picture of us B. it is the picture of us
C. standing the picture of us D. stands the picture of us
30. It is necessary that the problem……………solved right away.
A. would be B. might be C. be D. is
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS (5PTS)
Choose the best option to complete each of the following sentences.
31. He’ll be very upset if you……………. his offer of help.
A. turn in B. turn away C. turn down D. turn against
32. She was overwhelmed with honor……………. recognition……………. her bravery.
A. with/of B. on/in C. by/about D. in/of
33. I hope this headache……………. soon.
A. goes out B. comes away C. wears off D. passes away
34. The interviewees are supposed to give their answers to the job offers……………..
A. on the spot B. all in all C. beyond the joke D. with in
reach
35. We have…………….into your claim of wrongful dismissal but can find nothing to support it.
A. probed B. looked C. examined D. investigated
36. When he suddenly ……………. the subject of genetic engineering, there was an embarrassed silence.
A. took over B. showed up C. brought up D. came up with
37. Time was ……………. and we were nowhere near finished.
A. cracking on B. bringing down C. going down with D. letting down
38. I would like to thank you, ……………. everyone who was rescued.
A. in case of B. in common with C. on behalf of D. by means of
39. The weather was fine, and everyone was ……………. the coast.
A. going in for B. making for C. joining in D. seeing about
40. I must……………. my Spanish before I go to Seville.
A. make up for B. break out of C. brush up on D. cut out
for
V. READING PASSAGE 1 (5 PTS)
THE CREATORS OF GRAMMAR
No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex. By changing word
sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny
variations in meaning. We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or
is soon to
take place, and perform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in meaning. Nor is this
complexity inherent to the English language. All languages, even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes have
clever grammatical components. The Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between
'you and I', 'several other people and I’ and 'you, another person and I’. In English, all these meanings are
summed up in the one, crude pronoun 'we'. Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language,
no matter how widespread it is. So the question which has baffled many linguists is - who created
grammar?
At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how gram mar is
created, someone needs to be present at the time of a language's creation, documenting its emergence.
Many historical linguists are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier languages, but in
order to
answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the researcher needs to observe how
languages are started from scratch. Amazingly, however, this is possible.
Some of the most recent languages evolved due to the Atlantic slave trade. At that time, slaves from
a number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under colonizer's rule. Since they had no
opportunity to learn each other's languages, they developed a make-shift language called a pidgin.
Pidgins
are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner. They have little in the way of grammar,
and in many cases it is difficult for a listener to deduce when an event happened, and who did what to
whom. [A] Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to make their meaning understood. [B]
Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to
be exposed to it at the time when they learn their mother tongue. [C] Slave children did not simply copy
the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted their words to create a new, expressive language.
[D] Complex grammar systems which emerge from pidgins are termed creoles, and they are invented by
children. Further evidence of this can be seen in studying sign languages for the deaf. Sign languages are
not simply a series of gestures; they utilise the same grammatical machinery that is found in spoken
languages. Moreover, there are many different languages used worldwide. The creation of one such
language was documented quite recently in Nicaragua. Previously, all deaf people were isolated from
each other, but in 1979 a new government introduced schools for the deaf. Although children were taught
speech and lip reading in the classroom, in the playgrounds they began to invent their own sign system,
using the gestures that they used at home. It was basically a pidgin. Each child used the signs differently,
and there was no consistent grammar. However, children who joined the school later, when this inventive
sign system was already around, developed a quite different sign language. Although it was based on the
signs of the older children, the younger children's language was more fluid and compact, and it utilised a
large range of grammatical devices to clarify meaning. What is more, all the children used the signs in the
same way. A new creole was born.
Some linguists believe that many of the world's most established languages were creoles at first.
The English past tense -ed ending may have evolved from the verb 'do'. 'It ended' may once have been 'It
end-did'. Therefore it would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly created by
children.
Children appear to have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which springs to life when they are
first trying to make sense of the world around them. Their minds can serve to create logical, complex
structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy.
41. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherokee language?
A. To show how simple, traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures.
B. To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar.
C. To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees.
D. To demonstrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language.
42. What can be inferred about the slaves' pidgin language?
A. It contained complex grammar.
B. It was based on many different languages.
C. It was difficult to understand, even among slaves.
D. It was created by the land-owners.
43. All the following sentences about Nicaraguan sign language are true EXCEPT:
A. The language has been created since 1979.
B. The language is based on speech and lip reading.
C. The language incorporates signs which children used at home.
D. The language was perfected by younger children.
44. In paragraph 3, where can the following sentence be placed?
It included standardised word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the pidgin
language, nor the language of the colonizers.
A. B. C. D.
45. 'From scratch' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
A. from the very beginning B. in simple cultures
C. by copying something else D. by using written information
46. ‘Make-shift’ in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:
A. complicated and expressive B. simple and temporary
C. extensive and diverse D. private and personal
47. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the highlighted sentence?
Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.
A. All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain grammar.
B. Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little.
C. Languages which contain a lot of grammar are more common that languages that contain a little.
D. The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved.
48. All of the following are features of the new Nicaraguan sign language EXCEPT:
A. All children used the same gestures to show meaning.
B. The meaning was clearer than the previous sign language.
C. The hand movements were smoother and smaller.
D. New gestures were created for everyday objects and activities.
49. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph?
A. English was probably once a creole.
B. The English past tense system is inaccurate.
C. Linguists have proven that English was created by children.
D. Children say English past tenses differently from adults.
50. Look at the word 'consistent' in paragraph 4. This word could best be replaced by which of the
following?
A. natural B. predictable C. imaginable D. uniform
VI. READING PASSAGE 2 (5PTS)
Nine-year-old Naomi Gray is like many British children in that when she gets home from school, she loves
to lose herself in a Harry Potter book. What makes her different is that she will have chatted to her school
friends in French on the bus home, and spent her day with them learning her lessons in Breton.
Naomi is the daughter of Jane and Dug Gray, a translator and a stone-mason who live in Finistere,
the heart of Celtic Brittany in north-west France. They have opted not to bring up their three children bi-
lingually in French and English, but tri-lingually, by enrolling them in Brittany’s educational system,
Diwan, whereby all lessons, bar English and French, are taught in Breton. Around 3,000 children in
Brittany are educated via this immersion method that has played an important role in the revival of the
Breton language.
Jane admits that the decision was controversial: “Other British parents said: How dare you do
that? Don’t your children have enough to take on?" But she had seen how quickly the girls absorbed
French: “I felt sure they could take in another language”. The girls’ father, Dug, admits to being envious
of their
abilities. “After 16 years in France, I’m comfortable with the language, but the kids still pick me upon my
pronunciation and grammar mistakes,” he says.
It was once thought that forcing a child to learn more than one language could slow academic
development but according to Professor Colin Baker, a world expert on bi-lingualism, the effect is the
opposite. The evidence is that bi- and tri-lingualism actually increase mental capacity and that multi-
lingual children tend to do better at school. “The latest research shows that in intelligence tests, children
with two or more well-developed languages have higher scores,” he says. “Bi-lingual children have two
or more words for objects and ideas, so the links between words and concepts are looser, allowing more
fluent, flexible and creative thinking.” He adds that children learning languages young also tend to have
more confidence and better general communication skills.
Professor Tony Cline is an educational psychologist specialising in language development in
children. He says, “We used to think [the brain] had a limited capacity, like a milk bottle, and that it was
impossible to pour two pints of milk into a pint bottle. Now we understand that our brains are capable of
making an
infinite number of connections; there is no limit to what we can take in.” He concedes that there might be
minor disadvantages in having a bi- or tri-lingual childhood: “The child sometimes applies the rules of
one language to another, and so makes mistakes - but these grammatical “errors” are soon outgrown, as
long as the child is exposed to good models of language.”
It seems that by giving your child the option of becoming multi-lingual, you are offering them far
more than just the acquisition of a foreign language. That certainly seems to be the case for the Gray
girls. All three are getting top grades at school and are literate in three languages. Naomi has also
successfully taken on German, where she is a proof that bi-lingualism increases language-learning
aptitude. Says Prof. Cline: “Multi-lingual children pick up other languages quickly because they have a
more flexible approach and are used to handling different forms of syntax, grammar and vocabulary.”
Jane thinks her daughters have gained more than just language; they have also gained culturally. In
fact, the girls are all enthusiastic about Breton culture: Naomi does extracurricular Breton step dancing
and loves singing in Breton and attending dance evenings known as fest-noz while Nina takes part in the
Breton
sport of Gouren, a form of Celtic wrestling. Says Prof. Baker: “Multi-lingual children gain the benefits of
multiple sets of literatures, traditions, ideas, ways of thinking and behaving.”
And, he stresses, if parents have the opportunity to give their child the gift of another language,
they should jump at it. Because in today’s global marketplace, on top of all the above, multi-linguals are
far more employable than monolingual. “I find it a great shame that languages don’t have a higher place
in
the classroom in the UK because English is a mainstream language of business but, in the future, that is
going to change.”
51. What does the writer say about the school that Naomi attends?
A. It is helping Breton to regain its popularity.
B. Both English and French are taught,
C. All of the lessons are taught in Breton.
D. The pupils are all fluent in three languages.
52. Some people criticised the Grays for..................
A. not encouraging their children to learn French
B. helping to promote a minority language
C. not sending their children to a British school
D. expecting too much of their children
53. Dug Gray says that his children...................
A. need to improve their French pronunciation
B. are not as fluent in French as they would like to be
C. sometimes correct him in his use of French
D. would like to learn another language
54. Professor Baker says that, compared to other children, multi-lingual children..................
A. work harder at school
B. tend to do better in examinations
C. have a less rigid way of thinking
D. are generally more talkative
55. Professor Cline uses the example of the milk bottle to illustrate..................
A. our knowledge that the brain has limitations
B. a previous way of thinking about the brain
C. the link between brain size and intelligence
D. how much language can be stored in the brain
56. What does Professor Cline say about mistakes made by multi-lingual children?
A. They are only apparent in childhood.
B. They are only a temporary issue, given the right conditions.
C. They usually only occur in one of the child’s languages.
D. They can increase in number as the child grows older.
57. Naomi’s experience is presented as evidence that multi-lingual children...................
A. enjoy taking part in group activities
B. integrate easily into any new cultural environment
C. take advantage of opportunities they are offered
D. are better equipped to learn foreign languages
58. What does “it” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. the opportunity B. their child
C. the gift D. another language
59. What is NOT true about the three children of Jane and Dug Gray?
A. They attend the same school.
B. They can speak three languages well.
C. They don’t like Breton culture.
D. One of them enjoys reading Harry Potter.
A. Children should only learn one language.
B. Multi-lingualism is beneficial for children.
C. Multi-lingual children can do better at school.
D. Multi-linguals have higher chance to get a job.
VII. GUIDED CLOZE 1 (5PTS)
THE NEW BRITISH LIBRARY
Originally commissioned years ago, the new British Library was supposed to open in 1990.
However, the project has, been (61).....................by political infighting, poor planning and financial
problems. The most recent setback came in June when inspectors discovered that 60 miles of new metal
shelving had started to rust and needs to be (62) ................ That would (63) ..................the opening of the
project’s first phase for another two years. “Things has gone from bad to worse.” Said Brian Lake,
secretary of the Regular Readers, an association of writers and scholars who are not happy with plans for
the new library. “It is a grand national project that has become a great national scandal.”
It sounded like a splendid idea when the government unveiled its $164 million project in 1978.
Sophisticated electronic (64)................... would help keep the library’s irreplaceable stock at an optimal
temperature and humidity. A computer-controlled delivery system would provide books to readers within
minutes of a (65).....................rather than days. And to (66) ..................... other needs of the reading
public, the library would also include (67) .....................galleries, a restaurant and a conference hall.
That was the plan, anyway . The start of construction was delayed until 1982 by arguments about
planning and by a (68).....................of government. Four years later, members of cabinet ordered a
(69) ................... report and discovered that the committee responsible for (70).....................the project
hadn’t met in four years.
61. A. delayed B. bothered C. infected D. restricted
62. A. substituted B. replaced C. abandoned D. rejected
63. A. distract B. destroy C. postpone D. postdate
64. A. items B. computers C. equipment D. tools
65. A. reservation B. demand C. wish D. request
66. A. fit B. serve C. bring D. obey
67. A. demonstration B. exposition C. exhibition D. show
68. A. variation B. difference C. shift D. change
69. A. progress B. progression C. progressive D. progressing
70. A. guarding B. supervising C. overlooking D. watching
VIII. GUIDED CLOZE 2 (5PTS)
Some famous places are disappointing: dirty, cramped, and a bit of a cliché. But there are others
(71)............ even though you've seen every television programme ever made about it, are every
(72) .......... as wonderful as you'd imagined. The Grand Canyon is one of these and so, despite being next
door to a main road, is Stonehenge. Another is Venice which, in its entirety, (73) ............ a great work of
art, each decaying aspect revealing an (74) ....... glimpse of water or startling architecture, each individual
building or piazza (75) ............ an exquisite sense of proportion. I return to Venice every so often in the
course of my work and on each of these occasions I have found something new to (76)............. at. Alarm
cries about how (77)............. this can last are sounded every now and then each time the water levels rise.
But the fact that this city is (78)............. into the sea seems to add to its romantic atmosphere. Far more
serious is the depopulation, for it seems that just about every week another family leaves. Since 1945
more than half the
population of Venice' has moved to the mainland. The rich (79) ............ the great palazzos along the
Grand Canal and visit every once in a while, but leave the windows dark for the rest of the time. Mass
tourism threatens (80) ......... very structure of the city. It is a sad victim of its own success.
71. A. then B. which C. these D. those
72. A. bit B. piece C. portion D. fragment
73. A. retains B. remains C. keeps D. maintains
74. A. unforeseen B. unexpected C. unimaginable D. unbelievable
75. A. concealing B. exhibiting C. displaying D. presenting
76. A. marvel B. compliment C. praise D. stare
77. A. far B. much C. often D. long
78. A. emerging B. drowning C. falling D. sinking
79. A. have B. own C. hold D. master
80. A. a B. this C. the D. that
B. WRITTEN TEST (70PTS)
L CLOZE TEST: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only
ONE WORD for each space.
LEARNING BODY LANGUAGE
Throughout history people have always communicated with one another, not only by (1).................
but also by movements of the hands and body. It is, however, only in the last few years that these aspects
of communication have been studied widely. This type of communication is known as body language or
(2).................communication.
People sometimes wonder if you can learn how body language works. It is of course possible to
read books on the subject but you also need to spend time (3)................. people’s movements. A railway
station is a particularly good place for such observation, as here people can be seen (4).................
expressing eagerness, sorrow, delight, impatience and many other human (5) ................. by means of
movement.
If you turn (6)................. the sound on your television set and try to understand what is happening
simply by watching the picture you will learn even more about communication (7) ................. words. By
turning the sound back up every five minutes or so, it is possible to check how (8)................. your
understanding is.
Having studied the art of body language you will have a definite advantage at a (9)................. party.
You will be able to sit on your (10)................. for the whole evening and thoroughly enjoy yourself by
both watching and interpreting the body language of all the other people there.
Man is a unique being. He is (11).................from all other creatures in that he does not merely form
part of the environment. Man reshapes his environment (12)................. will to suit his purposes. He does
not have a natural habitat and is able to adapt (13)................. to living in different environments. Among
the many ways in which Man has changed his environment are the building of cities and roads, the
(14)............. of land for farming and the reclaiming of land from the sea. (15)................. some of the
changes are harmless, some are extremely harmful to the environment.
An example of a harmful consequence of Man's actions is (16)................. of pollution. Through the
use of scientific knowledge and advanced technology, Man has increased his well-being and life
(17)........... In the process, (18) ................., he has also brought about the growing problem of worldwide
pollution. One of the main sources of air pollution is motor vehicles. Gases emitted from the car
(19)................. do contain many chemicals, which are harmful to people, animals and plants. Industry
also contributes significantly to the pollution of the environment. There is no majority city in the world
today in which we can breathe fresh, clean (20).................. It is, therefore, important for us to be
environment-conscious and avoid actions, which bring about harmful effects to our environment.
II. WORD FORMAT ION (20PTS)
There is little to disagree about in the notion that a good voice, whether in opera or rock music, is
one that moves its audience and brings a sense of release and fulfilment to the singer. But contemporary
pop and rock music have come about due to (21. SUBSTANCE)................. advances in technology.
Here, the impact of the microphone should not be (22. ESTIMATE)................. , as it has (23.
ABLE)................. the magnification of quiet, intimate sounds. This, in turn, allows, the singer to
experiment with the (24.EMPHATIC).................on mood rather than on strict (25. ADHERE).................
to proper breathing
and voice control.
Donna Soto-Morettin, a rock and jazz vocal trainer, feels that (26. AN ATOMY)................. reasons
may account for the rasp y sound produced by certain rock singers. Her (27. SUSPECT) ................. is
that swollen vocal chords, which do not close properly, may allow singers to produce deeper notes. She
does not, however, regard this as detracting (28. NOTICE).................from the value of the sound
produced. Singing, she maintains, has an almost (29. SEDUCE)................. quality and so our response to
it has more
(30. SIGNIFY)................. than its technical qualities.
disaster company celebrate skill consider
explain contribute pain expert surprise
On holiday last year my two travelling (31)......................and I joined a day’s cookery course in a
Mexican restaurant. There were eight participants, all keen to learn the secrets of the nation’s cuisine. The
students ranged from people who already had some (32)...................... in the kitchen, to totally
(33).............. people like myself.
Our teacher, Liana Cabrera, started with a short talk, then handed out some notes giving
(34)............. of terms we would be coming across. Soon we were trying out a range of exotic ingredients,
with (35)..........
good results. Cabrera started giving cookery lessons five years ago, and has become quite a
(36)................., with long waiting lists for her courses. And because of her extensive knowledge of
almost- forgotten regional dishes she is also a regular (37)...................... to cookery programmes on
national television.
In the afternoon I joined the salsa-making team, with rather (38)......................results. My
colleagues complained that my food was so (39)......................hot it mad e their eyes water. Their own
efforts turned out (40)......................better than mine.
The communal meal at the end of the day was delicious, and I had not only learnt something about
cooking but also broadened my understanding of Mexican culture.
(0) has been done for you: sport (line 1) → sports
Line 1 Skiing is one of the most popular sport in the world. According to
2 recent estimation, about one hundred million of people ski regularly or
3 occasionally.
4 Sliding across the snow on skis is also one of the most ancient methods
5 of transport known to the man. It has demonstrated that men were
6 already traveling across the snow by means of primitive skis before the
7 invention of the wheel. In the Asiatic region of Altai and in Scandinavia,
8 for example, the remains of skis have been found which dated back to
9 4,000 BC Further evidence is supplied by ancient cave paintings which
10 depict people skiing, and a Norway saga which tells the story of an
11 invasion of its territory 8,000 years ago by a tribe of skiers who came
12 from the north.
13 Nowadays, skiing, apart from a sport, has become a big industry and a
14 notable feature of leisure culture. Ski resorts and all the activity that
15 they generate is the main source of wealth in many mountain regions,
16 which were previously remote and inaccessible. And far from its once
17 elitist image, skiing is now enjoyed by an increasingly broader spectra of society.

51. The two sides never looked likely to reach an agreement.
At no time.......................................................................................................................
52. My salary is half what it would be in the job I was offered in January.
If I had ...........................................................................................................................
53. “Without the rapid growth in population there would be fewer food shortages.”
He blamed ......................................................................................................................
54. Attendances at the exhibition have been down this year.
The exhibition.................................................................................................................
55. You could be arrested for not giving a breath sample to the police. (REFUSAL)
…………........................................................................................................................
56. Tony shared his deepest feeling s with me. (HEART)
…………........................................................................................................................
57. The offer to go and work in Brazil was a complete surprise. (BLUE)
…………........................................................................................................................
58. He is the kind of man who will do anything to crush the competition (GO)
He is the kind of man ..................................................crush the competition.
59. What has this experience taught you? (CONCLUSIONS)
.....................................................................................................................................?
60. Nowadays goods are often acquired but not paid for immediately. (CREDIT)
......................................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN DU - ĐẮK LĂK
I. PHONOLOGY
A. Pick out the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others in
each group.
1. A. designedly B. determinedly C. unconcernedly D.
unconstrainedly
2. A. oasis B. coalescence C. coalition D.
archaeoastronomy
3. A. oesophagus B. oarlock C. scorching D. subordinate
4. A. agglutinative B. agitation C. aggrandizement D. ignominious
5. A. misdiagnose B. self-effacement C. misogynistic D. missus
B. Pick out the word whose main stress is placed differently from the others in each group.
6. A. chincherinchee B. cohabitee C. evacuee D.
subcommittee
7. A. peninsula B. relativism C. legitimacy D. perpetuate
8. A. hypoallergenic B. hyperventilation C. mononucleosis D. unimolecular
9. A. philanthropy B. vociferously C. antithesis D. hypertension
10. A. superfluous B. veracity C. inevitable D. epileptic
II. VOCABULARY AND STRUCTURE
Choose the best alternative to fill the gap in each of the following sentences
1. The squirrels are ..................... nuts into their homes for the winter.
A. picking B. stowing C. commuting D.
concerting
2. The accountant..................... the company fund and ran away to another country.
A. swallowed B. confiscated C. embraced D. embezzled
3. She goes for a ..................... once a wee k to ensure that her hands and nails are in good condition.
A. massage B. trimming C. manicure D. filing
4. The spendthrift has been ..................... money out of his old parents.
A. squeezing B. pressing C. torturing D. squandering
5. It is impossible to miss the..................... of the Generation X in America.
A. manifestation B. advancement
C. initation D. acknowledgement
6. When the forces on an object are balanced, you can say that the object is in.....................
A. collusion B. equilibrium C. collision D. incubation
7. He has been trying to improve his grades but instead, they have remained as ..................... as possible.
A. static B. oncoming C. parasitic D. virtual
8. Then,..................... opening the door, Jerry found that his house had been broken into.
A. with B. on C. at D. during
9. Even a few drops of this liquid would represent a ..................... dose for a small child.
A. lethal B. mundane C. terminal D. mortal
10. My friend is so ..................... - she never believes people are telling the truth.
A. domestic B. erudite C. cynical D. crucial
11. I could not believe that he, of all people, was such a ..................... to you.
A. brute B. harrow C. nuance D. philistine
12. People in this village has an ..................... appetite for news.
A. inevitable B. inexorable C. insatiable D. inedible
13. The contestants have to ponder over that question very carefully because there is no .....................
answer.
A. straightforward B. undemanding C. effortless D. cushy
14. The pupils have been prepared for a ..................... career.
A. pedagogic B. academic C. didactic D. scholarly
15. The silly boy only..................... at the memory, feeling rather embarrassed.
A. laughed B. giggled C. sniggered D. roared
16. Tome said something disgusting, from which and a heated argument.....................,the result of which
was that they broke up.
A. ensued B. eventuated C. supervened D. transpired
17. We..................... and hawed for weeks before deciding to buy the house.
A. blared B. dined C. hummed D. thudded
18. Let alone being left out in the cold for an hour after a second 30-year-old lift failed and security
guards said they could not allow them to use the stairs, the staff started to ..................... in their work.
A. exasperate, such an unwarranted interference it was
B. fume, such was an unwarranted interference
C. smoulder, so unwarranted an interference it was
D. seethe, so unwarranted an interference was which
19. 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
20. You story is interesting and lively, but it contains several historical inaccuracies. For example, your
hero..................... have offered Miss Swinton shelter under his umbrella, as they weren’t invented until a
hundred years later.
A. couldn’t B. might not C. shouldn’t D. wouldn’t
21. If we form an alliance with the U.S., who has a political.....................to grind against China, we ’ll
sabotage its workings and maximize our problems in the Pacific Ocean.
A. axe B. hammer C. organ D. stone
22. After about an hour or two’s earful of the plain tiffs accusations, without being able to get a word
in ....................., the defendant started talking over him.
A. ascendancies B. circumferences C. edgeways D. peripheries
23. Tan Hiep Phat must be ordered to pay substantial damages for retaliating against......................
A. mischief-makers B. scaremongers C. whistle-blowers D.
wirepullers
24. Unofficial paths and access ways are now closed off to walkers, cyclists and horse riders, forcing
them to run the..................... of anti-nuclear protesters on the roads to reach the dwindling recreation
areas.
A. drumsticks B. garter C. gauntlet D. ramrods
25. Adults, particularly older ones or those with a(n) run-down immune system, can however also
contract shingles (herpes zoster) from a child with chickenpox.
A. dilapidated B. enervated C. uncared-for D. washed-out
26. 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
27. Toxic.....................disfigure black neighborhoods, degrade property values, and discourage
investment.
A. eyesores B. gatecrashers C. keystones D. watersheds
28. You shouldn’t have been..................... to your elders by raising those matters.
A. ill-mannered B. immaterial C. impertinent D. inapposite
29. 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
30. Most academic articles bounce around from topic to topic, really without…………, but are
informative.
A. common or garden B. hell or high water
C. let or hindrance D. rhyme or reason
III. READING COMPREHENSION
Read the following passages and choose the best answer
PASSAGE 1
"The evolution of the banana, star of the Western fruit bowl" By Rosie Mestel
Did you hear? The genome of the banana has been sequenced, an important development in
scientist's efforts to produce better bananas.
A look at that genome has revealed curious things, said Pat Heslop-Harrison, a plant geneticist at
the University of Leicester in England who was a co-author of the report published this week in the
journal Nature. For example, there are regions of the banana genome that don't seem to be involved in
making proteins but are shared by many different species of plants, far beyond bananas. What, he
wonders, are they doing?
There are remnants of bits of banana streak virus spliced into the banana genome (too broken-up to
cause disease, however).
There are whole sets of DNA repeats that plants normally have but bananas do not. And,
intriguingly, three times since this genus of giant herbs took an evolutionary turn away from its relatives
“the grasses - it has duplicated its entire set of chromosomes.
Two of the doublings took place at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary 65 million years ago, back
when the dinosaurs and lots of other species went extinct, Heslop-Harrison noted.
Duplications like this are known to have happened in other plant groups at this same time but
haven't occurred since, Heslop-Harrison said. Scientists don't know why, but they believe having extra
copies of genes may have imparted some stability to plants during a time of rapid climate change after an
asteroid hit Earth.
Having more than one gene of each type means that if one gene of a set loses function, the plant
still has another one that works. And there's more room for adaptability to new circumstances, because
one gene could be altered and coopted for new purposes and there would still be the other one left to
perform the
original job.
"Perhaps it's the reason [bananas have] done so well in the subsequent millions of years," Heslop-
Harrison said. "One can ask, will changes occurring in the world's climate now mean there's going to be a
whole set of new genome duplications that will enable plants to survive? We don't know that, but it's
interesting to consider."
The banana genome sequenced by the French scientists was from the Pahang, a wild Malaysian
banana of the species Musa acuminata. It's a key species in the complicated evolution of the bananas and
plantains people eat around the world, including the Cavendish banana that we buy at the supermarket.
The sterile Cavendish is a so-called triploid: It has three sets of chromosomes instead of the normal
two. One of those genomes came from Pahang. The others came from other subspecies of Musa
acuminata.
The changes occurred stepwise, and went something like this:
■ Thousands of years ago, two wild banana species from different parts of the islands of Southeast
Asia were brought into the same range by people. They formed hybrids. A bit like mules, the hybrids
were
vigorous but fairly sterile.
■ The hybrids were kept going without sex through propagation of their shoots.
■ At sonic point, the hybrids developed the ability to set fruit without being fertilized.
■ Then (for most bananas, including the Gavendish) came another chance event that caused the
hybrids to end up with three sets of chromosomes. Every now and again, the few viable eggs and pollen,
that they made would mistakenly contain two sets of chromosomes instead of just one.
When a double-chromosome pollen combined with a single- chromosome egg (or vice versa), the
result was a hopelessly sterile plant with even more vigorous fruit. Events like this happened more than
once and sometimes included other types of ancestral banana species.
Some scientists, in fact, have made a whole study of banana domestication and movement around
the world. They've pieced the story together using quite different strands of information, including the
genomes of wild and cultivated bananas, the microscopic relics of banana leaf material found at
archaeological sites, and even the word for "banana" in different languages.
1. In paragraph 2, the word "curious" is closest in meaning to
A. inquisitive B. peculiar C. nosy D. intricate
2. What does paragraph 5 suggest about bananas?
A. The banana genus may not yet be classifiable into a traditional category
B. Bananas are actually a species of grass
C. Bananas may now be categorized as "herbs" in supermarkets.
D. Because banana chromosomes duplicate themselves, they have better potential for successful
cloning
3. Why does the author use "intriguingly" to describe the phenomenon in paragraph 5?
A. To imply that bananas are far more interesting than other fruits
B. To make readers doubt the claims scientists are making about bananas
C. To suggest that duplication of chromosomes is a rare and interesting occurrence in the plant
world
D. To encourage questions about whether bananas are grasses or herbs
4. Why is the observation in paragraph 6 important?
A. It suggests that the banana mutated its genetic structure for survival
B. It shows that bananas can be traced as far back as dinosaurs
C. It suggests that bananas were fatal to dinosaurs and other species
D. It proves that bananas are immune to atmospheric changes
5. The word "co-opted" in paragraph 8 is closest in meaning to
A. decided upon together B. argued against
C. removed from study D. adopted
6. The quote in paragraph 9 most closely suggests
A. Bananas may be an example of ways that species might alter their genetics to survive changes in
the earth's climate and atmosphere
B. That the genetic mutations of bananas have no implications for other species
C. That genetic structure is the only factor that should be considered when predicting survival
D. Though bananas have made it this far, there is no proof that they will survive the next wave of
significant atmospheric changes.
7. According to the article, all are steps in the evolution of the banana EXCEPT
A. Some banana hybrids began to develop three sets of chromosomes
B. The merging of two different banana species
C. Bananas reproduced widely and easily through fertilization
D. Bananas developed the ability to develop fruit without fertilization
8. The word "chance" in paragraph 16 is closest in meaning to
A. random B. gamble C. risky D. opportune
9. All are variations of banana mentioned in the article EXCEPT
A. the Cavendish B. Dolus mundi C. Musa acuminata D. plantains
10. The word "domestication" in the final paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. housebroken B. well-controlled
C. adapted for human consumption D. accepted within the culture
PASSAGE 2
Paragraph A
The health benefit of legumes has been widely known for centuries. Also known as pulses or, more
commonly, beans, they belong to an extremely large category of vegetables, containing over 13,000
species. Only grains supply more calories and protein to the world’s population. Today, agricultural
researchers and scientists are experimenting with varieties of legumes easier to harvest, more
resistant to disease, and yield better crops.
Paragraph B
Beans are often referred to as ‘the poor person’s meat’, but this label is unfair - considering the
health benefits of legumes, they should really be called ‘the healthy alternative to meat’. Beans contain a
rich and varied supply of nutritional substances, which are vital for keeping in good health. Diets rich in
beans are
used to help with a variety of health issues including lowering cholesterol levels, improving blood sugar
control in diabetics, reducing the risk of many cancers, lowering the risk of heart disease, and lowering
blood pressure. Beans are a good source of protein but are often considered to be an ‘incomplete’ protein
as they lack the essential amino acids that we need to complete our diet. Foods from animals, on the other
hand, contain protein and amino acids. However, many cultures combine beans with grains to form a
complete protein that is a highquality substitute for meat - rice and soya in Japan, corn and beans in
Mexico, rice and lentils in the Middle East. Beans are also a good source of fibre, giving the consumer
between 5 and 8.6 grams of fibre per 100 grams eaten. Fibre is an important ingredient in a healthy diet
with great benefits to our digestive system and in reducing cholesterol levels, which in turn reduces our
risk of heart disease. Fibre also helps us to feel full and control our appetite.
Paragraph C
Why is it important to substitute meat as much as possible? First of all, because of the health
implications - red meat in particular has a high-fat content. Secondly, antibiotics and other chemicals are
used in the raising of poultry and cattle. Thirdly, the cost to the environment is much greater in raising
cattle than it is in growing crops. To produce a kilogram of beef, farmers need to feed the cow 15
kilograms of grain and a further 30 kilogrammes of forage.
Paragraph D
Little wonder then that legumes have been used from ancient times. According to Trevor Brice in
Life and Society in the Hittite World, the Hittites, an ancient people living in Anatolia from the
eighteenth century BC, ate a wide variety of legumes including peas, beans, faba beans, chickpeas, and
lentils. And
in ancient Egypt, Ramses II is known to have offered 11,998 jars of beans to the god of the Nile.
Archaeologists have found the remains of legumes on land beneath Lake Assad in Syria dating back to
8000 BC and astonishingly, a 4,000-year-old lentil seed found during an excavation in Turkey has been
germinated, allowing scientists to compare the ancient variety with the organic and genetically
engineered varieties of today. Professor Nejat Bilgen from Dumlupinar University, who led the
archaeological team, said thát the lentils were found in a container dating from the Bronze Age. The plant
grown from the ancient lentil was found to be ‘pretty weak’ in comparison with modern varieties.
Paragraph E
Modern agricultural research has tended to focus on grain production, breeding new varieties of
wheat and other crops rather than improving the varieties of legumes, which can suffer from low yields
and unstable harvests. For this reason, farmers started to abandon them in favour of more dependable
crops,
which had had the benefits of scientific improvement. Recently, scientists have returned to legumes to
identify desirable characteristics such as height, good crop production, and resistance to pests in order to
cross different plants with each other and produce a new, improved variety. Using traditional breeding
methods, agricultural scientists are transforming the faba bean into a variety that is easier to grow.
Traditional varieties are undependable as they rely on insects to pollinate them. But faba bean types that
can self-fertilize naturally were discovered, and this gene is being bred into new varieties. Other faba
bean
varieties have been found to produce higher yields or shorter crops. Faba bean plants tend to grow tall
and fall over in the field making them difficult to harvest mechanically, so breeding plants that are 50%
shorter means they are more stable. Unlike the traditional plants, the new faba bean plants end in a flower
- this means that more of the plant’s energy is transformed into producing beans instead of unusable
foliage.
Paragraph F
With the new varieties, farmers in some regions are achieving a marked rise in production -
between 10% to 20% improvement. Scientists have also managed to develop a commercial faba bean able
to resist the parasitic weed Orobanche, which has been known to destroy whole fields of the crop. The
future of legumes and the farmers who grow them is becoming brighter. Legumes are an important source
of nourishment for humans and also for the soil: the beans take nitrogen directly from the atmosphere and
fix it into the soil to provide nutrients for other crops and save the farmers the cost of artificial fertilizer.
Making legumes a profitable crop for the future may prove an essential factor in feeding growing
populations.
Questions 1-6. Choose the correct headings for paragraphs A- F from the list of headings below.
LIST OF HEADINGS
i Improvements to faba bean farming
ii Increasing productivity to secure the future of legume farming
iii The importance of legumes
iv The nutritional value of legumes.
v The effect of farming on the environment
vi Legumes in the diet of ancient peoples
vii The importance of reducing meat consumption
viii Archaeological discoveries
ix Legumes as a provider of protein
1. Paragraph A 2. Paragraph B 3. Paragraph C 4. Paragraph
D
5. Paragraph E 6. Paragraph F
Questions 8-10. Write in the corresponding numbered boxes:
T if the statement agrees with the information
F if the statement contradicts the information
NG if there is no information on this
7. Legumes are second to grains in providing people with calories and protein.
8. Beans can help to cure heart disease.
9. Antibiotics are used when farming animals for food.
10. Agricultural scientists are making the faba bean easier to grow in dry areas.
IV. GUIDED CLOZE TEST
Choose the best answer for each gap in the passage
PASSAGE 1
The global recording industry has launched its largest wave of legal (1) ................... against people
suspected of sharing music files on the internet. The latest move by the International Federation of the
Phonographic Industry (IFPI) (2) ................... 2,100 alleged uploaders using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks
in 16 nations (3) ...................the UK, France, Germany and Italy. Thousands of people have agreed to pay
compensation since the campaign began. In the US, civil lawsuits have been brought against more than
15,597 people (4) ...................September 2003 and there have been 3,590 settlements. 'This is a
significant
escalation of our enforcement actions against people who are uploading and distributing (5)...................
music on P2P networks,' said IFPI chief John Kennedy. 'Thousands of people - mostly internet-savvy
men in their 20s or 30s – have learnt to their (6) ...................the legal and financial risks involved in file-
sharing
music in large quantities.' Individual cases are (7) ................... brought by the national associations
(8)................... the recording industry, and in some cases by the labels, as civil complaints. The UK
record industry has so far brought 97 cases, with a (9) ................... 65 covered by the latest action, More
than 140,000 in (10)................... has been paid to the British Phonographic Industry by 71 individuals.
1. A. action B. activity C. acting D. acts
2. A. aimed B. targeted C. directed D. pointed
3. A. such B. which C. including D. throughout
4. A. during B. throughout C. since D. in
5. A. copyrighted B. registered C. trademark D. illegal
6. A. benefit B. charge C. cost D. fortune
7. A. generally B. totally C. mostly D. primarily
8. A. for B. working C. representing D. inside
9. A. newly B. addition C. further D. another
10. A. profit B. coverage C. payment D. compensation
PASSAGE 2
The issues for (1)................... economies are a little more straightforward. The desire to build on
undeveloped land is not (2)................... out of desperation or necessity, but is a result of the relentless
march of progress. Cheap labor and a relatively highly-skilled workforce make these countries highly
competitive and there is a flood of inward investment, particularly from (3)................... looking to
take advantage of the low wages before the cost and standard of living begin to rise. It is factors such as
these that are making many Asian economies extremely attractive when viewed as investment
opportunities at the moment. Similarly, in Africa, the relative (4)................... of precious metals and
natural resources tends to attract a lot of (5)................... companies and a whole sub-industry develops
around and is completely dependent on , this foreign-direct investment. It is understandable that countries
that are the focus of this sort of attention can lose sight of the environmental implications of large-scale
industrial development, and this can have devastating consequences for the natural world. And it is a
(6)................... cycle because the more industrially active a nation becomes, the greater the demand for
and harvesting of natural resources. For some, the environmental issues, though they can hardly be
ignored, are viewed as a (7)................... concern. Indeed, having an environmental conscience or taking
environmental matters
into consideration when it comes to decisions on whether or not to build rubber-tree (8) ................... or
grow biofuel crops would be quite (9) ................... indeed. For those involved in such schemes it is a
pretty black-and-white issue. For vast (10) ................... of land in Latin America, i.e. it is clear that the
welfare of the rainforests matters little to local government when vast sums of money can be made from
cultivating the land.
1. A. converging B. demerging C. emerging D. resurging
2. A. arisen B. born C. bred D. grown
3. A. intercontinentals B. multinationals C. outmigrations D.
transmigrations
4. A. abundance B. accumulation C. amplitude D.
premonition
5. A. exploitation B. exploration C. purveyance D.
surveillance
6. A. vacuous B. vexatious C. vicious D. viscous
7. A. exponential B. extrinsic C. parallel D. peripheral
8. A. holdings B. homesteads C. plantations D. ranches
9. A. imperative B. prohibitive C. proscriptive D.
prospective
10. A. plots B. regions C. sectors D. tracts
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST
Fill in each gap in the passages below with ONE suitable word
PASSAGE 1
Men and women are often considered to be completely at odds with each other, in terms
(1)................ their attitudes and behaviour. Not so when they are in love, new research has discovered. As
far as their hormone levels are (2).................. ,when men and women are in love, they are more similar to
each other
(3).................. at any other time.
It has (4).................. 5 been known that love can (5).................. havoc with hormone levels. For
example the hormone cortisol, (6)..................is known for its calming effect on the body, dips
dramatically when one person is attracted to (7).................. ,putting the love-struck on a par with sufferers
of obsessive compulsive disorder.
But a new study has found that the hormone testosterone, commonly associated with male
aggression, also falls when he is in love. In women, it’s quite the (8).................. . Testosterone levels,
which (9)............ to be lower among females, rise towards (10).................. of the male.
PASSAGE 2
Miserable, overworked, insecure - the British work the longest hours in Europe and express the
least job satisfaction. However much richer they are, they are becoming fed up to the back (1) ..................
with work every year. What is the whole (2) ..................of economic success if it is matched by growing
unhappiness? Like dumb oxen we work harder than everyone else - a third of men work more than 50
hours a week - but we’re not smarter. For more than a century factory acts and ever shorter working hours
marked the onward (3) .................. of industrial progress. Now social history has apparently gone into
(4) ................ In an annual study Professor Cary Cooper of the Manchester School of Management
revisits 5,000 managers, from CEOs down to juniors. He finds them increasingly anxious about their
lives. This is (5) ......
surprising since half of them work most evenings and a third work most weekends. Despite falling
unemployment, people feel their own job or status is in grave (6).................. because they suffer more
(7).................. at work than they did five years ago. Restructuring, downsizing and radical change at work
(8) .................. a life of constant upheaval,-and the current merger epidemic (9) ..................off
unpredictable job loss. Most feel that this uncertainty (10) ..................with their home life and health as
well as their company’s productivity. These are the people who set the work patterns for their
organization, yet even they are victims of forces beyond their control - such as pressure from investors
and competitors. What can be done?
II. WORD FORMS
I. Supply the correct form of the words in the CAPITAL LETTER
1. ONUS Although the U.S. has recognized same-sex marriage nationwide, it doesn’t
2. PAUPER mean the allies can rest on our laurels and are ..................from the responsibility
3. BRAIN to advocate our LGBT friends and families.
4. EYE The fauna is becoming comparatively.................. due to the isolation, young
5. DUMB geological age of the island and forestry activities within habitats.
6. THUNDER Training for advanced English exams is an opportunity to challenge yourselves,
7. LIFE for it is quite difficult to know your level if the consolidations are...................
8. BANK While many people argue that taking a gap year and travelling
9. FURIOUS before college is merely a waste of time and money, others consider it
10. CHIEF a( n) ......... experience that provides insight into real life.
She looked absolutely..................when I told her what happened. She could
hardly say a word.
She was .................. when her parents told her she was orphaned.
The game was much.................. when both teams scored with five minutes of
each other.
The car rolled down a railway.................. and hit a tree.
Are you doing this on purpose just to .................. me?
You should avoid those journalists. They are just.................. , only distressing
and prying into your private life.
II. Fill in each blank with the suitable form of a word in the box
onus child fatigue mind able
white take access enter climate
There is no other race quite like it; no other race in a place so (1).................. ; no other race which
puts the body through a test of (2).................. of such extremes. The Antarctic Ice Marathon was the
(3).................. of Richard Donovan, whose company, Polar Running Adventures, gives runners the
opportunity to (4)..................in a race through the barren wasteland that is the snow-covered Union
Glacier. Last year, there were some 34 participants in the race, and, this time, the number of
(5).................. is expected to be higher still; such has been the level of interest shown by members of the
public, amateur and professional athletes and the media alike. But, while the prospect of being part of as
unique an experience as the Antarctic Ice Marathon is, seems, on the face of it, a rather agreeable notion,
those considering putting their names in the mix would do well to be (6).................. of just how intense
and (7).................., both physically and psychologically, the event can be. You will be cut off completely
from civilization, with not even a penguin there to cheer you on, and you may have to face temperatures
dipping considerably lower than the levels your body would (8).................. itself to dealing with, not to
mention the (9) ................ of Tine weather - think instead near (10).................. conditions and zero
visibility. But, if you still fancy giving it a go, get in touch with Richard and he can make your dream (or
nightmare) come true.
There are ten mistakes in the following paragraph. Find them and correct them
Line Before 1960, the UK pop scene offered few of substance. A faint shade
5 of its American counterpast, it could boast only the questionable talents
10 of sanitized singers like Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele. But then along
15 came the revolution; fizzling out of the teen-oriented coffee bars and the
building club circuit came the likes of Korner and Barber as R&B
emerging. It was not long before ‘bluephoria’ had gotten hold and the
blues and R&B circuit quickly evolved with bands of calibre of the
Rolling Stones and the Graham Bon Organization shaking things up in
London. But the capital did not have a monopoly so far as new talent
was concerned - far from it. The north was awakening, too, and soon the
Beat groups would arrive, taking the music world by storm. Acts such as
the Animals and the Beatles were formed, the latter needing no
introduction, of course. It wasn’t long before the tables had changed;
American pop was soon playing second fiddle to Brit-style bands. The
Beatles, championing the cause, took British popular music to new
levels of success. Before long, the world couldn’t get enough of this
plucky quarter. ‘Beatlemania’ had dominated. John, Paul, Ringo and
George could do no mistake.
A. Finish each of the sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence printed
before it
1. The underprivileged were no worse-off fifty years ago than they are now.
The underprivileged were every.......................................................................
2. That the press heaped scorn on the handling of the crisis is immaterial to us.
Of.....................................................................................................................
3. In a nutshell, Joseph’s not up to the job.
The long and....................................................................................................
4. There aren’t many other books which explain this problem so well.
In few other books .........................................................................................
B. Rewrite each of the following sentences with the given words in such a way that the second
sentence has the same meaning as the first one. Do not change the form of the words ill brackets.
1. Although the signs are optimistic, there are imminent dark cloud. (TEETH)
On the ...........................................................................................................optimistic signs.
2. We only ingratiated ourselves with our teacher because Kate insisted (CURRIED )
It was .........................................................................................................our teacher.
3. Nobody expected it of him but Sam was laid off. (RANKS)
Against......................................................................................................... unemployed.
4. If the candidates didn’t work harder, they would fail the exam. (SOCKS)
The can didates,......................................................................................................... grade.
5. The lawyer for the defence suspected the witness gave false testimony. (PERJURED)
The defence lawyer called....................................................................................................
6. He was really jealous when he saw his opponent make it through to next round. (ADVANCE)
He was green ........................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN THOẠI NGỌC HẦU - AN GIANG
1.1. PH ONOLOGY
Identify the word that has the underlined part pronounced differently from that of the other words
in the group
1. A. choirboy B. chocaholic C. choccy D. chocolate
2. A. aborigine B. doctrine C. interest D. dethrone
3. A. endocrine B. shrine C. invigorate D. lithe
4. A. germane B. humanely C. angel D. macaroni
5. A. wholesome B. whacked C. whose D. whoop
Identify the word whose main stress is in a different position from that of the other words in the
same group.
6. A. zucchini B. simulcast C. hyphenate D. pageantry
7. A. hacienda B. narcolepsy C. labyrinthine D. macaroni
8. A. narcissus B. sacerdotal C. vainglorious D. competitive
9. A. amalgamate B. alternatively C. evaluative D. euthanasia
10. A. ruminative B. painstakingly C. automobile D. tangentially
II. VOCABULARY AND STRUCTURES.
1. When the ship docked at Hamburg, they found a ................... in the hold.
A. gate-crasher B. stowaway C. interloper D. trespasser
2. He was arrested for trying to pass................... notes at the bank.
A. camouflaged B. fake C. counterfeit D. fraudulent
3. We all make mistakes; no-one is ...................
A. fallible B. infallible C. mistaken D. unmistakable
4. The hooligan...................the money out of my hand and ran away.
A. snatched B. gripped C. clutched D. withdrew
5. The smell of the burnt cabbage was so ................... that it spread to every room.
A. pervasive B. effusive C. extensive D. diffuse
6. I couldn’t open the wine as I didn’t have a ....................
A. corkdriver B. lever C. screwdriver D. corkscrew
7. Every time the government meets their demands, the union leaders move the....................
A. lamp-posts B. goalposts C. bus stops D. roadblocks
8. He managed to ................... the flow of blood by tightly bandaging the wound.
A. restrain B. check C. curb D. inhibit
9. The art teacher gave the children a free................... in their creative compositions.
A. offer B. gift C. kick D. hand
10. It was only when he had been unemployed for six months that Neil’s situation hit ....................
A. base B. head C. home D. back
III. GRAMMAR
1. I’d rather you................... a noise last night, I couldn’t get to sleep.
A. hadn’t made B. wouldn’t make C. didn’t make D. haven’t
made
2. “Which is more important? Luck or effort?” - “Luck is................... effort.”
A. on the same importance B. of the same importance as
C. the same importance as D. as the same importance as
3. Some learners of English have ...................ideas in writing.
A. trouble expressing B. difficult in expressing
C. problems with D. difficulty to express
4..................., I was pleased it was over.
A. Though strange it was B. Despite it may sound strange
C . Strange though it may sound D. Even though being very strange
5..................., we stayed inside the house.
A. The stormy day it was B. It were a stormy day
C . It is a stormy day D. It being a stormy day
6. My supervisor is angry with me. I didn’t do the work I ...................last week.
A. should have done B. may have done
C. need to have done D. must have done
7. Not until the end of 19th century...................become a scientific discipline.
A. plant breeding has B. did plant breeding
C. plant breeding had D. has plant breeding
8. Nebraska has floods in some years,....................
A. in others drought B. droughts are others
C. while other droughts D. others in drought
9. The primary source of energy for tropical cyclones is the latent heat released when...................
A. does water vapor condense B. condensed water vapor
C. water vapor condenses D. the condensation of water vapor
10. The Navajo Indians of the southwestern United States................... for their sand painting, also called
dry painting.
A. noted B. are noted C. to be noted D. have noted
IV. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS:
1. We had a terrible row a few years ago and we still haven’t made it ....................
A. out B. up C. for D. of
2. The computer has ................... a long way over the last thirty years.
A. taken B. come C. broken D. put
3. Before they open a new factory, a lot of young people round here were...................the dole.
A. in B. on C. at D. up
4. Tom’s absorption...................his studies means he has no social life.
A. on B. in C. about D. with
5. The doctor advised us...................travelling to Egypt without having the proper inoculations first...
A. from B. of C. against D. off
6. The factory owner is not in the habit of fraternizing ...................his workers.
A. with B. to C. for D. into
7. The party ................... rather well. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves.
A. went off B. came forward C. folded up D. got over
8. My sister is always................... me about my clothes.
A. putting in B. giving in C. holding on D. getting at
9. The law limiting the amount of foreign exchange should have been ...................years ago.
A. drawn up off B. done away with C. cut back on D. given
away with
10. He................... all his savings on that venture which fortunately succeeded.
A. went on B. put on C. laid out D. took on
PASSAGE A
Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each of the following questions
Shadow puppetry is a traditional art form that often goes unappreciated in modern times. A large
part of the appeal of puppet shows is the craftsmanship behind the creation of the actual puppets. In
shadow puppetry, on the other hand, the puppets remain unseen, so the real artistry is in the
presentation. The combination of the puppet's shape, the background screen, and the light itself creates
the overall effect, of the shadow puppet show. The task of the director is to ensure these elements are
working together harmoniously in order to produce the optimal experience for the audience.
The screen is the medium through which the audience experiences the performance, so selecting the
best screen is essential. First, it must transmit as much light as possible to better capture the shape of the
puppet. However, it shouldn't transmit so much light that the puppeteer is visible. The material should
obviously be durable but thin. A thin material gives superior definition to the edges of the shadows.
Traditionally, cotton was used for the screen, but it was very grainy. As new kinds of textiles have been
developed, more suitable materials have become the standard. Silk works well but is expensive. A more
affordable option is vinyl, which is thin and transmits light evenly. The only problem is that it stretches
too easily. In order to allow the puppets to press up against the screen, it must be strung very tightly. If
the material stretches too easily, it will sag.
One unique challenge for the puppet show director is that the presentation is two-dimensional. The
screen is flat, so puppets can only move forwards and backwards. In order to create a three-dimensional
appearance, directors often design a set in which the background is smaller than the foreground. Then, by
using different-sized puppets at different heights on the screen, a more interesting scene can be created. If
the script requires two puppets to pass by each other, it can be accurately reproduced on the screen. The
"fade-out" is a common tool used by directors to avoid this problem. In this technique, the puppet is
moved away from the screen, and the image becomes fuzzy before fading out altogether.
Having chosen a screen and designed the set, the next step is to determine the light that will be
used. There are several factors to be considered: intensity, spread, spread, and angle. Naturally, more
light is required behind the screen than in front. The power or intensity of this light is best determined
through
experimentation. If the light is too bright, it will appear harsh to audience members positioned close to
the screen. Dim light, though harder to see, can create an intimate mood. The intensity of, the light can be
manipulated throughout the performance by using a dimmer switch.
Spread describes how the intensity of light is dispersed over the screen. If it is too focused on the
center, it can leave dark areas at the edges. In contrast, if the spread is too wide, light might spillover the
edges of the screen, thus producing shadows of objects that aren't supposed to be part of the performance.
Additionally, the angle at which the light hits the screen will affect the spread. The director can
manipulate the angle of the light in order to alter the shape and size of the puppets and to create dramatic
effects.
The shadow puppet show is an art that goes beyond the construction of the puppets and the
performance of the script. Finding the optimal combination of light and shadow involves careful planning
and meticulous design. Every detail must be considered and controlled in relation to every other detail,
making shadow puppetry an art of precision.
1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "produce" as used in paragraph 1?
A. fresh food B. create C. pay for D. oversee
2. The word "harsh" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ................
A. very cold B. crisp C. insulting D. severe
3. What word does "it" refer to in paragraph 2?
A. option B. vinyl C. light D. problem
4. In paragraph 2, the author explains the importance of the screen by ..................
A. showing how difficult it is to find good material
B. explaining the elements to be considered
C. saying what it is used for
D. giving examples of materials
5. According to the passage, which of the following can cause unwanted shadows?
A. A light that's too bright B. A light that's not bright enough
C. A light that's too focused D. A light that's not focused enough.
6. What does "this technique" refer to in paragraph 3?
A. Using different-sized puppets B. The script
C. Using a smaller background D. The "fade-out"
7. Which of the following sentences best expresses the essential information of the highlighted
A. Shadow puppetry, in contrast, is a truly artistic show.
B. Because the puppeteers remain out of sight in shadow puppetry, the presentation becomes more
expressive.
C. In contrast, the true skill and appeal in shadow puppetry lies in the presentation, as the actual
puppets are kept hidden.
D. Similarly, in shadow puppetry, the true skill is in the presentation of the show.
8. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To inspire people to become shadow puppeteers
B. To increase the popularity of shadow puppet shows
C. To show how shadow puppetry is better than regular puppetry
D. To demonstrate the challenges involved in shadow puppetry
9. All of the following are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT ....................
A. color B. intensity C. spread D. angle
10. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about regular, non-shadow puppet shows?
A. They're not as good as shadow puppet shows.
B. They're easier to produce than shadow puppet shows.
C. Most of the work happens before the show.
D. It's not really an art form.
PASSAGE B
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the
correct answer to each of the questions.
Even before the turn of the century, movies began to develop in two major directions: the realistic
and the formalistic. Realism and formalism are merely general, rather than absolute terms. When used to
suggest a tendency toward either polarity, such labels can be helpful, but in the end they are still just
labels.
Few films are exclusively formalist in style, and fewer yet are completely realist. There is also an
important difference between realism and reality, although this distinction is often forgotten. Realism is a
particular style, whereas physical reality is the source of all the raw materials of film, both realistic and
formalistic. Virtually, all movie directors go to the photographable world for their subject matter, but
what they do with this material - how they shape and manipulate it - determines their stylistic emphasis.
Generally speaking, realistic films attempt to reproduce the surface of concrete reality with a
minimum of distortion. In photographing objects and events, the filmmaker tries to suggest the
copiousness of life itself. Both realist and formalist film directors must select (and hence emphasize)
certain details
from the chaotic sprawl of reality. But the element of selectivity in realistic films is less obvious. Realists,
in short, try to preserve the illusion that their film world is unmanipulated, an objective mirror of the
actual world. Formalists, on the other hand, make no such pretense. They deliberately stylize and distort
their
raw materials so that only the very naive would mistake a manipulated image of an object or event for the
real thing.
We rarely notice the style in a realistic movie; the artist tends to be self-effacing. Some filmmakers
are more concerned with what is being shown than how it is manipulated. The camera is used
conservatively. It is essentially a recording mechanism that reproduces the surface of tangible objects
with as little commentary as possible. A high premium is placed on simplicity, spontaneity, and
directness. This is not to suggest that these movies lack artistry, however, for at its best the realistic
cinema specializes in art that conceals art.
A. Acting styles B. Film plots
C. Styles of filmmaking D. Filmmaking 100 years ago
2. With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to agree?
A. Realism and formalism are outdated terms.
B. Most films are neither exclusively realistic nor formalistic.
C. Realistic films are more popular than formalistic ones.
D. Formalistic films are less artistic than realistic ones.
3. The phrase "this distinction" refers to the difference between .................
A. formalists and realists B. realism and reality
C. general and absolute D. physical reality and raw materials
4. Who does the author say is primarily responsible for the style of a film?
A. The director B. The actors
C. The producer D. The camera operator
5. The word "shape" is closest in meaning to .................
A. specify B. form C. understand D. achieve
6. The word "preserve" is closest in meaning to ........... ......
A. encourage B. maintain C. reflect D. attain
7. How can one recognize the formalist style?
A. It uses familiar images. B. It is very impersonal.
C. It obviously manipulates images. D. It mirrors the actual world.
8. The word "tangible" is closest in meaning to .................
A. concrete B. complex C. various D. comprehensible
9. Which of the following terms is NOT used to describe realism in filmmaking?
A. simple B. spontaneous C. self-effacing D.
exaggerated
10. Which of the following films would most likely use a realist style?
A. A travel documentary B. A science fiction film
C. A musical drama D. An animated cartoon
VI. CLOZE TEST
PASSAGE A
* Choose the best option to complete the reading text.
As time passes, the power of newspapers seems to be on the (1).................This is odd because in
the relatively recent past people were predicting that the influence of the written word would diminish in
(2) ..............proportion to the rate of increase of the spoken word and moving image through TV and
video.
The Internet, cable and satellite television, Teletext and multi-media computers in (3) ............... other
home should surely have done for newspapers by now, particularly alongside a perceptible resurgence in
the audiences for newscarrying radio stations. How have these organs survived, let alone (4)...............,
particularly on a Sunday? Why do people who have seen a football or tennis (5 ).... ..........live or on the
small screen rush the next day to read a (6 )................version of it in four or five columns which surely
can not mean more to the reader than that self-same viewer of the previous afternoon or evening? Why
would anyone who has seen a film and formed a (7 )...............impression of it the following day read a
review of the self-same film in a newspaper? To see if she or he is right? Isn’t that what friends are for?
Don't we have colleagues for just that purpose- to see if our ideas on any (8).......... . song, film or
program tally with others? What is this product that (9)...............of not much more than outrageous
headlines, wayward comments, subjective editorials and hyperbolic sports pages still doing in our lives?
It seems for the time (10)...............to be leading a charmed life. When it finally goes, though, many may
come to mourn its passing.
1. A. build B. rise C. expansion D. increase
2. A. exact B. precise C. direct D. equal
3. A. all B. any C. one D. every
4. A. bloomed B. flowered C. flourished D. rooted
5. A. game B. set C. meeting D. match
6. A. potted B. curtailed C. reduced D. cut
7. A. direct B. colored C. bright D. vivid
8. A. taken B. given C. subjected D. written
9. A. contains B. consists C. comprises D. informs
10. A. out B. given C. being D. present
PASSAGE B
* Choose the best option to complete the reading text.
THINKING AND FEELING
Interesting the feeling of other people is not always easy, as we all know, and we
(1)......................as much on what they seem to be telling us, as on the (2) .............. words they say. Facial
expression and tone of voice are obvious ways of showing our (3) ................. to something, and it may
well be that we
unconsciously express views that we are trying to hide. The art of being tactful lies in (4)..............these
signals, realizing what the other person is trying to say, and acting so that they are not embarrassed in any
way. For example, we may understand that they are in fact reluctant to answer our question, and so we
stop
pressing them. Body movements in general may also (5).................feelings, and interviewers often pay
particular attention to the way a candidate for a job walks into the room and sits down. However, it is not
difficult to present the right kind of appearance, while what many employers want to know relates to the
candidate's character (6)................., and psychological stability. This raises the (7) ................ question of
whether job candidates should be asked to complete psychological tests, and the further problem of
whether such tests actually produce reliable results. For many people, being asked to take part in such a
test would be an objectionable (8 ..............into their private lives. Quite (9)..............from this problems,
can such tests predict whether a person is likely to be a (10)..................employee or a valued colleague?
1. A. estimate B. rely C. reckon D. trust
2. A. other B. real C. identical D. actual
3. A. view B. feeling C. notion D. reaction
4. A. taking down B. putting across C. picking up D. going over
5. A. display B. indicate C. imply D. infer
6. A. quirks B. mannerisms C. traits D. points
7. A. awkward B. risky C. unpleasant D. touchy
8. A. invasion B. intrusion C. infringement D. interference
9. A. different B. apart C. away D. except
10. A. pedantic B. particular C. laborious D. conscientious
B. PHẨN TỰ LUẬN:
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST
PASSAGE A
Fill each numbered blank with ONE suitable word.
NOTHING'S NEW IN MEDICINE
Throughout the ages, disease has stalked our species. Prehistoric humans must quickly have learnt
what could be (1)................without danger, and how to avoid plants that could bring (2) ............... .
illness. They found leaves, berries and the bark of different trees that could actually (3)................wounds
and cure
the sick, and it soon became a special skill to understand natural medicine.
Ever since the dawn of (4)................, medicine men and wise women have always been expert in
treating diseases and have dispensed medicine with ritual and magic. Through (5) ................ and error
they discovered treatment for almost any affliction prevalent at the time. The precious recipes for
preparations
which could (6)................pain, stop fits, sedate or stimulate were handed down from generation to
generation, although there was (7) .............. exact understanding of the way in which the medicines
worked. Nevertheless, despite the power of these primitive medicines, generations were still ravaged by
disease.
During the last 150 years, scientists and doctors, (8) ...................... work has focused on these early
medicines, have learnt that their power derived (9)................ certain chemicals which were found in
herbal remedies or could be synthesised in the laboratory. In just such a way, advances in modern
medicine
continue aided by the discoveries (10)...............centuries ago by our ancestors.
PASSAGE B
* Fill each of the numbered blanks in the passage with ONE suitable word.
FROST AND FIRE
Iceland has been called the "land of Frost and Fire". This is a very satisfactory (1 )................ , for
the mountains on this island in the North Atlantic are capped with snow the (2) ................ around, and
there are scores of fiery volcanoes. Contrary to what most people think, (3) ................, Iceland's climate is
not
extremely cold. Most days are quite agreeable because of the warm (4)...............of the Gulfstream .
When the Vikings began to (5)................in Iceland in 874 AD, they found books and crosses the
showed the Irish had already been there. It is likely that Irish and Scotch had come to Iceland about
seventy years (6) ......... ...... the Vikings arrived. These explorers, however, had made (7) ................
lasting
settlements. The first real colonists were Scandinavians who came directly from Morway, Sweden, and
Denmark. Since were Scandinavians who came directly from Morway, Sweden, and Denmark. Since
Iceland is adjacent (8) ...............one of the most important shipping routes between the United States and
England, it (9)................ very important during the Second World War.
The people of Iceland have very high educational standards. It is said that more books are sold in
Iceland in (10) ................to its population than in any other country in the world.
II. WORD FORMS
A. Put the correct form of the words in brackets.
1. The careless driver was.........................................about his bad behavior, which made all the witnesses
fly into a rage. (APOLOGIZE)
2. The pregnant woman is looking at the collection of ....................................... clothes. (MATERNAL)
3. There was a /an..................................... change in the tone of her voice.
Almost nobody could recognize it. (PERCEIVE)
4. The slight ................ ........ in his left hand was corrected by surgery. (FORM)
5. We are trying to create our own computerized ................................... (DATA)
6. In my opinion, this book is just................................... rubbish. (INTELLECT)
7. The company has established total........................ over its rivals. (SUPREME)
8. Bard is a very good employee, and is very ............................ (CONSCIENCE)
9. He achieved..................................for failing a drug test after winning an Olympic final.
(NOTORIOUS)
10. Before enrolling on a course, you should first ensure that it has been ......................... by an officially
recognized body. (VALID)
B. Fill each blank with the correct form of the world chosen from the box.
courage spontaneous hinder dramatic grace
precede depart profession commerce type
FLAMENCO DANCE
The essence of flamenco is song, often accompanied by the guitar and improvised dance. Music
and dance can be placed into specific groups. These categories are usually located across a continuum
with subjects dealing with the profound to those that are light hearted. (1)...............the themes of death,
anguish
and despair, in contrast to love, gaiety and the countryside are (2) ..............In flamenco dance, the men's
steps are intricate, with toe and heel clicking. Footwork in women's dancing is of less importance, with
the (3 )................ use of hands and body taking (4 )................... In the dance, the arm, hand and foot
movements closely resemble those of classical Hindu dance. Essential to traditional flamenco is the
performer's interpretation of the dance (5).................by the emotion of the music. Performances are often
accompanied by rapid hand clapping, finger snapping and (6) ................. shouts. The dancers themselves
frequently employ finger snapping in complex rhythms including the use of castanets. This dance form
was (7)............ in the 19th century, when Romany people first began to perform in cafes. In this
environment, (8 )................ from the traditional form occurred. Unfortunately, the pressures of the
(9) ................stage meant that rehearsed routines replaces the (10) ................of the original
flamenco performances.
Identify 10 errors in the following passage and correct them:
Anthony Masters was a writer of exceptional gifts and prodigious energy. He began his eventful
and versatile career like a teenager, when he was expelled from school for organizing a revolt against the
school uniform. In order to earn a living, he fulfilled his childhood ambition and took on writing. In 1964,
at the
age of 23, he published A Pocketful of Rye, a collection of short stories where freshness of style earned
him the distinction of being runner-up in the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, an established and
prestigious British-based literacy award. He made the award two years later with his novel The Seahorse,
after which he continued to display his considerable talent by writing both fiction or non-fiction. The
inspiration for many of his novel came from his experience helping the social excluded: he ran soup
kitchens for drug addicts and campaigned for the civic rights of gypsies and another ethnic minorities.
His
non-fiction output was typically eclectic, ranging from biographies to social histories, but it was as a
writer of children fiction that Masters outshone his contemporaries. His work contains a sensitivity which
remains unequalled by some other writer of the genre.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20 điểm)
A. Complete the sentences in such a way that each of the sentences means almost the same as the
sentence printed before it.
1. It is more than likely that she will succeed as an actress.
→She has .........................................................................................................
2. Such a ridiculous proposal isn’t worth serious consideration.
→There is.........................................................................................................
3. Nobody expected her to lose, but she did.
→ Against.........................................................................................................
4. You must concentrate on your work more.
→You must apply..............................................................................................
5. It wasn’t clear to us at the time how serious the problem was.
→ Little..............................................................................................................
B. Use the word(s) given in brackets and make any necessary additions to write a new sentence in
such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence. Do not change the
form of the given word(s).
1. The police caught the burglar in the process of committing the crime. (RED)
→ ..............................................................................................................
2. I suddenly realized the meaning of a “freebie”. (DAWNED)
→ ..............................................................................................................
3. You look grumpy this morning. (BED)
→ ..............................................................................................................
4. She felt uncomfortable in the huge hotel. (FISH)
→ ..............................................................................................................
5. If you don’t have time, don’t visit Mr. Jones today because he will talk for a long time. (HEAD)
→ ..............................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN TIỀN GIANG - TIỀN GIANG
I. PHONOLOGY
1. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. cosmopolitan B. aside C. gifts D. propensity
2. A. sodden B. box C. oblique D. oxide
3. A. churchyard B. yardsale C. vineyyard D. countyyard
4. A. scowl B. frown C. sprout D. dough
5. A. exhibition B. exhalation C. exacerbate D. excellency
2. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others.
6. A. aquamarine B. interviewee C. interrogative D.
intercollegiate
7. A. protocol B. primeval C. plethora D. provident
8. A. ethanol B. comparable C. celibacy D. repentant
9. A. negligible B. perceptible C. collapsible D. discernible
10. A. petroleum B. hierarchy C. psychiatry D. contributory
II. WORD CHOICE
1. He preferred to .................any profits he made back into the business.
A. sow B. plant C. plough D. dig
2. Thanks to generous support from parents, the threat of the college being closed down has
now ...............
A retreated B. revised C. retired D. receded
3. Smokers prefer not to know what’s happening to their insides. For most of them, ignorance is ........
A. ecstasy B. rapture C. bliss D. paradise
4. That is our final offer. Like it or ........... .... it.
A. dump B. lump C. thump D. jump
5. Social differences tend to be.............. when private and state schools exist side by side.
A. raised B. augmented C. added D. elevated
6. The company managed to ................ the last economic depression by cutting its work force.
A. surmount B. override C. weather D. float out
7. We took the scenic route, a road which .................. the coast for fifty miles.
A. hugged B. surrounded C. adjoined D. bordered
8. Three of the original five candidates have now thrown in the ................ That leaves only Calderwood
and you in the running.
A. towel B. rag C. chamois D. duster
9. Whenever there’s some fresh scandal about the royal family, the public are always eager to ................it
up.
A. flap B. lap C. swish D. gulp
10. After the team’s latest disatrous defeat, the future of the manager hangs in the .............
A. balance B. thread C. scales D. yam
III. STRUC TURE AND GRAMMAR
Choose the option that best fits the blank of the given sentence.
1. She listened..............Roger read to her in a low voice.
A. meanwhile B. at the same time C. while D. whereas
2. He was undoubtedly making progress,.............rather slowly.
A. albeit B. notwithstanding C. however D. whilst
3. The trail .............. of late for easier access.
A. used to be widened B. has been widened
C. was widened D. was widening
4................, there are journalists who simply make things up. For them, fiction is a lot easier than fact.
A. As it seems incredible B. May it seem incredible.
C. Much as it seems inctredible D. Incredible as it seems
5. It seems they aren’t planning to recall their ambassador,................... their usual procedure in such
cases.
A. as is B. as it is C. since it is D. that is
6. I don’t know why nobody ever listens to Ted. He’s ................. as intelligent as his brother.
A. rather B. fairly much C. somewhat D. every bit
7. Out......... from its tiny cage.
A. does the bird fly B. fly the bird C. did the bird fly D. flew the bird.
8. Paul did so well in his speech today that he ....................... many times this past week.
A. should have practised C. had practised
B. must have practised D. can have practised
9......................, we tried out best to complete it.
A. Difficult as the home work was
B. Thanks to the difficult homework.
C. As though the home work was difficult
D. Despite the home work was difficult.
10. Following the storm, the electricity company will be working all -out to repair the ....................
A. damage caused B. caused damage
C. damage provoked D. provoked damage
1. This year's candidates for the presidency of the Student Union are all preparing to. ...........on the
campus radio this afternoon.
A. face off B. fall over C. sort up D. hang over
2. He denied..............his wife's lover................
A. turning / down B. kneeling / over C. rubbing / out D. losing/ up
3. Even though he was proved wrong, he absolutely refused to ...............
A. change after B. back down C. hold back D. feel off
4. “I finally finished collecting all the materials I need to write my report”.
Great, but don ’t be too quick to ................. yourself.................. You still have to write the report and
then word-process it”
A. put... on the back C. pat ... on the back
B. put ... on the head D. pat... on the shoulder
5. The corruption scandal caused the resignation of three minister and eventually, even the prime
minister…….
A. kept down B. stood down C. made off D. lay down
6. The Americans............... of the 1980 Moscow Olympics after the invasion of Afghanistan.
A. stood about B. drew out C. made off D. pulled out
7. "It doesn't..................., “the detective said. "In your alibi, you said you were out of town, but three
people said they saw you in a bar near here.”
A. add up B. stand out C. strip away D. burst into
8. My husband loves...................old cars and then working on them for months until they look like new.
A. taking into B. stripping down C. throwing down D. trading in
9. The police in the west of the town .................... four blocks to prevent the public getting too close to
the fire.
A. made off B. shut off C. blocked off D. blew off
10. We were so close to finalizing the contract, but it ......... at the last minute due to the customer having
financial concerns.
A. backed away B. passed off C. fell through D. showed
together
IV. REA DING COMPREHENSION?
PASSAGE 1
According to the theory of plate tectonics, the upper portion of the Earth’s lithosphere, which
contains the heavier oceanic and the lighter continental crusts, consists of a series of rigid plates that are
in constant motion. This theory provides a cohesive model to explain the integrated actions of continental
drift, seafloor spreading, and mountain formation.
The Earth's plates are estimated to have an average depth of approximately 60 miles (or 100
kilometers), but they are believed to vary considerably in size. Some are estimated to be continental or
even hemispheric in size, while other are believed to be much smaller. Though the actual boundaries and
sizes and shapes of the plates are not known for sure, it has been postulated that there are six major
plates and somewhere around the same number of smaller ones. Most of the plates consist of both sial
(continental) and sima (oceanic) crust. They are in constant movement, though they move at an extremely
slow pace, and these movements cause frequent interactions between plates.
At this time, scientists have identified three different types of boundaries between plates. At a
divergent boundary, plates are moving away from each other. This type of boundary occurs at an oceanic
ridge, where new material is being added to the seafloor from deeper within the Earth. Shallow
earthquakes
and underwater volcanoes are associated with this type of plate activity. At a convergent boundary, plates
are moving toward each other and collide, causing vast folding and crumpling along the edges of the
plates. In addition to the folding and crumpling, one of the plates slowly folds under the other. Though
this subduction is slow, it can nonetheless be quite catastrophic as the crustal material of the submerging
plate gradually melts into the fiery hot depths below. The area where subduction occurs is usually an area
where the crust is relatively unstable and is characterized by numerous deep earthquakes and a significant
amount of volcanic activity. The boundaries between convergent plates are generally found around the
edges of ocean basins and are sometimes associated with deep ocean trenches. A third type of boundary
is a transcurrent boundary, which involves two plates sliding past each other laterally, without the folding
and crumpling that occurs at a convergent boundary. This third type of boundary is thought to be far less
common than the other two types of boundaries.
The concept of plate tectonics provides an understanding of the massive rearrangement of the
Earth's crust that has apparently taken place. It is now generally accepted that the single
supercontinent
known as Pangaea indeed existed, that Pangaea subsequently broke apart into two giant pieces,
Gondwanaland in the south and Laurasia in the north, and that the continents attached to the various
crustal plates separated and drifted in various directions. As the plates drifted, they may have diverged,
which was associated with the spread of the seafloor, or they may have converged, which resulted in
collision, subduction, and mountain building.
The majority of the Earth's major mountain ranges are found in zones where plates converge. The
Himalayas, which are the world's highest mountains, along with the central Asian mountains of varying
heights associated with them, were formed by the crumpling and folding of two massive plates that
collided at a convergent boundary. The landmass that is today known as India was originally part of
Gondwanaland, the giant supercontinent in the Southern Hemisphere, but it broke off from
Gondwanaland approximately 200 million years ago and drifted north to collide with part of Laurasia, the
giant supercontinent in the
Northern Hemisphere, to create the world's tallest mountains.
1. The word “cohesive” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
A. unified B. contemporary C. tenacious D. lengthy
2. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that
A. none of the plates has a depth of more than 100 kilometers
B. each of the plates has approximately the same dimensions
C. some plates are relatively stationary
D. there are most likely around 6 minor plates
3. The word “postulated” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. postponed B. hypothesized C. proven D. forgotten
4. The author uses the expression “At this time” at the beginning of paragraph 3 in order to indicate
that...........................
A. more types of boundaries might be found in the future
B. interactions are currently occurring between plates
C. all possible types of boundaries have already been located
D. the major plates are all currently moving away from each other
5. The word “subduction” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. strong attack B. lateral movement
C. sudden melting D. downward force
6. According to the passage, subduction
A. occurs rapidly
B. has little effect
C. causes one of the plates to sink and melt
D. generally takes place in stable areas
7. The phrase “ associated with” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. related to B. working with C. hidden from D. found
inside
8. It is NOT stated in paragraph 4 that it is generally accepted that
A. there used to be a giant continent
B. the giant continent broke into parts
C. Gondwanaland moved to the south and Laurasia moved to the north
D. the continents moved in various directions
9. The word “drifted” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. broke down B. moved slowly C. were formed D. lifted
up
10. The word “Them” in paragraph 5 refers to
A. zones B. the Himalayas
C. central Asian mountains D. two massive plates
READING PASSAGE 2:
THE FIRST ENVIRONMENTALIST: Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson received her degrees in marine biology from the Pennsylvania College for
Women and in zoology from the Johns Hopkins University. Her true calling turned out to be much
broader in range than the academic study of wildlife, however. As Carson's career as a scientific writer
progressed, she became interested in the effects of artificial chemicals on the natural environment.
Through her published research, she was the first to direct public attention to the environmental damage
caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides in agriculture. She is thus regarded as the public figure
who launched
the environmentalist movement.
Upon enrolling in college, Carson had initially intended to major in English and become a journalist
or novelist. Her attentiveness to presentation allowed her to convey even rather dry facts in an evocative
prose style that held the attention of the general reader. Wedded to her extensive academic training in
biology, Carson's talent for expressive writing positioned her ideally to bring scientific findings
about ecology to a mass audience. She published a famous trilogy about the delicate and complex
ecology of the sea, beginning with Under the Sea-Wind. That first volume took large-scale approach,
describing the living systems of the oceans in everyday, easily understood terms. Under the Sea -Wind
was only a moderate commercial success, but it, along with Carson's writings Tor the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service, set the stage for her second volume, published ten years after the first. The Sea
Around Us made Rachel Carson a house hold name. It became not only a bestseller but also a National
Book Award winner. In it, Carson examined more explicitly than before the effects of human action on
the creatures of the ocean. The last book in the trilogy was The Edge of the Sea, in which
Carson trained her whitely and scientific gaze on the shoreline of the East Coast to examine the
endangered organisms that populated it.
These books established Carson as a public figure who advocated respect for the environment, but
the work that would be her most lasting legacy was yet to come. She began to examine data on the effects
of agricultural pesticides, spurred in part by the letter from two friends who owned a farm in
Massachusetts and expressed concern that spray pesticides ere causing harm to local wildlife. Carson '
research convinced her that high exposure to pesticides such as DDT threaten not only beneficial insects
and birds but also people. She put her conclusions in a landmark fourth scientific volume, Silent Spring.
In the famous image that gave the book its title, Carson- hypothesized about an ecosystem in which the
calling of birds had been silenced by poison in soil and groundwater.
Carson alleged that regulations governing use of these chemicals were inadequate, though her
positions were not extreme as they are sometimes now characterized. She did not support the outright
banning of pesticides. Rather, she objected to "indiscriminate" use, which is to say, use without any
thought for caution and moderation. Eventually, Carson's views were taken seriously at the highest levels
of government. President John F. Kennedy's Science Advisory Committee solicited her advice on how to
improve rules about pesticide use. She also testified before Congress. Through her influence, she assisted
in bringing about far stricter controls on toxic chemicals such as DDT, which deteriorates slowly and thus
remains in soil and groundwater for very long periods of time.
Although Carson's fame meant that she was in demand as a publish speaker, she much preferred the
solitude of research herself to avoid wasting time viewing material with which she was already familiar.
The same concern with clarity and elimination of waste characterized her writing itself. Though Carson
died in 1964, two years after the publication of the Silent Spring, that book is still frequently cited in
environmental policy recommendations by analysts and regulators. Her best-selling work, it also remains
a staple of high school and college science classes. Indeed, more than one major publication has deemed
Carson one of the most influential figures of the twentieth century.
1. The word "launched" in the passage is closet in meaning to:
A. wrote about B. reorganized C. began D. researched
2. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the boldfaced sentence in the
passage?
A. Carson felt it necessary to choose between becoming a Scientist and becoming a popular writer.
B. People were surprised at the large -scale damage Carson's writings brought to their attention.
C. Carson initially found it difficult to write about ecology for a mass audience.
D. Carson was able to popularize her views by combining writing talent and knowledge of biology.
3. The author uses the phrase "a household name" to indicate that Carson:
A. became famous C. did not socialize much
B. wrote very slowly D. was already planning her third book.
4. The word "trained" in the passage is closet in meaning to:
A. questioned B. studied C. reviewed D. aimed
5. According to paragraph 3 of the passage, Carson was influenced to write Silent Spring by:
A. observing the use of pesticides at her farm
B. a letter from friends
C. the public reaction to her first three books.
D. her illness caused by DDT
6. It can be inferred from the passage that DDT is especially dangerous because
A. it is the most commonly used pesticide,
B. its taste attracts birds
C. it does not disappear quickly
D. it takes a long time to kill insects
7. The Silent Spring in the title of Carson's fourth major book refers to
A. the long gap between her two books
B. people's unwillingness to speak out against pollution
C. the death of wildlife from agricultural chemicals
D. the hidden dangers of pesticides
8. The word "alleged" in the passage is closet in meaning to
A. ruled B. argued C. disproved D. limited
9. The word "indiscriminate" in the passage is closet in the meaning to
A. ineffective B. uncontrolled C. illegal D. funded
10. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as evidence of Carson's influence on the
regulation of pesticides?
A. she spoke before Congress
B. She served on a presidential committee
C. her work is still cited by regulators.
D. She wrote the first set of pesticide regulations.
GUIDED CLOZE TEXT 1.
Select a word (A, B, C or D) to fill each gap.
ABERDEEN AMAZONS CLAIM SCOTTISH TITLE
In a magnificent (1).................... of basketball at StirlingUniversity's Sport Centre, the Aberdeen
Amazons beat the Stirling Queens 67-69 last night to win the Scottish Academic Women's Basketball
Cup for the second year (2)...............In a nail-biting finish, the Amazons found themselves one point
(3)..............
(67-66) with 5.4 seconds on the clock. The Aberdeen girls did well to keep their (4)................ about them
in front of a partisan home (5 ).…......... of over 1,500, and managed to deliver the ball to 19-year-old
Betty Watson just outside the 6.25 meters arc, from where she sank a last-gasp 3-pointer to shoot the
Amazons to
triumph. In the remaining 1.4 seconds, there was precious (6)................Stirling could do to come
(7)............
"I am delighted with this tremendous achievement," Amazons coach Ted McCloud rejoiced later. "I
am very proud of the girls; they played their (8 )..............out against an excellent team, and they
(9)............ deserve this title."
The Amazons will now go on to represent Scotland in the European Academic Women’s Basketball
tournament to be (10)................next July in Madrid.
1. A. display B. exhibition C. execution D. performance
2. A. continuing B. running C. playing D. going
3. A. back B. backward C. behind D. following
4. A. heads B. minds C. souls D. wits
5. A. audience B. crowd C. group D. mass
6. A. little B. some C. something D. anything
7. A. on B. forward C. back D. out
8. A. legs B. hearts C. brains D. arms
9. A. completely B. utterly C. fully D. absolutely
10. A. placed B. run C. held D. done
GUIDED CLOZE TEXT 2.
Read the text and choose the best option to fill in each numbered blank.
A desert is a special region where only certain kinds of plants and animals can survive. All deserts
have very little water. This means that only animals and plants that can (1)………….water for long
periods of time can exist in the desert.
Plants in the deserts are particularly (2)………….to the dry and hot environment. One well-known
desert plant is the cactus. (3) …………. many desert plants, this plant has very tiny leaves. As plants lose
most of their water through their leaves. The small leaves of the cactus help to cut down water
evaporation. There are some desert plants that do not have leaves (4)…………..
Some desert plants survive by avoiding the dry season (5)………….. During the dry season, this
plant remains a seed and does not (6)………….from the soil at all. When the rains come, this seed would
grow very quickly into a plant. It would bloom rapidly and then (7) ………….its seeds before the dry
season returns.
Desert animals have also learnt to adapt well to life in this region . The camel, for example, (8)
………….well in the desert because water can be (9)………….in its body. Other desert animals include
rodents such as mice. These animals need very little water as they can get all the water they (10)
…………. from their food.
1. A. do without B. keep off C. stay away D. give up
2. A. convenient B. adjusted C. regulated D. adapted
3. A. As B. Similar C. Like D. Just as
4. A. at all B. as well C. in all D. either
5. A. totally B. entirely C. altogether D. wholly
6. A. rise B. arise C. awake D. emerge
7. A. scatter B. throw C. fling D. cast
8. A. exists B. survives C. subsists D. remains
9. A. stocked B. kept C. stored D. contained
10. A. demand B. require C. request D. ask for
B. WRITTEN TEST:
1. OPEN CLOZE TEST 1:
Fill in each gap with onesuitable word.
AGEISM
I used to (0) be an ordinary member of society running from meeting to meeting just like anybody
else. But then some kind (1)..................... misguided friends laid (2)....................a surprise birthday party
when I was 70.
(3) ............. then they had called me Old. Indestructible, (4)..................I was told, but overnight
theirbehaviour towards me changed. Do you need a chair, dear? Would you like a cup of tea, love?
(5)..................... cruel of all, whatever would 1 do with myself now that I was retired? My life as an
ordinary citizen (6)..................... to an abrupt end.
(7).....................befits my new status as a dependent, I must keep my head down, stop clamouring
for a betterpension and be grateful for my free bus pass and for concessions when I go into a museum.
The whole welfare system seems hell-bent on (8 )..................... me in what "they" think is my proper
place.
What is so exasperating is that (9)..................... of this is inevitable. Ageism is a European
phenomenon, a comparatively recent by-product of the industrial society, in which as non-workers, older
people are a drag on the market, of (10).................... value, a cost and a problem.
OPEN CLOZE TEST 2
THE GALAPAGOS
Visitors to the Galapagos Islands could be forgiven forasking what all the fuss about. Disaster
workers and ecologists(l) ........... outnumber tourists, but there are few visible signs of a disaster. A
wrecked oil tanker, stranded on rocks a mile (2)........... is a blot on the tropical landscape. Simply keeping
catastrophe at bay was never going to satisfy an environmental group that wants the Galapagos lslands
to remain as they were when Darwin visited in 1839. (3)........... since most of the credit for the narrow
escape is thanks to the winds and currents that carried the spill (4)........ to sea.
About a third of the islands' 600 or so, native plant species are found only there. (5 )........ the 57
species of reptiles, land birds and mammals, more than 80 per cent are found nowhere else. Among these
is the world’s largest marine lizard, the only species of penguin found in the tropics, a cormorant that has
lived so long without predators that it has lost the (6)........ to fly, and many rare species of tortoise. All
are uniquely vulnerable, hence the unique concern.
The Galapagos Islands were (7)............ a national parkin 1959. and developed an apparently model
ecotourism industry - groups are sent (8) ............ hopping to designated sites and always with a guide.
The local conservationists appeared confident at the helm, and the international environmental groups
were pleased to have one (9) ........ place to worry about - until the rusting ship ran (10)..........and leaked
its cargo of oil.
II. WORD FORMS
WORD FORM 1: Give the correct form of the words in brackets.
1. To contrast and relate the two styles of Picasso, you should have his early drawings .....................with
his later works in the exhibition. (POSE)
2. It is common knowledge that oil and water are ............... . For example, pouring olive oil into water
results in two distinct layers. (MIX)
3. There was yet another ..........................yesterday at the factory over the question of tea-breaks
(WALK)
4. One of the cars involved in the accident was a complete............. (WRITE)
5. Our principal is virtually ............... in English, Chinese and Vietnamese (LANGUAGE)
6. The last recession......................the economy. (VITAL)
7. Like many..... of his generation, he was fascinated by the Internet (technology)
8. Since most problem are ................... there are several alternatives to choose from each with unique pros
and cons. (FACET)
9. I don’t think Tom’s getting too much sleep lately. His eyes are terribly................. (BLEED)
10. Don’t think you can ...................me! (SOAP)
WORD FORM 2: Supply each gap with the correct form of the word given in the box.
break work lift value mix
complete wind unite bear script
Those people who fear that three decades of significant technological (1)................. have produced
a generation of (2) ........... and unhelpful Internet addicts will be (3) .................. by a survey showing that
some teenagers are better trained than they ever were, domestically speaking. Nearly 60% of parents said
that their teenagers were(4) .................at looking after themselves, agreeing with the statement that 'My
son/daughter can organize a meal and cook it.' Those parents with children aged 14-18, were most likely
to be in agreement with this. The aim of the survey was to (5) ............ the attitude of parents towards their
teenagers.
About 1,000 parents were asked if they agreed with (6) ................. views on typical teenage
behaviour and lifestyles in the early years of the 21st century. In the analysis of responses it was found
that, while teenagers regarded weekends as a time of (7 )..................... most parents considered them a
time for study or
family (8)................ However, the contention that it's useful to have a teenager because of their seemingly
(9) .................. . ability to know how the TV and computers work was a point that almost everyone
(10) ....................to.
III. ERROR RECOGNITION
Identify 10 errors in the following passage and correct them
The horse and carriage is a thing of the past, but love and marriage are still with us and still closely
(0) interrelating. Most American marriages, particular first marriages uniting young people, are the
result of mutual attraction and affection rather than practical consideration.
In the United States, parents do not arrange marriages for their children. Teenagers begin date in
high school and usually find mates through their own academic and social contacts. Though young people
feel free to choose their friends from different groups, almost choose a mate of similar background. This
is due in parts to parental guidance. Parents cannot select spouses for their children, but they can usually
influence choices by voicing disapproval for someone they consider unsuitable.
However, marriages of members of different groups (interclass, interfaith, and interracial
marriages) are increasing, probably because of the greater mobile of today’s youth and the fact that they
are restricted by fewer prejudices as their parents. Many young people leave their hometowns to attend
college, serve in
the armed forces or pursue a career in a bigger city. One away from home and family, they are more
likely to date and marry outside their own social group.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMA TION
1. You could be arrested for not giving a breath sample to the police.
Refusal ............................................................................................... .
2. We must reduce the company’s outgoings.
Our.......... ................................................. ...reduce the company’s outgoings.
3. “There is no point in writing it all out in longhand if you can use a typewriter, isn’t there?”
She dissuaded................................................................. ....................
Rewrite the following sentences using the words in brackets.
4. We were told not to communicate by radio except in an emergency. (silence)
................................................................. ..................................................................
5. The new examination regulations will become operational next month.(force)
................................................................. ..................................................................
6. The success of our local theater has made our city famous. (map)
................................................................. ..................................................................
7. I resent the way that she clearly feels herself to be superior to me. (nose)
................................................................. ..................................................................
8. The effects of the gale were felt mainly along the south coast. (brunt)
The south coast................................................................ ..........................................
9. The tourists were unharmed after the train crash. (worse)
The tourists.......... ................................................. their experience in the train crash.
10. Harry was close to swimming the big race. (ace)
Harry was...................... ................................................. ...........................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN TRẦN ĐẠI NGHĨA - TP. HCM
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS. (40 PTS)
I. PHONOLOGY:
1. A. housed B. released C. advised D. cleansed
2. A. prerequisite B. preregister C. reprehensible D. depressant
3. A. pageant B. fragrance C. manger D. savory
4. A. etiquette B. marquee C. queuing D. earthquake
5. A. courtesy B. colonel C. curve D. course
Choose the word which is stressed differently from the others.
6. A. martyr B. karate C. envisage D. integrity
7. A. trustworthy B. mistletoe C. symposium D. interface
8. A. credulous B. acropolis C. dialect D. obsolete
9. A. therapeutic B. conscientious C. fanaticism D.
orthographic
10. A. asylum B. adherent C. bigotry D. flamboyant
II. WORD CHOICE.
1. Numbers at the evening class have …………..rather badly. In fact, if attendance gets any worse, we
may have to cancel the course altogether.
A. lessened B. dwindled C. deteriorated D. crumbled
2. Many prospective buyers have reached the end of their………….. as they can now no longer afford to
buy the kind of property the had…………..their heads on.
A. wits/put B. line/set C. tether/set D. road/taken
3. Jane really ………….. it on thick when she told the boss that she was not feeling very well.
Unfortunately for her, he realized immediately that she just wanted the afternoon off.
A. put B. spread C. laid D. painted
4. There can be no …………..fixes or magic solutions to the problem of unemployment.
A. fast B speedy C. quick D. sudden
5. He wasn't going to tell me, but I managed to …………..it out of him.
A. snuff B. worm C. work D. whistle
6. You need to ………….. out your argument with a few more examples.
A. flirt B. blurt C. flesh D. flatter
7. When you come down the hill, do drive slowly because it is not …………..obvious where the turning
is.
A. immediately B. directly C. instantaneously D. quite
8. At her trial in ,1431 Joan of Arc was accused of being in ………….. with the devil.
A. cooperation B. association C. league D. conjunction
9. By making it easier to trace who is phoning, companies have reduced the number of…………..calls.
A. evil B. malignant C. malicious D. wicked
10. The footballer…………..in agony on the pitch, and it was clear that his knee had been broken.
A. wriggled B. writhed C. squirmed D. twisted
III. STRUCTURES AND GRAM MAR
1. Don’t worry, David. ………….., you can depend on me. I’ll never let you down.
A. Comes what comes B. Come what may
C. Whatever it comes D. Comes what might
2. They had ………….. that it was invisible from the road.
A. so designed it B. designed it to be
C. designed it such as D. designed it like
3. ………….. , I haven’t seen Catherine all day.
A. Coming to think of it B. Coming to think it
C. To come to think of it D. Come to think of it
4. The answer is no. That’s all …………...
A. there is at it B. how it is C. there is to it D. there it is
5. I drove 200 miles to the concert, only …………..that I had gone on the wrong day.
A. finding B. to find C. found D. to be
finding
6.…………... the patients have some disabilities, we still try to enable them to be as independent as
possible.
A. Considered that B. As for C. Note that D. Given that
7. “Were there many people at the lecture?” – “.…………..., hardly anyone attended.”
A. Consequently B. Otherwise
C. On the contrary D. On the other hand
8. It is possible to stay overnight here although there is no guest house…………...
A. at that B. as such C. such like D. in itself
9. Can you keep this to yourself? I’d just …………...nobody else in the office knew about it.
A. as soon B. as much C. so much D. sooner that
10. It is estimated that …………... 10% of the population goes to university.
A. any B. a C. some D. the
1. The two brothers fight continually, mainly…………... jealousy.
A. out from B. in view of C. with a view to D. out of
2. I heard…………... that Jack has been dropped from the basketball team.
A. in the woods B. on the grapevine
C. under your feet D. on the olive branch
3. Helen was very angry with me. She has…………... the wrong end of the stick.
She thinks I was responsible for the accident.
A. got hold of B. used C. gripped D. clung to
4. Many habitats change…………... the types of plants and animals that live there.
A. with respect to B. in respect for C. as for D. as against
5. Everybody should comply…………... this rule. There’s no exception, I’m afraid.
A. to B. for C. with D. in
6. The past decade has seen an increasing number of famous people crashing …………... on their
celebrity status by getting their autobiographies published.
A. in B. with C. for D. that
7. George shouldn’t have been …………... for promotion, in my opinion.
A. taken out B. gone through C. left out D. passed
over
8. The elderly couple can fend…………... themselves despite their age.
A. in for B. for C. with D. on
9. Unfortunately some really ill animals have to be …………...by our center.
A. put down B. turned over C. passed away D. taken out
10. John first dabbled…………...buying old maps for his collection.
A. in B. on C. at D. for
READING 1
At first sight, the classic detective story might seem to be a form that is continuing the
Enlightenment’s attempts to grapple with the dark secrets of the human heart and, somehow, reassure us
that sweetness and light can win the day. But the history of the crime story is powered by something
mysterious as the tales themselves.
The form really begins in the 1840s with the publication of a short story called The Murders in the
Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe, the horrific tale of the murders of two women in a “vile alley”
somewhere in Paris. The crime is solved by a character called Chevalier Dupin, who, at first sight, might
appear to
be the first of those nineteenth century thinking machines of whom Sherlock Holmes is the most famous
example. Close inspection of the mechanics of the tale, however, reveals that Dupin is closer to being a
wizard of the old-fashioned type. Poe tells us at the beginning of the story that draughts is superior to
chess
(more intuitive) and most of Dupin’s “deductions”- including a bizarre sequence where he professes to be
able to read his companion’s mind - are about as far from logical thought as you can get.
The detective story comes out of the nineteenth century’s loss of faith in religious truth and its heart
lies in improbable explanations. Arthur Conan Doyle, whose Holmes is one of the most famous fictional
characters in the world, acknowledges his debt to Poe in his first published Holmes tale, A Study in
Scarlet. But though Doyle begins by emphasizing the rational nature of his principal character, Holmes
gradually gets taken over by the gothic, referring to cases such as that of “the giant rat of Sumatra for
which the world is not yet prepared.”
In order to emphasize his hero ’s scientific credentials, Conan Doyle said that he was based on his
old professor of surgery, Joseph Bell. One of Bell’s party tricks was to astonish patients in front of his
students by deducing their professions from the state of their clothes or telling them he knew they had
walked across a certain golf course in order to get to the hospital: “Only on these links, my dear man, is
found the reddish gravel that still adheres to your shoes.”
But one should always be cautious of author’s attempts to acknowledge or deny the“ real” originals
of fictitious characters. If we look closely at Holmes’s methods, we discover that the great detective is
closer to the mystical and intuitive than anything else. One of his favorite ploys is to withhold facts from
the reader as well as the other characters and, when providing explanations, to make them as
pleasingly barmy as anything in Poe. The Speckle Band - one of Holmes’s most famous cases - is based
on a series of absurdities, not least of which is the idea that snakes can slide down bell ropes.
This anti-rational strand of the genre might seem at odds with its next great development - The
English Golden Age Murder, whose greatest exponent is Agatha Christie. Christie is a writer whose
charm, for most people, is that her plots are fuelled by ingenuity, not violence. Her great detective,
HerculePoirot,
reckons to solve all his cases by use of the “the little grey cells.” And one of the things that Christie fans
will tell you is that she “plays fair” with the reader. Even in a story where the narrator turns out to be the
murderer, she does carefully adjust the timescale to demonstrate that X would have had time to do the
bloody deed and, in order to seem absolutely above board, leaves an obliging trail of asterisks to put us
on our guard.
But when you come to look closely at Christie’s work, it becomes clear that we are not really
supposed to read these texts while attempting to understand them. As Raymond Chandler remarked of the
solution to her famous story in which all of the suspects did the murder in collaboration: “The plot is so
ingenious only a half-wit would guess it.”
We read detective stories because we wish to imagine a world in which a strong, independent figure
- more and more, these days, a policeman or woman - can reassure us that justice has not altogether been
extinguished from the planet. And, as we move farther and farther from the notion of society, and mutual
support and concern for others come a long way behind our personal survival, our need for the world of
the great detective - however fantastic it may be - is greater and greater.
1. Which is the best title for this passage?
A. Why are detective stories so addictive?
B. The origins of the detective story
C. Famous detective characters in English literature
D. Detective stories - now and then
2. The writers of the first detective stories
A. were trying to understand the secrets of the human heart.
B. wanted to show that goodness always triumphs over evil.
C. were not motivated by the same forces as other thinkers in the Enlightenment.
D. wanted to introduce readers to scientific methods of deduction.
3. According to the writer
A. Dupin and Sherlock Holmes solved crimes in almost identical ways.
B. Poe intended Dupin to be a nineteenth century thinking machine.
C. Dupins’s deductions are intuitive and logical.
D. Dupin uses superhuman powers rather than logical thinking.
4. The text claims that
A. Conan Doyle based Holmes on his old professor.
B. to give him authenticity, Conan Doyle said Holmes was a student of Bell’s.
C. Conan Doyle wanted readers to believe that Holmes was well-versed in science.
D. Conan Doyle intended Holmes to be mystical and intuitive.
5. Conan Doyle’s claims about the origins of his hero are
A. convincing B. doubtful C. logical D. false
6. The writer suggests that if you study Christie’s work carefully, you find that she
A. unfairly prevents her readers from trying to guess who the murderer is.
B. does not expect her readers to try to understand the details of her stories.
C. makes it easy for readers to guess the ending.
D. plays clever games with the reader.
7. Chandler suggests that in one of Christie’s books, the plot is
A. so complicated that only a genius could guess it.
B. so clever that only a genius could work it out.
C. so unconvincing that not even a fool could believe it.
D. so brilliant that nobody but a fool would fathom it.
8. According to the writer, detective stories
A. reflect modern society. B. reaffirm the role of the police,
C. satisfy our desire for security. D. prove that justice can be done.
9. The word “barmy” is closest in meaning to
A. crazy B. unbelievable C. reliable D. truthful
10. The word “half-wit” is closest in meaning to
A. a smart person B. a sober person C. a stupid person D. a blunt person
READING 2
Anita Roddick squats in the back of a Jeep in Ghana’s blowtorch heat, harearmed and wild-haired,
dusty feet in worn snadals, sweat on her lined forehead. Her clothes are crumpled and her face is creased.
She is the fourteenth richest woman in Britain; she is the public face of the eco-friendly Body Shop , but
she
shrugs when anyone metions her money. She doesn’t want to talk about her wealth but about other
people’s poverty. She doesn’t want to talk about cosmetics, but about the stories and traditions behind
each pot of cocoa butter mousturising cream, or about beauty not being skin deep, or the wisdom that
comes with age, or the danger of microwave ovens and animal-tested hair sprays.
“I am a child of the Sixties,” she says. And so she is, with her flowing hair and peasant clothes, and
her indefatigable love of all good causes” she’s an unreconstructed old hippie, one of a dying breed.
I used to think that Anita Roddick was the female equivalent of Richard Branson, hiding her
businesswoman’s heart under the cheesecloth smock, and cannily persuading intense teenage girls to buy
lip gloss or little bottles of body creams in naff raffia baskets - cashing in on a fashion for ethical
shopping by vigilante consumers who no longer want products that are tainted by child labor, oppressive
regimes, environmental damage.
A few years ago, Roddick came under a barrage of criticism. She won a bruising libel case against
Channel Four, who had suggested that Body Shop cosmetics contained animal products, but then faced
hostile media attention for the way that the company was set up, for the razzmatazz of their hype, for
advertising American Express in a manner that suggested a colonial complacency. Roddick insists that if
you dig for dirt you will always find some. Some of the mud seemed to stick: and while we oddly
continue to love Branson for his homey jerseys and his inarticulate pronouncements, the public seems
irritated by Roddick ’s garrulous, tireless, pushy and morally insistent presence.
We are on our way to one of the villages near Tamale, which supply the Body Shop which shea
butter. Under the Fair Trade agreement, Body Shop pays a ten percent premium on top of the price, which
goes into community projects.
We approach the village, and a throng of people is waiting. Anita unscrews the tops of moisturizing
creams, and their scent fills the baked air like incense in church. She visits the shea-butter process. She
praises the women - “the wives and mothers and grandmothers”- and listens to their worries: there’s been
a
drought for three years; there is no school. She promises money (out of her own trust fund) for the
equipment. They cheer, they give her a goat, two guinea fowl and a great box of yams. Then everyone
dances, - and Anita dances the most enthusiastically of all, as the drum beats out its rhythms and the
children stare up at her and giggle. I don’t know whether to be moved or appalled by this vision of white
woman coming to Africa, she would be queen, or by her inimitable combination of generosity and
shamelessness.
In another village, further south and later in the trip, she promises that she will fund a clinic (in
Ghana, there is AIDS, malaria, yellow fever, fatal epidemics of measles and malnutrition.) She is given
another goat. She has a go at hacking cocoa pods off the trees, wielding the long pole tipped with a knife,
stubborn and off-target. She questions the cooperative which runs the cocoa butter production about its
bureaucracy (“I want to know what we’re doing here that’s different,” she says. “I want to see results.”)
A quarrel breaks out among the men, some of whom are drunk on palm gin. She stands up. “OK, OK, tell
me ,mm...” - she looks around wildly - “who is the best here at kissing?”
I feel embarrassed for her, by her - but maybe that is just my problem, for the quarrel peters out,
and the women smile up at her adoringly; their fairy godmother, coming from another world, bearing
gifts.
With Anita Roddick, there seems to be no gap between the thought and the utterance, nor any sense
of shame of dignity. This is her great strength and also her perpetual weakness - the way she plunges into
things, with her shambolic passions, her spontaneous opinions. She is not chic, trendy or cool (nor,
indeed,
is The Body Shop). She clings to naivety and optimism. Of course, it can be disarming, and she knows
and plays on this.
As we walk, she admits to guilt; she is a rich hippie; a radical multimillionaire. She is leaving most
of her money to charities, not to her two daughters; she drives an old Golf and wears floppy flowery
skirts (“I like to look like a peasant”) to business meetings in the City. She works very hard when she
doesn’t need to.
Our last appointment in Ghana before flying home is at the British High Commission in Accra,
where a reception is being held in Roddick’s honor. Drifting across the hum of cultured voices, I can hear
Roddick laughing lustily. Who cares if she is a bit batty? Her hair is messy; her chin is up; behind her
glasses, her eyes are shrewd and bright and determined. There are many worse things to be than a wacky
hippie with a large wallet and a large heart.
1. What is the best title for this passage?
A. A radical multimillionaire B. The history of The Body Shop
C. How a hippie built her beauty kingdom D. A victory against haters
2. The writer thinks that Anita Roddick
A. pretend to be concerned about moral issues but is at heart a businesswoman.
B. is eccentric but well-intentioned on the whole,
C. is rather hypocritical
D. is condescending to the people in the village
3. It can be inferred from the text that
A. Richard Branson is a male equivalent of Anita Roddick
B. Ethical shopping is a disillusioned dream created by clever business people.
C. Consumers are paying more attention to how a product is made.
D. People think about Richard Branson and Anita Roddick in the same way.
4. The text states that The Body Shop sells products that
A. contain some hidden animal products.
B. sometimes contain mud.
C. are produced in a morally acceptable way.
D. appeal unfairly to young women.
5. According to the text, Anita Roddick
A. agrees that in the past The Body Shop may have had some faults.
B. thinks that all the accusations against The Body Shop are completely unfounded.
C. thinks that American Express behave like colonialists.
D. has been over-criticized in the past.
6. In one of the villages she visits, Anita Roddick
A. promises to build a new school
B. goes to see the place where they make one of The Body Shop products.
C. distributes The Body Shop products to the villagers.
D. promises the villagers money from The Body Shop to buy equipment.
7. Anita Roddick
A. is guilty of double-dealing.
B. feels uneasy about her wealth.
C. isembarrassed about being a hippie.
D. is guilty about her treatment of her family.
8. How do the villagers feel about Anita Roddick?
A. they feel embarrassed by her.
B. they dislike her interfering with the way they run their businesses.
C. they expect her to solve their disagreements.
D. they see her as a benefactor.
9. When describing Anita, the writer of this article tends to be
A. uncritical B. disapproving
C. embarrassed D. critical but amused
10. The word “indefatigable” is closest in meaning to
A. unrelenting B. unyielding C. insatiable D. incompatible
VI. GUIDED CLOZE
CLOZE TEST 1
Interpreting the feelings of other people is not always easy, as we all know, and we rely as much on
what they seem to be telling us, as on the (1)……………..words they say. Facial expressions and tone of
voice are obvious ways of showing our (2) …………….. to something, and it may well be that we
unconsciously (3) …………….. views that we are trying to hide. The art of being tactful lies in (4)
…………….. these signals, realizing what the other person is trying to say, and acting so that they are not
embarrassed in any way. For example, we may understand that they are (5) …………….. reluctant to
answer our question, and so we stop pressing them. Body movements in general may also (6)
……………..
feelings, and interviewers often pay particular attention to the way a candidate for a job walks into the
room and sits down. However, it is not difficult to present the right kind of appearance, while what many
employers want to know relates to the candidate’s character (7) …………….., and psychological
stability. This raises the (8) …………….. question of whether job candidates should be asked to complete
psychological tests, and the further problem of whether such tests actually produce reliable results. For
many people, being asked to take part in such a test would be an objectionable (9) …………….. into their
private lives. Quite apart from this problem, can such tests predict whether a person is likely to be a
(10) …………….. employee or a valued colleague?
1. A. Other B. Real C. Identical D. Actual
2. A. View B. Feeling C. Notion D. Reaction
3. A. Express B. Declare C. Exhibit D. Utter
4. A. Taking down B. Putting across C. Picking up D. Going over
5. A. At least B. Above all C. Anyhow D. In fact
6. A. Display B. Indicate C. Imply D. Infer
7. A. Quirks B. Mannerisms C. Traits D. Points
8. A. Awkward B. Risky C. Unpleasant D. Touchy
9. A. Invasion B. Intrusion C. Infringement D. Interference
10. A. Pedantic B. Particular C. Laborious D. Conscientious
CLOZE TEST 2
MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S EVE
In Europe, Midsummer Night’s Eve, also known as St John’s Eve, occurs on June 23 rd. It originates
from the pagan celebrations of the summer solstice which were held on June 21 st. On that night
throughout Europe bonfires were lit along hillsides to (1)………….. the shortest night of the year. It must
have looked as if some kind of violent insurrection was taking place down the coast of Scotland and
England, but these signal fires in fact had a very important purpose. Bones of farm animals (2)
………….. the previous autumn were burned and, when the fires had (3) ………….. the remaining ash
was put to good use: it was spread on the fields to enrich the land and ensure a good harvest. The word
‘bonfire’ is (4) ………….from ‘bone fire’.
In Brazil too St John’s Eve means bonfires and fireworks. Another quaint tradition involves the (5)
………….. of small paper hot-air balloons, although they are prohibited by law in the cities because of
the fire (6) ………….. Bonfires mark the beginning of spring rather than the summer in Sweden and are
lit on the last night of April. In the Swedish Midsummer’s Eve (7) ………….. , held on June 24 th, are
large pole, decorated with flowers and leaves, is placed in the ground.
Thistles also have a significant role in the celebration of Midsummer’s Night in Europe. In the past
they were thought to (8) ………….. witches. The pretty, prickly plant was nailed over barn doors or used
in wreaths, the circular shape being a symbol of the turning of the seasons. Wheels laced with straw and
soaked in pitch were lit from the bonfires and then rolled down hills.
There is less risk of fire in a (9) …………..tradition to many Slavic countries. Young women and
girls float little baskets of flowers and lighted candles down streams. Local boys swim out to (10) ………
a basket, find the girl it belongs to and claim a dance at the town’s Midsummer’s Eve Party.
1. A. celebrate B. honour C. commemorate D. commiserate
2. A. revised B. assassinated C. slaughtered D. sacrificed
3. A. doused B. extinguished C. smothered D. gone out
4. A. derived B. developed C. evolved D. decayed
5. A. landing B. launching C. propelling D. ejecting
6. A. certainty B. peril C. jeopardy D. hazard
7. A. tradition B. custom C. ceremony D. practice
8. A. deflect B. ward off C. attract D. avert
9. A. unique B. common C. mutual D. prevalent
10. A. salvage B. rescue C. set free D. liberate
B. WRITTEN TEST
1. OPEN CLOZE (20 PTS).
Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word only.
CLOZE 1
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
What if ...? It is interesting to speculate on the twists and turns that have shaped recent history.
Would penicillin have been discovered (1) ………….. a microscopic organism not landed on one of
Alexander Fleming’s culture dishes, for instance? Every day, people in marketing departments around the
world come to decisions about products that have a profound (2) ………….. on all our lives. The failures
are soon forgotten, but that doesn’t mean the visionaries were wrong. More (3) ………….. than not, they
simply didn’t get their marketing right.
Take car engines. There has been (4) ………….. shortage of alternatives to the petrol-driven
engine, but the world’s automotive and petrochemical industries have made sure that most of them
quietly disappeared by using their commercial and political influence. A (5) ………….. fate befell the car
tyre that would never (6) ………….. replacing. Polymers and rubber compounds developed for
astronauts’ moon boots would reputedly never have (7) ………….. out if they had been used to make
tyres for road vehicles. But the everlasting car tyre (8) ………….. limited appeal for manufacturers.
Occasionally a product can make it against the odds. Sony chairman Akio Morita was strongly
advised against producing a tape recorder that couldn’t record. He recalls ‘Our marketing people
responded (9) …………..enthusiasm. They said it wouldn’t (10) ………….. on, and it embarrassed me to
be so excited about a product most others thought would be a dud.’ More than 100 million Walkmans and
personal cassette players have been sold worldwide.
CLOZE 2
Whitney Houston was the youngest of three children born to John and Cissy Houston in East
Orange, New Jersey. She was born (1) ………….. a musical family as her mother was a successful R&B
backup singer, her father was Cissy's agent, and her cousin was Dionne Warwick. (John Houston later
became
Whitney's agent.) Houston grew up in East Orange, New Jersey and (2) …………..began singing in the
Baptist church. As a teen she sang (3) ………….. for Lou Rawls and Chaka Khan and worked as a
model.
She broke into the music industry in 1985 when she signed a record (4) …………..with Arista
Records and produced her (5) ………….. album, WHITNEY HOUSTON. She received her first Grammy
Award for one of the number one songs on the album, "Saving All My Love for You." Her second album,
WHITNEY, was the first album by a female artist to enter the charts at number one. Houston has since
received numerous Grammys, and became the first performer to have seven (6) ………….. number one
singles on the BILLBOARD magazine pop-music charts. She has also enjoyed a successful (7)
………….. as an actress in lead roles for such movies as THE BODYGUARD and WAITING TO
EXHALE. She has (8) ………….. most of the music for the soundtracks in these films.
Houston is involved with (9) ………….. humanitarian organizations as the United Negro College
Fund, the Children's Diabetes Fund, and St. Jude's Children's Hospital. She (10) ………….. The Whitney
Houston Foundation for Children, Incorporated, a nonprofit organization assisting homeless children and
children with cancer and AIDS.
II. WORD FORM: (20 PTS)
Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the capitalized words in brackets.
1. He is a quitter who is ………….. unsuited to remaining a champion. (TEMPER)
2. Though she had spent hours fixing the computer he …………..her efforts. (LITTLE)
3. He ran a hot bath and……………in it for half an hour. (LUXURY)
4. Books were a form of………….. from the real world. (ESCAPE)
5. If the cabin ………….., oxygen masks will automatically drop down. (PRESS)
6. …………..statements, feelings, opinions etc. are wrong because they are not based on facts. (FOUND)
7. An ………….. person tries to make other people do what he or she wants in an unpleasant and forceful
way.(BEAR)
8. He comes from a completely ………….. , lower middle-class family. (CULTURE)
9. I remember her as a quiet, hard-working and………….. girl. (SPEAK)
10. His daughter has made quite a number of ………….. in her career as a doctor. (SUCCEED)
Put the words given in the correct blanks. You have to use their correct forms to make a
meaningful passage. There are two extra words you do not need to use.
decisive functionality sequential alternative infancy sense
taking appetite transmit perception gate wire
The chemical senses are the (1) ………….. of the body. They provide information about the
substances we come into contact with, and thus influence our (2) ………….. about what to eat and drink.
Although our responses to many flavours may appear to be (3) ………….. , they can actually be modified
by experience. Much of what we like and dislike about flavours is learned.
Scientists are exploring factors related to food choice and (4) …………..across the human lifespan.
One research programme with human (5)…………..examines the role of early experience on
development of flavour preferences in life. The late-term foetus has (6) ………….. chemosensory
systems that can
detect tastes and odours, and research has shown that flavours associated with the mother’s diet are
passed into the amniotic fluid. Such (7) ………….. of flavour may provide the foetus with an early
introduction to elements of the mother’s cuisine.
At the other end of the lifespan, research has shown that loss of (8) …………..of taste in the elderly
affects the way food is (9) ………….. by these individuals. For example, olfactory loss can diminish food
cravings and also aversions, leading to lack of preference and (10) ………….. to lack of appetite.
III. ERROR RECOGNITION:
Find 10 mistakes in the passage. (10 pts)
When at the age of fifteen Albert Einstein found pedagogic methods useless and irritated nobody
suspected that he would be one of the most characteristic figures in the field of science and mathematics
and virtually the founder of the theory of Universe.
At the age of nine he stuttered and his family saw no future in him. At the age of fifteen he was
compel by his teachers to leave school, so he started engaging him in mathematics and geometry. In 1900
he graduated in Zurich’s Polytechnic School, without any distinction. He got a poorly paid job , but with
a lot of leisurely time to work on his own projects and personal worries.
At the age of twenty-six he published three theses, which was about photoelectric phenomenon,
Brown activity and the theory of relativity, and he has received two Nobel prizes. The theory of relativity
is one of the most significant achievement of humanity. Einstein once said about his theory: ‘There is no
amount of experiments that can prove I’m right, but one single experiment can prove I’m wrong’.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION:
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. (20 pts)
1. She seems to find the way Tom ’s behaves more a source of amusement than embarrassment. (BEING)
→ Far from …………………………………………………………………………amused by it.
2. I only realized the full implications of what had happened until sometime later.
→ It wasn’t …………………………………………………………………………
3. It doesn’t matter how badly he behaved, you shouldn’t have been so rude to him.
→ You shouldn’t have been rude to him, however ………………………………..
4. I was amazed because there were no problems throughout the holiday. (WENT)
→ To ……………………………………………… wrong throughout the holiday.
5. I felt relaxed at Gita’s house because her parents greeted me so warmly. (EASE)
→ Gita’s parents………………………………………………… of their greetings.
6. We need to give that new supervisor a lesson because he thinks he’s so superior. (PEG)
→ That new supervisor ……………………………………………………………
7. You should observe the task carefully before you decide. (WEATHER)
→ You should………………………………………………………………………
8. Since there wasn’t a better alternative, I accepted the job. (ABSENCE)
→ In ………………………………………………………………………………..
9. It seems to me that my parents cope calmly with everything I do. (STRIDE)
→ I’m under………………………………………………………………………..
10. It’s clear to everyone that he’s excellent at his job. (DENYING)
→ There’s …………………………………………………………………………
THE END
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN TRẦN HƯNG ĐẠO - BÌNH THUẬN
I. PHO NOLOGY
A. Choose a word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
1. A. derelict B. derogate C. derby D. derrick
2. A. zigzag B. mozzarella C. mozzie D. enzyme
3. A. foment B. coruscate C. hospice D. proxy
4. A. chemise B. chicory C. chicane D. chenille
5. A. accursed B. blessed C. crooked D. shocked
B. Choose a word with a different stress pattern.
6. A. interne B. intact C. instep D. inward
7. A. sabotage B. ligament C. fulminate D. bruschetta
8. A. progeny B. patriot C. potency D. promenade
9. A. bereft B. terrace C. solemn D. geisha
10. A. transliterate B. terrestrial C. testimony D. tempestuous
II. VOCABULARY
1. It was only when I saw Manhattan………………into the distance beneath and behind me that I finally
began to relax.
A. abating B. withdrawing C. receding D. reversing
2. They spent their time fishing or……………… through the woods.
A. ambling B. striding C. roaming D. treading
3. It is ……………… possible to spend all of your life in this city.
A. purely B. perfectly C. starkly D. solidly
4. The birds are notorious for investigating and, in the ……………… often destroying everything from
rubbish bins to windscreen wipers.
A. procedure B. process C. measure D. technique
5. In France, where every……………… provincial town, ringed by supermarkets, retains its specialist
food shops and weekly street market, the traditional coexists with the new.
A. self-regarding B. self-appointed C. self-conscious D. self-
respecting
6. By creating an improved smile, a dental surgeon can dramatically alter a person’s whole
……………… of themselves.
A. perception B. observation C. discernment D.
consciousness
7. The client list at his clinic……………… pop stars, actresses and even royalty
A. proclaims B. brags C. trumpets D. boasts
8. The results of the ……………… research can be interpreted in many ways .
A. quality B. qualified C. qualifier D. qualitative
9. He was engrossed in the paperwork to the ……………… of his own interests and the annoyance of
everybody concerned.
A. damage B. harm C. detriment D. disadvantage
10. Products in supermarkets should be laid before customers as ……………… as possible.
A. adoringly B. enticingly C. magickingly D. dazzlingly
III. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTUR ES
1. During the time I started to get chest pains, I…………….tennis a lot.
A. played B. was playing
C. had played D. had been playing
2. David didn’t know where the ball was, but he thought his sister……………… have been playing with
it.
A. can B. might C. could D. should
3. She ……………… coming into class late.
A. recalled B. was recalled C. noticed D. was
noticed
4. After the interval, Susan went on………………an aria.
A. to sing B. singing C. to have sung D. having
sung
5. A bull charged towards the car, ………………I drove away quickly.
A. at which point B. by which point
C. at which time D. by which time
6. It’s not quite ………………straightforward a problem as it might as first seem.
A. much B. such C. so D. too
7. We’re having ………………dinner to welcome the new manager.
A. Ø B. some C. the D. a
8. She looked out and……………..was Pamela, walking along arm in arm with Goldie.
A. this B. that C. there D. it
9. Security at the event has been tightened since last year………….., about 1000 managed to get in
without tickets.
A. Nonetheless B. Notwithstanding
C. At any rate D. Any way you slice it
10. ……………… Jim’s support, I wouldn’t have got the job.
A. As for B. But for C. Except for D. Just for
VI. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS
1. You must learn to accept defeat………………good grace.
A. at B. with C. by D. for
2. They accepted what he had said………………default of any evidence to disprove it.
A. to B. for C. with D. in
3. The damage to the building is………………over $1 million.
A. put at B. put in C. put up D. put forward
4. Much of the discount is pocketed by retailers instead of being ……………… to customers.
A. called on B. passed on C. carried on D. taken on
5. You should ……………… the routine of saving the document you are working on every ten minutes.
A. take in B. come about C. get into D. hold up
6. She was……………… her promotion.
A. done in for B. done away with C. done out of D. done off in
7. Good instructors will……………… early signs of failure in their students.
A. get through with B. come up with
C. think back on D. look out for
8. Many collectors are willing to pay ………………the odds for early examples of his work.
A. over B. above C. up D. beyond
9. She got the job ……………… virtue of her greater experience.
A. by B. from C. in D. for
10. My mother………………that little matter of my prison record again.
A. found out B. brought up C. gave back D. did over
V. READING
A. PASSAGE 1
PERIODS OF PICASSO
Pablo Picasso was one of the most prolific artists of his time. He produced more than 13,500
paintings and 700 sculptures. In total, he created more than a quarter of a million pieces of art. The sheer
number and variety of his works have led many art historians to try to organize them into categories,
commonly called periods. However, there continues to be some disagreement over the names and number
of periods, specifically those related to the work he produced later in his life. In general, though, the work
is categorized by taking into account time period as well as common colors and subjects.
■ (A) The first period in Picasso’s artistic life, referred to as the Blue Period, lasting from 1901
until 1904. ■ (B) During his early years in Paris, Picasso used mostly dark blues in his paintings. ■ (C)
One possible explanation is that he was too poor at the time to afford a variety of paints. ■ (D) Another
theory is that the dark colors reflected his general mood. Just before the start of the Blue Period, Picasso’s
close friend Carlos Casagemas committed suicide after being rejected by a woman, which sent Picasso
into severe depression. Of the two possible explanations for this period, the latter is strongly supported by
the subjects Picasso chose. Most of his works were populated with the poor and lonely of society,
including blind beggars and alcoholics. For one collection of paintings, he used a group of female
prisoners as his models.
One of his most popular works from this period is a painting completed in 1901. The Absinthe
Drinker is of a woman at a table with a large bottle of alcohol in front of her. The wall behind her is close
and imposing, adding to the sense of discomfort. The size of the bottle, which appears almost as big as
her
torso, makes it clear that she is firmly in the grips of a life filled with excessive drinking. Although the
Blue Period paintings are now some of his most sought after, Picasso had trouble selling them at first.
By 1905, Picasso had begun what is now called his Rose Period. Although these works were also
painted while living in Paris, unlike Picasso’s earlier works, they are seen today as closer to French
paintings than Spanish. During the two years of this period, Picasso switched to using more reds and
pinks. It is generally agreed that the change came about because of his romantic relationship with
Fernande Oliver, whom he also used as the subject for many of his paintings.
The subjects Picasso first used in the Rose Period paintings would become some of his most often
repeated. One example is the image of the harlequin, a type of traditional Italian clown. Commonly, the
harlequin wears a one-piece suit decorated with a patchwork of bright colors and repeating designs. The
head is usually covered with a cap and the face with a black mask. The character is known for his
fantastic agility and acrobatics. The paintings from this period are mostly light-hearted and warm.
The start of Picasso’s Black Period can be found in his 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d ’Avignon,
which continues to puzzle critics because it actually contains the start of two separate periods. Of the five
women represented on the canvas, three have the sharp geometric shapes associated with his later
Cubism,
while the remaining two are clearly based on traditional African works. Interestingly, Picasso looked to
African sculptures, not paintings, for the shapes and colors he used in his own paintings.
The Black Period lasted for only two years, ending in 1909. Picasso’s sudden interest in Africa is
easily explained. French colonial rulers of the time were bringing back with them not only art for French
museum s but also fascinating stories of African kingdoms and cultures. Picasso was as interested in
Africa as the rest of the general population of France. However, he was one of the only artists willing to
look outside the world of accepted European art for inspiration.
1. According to paragraph 1, Pablo Picasso’s works…………..
A. tend to have the same colors B. need to be studied more closely
C. fall into certain types D. fail to receive much attention
2. The phrase taking into account in paragraph 1 could best be replaced by…………..
A. following B. considering C. imagining D. accepting
3. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
There are various theories as to why he chose this color.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. ■ (A) B. ■ (B) C. ■ (C) D. ■ (D)
4. The word reflected in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ……………….
A. changed B. redirected C. showed D. found
5. The author mentions prisoners in paragraph 2 in order to ……………….
A. prove that Picasso was unhappy B. introduce a new period of art
C. explain the roles of the models D. illustrate the problems with society
6. According to paragraph 3, what did Picasso use to show alcoholism in The Absinthe Drinker?
A. the relationships between the objects B. the colors in the background
C. the woman’s face D. the size of the canvas
7. Which of the following in paragraph 3 can be inferred about Picasso’s art?
A. He has always been seen as a genius. B. He was initially under-rated.
C. He painted popular subjects. D. He spent all his money on paints
8. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the bold sentence in paragraph 4?
A. Because these works are seen as closer to Spanish than French art, they were first completed
while he lived in Paris.
B. The paintings that he did in Paris, which are different than the ones he did before, are understood
as being closer to Spanish art than French.
C. Picasso’s French art was mostly completed while he lived in Spain, which makes them different
than his earlier works.
D. All the paintings were done in Paris, but the later works are considered more French than
Spanish.
9. Which of the following is NOT true according to paragraph 5 about harlequins?
A. They were shown wearing colorful masks.
B. They were painted in similar clothes.
C. They appeared in many of Picasso’s periods.
D. Their head are covered with caps.
10. According to the passage, which statement is true of The Black Period in Picasso’s artistic life?
A. Picasso was among the small minority of artists who were kindled by cultures other than
Western ones.
B. Picasso based his works on traditional African sculptures and paintings.
C. It was the French colonial rulers who brought inspiring European artworks to Africa.
D. The French people did not welcome the weird civilizations of African countries
B. PASSAGE 2
THE CREATORS OF GRAMMAR
No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex. By changing word
sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny
variations in meaning. We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or
is soon to
take place, and perform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in meaning. Nor is this
complexity inherent to the English language. All languages, even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes have
clever grammatical components. The Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between
'you and I’, 'several other people and I' and 'you, another person and I', in English, all these meanings are
summed up in the one, crude pronoun 'we'. Grammar is universal and plays a part in every
language, no matter how widespread it is. So the question which has baffled many linguists is - who
created grammar?
At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how grammar is
created, someone needs to be present at the time of a language's creation, documenting its emergence.
Many historical linguists are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier languages, but in
order to answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the researcher needs to
observe how languages are started from scratch. Amazingly, however, this is possible.
Some of the most recent languages evolved due to the Atlantic slave trade. At that time, slaves from
a number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under colonizer's rule. Since they had no
opportunity to learn each other's languages, they developed a make-shift language called a pidgin.
Pidgins
are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner. They have little in the way of grammar,
and in many cases it is difficult for a listener to deduce when an event happened, and who did what to
whom. ■ [A] Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to make their meaning understood. ■ [B]
Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to
be exposed to it at the time when they learn their mother tongue. ■ [C] Slave children did not simply
copy the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted their words to create a new, expressive
language. ■ [D] Complex grammar systems which emerge from pidgins are termed creoles, and they are
invented by children.
Further evidence of this can be seen in studying- sign languages for the deaf. Sign languages are not
simply a series of gestures; they utilise the same grammatical machinery that is found in spoken
languages. Moreover, there are many different languages used worldwide. The creation of one such
language was documented quite recently in Nicaragua. Previously, all deaf people were isolated from
each other, but in 1979 a new government introduced schools for the deaf. Although children were taught
speech and lip reading in the classroom, in the playgrounds they began to invent their own sign system,
using the gestures
that they used at home. It was basically a pidgin. Each child used the signs differently, and there was
no consistent grammar. However, children who joined the school later, when this inventive sign system
was already around, developed a quite different sign language. Although it was based on the signs of the
older
children, the younger children's language was more fluid and compact, and it utilised a large range of
grammatical devices to clarify meaning. What is more, all the children used the signs in the same way. A
new creole was born.
Some linguists believe that many of the world's most established languages were creoles at first.
The English past tense - ed ending may have evolved from the verb 'do'. 'It ended' may once have been 'It
end-did'. Therefore it would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly created by
children.
Children appear to have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which springs to life when they are
first trying to make sense of the world around them. Their minds can serve to create logical, complex
structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy.
1. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherokee language?
A. To show how simple, traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures.
B. To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar.
C. To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees.
D. To demonstrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language.
2. What can be inferred about the slaves' pidgin language?
A. It contained complex grammar.
B. It was based on many different languages.
C. It was difficult to understand, even among slaves.
D. It was created by the land-owners.
3. All the following sentences about Nicaraguan sign language are true EXCEPT:
A. The language has been created since 1979.
B. The language is based on speech and lip reading.
C. The language incorporates signs which children used at home.
D. The language was perfected by younger children.
4. In paragraph 3, where can the following sentence be placed?
It included standardized word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the pidgin
language, nor the language of the colonizers.
A. ■ [A] B. ■ [B] C. ■ [C] D. ■ [D]
5. 'from scratch’ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to …………….
A. from the very beginning B. in simple culture
C. by copying something else D. by using written information
6. 'make-shift’ in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to …………….
A. complicated and expensive B. simple and temporary
C. extensive and diverse D. private and personal
7. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the bold sentence in paragraph 1?
Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.
A. All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain grammar.
B. Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little.
C. Languages which contain a lot of grammar are more common than languages that contain a little.
D. The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved.
8 All of the following are features of the new Nicaraguan sign language EXCEPT:
A. All children used the same gestures to show meaning.
B. The meaning was clearer than the previous sign language,
C. The hand movements were smoother and smaller.
D. New gestures were created for everyday objects and activities.
9. Look at the word ‘consistent’ in paragraph 4. This word could best be replaced by which of the
following?
A. natural B. predictable C. imaginable D. uniform
10. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph?
A. English was probably once a creole.
B. The English past tense system is inaccurate.
C. Linguists have proven that English was created by children.
D. Children say English past tenses differently from adults.
VI. MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE
MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE 1
PROFESSIONAL SPORT
When I talk about (1)……………..I mean something individual. If you look at professional golfers
or tennis players, you will observe that practice (2) ……………..the basis of their preparation for
tournaments, of course it does, (3) …………….. these are individual sports. Training is simply doing the
physical work necessary to be sufficiently fit, but practice entails making an analysis of one ’s game,
locating its weak points, and working to (4) ……………..them. If your opponent keeps (5)
……………..points by serving high to your backhand, there’s no place to hide; you either have to (6)
…………….. the weakness, or you’ll keep losing to him. He ’ll exploit your weaknesses mercilessly.
(7) ……………..of what is fascinating, and slightly repellent, about sport lies in that curious
inversion of values (8) …………….. much that we admire in ordinary life - humility, compassion,
unwillingness to take advantage of the weakness of others - is (9) …………….. on the field of play.
Professional sport is all about winning. And, within (10) …………….. the more you practice (and the
more you train), the better your chances of doing so.
1. A. improvement B. practice C. training D. rehearsal
2. A. lays B. composes C. enacts D. forms
3. A. albeit B. for C. as with D. let alone
4. A. eradicate B. rid C. wipe D. extinguish
5. A. getting B. making C. winning D. scoring
6. A. alter B. square C. reform D. rectify
7. A. kind B. sort C. part D. most
8. A. insofar B. whereby C. thereof D. hence
9. A. reversed B. changed C. contrasted D. contradicted
10. A. due B. sense C. reason D. merit
MULTIPLE CHOICE CLOZE 2
THE TINTIN BOOKS
What is (1) ……………..special about Georges ‘Herge’ Remi’s tales of the adventures of a boy
called Tintin, created for a newspaper in Belgium in the 1920s, that they should have (2 ) ……………..
being translated into more than 50 languages and selling more than 120 million copies? How is it that
they have
managed to (3) …………….. for so long? One reason may be Herge’s extraordinary attention to (4) ……
He constantly revised and improved Tintin’s original black-and-white adventures to make them more (5)
…………….. to new audiences. And he based all his illustrations on an extensive personal library of
photographs which he (6)…………….. over the years.
In a career of more than 50 years, Herge produced (7) …………….. 24 Tintin books. Had he been
less meticulous, he might well have been a lot more (8)…………….., but I doubt he would have been so
widely loved and admired. Picking up a Tintin book the other day for the first time in. many years, I
found myself (9) ……………..between the urge to race through the story and an (10) …………….. to
linger on the visual detail.
1. A. so B. very C. extremely D. truly
2. A. turned out B. finished off C. come to D. ended up
3. A. extend B. endure C. last D. survive
4. A. content B. detail C. plot D. characters
5. A. relevant B. apt C. applicable D. fitting
6. A. amassed B. mustered C. convened D. swelled
7. A. exactly B. merely C. only D. due
8. A. abundant B. prolific C. fruitful D. profuse
9. A. pulled B. drawn C. lured D. torn
10. A. impetus B. incentive C. impulse D. intuition
B. WRITTEN QUESTIONS
I. OPEN CLOZE TESTS
Fill each blank with ONE suitable word.
A. TEST 1
The number of people in Britain receiving a new diagnosis of (1) ……………..such as asthma,
eczema and hay fever is increasing by five percent every year.(2) …………….. is some evidence to show
that Britain’s obsession with rules and regulations to ensure cleanliness in the home, supermarket and
workplace is reflected in the number of allergy sufferers.
One theory is (3) ……………..we have far less (4) ……………..to dirt and germs during child
hood than we used to have, so our bodies do not have the opportunity to develop resistance to allergens.
While we may (5) …………….. down on the unhygienic to food and general living which people had in
the (6) …………….. , there are some lessons we could learn today by maybe being a bit (7)……………
cautious.
(8) ……………..would dispute the importance of medical advances. These include vaccinations
given routinely to children which have revolutionized our lives by providing immunity to some life-
threatening (9) ……………... There is, however, some controversy over whether they actually weaken
our immune (9 ) ……………..and are being given unnecessarily for diseases which are not dangerous.
B. TEST 2
Performance Art began in the 1960s in the United States and was originally a term used to describe
a (1) ……………..event that often included poets, musicians, film-makers and so on, in (2) ……………..
to visual artists. There were earlier precedents for this art form, including the Dadaists in France, (3)
……….
combined poetry and visual arts, and the Bauhaus in Germany, whose members used live theatre
workshops to explore the (4) …………….. between space, sound and light. By 1970, Performance Art
was a global term and its definition had become (5) …………….. specific. Performances had to be live
and they had to be art, not theatre.
Performance Art could (6)…………….. be bought, sold or traded. Performance artists saw their
movement as a means of taking art directly (7) …………….. the public, thus completely eliminating the
need for galleries, agents, accountants and (8) ……………..other aspect of capitalism. One recent form
of Performance Art is an email-driven experiment in groups of people who suddenly materialise in public
places, interact with others (9) ……………..to a very loosely planned scenario, and then (10)
…………….. just as suddenly as they appear.
II. WORD FORMS
1. A combination of boredom and, increasingly, ……………..ensured that the standard of the son’s work
declined alarmingly. (ABSENCE)
2. Distances between the stars are……………..vast. (IMAGINE )
3. The locals are advised to stay away from …………….. rioters. (CONFRONT)
4. He sounded…………….. enthusiastic about the idea. (EXCESS)
5. Although he is not a native speaker, his foreign accent seems almost……………...(PERCEIVE)
6. The paint will cover any…………….. in the surface of the walls. (REGULAR)
7. The movie has been criticized for apparently……………..violence. (LEGITIMATE)
8. A conspicuous indication of his promising career wrecked by scandal is that he has been……………..
to a lower range. (PROMOTION)
9. He was …………….. about losing and said that he’d be back next year to try again. (PHILOSOPHER)
10. The plan …………….. the inner cities has been unanimously approved by the committee. (VITAL)
B. Choose a word from the box and give it a proper form to fill in each gap to complete the passage.
design execute enhance drama out
demand orientate company acquire sleep
Power napping is an effective and under-used tool, it is a quick, intense sleep which (1)
…………… improve alertness. These naps are especially useful for those whose sleep is constrained by a
(2) ………… schedule: for example, mothers of small children or traveling business (3)…………….
However, the
conditions must be right and practice is required for maximum effect.
Power naps should be short, between ten and twenty-five minutes, to prevent (4) ……………on
awakening. Some people believe it is impossible to fall asleep in such a short time, but (5) …………… of
the habit is simply a question of practice. At the (6) …………… , it is more important to relax for a while
than actually fall asleep.
Power napping is not a good idea if you find it difficult to wake up at the (7) ……………time to
have problems sleeping at night after a power nap in the day. The kind of dozing that can (8) ……………
a sensation of overwhelming (9) …………… is not a true power nap, but a desperate attempt to
compensate for a poor sleep routine.
However, with practice, you will find that power naps can lead to a welcome (10) …………… of
your, performance when you need it most.
The passage below contains ten errors. Find and correct them. An example has been given.
0. open → opened
The first self-service stores open in America in the 1920s but they didn’t catch up in Europe until
later, when the French forged ahead with their massive hypermarkets. Britain lagged behind. For the first
self-service shop and the first supermarket were opened in the early 1940s, it was thought that British
housewives did not particularly want proficiency and speed. Surveys showed that while American
shoppers complained most about delays in check-out queues. British ones rejected to being pushed and
shoved by other customers.
The essence of supermarket shopping is impersonality, with no meditating salesman between seller
and goods, only the ‘silent persuaders’ of packaging and display. Besides, there is a current trend towards
‘boutiques’, with personal service, within supermarkets - the butcher, the baker, the fishseller - and small
specialist shops and farmers’ markets are doing a comeback in Britain. In france, where every self-
respecting provincial town, ringed by supermarkets, retains their specialist food shops and weekly street
market, the traditional co-exists with the ancient.
1. The judge said that it was only because of the woman’s age he had not sent her to jail.
The judge said that had ...............................................................................................
2. The two children began to argue fiercely about who had damaged the bicycle.
A fierce argument..........................................................................................................
3. Celia finally managed to buy her own house after years of saving.
Only after..................................... ................................................................................
4. The head teacher is well known for his reliability and dedication.
The head teacher is reputed to......................................................................................
5. The gun going off was the signal for everyone to panic.
As soon .........................................................................................................................
1. Would she feel offended if I offered to help?
Would she take ................. ........................................ (AMISS)
2. When Mary starts talking, no one else can say anything because she is speaking too much.
When Mary starts talking, no one else can get.............................................. (EDGEWAYS)
3. You need to make sure that he has enough money to pay for the car before you sell it to him.
You need to see ........................................................ (COLOUR.)
4. I was determined to go despite any difficulties.
I was determined to go, .......................................................(WATER)
5. He got promoted so quickly because he knew important people who could help him.
He got promoted so quickly because he had ...................................................... (FRIENDS)
TRƯỜNG THPT MẠC ĐĨNH CHI - TP. HCM
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. lapel B. label C. angel D. tornado
2. A. choreograph B. chivalry C. ache D. chameleon
3. A. telecast B. telescope C. teleology D. telemetry
4. A. psychology B. ptomaine C. paediatrics D. raspberry
5. A. cantaloupe B. apostrophe C. recipe D. apostrophe
Choose the word whose main stressed syllable is placed differently from that of the others.
6. A. hairdressing B. serviceable C. downtrodden D. downmarket
7. A. undermentioned B. well-thought-of C. well-thought-out D. mediaeval
8. A. tonsillitis B. spiritualism C. seaworthiness D.
tranquillizer
9. A. genealogist B. seniority C. sensationalism D. suffragette
10. A. nationalize B. racketeering C. pacemaker D. waterproof
11. We giggled at the sight of Mrs, Brown …………… down the road in her six-inch stiletto heels.
A. staggering B. reeling C. tottering D. stumbling
12. We put some……………of bread every day out for the birds.
A. chunks B. crumbs C. cubes D. chops
13. The removal men …………… the heavy piano up the stairs with great difficulty.
A. pushed B. shoved C. thrust D. heaved
14. The heavy rain lashed on …………… throughout the night without letting up.
A. continually B. continuously C. perpetually D. eternally
15. …………… scientists from around the world met in London to discuss a revolutionary new drug.
A. Eminent B. Renowned C. Notorious D. Revered
16. Everything included, the cost of our new living room came to a ……………total of $10, 000.
A. full B. great C. gross D. grand
17. She gets fifteen percent…………… on every insurance policy she sells.
A. salary B. commission C. bonus D. pension
18. Mr. Newrich invited his guests to an expensive restaurant. However, he felt…………..at ease.
A. sick B. painful C. ill D. unwell
19. It was such a shock to receive a letter like that …………….
A. in the red B. out of the blue C. in the pink D. over the moon
20. On Saturday, Vivian studied for seven hours…………….
A. on end B. at once C. in full D. at length
III. STRUCTURES AND GRAMMAR (5 PTS)
21. Suppose she……………… that outrageous story circulating around the office; she’d be furious!
A. has heard B. would heard C. were heard D. had heard
22. “Susan looks ready to cry”. - “It looks as if Peter……………… her birthday again!”
A. had been forgetting B. had forgotten
C. has been forgetting D. has forgotten
23. “Did the minister approve the building plans?” - “Not really. He turned them down………………that
the costs were too high.”
A. on the grounds B. provided C. in case D. supposing
24. “Why doesn’t Constance buy a dishwasher?” - “She can’t ………………because there isn’t enough
space in the kitchen.”
A. have installed one B. have one installed
C. have one install D. have install one
25. “I’m astounded by your grandmother’s energy and enthusiasm for life.” -
“Yes. She’s still very active,……………… she is in her eighties.”
A. even so B. while C. whereas D. even
though
26. Every Christmas of my childhood was the same. My father ………………late for lunch, weighed
down with presents for the family.
A. would arrive B. had arrived
C. was arriving D. was used to arriving
27. ………………, only people who agree with her are real Jews.
A. We can infer how she is concerned
B. Inferred from what she is concerned
C. We can infer what she is concerned
D. We can infer that as far as she is concerned
28. The planes were delayed and the hotel was awful, but………………we still had a good time.
A. on the contrary B. by the same token
C. on top of all that D. for all that
29. I’d rather you………………a noise last night; I couldn’t get to sleep.
A. wouldn’t make B. hadn’t made C. didn’t make D. haven’t
made
30. …………address is : ………………Park Hotel, 42 ………………Castle Road, ………………
Dover.
A. The/ the/ x/ x B. The/ x/ x/ x C. X/ x/ x/ x D. An/ the/
the/ the
IV. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS (5 PTS)
31. Her father…………… her when she came home two hours late from a party.
A. let in for B. let out C. laid into D. laid aside
32. They offered to buy her a BMW but she’s ……………… a Porsche.
A. holding on B. holding out for
C. going on with D. going through
33. What are the children getting……………… in the garden?
A. out of B. away with C. round to D. up to
34. I’ve been playing tennis for years, if this complete beginner beats me, I’ll never ……………….
A. look up to it B. take after it C. cut down on it D. live it down
35. The problem with losing weight is that, if you succeed, all your clothes need to be……………… .
A. taken in B. let down C. made down D. shaken off
36. The old licensing system will have been……………… by the end of the decade.
A. broken down B. set out C. phased out D. made off
with
37. The smell of paint from outside……………… my breakfast, I’m afraid.
A. held up B. gave off C. came up against D. put me
off
38. Two of the students in our class are identical twins and most of the teachers can’t ……………….
A. see between them B. tell them apart
C. see them through D. find them between
39. She played………………the fact that I’d enjoyed studying Shakespeare at school and suggested that
I audition for a part.
A. off B. over C. by D. up
40. She should have been here but she’s gone………………flu.
A. through with B. down with C. back on D. up with
V. READING COMPREH ENSION (10 PTS)
PASAGE 1:
Most forms of property are concrete and tangible, such as houses, cars, furniture or anything else
that is included in one’s possessions. Other forms of property can be intangible, and copyright deals with
intangible forms of property. Copyright is a legal protection extended to authors of creative works, for
example, books, magazine articles, maps, films, plays, television shows, software, paintings,
photographs, music, choreography in dance and all other forms of intellectual or artistic property.
Although the purpose of artistic property is usually public use and enjoyment, copyright establishes
the ownership of the creator. When a person buys a copyrighted magazine, it belongs to this individual as
a tangible object. However, the authors of the magazine articles own the research and the writing that
went into creating the articles. The right to make and sell or give away copies of books or articles belongs
to the authors, publishers, or other individuals or organizations that hold the copyright. To copy an entire
book or a part of it, permission must be received from the copyright owner, who will most likely expect
to be paid.
Copyright law distinguishes between different types of intellectual property. Music may be played
by anyone after it is published. However, if it is performed for profit, the performers need to pay a fee,
called a royalty. A similar principle applies to performances of songs and plays. On the other hand,
names, ideas, and book titles are excepted. Ideas do not become copyrighted property until they are
published in a book, a painting or a musical work. Almost all artistic work created before the 20 th century
is not copyrighted because it was created before the copyright law was passed.
The two common ways of infringing upon the copyright are plagiarism and piracy. Plagiarizing
the work of another person means passing it off as one’s own. The work plagiarism is derived from the
Latin plagiarus, which means “abductor”. Piracy may be an act of one person, but, in many cases, it is a
joint
effort of several people who reproduce copyrighted material and sell it for profit without paying royalties
to the creator. Technological innovations have made piracy easy and anyone can duplicate a motion
picture on videotape, a computer program, or a book. Video cassette recorders can be used by practically
anyone to
copy movies and television programs, and copying software has become almost as easy as copying a
book. Large companies zealously monitor their copyrights for slogans, advertisements, and brand names,
protected by a trademark.
A. Legal rights of property owners B. Legal ownership of creative work
C. Examples of copyright piracy D. Copying creating work for profit
42. The word “extended” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ……………….
A. explicated B. exposed C. guaranteed D. granted
43. It can be inferred from the passage that copyright law is intended to protect………………
A. the user’s ability to enjoy an artistic work
B. the creator’s ability to profit from the work
C. paintings and photographs from theft
D. computer software and videos from being copied
44. The word “principle” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ………………
A. crucial point B. cardinal role
C. fundamental rule D. formidable force
45. Which of the following properties is NOT mentioned as protected by copyright?
A. music and plays B. paintings and maps
C. printed medium D. scientific discoveries
46. It can be inferred from the passage that it is legal if ……………….
A. two songs, written by two different composers, have the same melody
B. two books, written by two different authors, have the same titles
C. two drawings, created by two different artists, have the same images
D. two plays, created by two different playwrights, have the same plot and characters
47. With which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree?
A. Teachers are not allowed to make copies of published materials for use by their students.
B. Plays written in the 16th century cannot be performed in theaters without permission.
C. Singers can publicly sing only the songs for which they wrote the music and the lyrics.
D. It is illegal to make photographs when sightseeing or traveling.
48. The phrase “infringing upon” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ……………….
A. impinging upon B. inducting for C. violating D. abhorring
49. The purpose of copyright law is most comparable with the purpose of which of the following?
A. A law against theft B. A law against smoking
C. A school policy D. A household rule
50. According to the passage, copyright law is……………….
A. meticulously observed B. routinely ignored
C. frequently debated D. zealously enforced
PASSAGE 2:
Fleas are perfectly designed by nature to feast on anything containing blood. Like a shark in the
water or a wolf in the woods, fleas are ideally equipped to do what they do, making them very difficult to
defeat. The bodies of these tiny parasites are extremely hardy and well-suited for their job. A flea has a
very hard
exoskeleton, which means the body is covered by a tough, tile-like plate called a sclerite. Because of
these plates, fleas are almost impossible to squish. The exoskeletons of fleas are also waterproof and
shock resistant, and therefore fleas are highly resistant to the sprays and chemicals used to kill them.
Little spines
are attached to this plate. The spines lie flat against the flea’s thin, narrow body as the flea scurries
through an animal’s fur in search of food. However, if anything (like finger or a self-grooming pet) tries
to pull a flea off through the hair coat, these spines will extend and stick to the fur like Velcro. Fleas are
some of the best jumpers in the natural world. A flea can jump seven inches, or 150 times its own length,
either vertically or horizontally. An equivalent jump for a person would be 555v feet, the height of the
Washington Monument. Fleas can jump 30,000 times in a row without stopping, and they are able to
accelerate through the air at an incredibly high rate - a rate which is over 10 times what humans can
withstand in an airplane. Fleas have very long rear legs with huge thigh muscles and multiple joints.
When they get ready to jump, they fold their long legs up and crouch like a runner on a starting block.
Several of their joints contain a protein called resilin, which helps catapult fleas into the air as they jump,
similar to the way a rubber band provides momentum to a slingshot. Outward facing claws on the bottom
of their legs grip anything they touch when they land. The adult female flea mates after her first blood
meal and begins
producing eggs in just 1 to 2 days. One flea can lay up to 50 eggs in one day and over 2,000 in her
lifetime. Flea eggs can be seen with the naked eye, but they are about the size of a grain of salt. Shortly
after being laid, the eggs begin to transform into cocoons. In the cocoon state, fleas are fully developed
adults, and
will hatch immediately if conditions are favourable. Fleas can detect warmth, movement, and carbon
dioxide in exhaled breath, and these three factors stimulate them to emerge as new adults. If the flea does
not detect appropriate conditions, it can remain dormant in the cocoon state for extended periods. Under
ideal conditions, the entire life cycle may only take 3 week, so in no time at all, pets and homes can
become infested. Because of these characteristics, fleas are intimidating opponents. The best way to
control fleas, therefore, is to take steps to prevent an infestation from ever occurring.
51. The primary purpose of the passage is to ……………….
A. compare fleas to other m embers of the animal kingdom.
B. explain why a flea infestation is hard to get rid of.
C. educate the reader about the physical characteristics of fleas.
D. relate the problems that can result from a flea infestation.
52. The author’s tone in the passage is best described as………………
A. Informative B. passionate C. concerned D. opinionated
53. According to the passage, fleas are resistant to sprays and chemicals because they ………………
A. Reproduce very rapidly B. have waterproof sclerites
C. are excellent jumpers D. can stick to fur like Velcro
54. Fleas are difficult to squish because they have ………………
A. tough spines B. very long rear legs
C. sclerites D. resilin in their joints
55. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. The resilin found in fleas is used to make rubber bands.
B. Humans can jump higher if they consume foods containing resilin.
C. Fleas have the ability to jump higher than humans.
D. Fleas extend their little spines if threatened.
56. According to the passage, fleas are able to jump ………………
A. Because the blood they eat contains resilin
B. Up and down and from side to side and because the blood they eat contains resilin
C. With a high rate of acceleration and up and down and from side to side
D. With a high rate of acceleration
57. Based on information in the passage, the reader can understand that………………
A. Fleas will die without access to blood
B. Newly hatched fleas are the size of a grain of salt
C. Fleas will die after they produce 2,000 egg s
D. Fleas survive a t a higher rate in outdoor habitats
58. The author mentions the Washington Monument in order to………………
A. Estimate the extreme distance that a flea is able to jump
B. Illustrate a comparison made between fleas and humans
C. Demonstrate the superiority of fleas over humans
D. Clarify a point made regarding fleas and acceleration
59. It can be inferred that fleas will emerge from eggs as adults……………….
A. when they outgrow the cocoon
B. if there is too much carbon dioxide in the cocoon
C. after a period of three weeks
D. when they sense there is access to blood
60. Using the information in the passage as a guide, it can be concluded that……………….
A. Fleas are designed in such a way as to give them unique physical advantages in life
B. Fleas have many physical advantages although these are outweighed by their many
disadvantages
C. Humans do not pay much attention to fleas because they do not pose a serious threat
D. Humans do not possess the physical characteristics of the flea because they have no use for them
VI. CLOZE TESTS: (10 PTS)
PASSAGE 1:
From the moment they leave the security of their accustomed environment, travellers are at risk.
(61) ……………… arise not just from strange dis eases they meet on their travels but from other factors
too: seemingly uninspiring home comforts such as safe water (62) ………………sanitation and public
hygiene controls, legal safety standard s for motor vehicles and road maintenance, are easily taken for
granted, but simply do not exist in many countries. Environmental factors such as arduous conditions,
(63) ………….. climate, and high altitude may constitute a danger; and so may travellers’ own
behaviour, free, from the restraints of the daily routine, and determined to have a good time with scant
(64) ……………… for
the consequences .
When illness or injury occur abroad, travellers are again at a disadvantage - from inability to
communicate with a doctor on account of language or cultural difficulties, or being unable to find a
doctor owing to (65) ……………… of the local medical system. There may be a complete (66)
……………… of skilled medical care, or of medical facilities of a (67) ……………… acceptable to
travellers from
technologically sophisticated countries.
When symptom s of an illness (68) ……………abroad do not appear until after returning home a
final hazard becomes apparent: the symptoms may be (69) ……………, may pass (70) ………………,
and the correct diagnosis may not be considered until it is too late.
61. A Questions B. Changes C. Hazards D.
Complications
62. A stores B. collection C. levels D. supplies
63. A worsening B. unusual C. sudden D. adverse
64. A knowledge B. awareness C. regard D. need
65. A misuse B. doubt C. ignorance D. disbelief
66. A breakdown B. failure C. disruption D. absence
67. A type B. design C. standard D. degree
68. A received B. formed C. gained D. acquired
69. A unfamiliar B. unlikely C. unpleasant D.
uncovered
70. A unrecognised B. unknown C. unforeseen D. unearthed
PASSAGE2:
SPORTS PHOTOGRAHY
Sport as a spectacle, and photography as a way of recording action, have developed together. At the
turn of the 20th century, Edward Muybridge was experimenting with photographs of movement. His
pictures of a runner (71) ………………in every history of photography. Another milestone was when the
scientist/ photographer Harold Edgerton (72) ……………… the limits of photographic technology with
his study of a (73) ……………… of milk hitting the surface of a dish of milk. Another advance was the
development of miniature cameras in the late 1920s which made it possible for sports photographers to
leave their cumbersome cameras behind.
The significance of television as a transmitter of sport has improved the prospects of still
photographers. All those people who watch a sports event on TV, with all its movement and action, (74)
……………the still image as a reminder of the game. The (75) ………………majority of people do not
actually attend sports events, but see them through the eyes of media. And when they look at sports
photography, they look not so much for a (76) ……………… of the event as for emotions and
relationships with which they can (77) ……………….
Looking back, we can see how (78) ……………sports photography had changed. Early sports
photographers were as interested in the stories behind the sport as in the sport itself. Contemporary sports
photography (79) ………………the glamour of sport, the colour and the action. But the best sports
photographer today still do more than simply tell the story of the event. They (80) ………………
in a single dramatic moment the real emotions of the participants.
71. A. exhibit B. show C. demonstrate D. feature
72. A. extended B. enlarged C. prolonged D. spread
73. A. splash B. drip C. dash D. drop
74. A. choose B. value C. praise D. cheer
75. A. high B. wide C. vast D. main
76. A. preservation B. store C. record D. mark
77. A. identify B. share C. unit D. join
78. A. highly B. radically C. extremely D. severely
79. A. outlines B. signals C. emphasizes D. forms
80. A. seize B. grasp C. capture D. secure
B. WRITTEN TEST (70 PTS)
I. OPEN CLOZE TESTS (20 PTS)
Read the texts below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE WORD for
each space.
PASSAGE 1:
True relaxation is most certainly not a matter of flopping down in front of the television with a
welcome drink. Nor is it about drifting (1) ………………an exhausted sleep. Useful though these
responses to tension and over-tiredness (2) ……………… be, we should distinguish between them and
conscious relaxation in terms of quality and effect. (3) ……………… of the level of tiredness, real
relaxation is a state of alert yet at the same time passive awareness, in which our bodies are at rest while
our minds are awake.
Moreover, it is as natural (4) ……………… a healthy person to be relaxed when moving as resting.
(5) ……………… relaxed in action means we bring the appropriate energy to everything we do, so as to
have a feeling of healthy tiredness by the end of the day, (6) ……………… than one of exhaustion.
Unfortunately, as a result of living in today’s competitive world, we are under constant strain and
have difficulty in coping, (7) ……………… alone nurturing our body’s abilities. (8) ………………needs
to be rediscovered is conscious relaxation.
With (9) ………………in mind we must apply ourselves to understanding stress and the nature of
its causes, (10) ………………deep-seated.
PASSAGE 2:
CONTEMPORARY ART
There is a wide held view that artistic standards have got (11) ……………over the last 100 years or
so and that contemporary art is in a bad way, the clichéd response being “my three-year-old child could
have done better that that”. Yet many pieces sell for millions of dollars within the art world. How can we
get to the (12) ……………… of this seeming contradiction?
Those new (13) ……………… contemporary art should be forgiven for this kind of response, but it
is largely a matter of their ignorance rather than the reality. What needs to be (14) …………… clear is
that contemporary art is at the cutting edge; painting a lifelike picture of a racehorse is no longer an
option for an artist attempting to break new ground. Were contemporary artists to produce pictures like
this, we would actually have the (15) ……………of all worlds - a stagnant and back-ward looking artistic
tradition.
Having said that, some contemporary art is of poor (16) ……………, but that’s true of every art
(17) ……………… at any point in history. We can only decide that novels are great, for example, by
having mediocre or bad novels to compare them to.
However, those (18) ……………… the top of the contemporary art world are producing innovative
and challenging pieces At (19) ……………… best, contemporary art is as exciting and productive as it’s
possible for art to be.
There is, of course, a (20)…………… line between quality contemporary art and pseudo-art.
Abstract pictures produced by cats, for example, have no real place in the contemporary art world. They
merely relieve the gullible and the ignorant of their money.
II. WORD FORMS: (20 PTS)
PART 1: Give the correct forms of the words in brackets.
1. She had had a .......................... of what might lie ahead. (PRESENT)
2. “Help!” she cried, waving her arms .......................... in an attempt to attract someone’s attention.
(DISTRACT)
3. Her willingness to work hard is what...................... her from the other students. (SIGN)
4. The impact on the environment of this massive oil spillage is................. (PONDER)
5. The box didn’t look very ...................... but the necklace inside was beautiful. (POSSESS)
6. Tuesday’s news report of another baby mix-up case sadly lent.........................to last night’s TV drama
on a similar subject. (TOPIC )
7. Many governments are.......................... after 50 years. (CLASS)
8. The car veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a(n)..................... truck. (COME)
9. The opening of the new theatre a month ahead of schedule brought........................all round. (SLAP)
10. It was very................. ....of you to do her shopping for her. (NEIGHBOUR)
organic herb want touch ecology
gene environment mar lose use
Humans have struggled against weeds since the beginnings of agriculture. (11)……………. our
gardens is one of the milder effects of weeds - any plants that thrive where they : are (12)…………….
They clog waterways, destroy wildlife habitats, and impede farming. Their spread eliminates grazing
areas
and accounts for one-third of all crop (13) …………….They compete for sunlight, nutrients, and water
with useful plants.
The global need for weed control had been answered mainly by the chemical industry. Its
herbicides are effective and sometimes necessary, but some pose serious problems, particularly if (14)
…………….. Toxic compounds threaten animal and public health when they accumulate in food plants,
groundwater, and drinking water. They also harm workers who apply them.
In recent years, the chemical industry has introduced several (15) …………….that are more (16)
…. sound. Yet new chemicals alone cannot solve the world's weed problems. Hence, scientists are
exploring the innate weed-killing powers of living organism s, primarily insects and (17) ……………..
The biological agents now in use are (18) ……………. benign and are harmless to humans. They
can be chosen for their ability to attack selected targets and leave crops and other plants (19)
…………….. In contrast, some of the most effective chemicals kill virtually all the plants .they come in
contact with, sparing only those that are naturally resistant or have been (20) …………….modified for
resistance. Furthermore, a number of biological agents can be administered only once, after which no
added applications are needed. Chemicals typically must be used several times per growing season.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 PTS)
Mobile phones emit microwave radio emissions. Researchers are questioning whether exposure to
these radio waves might cause to brain cancer. So far, the data are not conclusive. The scientific evidence
does not enable us to say with certainly that mobile phones are categorically safe. On the other hand,
current research has not yet proved clear adverse effect associated with the prolonged use of mobile
phones.
Numeral studies are now going on in various countries. Some of the results are contradictory and
others have shown an association between mobile phone use and cancer. Moreover, these studies are
preliminary and the issue needs further, long - term investigation.
As the scientific data is more definite, it is prudent for people to try not to use mobile phone for
long periods of time. Don't think that hands free phones are any safer too. At the moment, research is in
fact showing the truth and they may be just as dangerous. It is also thought that young people with bodies
are still growing may be at particularly risk.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFO RMATION (20pts)
1. The discovery of how to light fires gave man a new control over his environment.
Man was able........................................................................................................
2. The survey shows that a lot of women think they are engaged but fewer men are under a similar
impression.
There is a wide ...................................................................................................
3. The likelihood of their having any work to offer me in the foreseeable future is nil.
It is not.................................................................................................................
4. Many au pairs leave their host families because they are not content with their working conditions.
It is because............................................................... ......................................
5. He has an obsession about the dishonesty of lawyers. (BEE)
He ....................................................................................................................
6. The board met secretly to discuss changes in company policy. (DOORS)
The ..................................................................................................................
7. Digging in the garden allows me to vent my frustrations. (OUTLET)
Digging............................................................................................................
8. In his new book the writer presents an interesting theory of art. (FORWARD)
In his ...............................................................................................................
9. The pop star insisted that there was no basis to the claims made against him. (UNFOUNDED)
The pop star ...................................................................................................
10. We are not responsible for valuables that are not left in the hotel safe. (DISCLAIM)
We .................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN BÌNH LONG - BÌNH PHƯỚC
A.MULTIPLE CHOICE
I. PHONOLOGY: (5,0 điểm)
Choose one word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the rest.
1. A. onerous B. onesie C. opacity D. opponent
2. A. percutaneous B. peppery C. peregrination D. peregrine
3. A. wah-wah B. wallop C. walrus D. wagnerian
4. A. schema B. schadenfreude C. schist D. schedule
5. A. regularity B. regularize C. regulatory D. regularly
Choose one word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others.
6. A. pudenda B. recursive C. roadie D. sangfroid
7. A. hypothesis B. hypocrisy C. hypotenuse D. hypocrite
8. A. narcissus B. narcolepsy C. narcosis D. narcotic
9. A. pinball B. pincer C. pinata D. pinboard
10. A. overspill B. oversleep C. overstretch D. overstaffed
II. WORD CHOICE: ( 5,0 điểm)
11. The company seeks to ………….. staff and has a generous package of benefits.
A. possess B. retain C. own D. grasp
12. All the members of the board were………….. themselves to please the Chairperson.
A. coming about B. jumping over C. carrying off D. falling
over
13. The…………..workers were expecting thousands of refugees to turn up at the camps over the next
few weeks.
A. social B. concern C. relief D. agency
14. I don't know how George could ever find anything as his desk was always…………..
A. messed B. cluttered C. jumbled D. cramped
15. I'm afraid we got our………….. crossed. I thought my husband would be picking up the children and
he thought I was doing it.
A. minds B. purposes C. fingers D. wires
16. Has the show finally jumped the…………..?
A. salmon B. herring C. shark D. dolphin
17. After our disastrous holiday we put in a ………….. for compensation
A. query B. plea C. demand D. claim
18. It took me a long time to get the………….. of my new computer.
A. hang B. knack C. habit D. use
19. They managed to ………….. the pilot from the tangled control panel.
A. extricate B. enervate C. extirpate D. exacerbate
20. This report………….. the current problems faced by commuters and suggests a number of
improvements.
A. encapsulates B. encloses C. inspects D. involves
III. STRUCTURE AND GRAMMAR: (5,0 điểm)
21. “Why are they taking down the decorations?”
“The concert (be) ………….. over, they are putting everything back in its place.”
A. being B. is C. has been D. should be
22. I did very well in school, with a "genius IQ," if you…………...
A. did B. would C. could D. will
23. They sat and talked ………….. into the night.
A. deeply B. in a deep way C. deepeningly D. deep
24. ………….. , he tried to fix the machine.
A. Not being a computer expert with standing
B. Despite of not being a computer expert
C. Though no computer expert
D. In spite of no computer expert
25. For the first few months, the babies looked so alike I couldn’t tell………….
A. who is whom B. which is which
C. which from which D. whom with whom
26. It is advocated that the campaign………….funds………….. at once.
A. to raise - be launched B. raise - to be launched
C. raise - launched D. to raise - is launched
27. As soon as John………….., we can leave.
A. has the car starting B. has got the car started
C. got started the car D. was got starting the car
28. The pills are not harmful ………….., but are dangerous when taken with alcohol.
A. as it all B. as such C. per se D. at that
29. “Does your uncle earn much?”
“Of course not. Otherwise, he…………..on his parents all the time.”
A. would not have had to rely B. doesn’t have to rely
C. would not have to rely D. won’t have to rely
30. A: You’re sitting on my bag, Linda
B : …………... Sorry.
A: So, am I B. So I am C. So do I D. So I do
IV. PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS: ( 5,0 điểm)
31. It……………that he has to bring up his children.
A. rests with B. dawns on C. clues together D. ranks in
32. The end- of- semester marks in each year all count …………..your final degree.
A. for B. towards C. in for D. as
33. Sorry to interrupt! But can I ………….. a word?
A. fetch up B. go in C. bring in D. put in
34. We found a journalist………….. in our backyard.
A. leaking out B. nosing about
C. climbing down D. hopping out
35. The princess's nanny's autobiography really gives the low-down ………….. life among the royals.
A. up B. into C. on D. off
36. What lies…………..this strange outburst?
A. in B. at C. behind D. with
37. She rounded………….. the tour with a concert at Carnegie Hall.
A. up B. into C. off D. along
38. After a difficult childhood, Jeannie bounced………….. when she was adopted by a caring family.
A. up B. off C. back D. over
39. He muttered a few words of apology and…………..that he left.
A. with B. in C. at D. before
40. His confessions were made………….. torture.
A. under B. of C. up of D. from
V. READING COMPREHENSION:
READING COMPREHENSION 1: (5,0 điểm)
Read the article below. For questions 41-50, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits
best according to the text.
Harry Houdini, who died in 1927, was the entertainment phenomenon of the ragtime era. He could
escape from chains and padlocks, from ropes and canvas sacks. They put him in a strait jacket and hung
him upside down from a skyscraper and he somehow untied himself. They tied him up in a locked
packing case and sank him in Liverpool docks. Minutes later he surfaced smiling. They locked him in a
zinc-lined Russian prison van and he emerged leaving the doors locked and the locks undam aged. They
padlocked him in a milk churn full of water and he burst free. They put him in a coffin, screwed down the
lid, and buried him and ... well, no, he didn't pop up like a mole, but when they dug him up more than
half an hour later, he was still breathing.
Houdini would usually allow his equipment to be examined by the audience. The chains, locks and
packing cases all seemed perfectly genuine, so it was tempting to conclude that he possessed superhuman
powers. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes was the very paragon of analytical thinking but
Conan Doyle believed that Houdini achieved his tricks through spiritualism. Indeed, he wrote to the
escapologist imploring him to use his psychic powers more profitably for the common good instead of
just prostituting
his talent every night at the Alhambra. However, Houdini repeatedly denounced spiritualism and
disclaimed any psychic element to his act.
The alternative explanation for his feats of escapism was that Houdini could do unnatural things
with his body. It is widely held that he could dislocate his shoulders to escape from strait-jackets, and that
he could somehow contract his wrists in order to escape from handcuffs. His ability to spend long
periods in confined spaces is cited as evidence that he could put his body into suspended animation, as
Indian fakirs are supposed to do.
This is all nonsense. If you ever find yourself in a strait-jacket, it's difficult to imagine anything less
helpful than a dislocated shoulder. Contracting your wrists is not only unhelpful but, frankly, impossible
because the bones of your wrist are very tightly packed together and the whole structure is virtually
incompressible. As for suspended animation, the trick of surviving burial and drowning relies on the fact
that you can live for short periods on the air in a confined space. The air shifted by an average person in a
day would occupy a cube just eight feet square. The build-up of carbon monoxide tends to pollute this
supply, but, if you can relax, the air in a coffin should keep you going for half an hour or so.
In other words, there was nothing physically remarkable about Houdini except for his
bravery, skill and fitness. His nerve was so cool that he could remain in a coffin six feet underground
until they came to dig him up. His fingers were so strong that he could undo a buckle or manipulate keys
through the canvas of a strait-jacket or a mail bag. He made a comprehensive study of locks and was able
to conceal lock-picks about his person in a way which fooled even the doctors who examined him. When
they locked him in the
prison van he still had a hacksaw blade with which to saw through the joins in the metal lining and get
access to the planks of the floor. As an entertainer he combined all this strength and ingenuity with a lot
of trickery. His stage escapes took place behind a curtain with an orchestra playing to disguise the
banging and sawing. The milk churn in which he was locked had a double lining so that, while the lid was
locked onto the rim, the rim was not actually attached to the churn. Houdini merely had to stand up to get
out. The mail
sack he cut open at the seam and sewed up with similar thread. The bank safe from which he emerged
had been secretly worked on by his mechanics for 24 hours before the performance.
All Houdini's feats are eminently explicable, although to explain them, even now, is a kind of
heresy. . Houdini belongs to that band of mythical supermen who, we like to believe, were capable of
miracles and would still be alive today were it not for some piece of low trickery. It's said of Houdini that
a punch in his belly when he wasn't prepared for it caused his burst appendix. Anatomically, it's virtually
impossible that a punch could puncture your gut, but the story endures. Somehow the myth of the
superman has an even greater appeal than the edifice of twenty-first century logic.
41. In the first paragraph, what does the writer say Houdini managed to do?
A. jump upside down from a skyscraper
B. escape from a submerged box
C. break the locks of a Russian prison van
D. fight his way out of an empty milk churn
42. The writer mentions Houdini's burial alive to illustrate the fact that…………..
A. his tricks sometimes went disastrously wrong.
B. he was not always able to do what he claimed he could,
C. he was capable of extraordinary feats of survival.
D. he had overcome his fear of confined spaces.
43. The word imploring in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to………….. .
A. asking B. reminding C . begging D. ordering
44. The writer suggests that Conan Doyle…………..
A. was less analytical about Houdini than one might have expected.
B. asked Houdini if he could include him in a Sherlock Holmes story.
C. felt that Houdini could make more money in other ways.
D. thought there were scientific explanations for Houdini's feats.
45. The writer comes to the conclusion that Houdini…………..
A. had an unusual bone structure.
B. could make parts of his body smaller.
C. was able to put himself in a trance.
D. was not physically abnormal.
46. It appears that Houdini was able to escape from strait-jackets by…………..
A. using hidden lock-picks.
B. undoing buckles from inside the material.
C. cutting the canvas with a hacksaw.
D. turning keys he had concealed.
47. The word handcuffs in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to…………...
A. manacles B. mandrakes C. mangroves D. maniocs
48. The writer states that when Houdini escaped from the milk churn…………..
A. the role of the orchestra was important.
B. he made use of the hacksaw to free himself,
C. the container had been modified beforehand.
D. he was in full sight of the audience.
49. How does the writer say people regard Houdini nowadays?
A. They want to hear the scientific explanations for his feats.
B. They prefer to believe that he had extraordinary powers.
C. They refuse to believe the story of how he died.
D. They doubt the fact that he ever really existed.
50. The word skill in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to…………...
A. dexterity B. paragon C. effigy D. credulity
READING COMPREHENSION 2: (5,0 điểm)
Read the article below. For questions 51-60, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits
best according to the text.
Among all the abilities with which an individual may be endowed, musical talent appears earliest in
life. Very young children can exhibit musical precocity for different reasons. Some develop exceptional
skill as a result of a well-designed instructional regime, such as the Suzuki method for the violin. Some
have the good fortune to be born into a musical family in a household filled with music. In a number of
interesting cases, musical talent is part of an otherwise disabling condition such as autism or mental
retardation. A musically gifted child has an inborn talent; however, the extent to which the talent is
expressed publicly will depend upon the environment in which the child lives.
Musically gifted children master at an early age the principal elements of music, including pitch
and rhythm. Pitch—or melody—is more central in certain cultures, for example, in Eastern societies that
make use of tiny quarter-tone intervals. Rhythm, sounds produced at certain auditory frequencies and
grouped
according to a prescribed system, is emphasized in sub-Saharan Africa, where the rhythmic ratios can be
very complex.
All children have some aptitude for making music. During infancy, normal children sing as well as
babble, and they can produce individual sounds and sound patterns. Infants as young as two months can
match their mother’s songs in pitch, loudness, and melodic shape, and infants at four months can match
rhythmic structure as well. Infants are especially predisposed to acquire these core aspects of music, and
they can also engage in sound play that clearly exhibits creativity.
Individual differences begin to emerge in young children as they learn to sing. Some children can
match large segments of a song by the age of two or three. Many others can only approximate pitch at
this age and may still have difficulty in producing accurate melodies by the age of five or six. However,
by the time they reach school age, most children in any culture have a schema of what a song should be
like and can produce a reasonably accurate imitation of the songs commonly heard in their environment.
The early appearance of superior musical ability in some children provides evidence that musical
talent may be a separate and unique form of intelligence. There are numerous tales of young artists who
have a remarkable “ear” or extraordinary memory for music and a natural understanding of musical
structure. In many of these cases, the child is average in every other way but displays an exceptional
ability in music. Even the most gifted child, however, takes about ten years to achieve the levels of
performance or composition that would constitute mastery of the musical sphere.
Every generation in music history has had its famous prodigies— individuals with exceptional
musical powers that emerge at a young age. In the eighteenth century, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began
composing and performing at the age of six. As a child, Mozart could play the piano like an adult. He had
perfect pitch, and at age nine he was also a master of the art of modulation—transitions from one key to
another—which became one of the hallmarks of his style. By the age of eleven, he had composed three
symphonies and 30 other major works. Mozart’s well-developed talent was preserved into adulthood.
Unusual musical ability is a regular characteristic of certain anomalies such as autism. In one case,
an autistic girl was able to play “Happy Birthday” in the style of various composers, including Mozart,
Beethoven, Verdi, and Schubert. When the girl was three, her mother called her by playing incomplete
melodies, which the child would complete with the appropriate tone in the proper octave. For the autistic
child, music may be the primary mode of communication, and the child may cling to music because it
represents a haven in a world that is largely confusing and frightening.
51. The word precocity in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to…………...
A. strong interest B. good luck C. advanced skill D. personal style
52. Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in
paragraph 1? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Children may be born with superior musical ability, but their environment will determine how
this ability is developed.
B. Every child is naturally gifted, and it is the responsibility of the public schools to recognize and
develop these talents.
C. Children with exceptional musical talent will look for the best way to express themselves
through music-making.
D. Some musically talented children live in an environment surrounded by music, while others have
little exposure to music.
53. The author makes the point that musical elements such as pitch and rhythm
A. distinguish music from other art forms.
B. vary in emphasis in different cultures,
C. make music difficult to learn.
D. express different human emotions.
54. The word predisposed in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to…………..
A. inclined B. gifted C. pushed D. amused
55. According to the passage, when does musical talent usually begin to appear?
A. 'When infants start to babble and produce sound patterns
B. Between the ages of two and four months
C. When children leant to sing at two or three years old
D. Between ten years old and adolescence
56. According to the passage, which of the following suggests that musical talent is a separate form of
intelligence?
A. Exceptional musical ability in an otherwise average child.
B. Recognition of the emotional power of music.
C. The ability of all babies to acquire core elements of music.
D. Differences between learning music and learning language.
57. Why does the author discuss Mozart in paragraph 6?
A. To compare past and present views of musical talent
B. To give an example of a well- known musical prodigy
C. To list musical accomplishments of the eighteenth century
D. To describe the development of individual musical skill
58. In music, the change from one key to another is known as…………...
A. rhythm B. prodigy C. perfect pitch D.
modulation
59. All of the following are given as examples of exceptional musical talent EXCEPT…………..
A. a remark able “ear” or perfect memory for music
B. ability' to compose major works at a young age
C. appreciation for a wide variety of musical styles
D. playing a single song in the style of various composers
60. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about exceptional musical ability?
A. It occurs more frequently in some cultures than in others.
B. It is evidence of a superior level of intelligence in other areas.
C. It has been documented and studied but is little understood.
D. It is the result of natural talent and a supportive environment.
VI. GUIDED CLOZ E TEST
GUIDED CLOZE TEST 1: (5,0 điểm)
Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
(From questions 61 - 70)
She had (61) …………... Her foot must have slipped. Either way, the five seconds it took her to
restart the car had seemed an (62) …………... The drivers behind her had impatiently sounded their
horns and she had been (63) …………... How it happened she didn't know, but she had put the car (64)
…………. reverse and driven into the car behind her. Nothing had happened to the car behind, but she
had(65) …… the back of her own. Her husband would be livid. Five minutes later, she was still thinking
about her husband. Perhaps that was why she was not paying attention. Perhaps that's why she didn't see
the boy kick his football into the road. Perhaps that's why when she saw the ball she couldn't rationalize
that it was only a ball. She (66) ………….. to avoid it and then (67) ………….. the brakes as she realized
she was (68) …..
a ditch. Smash. It happened in slow motion. She watched the windscreen shatter, she heard the metal
crumple. But she was okay. She had (69) …………..off her husband's car. Destroyed it. She watched the
recovery van (70 ) ………….. away the wreckage of what was once her husband's pride and joy. The
van, with the car rolling unsteadily behind it, disappeared. She watched it go, turned, picked up the
football and started walking home.
61. A. arrested B. halted C. stalled D. jolted
62. A. eternity B. extenuation C. precast D. ratchet
63. A. salubrious B. parochial C. flustered D. self-willed
64. A. on B. to C. at D. into
65. A. bruised B. dented C. creased D. snapped
66. A. swerved B. swung C. twisted D. spun
67. A. hit B. slapped C. struck D. hammered
68. A. tag along B. tuck into C. pin down D. heading for
69. A. dashed B. written C. cast D. signed
70. A. tow B. draw C. tug D. drive
GUIDED CLOZE TEST 2: (5,0 điểm)
Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
(From questions 71 - 80)
Now, nearly 40 years later, the Cold War is over, but Churchill's ideals - (71) ………….. ,
democracy, freedom - are just as relevant. So Westminster decided to give its galleries "on the lion of the
twentieth century" a twenty-first-century (72) …………... In the museum's new permanent collection,
multimedia (73) …………..trace Churchill's life, philosophy, and writing, concentrating heavily on
World
War II and the "Sinews of Peace" speech; a "leadership corridor" compares him with other British and
American (74) ………….. . The rededication (75) ………….. tonight with a talk by Churchill's daughter
and granddaughter and continues over the weekend with a community luncheon, black-tie gala, and a
keynote address by the TV news (76)………….. Chris Matthews. Another exhibit, (77) …………..to the
Cold War itself, shows how true Churchill's predictions proved to be. Of course his (78)…………..was a
long time coming. When he arrived in Richmond three days after his Westminster speech to address the
Virginia General Assembly, he (79) ………….. the controversy he had created. "You have not asked to
see
beforehand what I am going to say," he remarked to the legislators. "I might easily (80) …………..a lot
of things people know in their hearts are true but are a bit shy of saying in public."
71. A. persistence B. vigilance C. power D. fussiness
72. A. refresh B. instigation C. update D. renew
73. A. exhibits B. demonstrations C . evidence D. gadgets
74. A. governments B. politics C. tyrants D. leaders
75. A. kicks about B. kicks off C. ends D. continues
76. A. celebrity B. mogul C .anchor D. hot shot
77. A. geared B. denouncing C. commiserating D. dedicated
78. A. vindication B. conviction C. prediction D. vinification
79. A. accepted B. declined C. acknowledged D. greeted
80. A. conceal B. blurt out C. lie about D. fire away
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST
OPEN CLOZE TEST 1: (10,0 điểm)
Read the following passage and think of a word that best fits each gap.
I NEVER THOUGHT it might include me. On the last Sunday of each April, some 500 men and
women run 10 kilometers around London’s Alexandra Palace in the Crouch End Fun Run. This year 485
entrants completed the race, and the race sheet reports that one W. Hutton took an hour and 12 minutes to
run in 481st. Remarkably four (81)…………. finished the race more slowly. But I was alive, (82)
………… my family’s foreboding - indeed prediction - of death (83)…………. heart attack. As the
runners jostled amiably together afterwards, now competing for a free doughnut and orange juice and
waiting for the various children’s events to begin, I got struck by the enthusiasm and the sheer numbers
of people who had turned up. If they themselves weren’t running, then they were making sure their
children (84) ………….. We were all, of course, part of the booming (85) ………….in personal fitness.
The market research organization Mintel reports that over two million people are full (86) …………. of
private health and personal fitness clubs - up by a third in just six years. The Sports Council’s most recent
survey shows 12 per cent of the population are now participating in some form of (87) …………. fit or
yoga. Regular walking, ,the most prosaic and cheapest of sports, is enjoyed by nearly half of us - up by a
quarter over the past 10 years. But this boom in individual sporting is not matched by participation in
team games. The numbers playing rugby, hockey, and cricket are gently (88)…………. ,with football
(89) …………. the only exception. There are over 100,000 football clubs in Britain: it remains by (90)
…………. Britain’s most popular team game, and there are signs that women are beginning to join men
in their interest
- even so, its growth does not match that of sports for individuals.
OPEN CLOZE TEST 2: (10,0 điểm)
Read the following passage and think of a word that best fits each gap.
Yumei watched in shock as soldiers charged at one (91) ………….across a narrow strip of land.
Smoke hung (92) ………….the battlefield. The teacher's voice came quietly over the intercom in her
observation unit. "In the First World War, many lives were lost due to the (93) ………….the battle was
fought. A deadly dance was performed daily by men from both sides. They would take (94) …………. to
charge towards the enemy trenches, across terrain (95) …………. with mines, and crawl under barbed
wires. Those who survived would then face heavy enemy artillery. Under such circumstances, it was not
surprising that such charges were called 'suicide missions'. Yumei winced as rusty bayonets were (96)
…………. to impale men who would then be (97) ………….to die painfully from the loss of blood,
gangrene or shock. She knew that the medical facilities were primitive. The surgeons did not know about
the need to disinfect the surgical room, nor the need to keep the wound as clean as (98)…………. Most
of the young men (99) …………. of wounds that could easily have been healed in just a few more
decades. Yumei reached over and turned off the observation unit. Now she understood (100) ………….
her country censored war.
II. WORD FORMS
WORD FORMS 1: (10,0 điểm)
Use the word given in capitals at the end of the sentences to form a word which best fits each gap.
1. We can get something to eat from the Chinese …………. (TAKE)
2. The government imposed a ………….tax on some industries. (FALL)
3. The role of clouds is one of the big conundrums of ………….. (CLIMATE)
4. My uncle is a …………. , whose job is to advise people on what kind of food they should eat to keep
healthy. (DIET)
5. Diets rich in beans are used to help with a variety of health issues including lowering cholesterol
levels, improving blood sugar control in ………….. (DIABETES)
6. Tourists and many Vietnamese…………. in France took part in a protest taking place at Trocaclers
Square near the Eiffel against China’s illegal deployment of a giant oil rig to Vietnamese Eastern waters.
(PATRIOT)
7. Actually, scientists say that cloned animals will not be exact replicas of their…………. (GENE)
8. He was one of the all-time great boxers with his quick jab and dazzling…………..(FOOT)
9. My friends started going out late to nightclubs so I decided to………….myself from the group.
(SOCIAL)
10. In buying their business , the company gains a major………….in a market it considers critical to the
future of the industry. (HOLD)
WORD FORMS 2: (10,0 điểm)
Rea d the following text. Use one word from the box to form a word that best fits each numbered
gap.
health sharp wise cork afford
go consume itinerary dispose break
“FREEBIE" MARKETING
In the late 1890s, while travelling as a(n) (1)…………. sales person for the Crown, Cork and Seal
Company, King C. Gillette observed how his (2)………….bottle caps were dis carded immediately after
opening. Nevertheless, his company turned a(n) (3)………….profit and there was immense business
value,
Gillette soon came to realise. In a product that was used only a few times, Gillette had his own personal
(4)………….while struggling with a straight-bladed razor - a slow, fiddly and potentially dangerous
instrument that required (5)………….on a regular basis. A simple, (6)…………. blade that could be
thrown
away when it dulled would meet a real need and generate strong profits, he correctly reasoned. After
founding the American Safety Razor Company in 1901, his sales leapt from 168 blades in 1903 to
123,648 blades only a year later.
What King C. Gillette pioneered is far more than a convenient and (7)………….way for men to
shave, however, it is the business practice now known as “freebie marketing” that has inspired many
more companies over the years. Gillette's approach was contrary to the received (8)…………. of his era,
which held that a single, durable, high-quality and relatively expensive consumer item with a high profit
margin was the best foundation for a business. Freebie marketing involves two sets of items: a master
product that is purchased once, and a consumable product that is frequently disposed of and repurchased
on a(n)(9)…… basis. In this instance, the master product is often sold with little to no profit margin and
is sometimes even dispensed at a loss. As the (10)………….are purchased over months and years,
however, this can yield a much greater overall profit.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION: (10,0 điểm)
Read the following passage. Identify 10 errors and underline them. Then write the line number and
give the correction in the space provided in the right column.
1 PEACE & QUIET?
5 The relatively soundless space - beyond significant road, rail, air and
10 mining noise - where the British picnic and play and do all things green and
15 pleasantly has shrunk from 91,000 sq km in the 1960s to 73,000 sq km
today. What's more, National Noise Action Day organized by a coalision of
pressure groups,-recently lighted such varied stealers of silence as in car
stereos, mobile telephones and talking household appliances as things
which are driving up the desibels. In town, we're even stealing it from us.
One recent report recorded sound levels in London restaurants which came
close to the legal limits set for noisy levels in the workplace.
As life gets louder, so silence becomes a commodity. Clever designers
and marketers have already begun to backage what was once naturally
freely available. To the traditional double glazing and thick curtaining
that keep external noise out of bay, are now added silent washing
machines and other appliances designed to keep the peace within. Other
products, ostensibly designed to prevent us polluting the oral comfort
zone of our neighbors, to me smack more of
affected indulgence. One company, for example, has just added the eerily
silent cello to its range of silent musical instruments; silent, that is, to
everyone except the headphone-clad player.
IV. SE NTENCE TRANSFORMATION: (20,0 điểm)
PART 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.
1. Nowadays many doctors are too busy with their work, so they have less time for their children.
(BOUND)
→ Nowadays……………………………………………. to have time for their children.
2. Managing the company will probably be much more complicated than they say.
→ Managing the company should not ……………………………….. easy as they say.
3. I did not attend the farewell party last night because I had a lot of work to deal with. (NECK)
→ If I………………………………., I would have attended the farewell party last night.
4. Despite having been very nervous at first, he completed the test successfully. (STATE)
→ Despite……………………………………………………gas.
PART 2: For questions 6-10, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the
sentence, using the word given. You must use between three to eight words. Write only the missing
words on the separate answer sheet.
5. Sam’s impressive speech helped her achieve very good results for her promotion. (MIRACLES)
→ Sam’s impressive speech helped her…………………………………………
6. The secretary admires her manager so much that she doesn’t see his faults, so she does everything he
orders. (TUNE)
The secretary dances……………………………………………………..pedestal.
7. When the year is coming, all members are excited. (FEVER)
→ When the year is coming,…………………………………………………….
8. The singer was willing to sacrifice her happiness to become famous. (ALTAR)
→ …………………………………………………………………………………
9. I think we should not make the discussion last longer because we need to reach a decision. (DRAG)
→…………………………………………………………………………………
10. In the court, a lawyer made every effort to find mistakes in the witness’s statement. (HOLES)
→ …………………………………………………………………………………
TRƯỜNG NGUYỄN THƯỢNG HIỀN - TP HCM
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40PTS)
I. PHONOLOGY (10PTS)
Choose the words whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
1. A. libation B. liana C. liability D. licentiate
2. A. outrider B. oubliette C. ouzel D. outre’
3. A. simultaneous B. simulacrum C. mucilaginous D. mutinous
4. A. hydrous B. rhythm C. hypnosis D. hysteria
5. A. agrarian B. agoraphobia C. photogravure D. gratuitous
6. A. signorine B. silicosis C. silhouette D. similitude
7. A. notifiable B. nugatory C. opprobrious D.
disciplinary
8. A. polymorphous B. hemipterous C. hemispherical D.
interlocutory
9. A. disarray B. discus C. discipline D. dissonance
10. A. interpolate B. acclimatize C. cannibalize D. demystify
11. In response to growing criticism, the government modified its plans for education cuts, though only
very…………...
A. barely B. fundamentally C. slightly D. faintly
12. The decision to site the nuclear power station next to the nature reserve …………...widespread
criticism from opposition politicians and environmental groups.
A. expressed B. responded to C. came in D. drew
13. Immigrants live in …………... conditions, with up to 15 sharing a small room.
A. spacious B. cramped C. restrained D. constrained
14. The Minister…………... tribute to rescue workers for their “courage in the face of adversity”.
A. sold B. paid C. lent D. spent
15. Members of the rock group were asked to …………...their behaviour or else leave the hotel.
A. modify B. amend C. transfer D. convert
16. If she doesn’t get what she wants, she throws a …………..., stamping her feet and screaming her head
off.
A. outburst B. tantrum C. steam D. rage
17. I do wish these documents were written in …………...English - they’re far too complicated to
understand.
A. good B. avid C. plain D. rough
18. She sat back in a …………... relaxed pose, her hands trembling slightly in her lap.
A. trickily B. fraudulently C. deceptively D.
deceitfully
19. There wasn’t a …………... of truth in what he said.
A. ray B. lump C. grain D. pinch
20. The giant will be paid in three equal…………... over the course of the year.
A. occurrences B. episodes C. installments D. inversions
III. GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURE (10TS)
21. Tickets will not be redeemable for cash or credit at any time,……………..will they be replaced if lost
or stolen.
A. but B. though C. only D. nor
22. ……………..is no better season than winter to begin training at Silver’s Fitness Center.
A. When B. It C. There D. As it
23. Not far from here……………..
A. can you see B. you can see C. could you see D. you
could see
24. I stopped the car, and up……………..
A. did a policeman walk B. a policeman walked
C. walked a policeman D. walk a policeman
25. She ran; otherwise, she…………….. her bus.
A. would miss B. would have missed C. missed D. had
missed
26…………….., go to the bank before five o’clock.
A. Should you need more money B. You should need more money
C. You need more money D. Do you need more money
27. It turned out that we…………….rushed to the airport as the plane was delayed by several hours.
A. hadn’t B. should have C. mustn’t D. needn’t
have
28. I don’t suppose there is anyone there,…………….?
A. do I B. don’t I C. is there D. isn’t there
29…………….before, his first performance for the amateur dramatic group was a success.
A. Though having never acted B. Despite he had never acted
C. As he had never acted D. In spite of his never having acted
30……………., dolphins have no sense of smell.
A. As known as far B. As far as is known
C. It is known as far D. Known as far as it is
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS (10PTS)
31. When her father returned after nine years’ absence, Sue did not have the heart to ……………. her
back on him.
A. put B. keep C. turn D. get
32. He really gets……………. my nerves. He never stops complaining.
A. down B. up C. in D. on
33. How could I have allowed myself to be……………. by his lies?
A. fallen for B. taken in C. tricked into D. seen
through
34. The forecast has revealed that the world’s reserves of fossil fuel will have…………….by 2020.
A. run out B. taken over C. caught up D. used off
35. A retired woman has been tricked……………. of her life savings by a bogus financial adviser.
A. into B. out C. on D. for
36. It is his versatility that ……………. him apart from other actors of his generation.
A. puts B. makes C. sends D. sets
37. Denise has just phoned from her sick bed - she’s ……………. down with a flu bug, apparently.
A. put B. come C. passed D. got
38. I know I ought to go to the dentist’s, but I never seem to ……………. round to making an
appointment.
A. get B. come C. bring D. put
39. I polished……………. the remains of that chocolate cake when I got home last night - I was so
hungry.
A. at B. off C. up D. down
40. When using a treadmill, it is always advisable to ……………. on a slow setting.
A. maintain B. wait C. spend D. begin
V. READING PASSAGE (20PTS)
PASSAGE 1:
LEONARDO DAVINCI
Leonard o da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in the small Tuscan town of Vinci, near Florence.
He was the son of a wealthy Florentine public official and a peasant woman. In the mid-1460s the family
settled in Florence, where Leonardo was given the best education that Florence could offer. He rapidly
advanced socially and intellectually. He was handsome, persuasive in conversation, and a fine musician
and improviser. About 1466 he apprenticed as a studio boy to Andrea del Verrocchio. In Verrocchio's
workshop Leonardo was introduced to many activities, from the painting of altarpieces and panel pictures
to the creation of large sculptural projects. In 1472, he was entered in the painter’s guild of Florence, and
in 1476 he was still mentioned as Verrocchio's assistant. In Verrocchio’s Baptism of Christ the kneeling
angel at the left of the painting is by Leonardo.
In 1478 Leonardo became an independent master,. His first commission, to paint an altarpiece for
the chapel of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Florentine town hall, was never executed. His first large
painting, The Adoration of the Magi, left unfinished, was ordered in 1481 for the Monastery of San
Donato a Scopeto, Florence. Other works ascribed to his youth are the so-called Benois Madonna, the
portrait Ginerva de' Bettci, and the unfinished Saint Jerome.
In 1482, Leonardo’s career moved into high gear when he entered the service of the duke of Milan,
Ludovico Sforza, having written the duke an astonishing letter in which he stated that he could build
portable bridges; that he knew the techniques of constructing bombardments and of making cannons; that
he could build ships as well as armored vehicles, catapults, and other war machines; and that he could
execute sculpture in marble, bronze, and clay. He served as principal engineer in the duke's numerous
military enterprises and was active also as an architect. In addition, he assisted the Italian mathematician
Luca Pacioli in the celebrated work Divina Proportione.
Evidence indicates that Leonardo had apprentices and pupils in Milan, for whom he probably
wrote the various texts later compiled as Treatise on Painting. The most important of his own paintings
during the early Milan period was The Virgin of the Rocks, two versions of which exist; he worked on
the compositions for a long time, as was his custom, seemingly unwilling to finish what he had begun.
From 1495 to 1497 Leonardo labored on his masterpiece, The Last Supper, a mural in the refectory
of the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan. Unfortunately, his experimental use of oil on dry
plaster was technically unsound, and by 1500 its deterioration had begun. Since 1726 attempts have been
made, unsuccessfully, to restore it; a concerted restoration and conservation program, making use of the
latest technology, was begun in 1977 and is reversing some of the damage. Although much of the original
surface is gone, the majesty of the composition and the penetrating characterization of the figures give a
fleeting vision of its vanished splendor.
During his long stay in Milan, Leonardo also produced other paintings and drawings, most of which
have been lost, theater designs, architectural drawings, and models for the dome of Milan Cathedral. His
largest commission was for a colossal bronze monument to Francesco Sforza, father of Ludovico, in the
courtyard of Gastello Sforzesco. In December 1499, however, the Sforza family was driven from Milan
by French forces; Leonardo left the statue unfinished and he returned to Florence in 1500.
41. What is NOT mentioned about the young Leonardo da Vinci?
A. He was physically attractive B. He was a talented speaker
C. He was well - connected D. He was gifted in many fields of art
42. The word "apprenticed”is closest in meaning to:
A. Cleaned B. Painted C. Studied D. Mastered
43. What can be inferred about Andrea del Verrocchio?
A. He was a writer B. He was well - known
C. He was poor D. He had many students
44. How old was Leonardo da Vinci when he became an independent master?
A. 23 B.25 C.26 D. 28
45. The pronoun “he” refers to
A. Leonardo da Vinci B. The duke
C. Sforza D. Milan
46. What is NOT mentioned as a work by a young Leonardo da Vinci?
A. The Adoration of the Magi B. Ginerva de’ Benci
C. Donato a Scopeto D. Saint Jerome
47. The word "catapults" is probably
A. An animal B. A method of transportation
C. A food D. An arm
48. Which of the following sentences best paraphrases the information in the highlighted
passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
“….he worked on the compositions for a long time, as was his custom, seemingly unwilling to finish
what he had begun.”
A. Leonardo felt the need to work on his works for as long a time as was needed to achieve
perfection.
B. For some reason, da Vinci took an extraordinarily long time to finish many creations
C. Leonardo kept working until everything seemed perfect
D. Leonardo would start many projects at the same time, but they would never finish together
49. The word “concerted” is closest in meaning to
A. Musical B. Artistic C. Organized D. Painful
50. What is NOT mentioned as a creation of Leonardo da Vinci’s while he was in Milan?
A. Theatre designs B. Architectural drawings
C. Models of bronze horses D. Models for church domes
PASSAGE 2:
SOLVING DEFORESTATION PROBLEMS
As more and more countries around the globe move towards industrialization in a attempt to
compete the global market, an environmental crisis over deforestation - the cutting down, burning, and
general damaging of forests – is glooming for mankind. Over the last several decades, environmental
specialists
have proposed various strategies aimed at slowing down this process of deforestation in developing
countries. Many of these proposals are indeed valuable ideas in that they are realistic attempts to address
some of the causes of deforestation, such as farming, cattle ranching, and commercial logging. All of
them rely on government involvement of some kind.
There are three broad categories of solutions: state economic policies, internal agreements, and
international programs. Economic policies generally attempt to limit the activity of small farms through
government actions. Government actions can include the clear and proper definition and enforcement of
property rights, meaning that squatting, or illegal settling on land, would be more difficult. Subsidies can
be used to encourage conservation. That is, money may be paid to supplement the income of those
farmers who make an effort to reduce the usual amount of damage to the forest that their farms cause. In
addition,
taxes can act as a deterrent to undesirable land use. For example, certain kinds of agriculture, like the
slash-and-burn method, as well as cattle ranching, may be taxed to discourage these activities.
An internal agreement may be made between governments and indigenous or native people living
in the moist rainforests and open woodlands of the tropics, where the vast majority of this deforestation is
occurring. Such an agreement would allow people to carry on traditional activities adapted for some
economic benefit. One example is the rubber tappers in Brazil. These native people draw sap from rubber
trees in the forests, without damaging or killing the trees. The sap, in turn, is sold to rubber companies,
thereby providing the native people with economic benefits.
Finally, international agreements usually involve the exchange of monetary aid in return for
government action to protect its forests. One such plan seeks to help pay a nation’s debt in exchange for
restrictions on certain kinds of activities in rainforests. This is appealing for a poor country such as
Brazil, which has an international debt of $160 billion. Instead of selling logging concession to pay down
that obligation, the government receives money for banning or restricting logging in its forests. There is
also the proposal of a global fund created in order to grant money to countries that choose to protect their
environments. While all of these ideas could possibly work, it remains to be seen whether there will be
any real progress in rainforest conservation.
It is clear that something must be done to protect the forests of the world. If the current rate of
deforestation continues, the world’s rainforests will vanish in within 100 years, causing numerous
adverse effects on global climate and eliminating the majority of plant and animal species on the planet.
Deforestation significantly increases the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere
each year, which in turn causes an increase in global temperature. Also, scientists speculate that the
tropical rainforests, though covering only seven percent of the Earth’s dry surface, contain more than half
of the 5 million to 80 million species of plants and animals that comp rise the “biodiversity” of the planet.
The loss of species result from radical climate change will have a drastic effect. The Earth is losing
species every day that could potentially prevent cancer or lead to a cure for AIDS. In addition, other
organisms are losing
species they depend upon, and thus face extinction themselves. Unless some forms of concrete solution
for deforestation is enacted quickly, the survival of all creatures living on Earth could be in jeopardy .
51. In paragraph 1, what does the word “them” refer to?
A. The causes of deforestation B. Decades
C. Proposals D. Developing countries.
52. The word “deterrent” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. fine B. penalty C. incentive D. discouragement
53. Why does the author mention rubber-tappers in paragraph 3?
A. To provide an example of an internal agreement
B. To provide an example of an international agreement
C. To provide an example of a state economic policy
D. To provide an example of why Brazil is a poor nation
54. According to paragraph 3 and 4, what is the main difference between an internal agreement and an
international agreement?
A. International agreements are more effective than internal agreements.
B. An international agreement is between countries; an internal agreement is between a government
and its people.
C. Internal agreements benefit governments; international agreements benefit indigenous groups.
D. Internal agreements are more effective than international ones.
55. From the passage, it can be inferred that
A. state economic policies are more effective than international agreements
B. indigenous peoples in the tropics depend on forestry to make money
C. the three types of solutions mentioned will save the rainforests
D. Deforestation is not a very serious problem
56. The word “obligation” in paragraph 4 could best be replaced by
A. promise B. relationship C. guarantee D. debt
57. The word “this” in paragraph 4 refers to
A. a poor country B. a nation’s debt
C. an international agreement D. an obligation
58. The world “rate” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to
A. price B. grade C. level D. evaluation
59. According to the passage, what are the major adverse effects of deforestation?
A. An increase in carbon dioxide and decrease in biodiversity
B. Warmer weather and an increase in biodiversity
C. Loss of plant and animal species and an increase in global debt
D. An increase in global debt and human diseases
60. Which of the following sentences best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
“Over the last several decades, environmental specialists have proposed various strategies aimed at
slowing down this process of deforestation in developing countries.”
A. In coming decades, environmental scientists will suggest several strategies for stopping
deforestation in third-word countries.
B. Environmental scientists, in recent years, have suggested that deforestation slows down the
process of development in various countries.
C. In recent decades, several methods for countering deforestation in poor countries have been
suggested by experts on the environment.
D. Experts on the environment have been concerned about the impact of deforestation on the
Earth’s biodiversity in recent decades.
VI. GUIDED CLOZE TEST (20PTS)
PASSAGE 1:
THE BODY CLOCK
Scientists used to believe that our 24-hour cycle of sleeping and walking was governed entirely by
external factors. The most notable of these, they thought, were the rising and setting of the sun. But they
have now (61) ………… that there is a daily rhythm to a (62)………… range of biological functions –
including temperature, digestion and mental (63)…………- which are regulated internally by a special
time-keeping mechanism within the brain.
The main function of this “body clock” is to anticipate and (64)………… for external changes so
that, for example, our body temperature start to rise around dawn, gearing us up for the day, and begins to
(65) …………in the early evening, winding us down for sleep.
Some people’s body clocks (66)………… poorer time than others, which can greatly disturb their
lives and even threaten their health. Insomnia, depression, fatigue, poor work performance and even
accidents can all be (67)…………or aggravated by inaccurate body clocks.
Equally severe problems can result from the difficulties of (68)………… to different time zones
and working by night instead of by day. Shift workers are known to run a higher-than- average risk of
having a number of health problems and the disruption of (69)………… body rhythm is one possible (70)
…………
for this.
61. A. established B. fixed C. settled D. assured
62. A. wide B. various C. far D. grand
63. A. operation B. activity C. process D.
occupation
64. A. dispose B. scheme C. steady D. prepare
65. A. fall B. reduce C. lessen D. subtract
66. A. keep B. hold C. support D. preserve
67. A. put B. formed C. caused D. made
68. A. altering B. adjusting C. fitting D. suiting
69. A. common B. conditional C. normal D. used
70. A. explanation B. solution C. account D. source
PASSAGE 2:
OPERA FOR EVERYONE
You could be forgiven for associating the Royal Opera House (ROH) more with the over-50s than
with the under-15s. But if you did, then you might be surprised to learn that the ROH ’s education
department reaches out every year to (71)……………the young generation with opera. It is, however safe
to assume that opera can be an unfamiliar (72)…………… to most school children, and the first reaction
encountered by the ROH in the classroom is often bemusement. “Children (73)……………possibly as
long as you introduce them to opera in the right way ,” explains Paul Reeve, the ROH’s director of
education. “The older students can initially have an extreme negative reaction, but that (74)……………is
a great challenge. We give those (75)…………… kids the opportunity to experience what it’s like to be,
say, a com poser or a choreographer, and that shows them the skill that is (76)……………in the art
forms.” One popular programme the ROH (77)……………annually is Write an Opera and this year
children from 28 UK schools will perform their work on stage in July. Teachers have found that while
such a programme gives their pupils a greater (78)……………of the art, they have a broader effect, too.
“I don’t think arts participation has an actual (79)……………on developing people’s creativity and self-
esteem,” says Reeve, “but the feedback we get is that participation in an opera project can have a hugely
positive effect on children who have previous (80)……………elsewhere in their school life.”
71. A. reveal B. keep C. engage D. maintain
72. A. way B. medium C. channel D. means
73. A. respond B. manage C. answer D. learn
74. A. refusal B. resistance C. indifference D.
disillusionment
75. A. ironic B. doubtful C. skeptical D. improbable
76. A. requested B. contained C. involved D. included
77. A. sets up B. runs out C. comes up D. takes up
78. A. fascination B. impression C. information D. awareness
79. A. restriction B. monopoly C. control D. design
80. A. performed B. focused C. struggled D. achieved
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. CLOZE TEST (20pts)
Read the texts below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word for each
space.
PASSAGE 1
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
A senior football administrator has (1)………….. female players angry by suggesting that they
should wear different clothes in order to attract more interest in the sport. “Let the women play (2)
………….. more femine clothes like they do (3)………….. playing volleyball,” said Sepp Blatter,
president of the football governing body, FIFA.
“Female players are pretty, (4) ………….. you excuse me for saying so, and they already have
some (5)………….. rules from men - like (6)………….. with a lighter ball female game, for example.
That decision was taken to create a more female game so (7)………….. not to it with fashion too?”
Pauline Cope, the England goal keeper, said the comments were “typical of (8)………….. man.”
She went (9) ………….. to say, “he doesn’t know what he is talking about. He’s wrong about the lighter
ball for a start. And to suggest that we should wear more feminine football kit is ridiculous.” Marianne
Spacey,
the manager of Fulham, agree with Cope. “ Surely the game should be about skill and not about (10)
…………..the players look.”
PASSAGE 2
There was a time when university professors, (11)………….. with an air of authority and a bunch
of letters after their names, expected deference from their students. That time has passed. Faculty at
universities large and small is finding that many students now regard them as little more than highly
educated servants.
One student emailed his professor explaining that he’d missed class because he was recovering
from a big party, and now he wanted the teacher’s notes. Another emailed an ‘urgent’ message at 11p.m.
on a Saturday night and again on Sunday morning demanding to know why her first email had been
ignored.
What’s more, dozens of professors (12)…………..angry emails from students who aren’t happy with
their end-of-year grades. The students expect an ‘A’ grade and believe that it’s the teacher’s job to give
them one.
What’s going on? It seems that a mixture of the informality of email and a growing lack of respect
for university teachers has eroded the professor’s standing. Many students see education as just another
commodity to be bought and sold. They (13) ………….. do not recognize the years of learning and
experience possessed by professors, or they do not care.
The problem has been exacerbated by the advent of email. While email has made professors more
(14) ………….. , it has also meant they are expected to be available around the clock to answer
questions, however trivial or inappropriate. One lecturer at a UK university says, “Some students send up
to three emails a day asking for information that’s in the brochure or that’s nothing to do with me. One
asked me what type of notebook he (15)………….. buy, and another asked how much rent she should be
paying. I wasn’t sure how to reply without sounding condescending or scary, so I didn’t reply at all.”
An assistant professor at a US university thinks the problem is not the (16)………….. but the tone
of the emails. “Students must realize that we aren’t their friends. We are authority figures.” At the
beginning of the semester, she establishes email etiquette: “We talk about the types of questions I’m
willing to
answer and how (17)…………..I’ll respond, and also the level of politeness expected. I also explain that
the person who needs help always writes the final email and it always includes thanks.”
And it’s not just the email (18)………….. has created new tension between students and teachers.
Technology plus student power can be a dangerous cocktail for university faculty, as the story of one
lecturer at a US university demonstrates. During class, one of his students appeared to be browsing the
internet on her laptop instead of taking notes - so he walked over and closed her laptop. This (19)
………… on a Friday. The following Monday, as the class was about to start, he was arrested by the
campus police. The 22-year-old student (20) …………..that he’d assaulted her.
II. WORD FORMATION (20PTS)
1. He was fined £500 and……………from driving for three years. (QUALIFY)
2. Arnold died in 1953: his wife, who……………him by almost half a century, passed away on the last
day of the millennium. (LIVE)
3. I cannot comment; I have sworn to ……………on the matter. (SECRET)
4. There is every …………… that prices will continue to rise next year. (LIKELY)
5. My grandfather was extremely……………about astronomy; the planets were his great passion.
(KNOWLEDGE)
6. The assistants in Gamidges are unhelpful and……………. (COURTESY)
7. The bookcase was placed …………… near the door to hide a huge crack in the wall. (STRATEGY)
8. First prize was the not …………… sum of £500,000. (CONSIDER)
9. Millions of innocent civilians suffered great……………as a result of the war. (HARD)
10. A heavy……………before the start of the match left the pitch looking rather like a swimming pool.
(POUR)
appoint sell receipt apply suit
bore pack friend depress immediate
After my marriage two years ago I moved down to Kent where my new had a good job as a (11)
…… manager for a local company that produces (12)……………materials. I had to leave my job in
London and thought I would find another one (13)…………… but it turned out to be a (14)……………
slow process. I must have written at least forty letters of (15)…………… before I even got invited to go
for an interview. I was beginning to feel quite (16)……………when 1 still hadn’t found anything (17)
……………after three months. In the end I took a temporary post as (18)…………… in a local hotel.
I’m still there and I love it. Everyone who works there is very (19) …………… and the work’s so varied
that no one could complain of
(20)……………
Line From gamma-radiation to radioactive spiders, superheroes are born in a
5 variety of weird and wonderful ways. But how realistic are they?
10 Being born on other planets, or finding cosmic lanterns require a huge
15 leap of the imagination. But what about the humans whose develop
20 special powers by slightly more prosaic mean - how plausible are they?
25 Take the Incredible Hulk: Scientist Dr. Robert Banner receives a huge
dose of gamma rays while working on a nuclear bomb. Gamma rays are
real enough, be produced by nuclear explosions, but the bad news is that
the gamma-radiation that gave Robert Banner his powers would’ve only
caused fatal radiation sickness. Forget that minor point, Lois Gresh,
author of Science and Superheroes, argues it’s just about possible to
create a believable version of hulk. Banner could take largeamounts of
(highly dangerous) anabolic steroids to produce that pumped-up look,
which of real life could cause his notorious rages as they increase
aggressive mood swings. As for the green skin, French genetic researchers
have at least created a glowing green rabbit by gene engineering using
fluorescent protein. Spider-Man, on the other hand, has bigger problems.
While a radioactive spider could exist ( spiders are tolerant to radiation),
an animal does not transfer DNA via a bite.
And even if it did, it couldn’t fuse with our DNA. When being ingested
was enough to make this happen, we’d get characteristics of, say, apples
or chicken s whenever we ate it.
Batman - the ‘Dark Knight’ - might be the most realistic of the heroes,
says Gesh. It is of course for a person to train obsessive in martial arts and
subjects such as criminology. But in this case, it’s gadgets that make
Batman who he is. Most of Batman’s toys, from his tiny cameras to
smoke grenades to superstrong ropes, exist in the 21st century. Even
creating the batmobile shouldn’t present modern carmakers with too much
difficulty.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20PTS)
1. It’s likely they were delayed in a traffic jam.
They will…………………………………………………….up in a traffic jam.
2. Jane really wants to have everyone looking at her every time we go out in a group.
Jane can’t help wanting to be ………………………………every time we go out in a group.
3. I regret not having the feeling of achieving anything after reaching the summit but 1 was too
exhausted. (SENSE)
I wish I ………………………………………after reaching the summit but I was too exhausted.
4. It doesn’t matter how I comb it, my hair always looks a mess.
However…………………………………………………….!
5. With that bad cold you won’t be able to help US, so take the day off work. (USE)
With that bad cold you’ll ………………………………………anyone so take the day off work.
6. Most employees used to be proud of working for the same company all their lives but not anymore.
(PRIDE)
Most employees no …………………………… working for the same company all their lives.
7. They still haven’t carried out a full assessment of the effects of these changes. (FULLY)
The effects of these changes have yet……………………………………………………..
8. He thinks his friends do not appreciate him. (GRANTED)
He disliked ……………………………………………………. by his friends.
9. You don’t realize quite how much fat there is in that pizza. (DEAL)
There’s …………………………………………………….fat in that pizza than you realize.
10. I imagine it was tough for you to refuse every beggar that asked you for money. (TURN)
It must …………………………………………………………………………………..
TRƯỜNG THPT PHAN CHÂU TRINH - TP ĐÀ NẴNG
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (40pts)
I. PHONOLOGY ( 5pts )
A. Choose the word whose sound is different from that of the others in each group
1. A. designedly B. determinedly C. unconcernedly D.
unconstrainedly
2. A. exhortatory B. philharmonic C. self-annihilation D.
silhouette
3. A. bedraggled B. disaggregate C. exaggerative D. self-
aggrandisement
4. A. archaeoastronomy B. coalescence C. coalition D. oasis
5. A. contradistinguish B. derequisition C. impuissance D.
undisguised
B. Choose the word which has the stress pattern different from the others
6. A. chincherinchee B. cohabitee C. evacuee D.
subcommittee
7. A. downhearted B. downtrodden C. upheaval D. upholster
8. A. disequilibrium B. indiscriminately
C. misrepresentative D. unascertainable
9. A. hyperventilation B. hypoallergenic C. mononucleosis D. unimolecular
10. A. micropipette B. technopreneur C. telepherique D. unpicturesque
II. VOCABULARY (5pts)
Select the option that best fits each blank. Write your answers (A, B, C, or D) in the box for
answers.
1. The gift, together with the flowers, was a…………..of his gratitude and appreciation.
A. coupon B. memento C. remembrance D. token
2. Hedgehogs, bears and other animals that hibernate remain …………..during winter.
A. deactivated B. dormant C. impassive D. inert
3. Despite the fog, we were able to discern a …………..of cottages in the distance.
A. cluster B. clutter C. congregation D.
constellation
4. Medical privacy laws…………..of health care providers that they be careful with protected
information.
A. conceive B. devise C. envisage D. require
5. I would ………….. my colleague’s wrath and displeasure by using his research without consent.
A. concur B. co-occur C. incur D. recur
6. Any business suspected of tax…………..will deprive the nation of wealth and prosperity.
A. desertion B. evasion C. invasion D. retention
7. The police have been…………..the district for the murderer, leaving no stone unturned.
A. brainwashing B. penetrating C. ransacking D. scouring
8. It was predicted that business would be destroyed and the town’s economy would be in …………..
A. fragments B. scraps C. segments D. tatters
9. The world was…………..on the edge of nuclear catastrophe and cold wars were inevitable.
A. fluctuating B. oscillating C. stumbling D. teetering
10. A student on the ………….. of a new life at university killed himself with a massive tranquiliser
overdose.
A. inception B. kick-off C. portal D. threshold
III. STRUCTURES AND GRAMMAR: (5pts)
answers.
1. His desire was to make herbal medicine available those who could ……………afford to visit a
physician.
A. badly B. ill C. ineptly D. poorly
2. Tom doesn’t know much about computing,………….. his brother is an expert at it.
A. whereas B. however C. therefore D. in contrast
3. B-Phone’s rising inventories,…………..correspondingly by increases in sales, can lead to production
cutbacks that would hamper economic growth.
A. if not unaccompanied B. though accompanied
C. unless accompanied D. when unaccompanied
4…………..the circling the globe faster than Jules Verne’s fictional Phileas Fogg.
A. A pioneer journalist, Nellie Bly’s exploits included
C. The exploits of Nellie Bly, a pioneer journalist, were included
5. Along with the drop in producer prices announced yesterday…………..the strong retail sales figures
released today…………..growing slowly, is not nearing a recession.
A. were - as if to indicate the economy, although
B. enclosed - as is indicative of the economy, if
C. included - as though the economy, indicatively,
D. lay - like an indication of the economy, though
6. ………….., schistosomiasis is…………..become an economic drain on many developing countries.
A. A fatal disease notwithstanding - debilitating to
B. Not a fatal disease - of such debility that it has
C. Not being fatal - too debilitating to
D. Though no fatal disease - so debilitating as to
7. Laos has a land area…………..are members of hill tribes ensconced in the virtually inaccessible
mountain valleys of the north.
A. about the same as Great Britain but a population of only four million people, many of them
B. comparable to that of Great Britain but a population of only four million people, many of whom
C. comparable to the size of Great Britain, but only four million in population, and many of them
D. of about the same size as Great Britain is, but only four million in population, and many of
whom
8…………..a leading figure in the Scottish Enlightenment, Adam Smith wrote two major books that are
to democratic capitalism…………..Marx’s Das Kapital is to socialism.
A. Being - while B. Having been - which C. Ø - what D. To be - that
9. Owning and living in a freestanding house is still a goal of young adults,…………..earlier generations.
A. as did B. as it was of C. like that of D. so have
10. Often visible as smog,…………..in the atmosphere when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, two
major pollutants emitted by automobiles, react with sunlight.
A. meteorologists recognise the substances contributory to ozone formation
B. ozone is formed, as is recognised by meteorologists, from the substances
C. ozone, meteorologists recognise, formed from the substances
D. the substances from which ozone is formed are recognised by meteorologists
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS (5pts )
answers.
1. The Premiership clubs have never disguised their antipathy ………….. those who oppose their
principles.
A. over B. up C. to D. with
2. Could you possibly………….. in for me at the next committee meeting? I’ll be busy then.
A. be B. go C. put D. sit
3. We are fighting to make peace in the Vietnam Waters, but negotiations are ………….. with
difficulties.
A. bedeviled B. beleaguered C. beset D. besieged
4. Serious things have happened and it’s no good people letting…………..that they didn’t.
A. down B. in for C. in on D. on
5. Mauritius was a British colony for almost 200 years,…………..the domains of administration and
teaching, the English language was never really spoken on the island.
A. barring B. besides
C. but saving for D. with the exception of
6. The pilot wasn’t letting them get on if a passenger was late, but had...................pressure from others.
A. forked out for B. caved in to
C. branched out into D. ploughed back into
7. Parents’ fallings-out must be confronted in their private space ................... the children.
A. detrimental much to whom without B. much as the detriment to
C. much to the detriment of D. without much detriment to
8. Teachers could get a feel of the polytechnic education and the kind of training...................the students.
A. indicted of B. conferred with C. imparted to D. bestowed
upon
9. Some self-help books can enable you to draw a line...................the past and concentrate on the future.
A. at B. between C. in D. under
10. In friendship we...................the embarrassment of a dissident disclosure.
A. are at pains to avoid B. are on pain of avoidance
C. are under pain of avoidance D. avoid for one another’s pains
Part 1. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer (A, B, C, or D) to each of the
questions. Write your answers in the numbered box. (5pts)
CLOUD SEEDING
Precipitation is essential for any type of farming, and since the development of agriculture man has
attempted to gain influence over or to control this life-giving phenomenon. For much of human history,
such efforts have been the province of shamans, witch doctors, and priests, who have sought to enlist the
aid of the supernatural in bringing steady and reliable rains during the growing season. In fact, in many
earlier societies, the great authority afforded to such individuals was explicitly based on their
claims to supposedly command the rains to come. In modern times, most societies have turned away
from such
superstitions. Rain-making efforts continue today, albeit under the guise of science. Modern rain-making
efforts center around the practice of cloud seeding, in which certain chemicals (usually silver iodide) are
released into the atmosphere to induce precipitation. In order to understand this process, it is first
necessary to understand what causes precipitation under natural circumstances.
Precipitation requires two processes to take place inside a cloud: condensation and coalescence.
Condensation occurs when the air in a cloud cools beyond a certain point. Clouds are essentially masses
of air saturated with water vapour, and the amount of water vapour that the air can hold is a function of
temperature. Warmer air can hold more water vapour, while cooler air can hold less. Thus, when a mass
of
warm air cools, either as a result of a collision with a cooler mass of air or through some other process, its
ability to hold water vapour decreases. When this ability drops below the amount of water vapour the
cloud actually holds, the cloud is said to be supersaturated. At this point, the water vapour will begin to
condense
into tiny microscopic droplets.
While the supersaturation of the cloud marks the point at which water droplets begin to form, it
does not always result in precipitation. These initial water droplets are so small that the force of air
resistance and upward breaths of wind are sufficient to keep them suspended within the cloud. It is
when these
water droplets begin to combine into larger water drops or freeze in to ice crystals, a process known as
coalescence that they gain enough mass to fall as either rain or snow. In order to coalesce, however, these
water droplets must first have something to coalesce around. Typically, this is a microscopic particle of
dirt or dust that has been blown up into a cloud. Without the presence of such particles, precipitation is
nearly impossible. In fact, in clouds without these particles, condensed water droplets may even drop
below the freezing point without coalescing into raindrops or snowflakes.
It is precisely these conditions which cloud seeding seeks to exploit. In cloud seeding, super-fine
particles of silver iodide are released into a cloud in an attempt to initiate coalescence and thus produce
precipitation. The silver iodide is typically delivered via a ground-launched rocket or a plane that has
been specially outfitted with cloud-seeding equipment. In either case, the process is the same. If
successful,
the water droplets will coalesce around the particles of silver iodide and fall as either rain or snow,
depending on temperatures closer to the ground.
While cloud seeding works in theory, its real-world efficacy is more open to debate. There are
undeniably cases in which cloud seeding does produce precipitation. However, it is often impossible to
tell whether greater amounts of precipitation occur with the aid of cloud seeding than would have
occurred
naturally. Moreover, cloud seeding can only work when cloud conditions are already ripe for
precipitation; that is, when a cloud is already supersaturated. In instances when this is not the case, cloud
seeding is powerless to produce rain. Cloud seeding, for example, may initiate rainfall in temperate
climates, but it
would be a futile practice in desert regions. Another drawback is that cloud seeding naturally results in
rainfalls laden with silver iodide, which can be toxic to vegetation and wildlife in high enough
concentrations. Despite these limitations, cloud seeding is a growing practice worldwide. Currently, 24
nations, including the United States, China, Russia, and Australia, have active cloud seeding programs.
Some of these nations have begun to experiment with materials other than silver iodide in their programs,
hoping to find a method of cloud seeding that is more environmentally friendly.
1. The word “province” in the passage is closest in meaning to “................... ”.
A. authority B. jurisdiction C. realm D. specialty
2. In paragraph 1, why does the author allude to kahunas, healers and clerics?
A. To belabour the point that rain in religious rituals is of great import
B. To elucidate the futility of all rain-making endeavours
C. To illustrate the dearth of empirical erudition amidst primitive civilisations
D. To yield a celebrated background for rainmaking ventures
3. Based on the information in paragraph 2, condensation can best be designated as...................
A. the amalgam of minuscule water droplets
B. the diminution of air temperatures inside a cloud
C. the genesis of water droplets from water vapour
D. the resistance of water vapour to supersaturation
4. What is required for coalescence to transpire?
A. Air temperatures must depreciate to a critical level.
B. The aggregate of water vapour in a cloud must exceed a certain point.
C. Water droplets must become sufficiently dense to overcome air resistance.
D. Water droplets must have something on which to affix themselves.
5. According to paragraph 4, the mantle of silver iodide in cloud seeding is to ...................
A. augment the amount of water vapour in the cloud
B. diminish the inclusive air temperatu re in the cloud
C. expedite coalescence
D. facilitate condensation
6. The word “efficacy” in the passage is closest in meaning to “...................”.
A. prevalence B. reliability C. sanctuary D. usefulness
7. Based on paragraph 5, what can be inferred about cloud seeding?
A. Cloud seeding actually precipitates very little environmental desecration.
B. Cloud seeding does not always work.
C. Cloud seeding methods have never been appraised.
D. The overheads of cloud seeding are exorbitant to be viable.
8. Why are nations looking for auxiliary constituents to manoeuvre in cloud seeding?
A. Silver iodide introduces poisons into the environment.
B. Silver iodide wields extortionate delivery mode operandi like projectiles and airplanes.
C. The availability of silver iodide is extremely limited.
D. They hanker after a more effective component than silver iodide.
9. Which of the sentences below best conveys the intrinsic information in the highlighted sentence in the
passage?
A. In primeval societies, only puissant individuals (ecclesiastics) had the prerogative to command
the rains.
B. In primitive civilisations, authority epitomes dodged explicit assertions about constraining the
rains.
C. The formidable stature of religious epitomes in primitive civilisations was primarily due to their
allegations to restrain the rain.
D. The greatness of primeval societies was grounded in the adroitness of ethereal leaders to create
rain.
10. The phrase “upward breaths” in the passage can be replaced by “ ....................”.
A. upbraids B. updraughts C. upheavals D. uprisings
PART 2. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer (A, B, C, or D) to each of the
questions. Write your answers in the numbered box. (5pts)
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELO PME NT
By charting out the typical cognitive development of children, Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget has
heavily influenced how psychiatrists delineate the progress of juvenile psychological growth. Beginning
in the 1920s and up until his death in 1980, he studied the errors schoolchildren made on various tests and
realised that children of the same age made the same kinds of reasoning errors. Based on these recurring
patterns, he identified stages in a child’s cognitive development, beginning from infancy and extending
through adulthood. Essentially, he proposed that there was a common timetable by which children
initially develop simple cognitive skills and gradually refine them into more abstract ways of thinking.
While more recent theories on the matter suggest that there is more overlap among these stages and that
different environments affect children’s progress, Piaget’s theory was nonetheless extremely important to
initial studies of cognitive development.
According to Piaget, the first stage that children go through is the sensorimotor stage, an eventful
and complex period that Piaget further divided into six sub-stages. The sensorimotor stage begins at birth
and lasts roughly until the child is two years old. During this time, the child experiences the world
through his senses and motor skills, and he will initially develop and master the basic reflexes of infants,
such as grasping, sucking, looking, and listening. Moreover, the infant begins to develop the
fundamentals of basic cognitive functions. He develops awareness of himself and of objects as separate
entities and begins to manipulate his external environment, usually by kicking, moving objects, and
chewing on toys. The child also learns that certain actions will have certain effects, and he may perform
an action to recreate these effects. For instance, he may accidentally suck his thumb and find it
pleasurable, so he repeatedly sucks his thumb to experience the pleasure again. The child may also
experiment with different actions to test their effects, like making various sounds to get an adult’s
attention. Finally, the child also shows the basic capacity for understanding symbols, and he develops
a rudimentary use of language toward the end of this stage, most notably by identifying parents with
words like “mama” and “dada.”
In the next stage, the preoperational stage (ages 2-7), the child expands his capacity for symbolic
thinking, and he can envision the environment and manipulate it within his imagination. Imagination thus
develops more fully, as seen in the child’s tendency to role-play other people (like his parents,
firefighters, etc.), and to pretend that objects are other things, like pretending that a broom is a horse. This
stage is marked by two other distinctive characteristics. The first is egocentrism. While the child’s
language develops more fully for the purpose of social interaction, his thought process is still limited by
individual
experiences, and these cognitive limitations exclude any alternative viewpoints. Piaget determined this
when he instructed several children in this age group to look at a three -dimensional model of a mountain
from a particular angle and then pick out a particular scene they saw. All of the subjects correctly fulfilled
the task, but, when asked to pick out what someone else would have seen when looking at a different
angle, they only picked out the respective scenes they saw. Basically, they were oblivious to the fact that
a viewer at a different angle would see a different scene, so they were only able to pick out only what
they saw
personally. The other characteristic is that thought occurs in an illogical and irreversible manner. A child
can easily believe that things can magically increase, decrease, or vanish, as perceptions often dictate
their reality. Piaget determined this from an experiment in which he poured equal amounts of liquid into a
short thick glass and a tall thin glass and asked the children which container had more liquid. The
subjects often selected the tall thin glass because the liquid reached a higher level and made the glass
appear fuller. They believed that liquid magically appeared to fill the taller glass, even though they were
told both glasses contained the same amount.
In the final two stages, the child refines his skills or reasoning and analysis. In the concrete
operational stage (ages 7-11), the child shows evidence for logical thought and becomes less egocentric in
his thinking. He begins to grasp concepts such as mass, length, volume, time, and other abstract
measurements, and he becomes capable of solving basic logical problems and understanding reversible
logic. He can perform simple arithmetic like addition, subtraction, and multiplication, and his
understanding of how these concepts relate to each other increased. For instance, he understands that ten
minus five equals five, so five plus five equals ten. He is also able to categorise concepts, such as,
identifying a tiger as
a cat, a cat as an animal, and thus a tiger as an animal. In the fourth and final stage, the formal operational
stage (from puberty to adulthood), the child is finally able to think in completely abstract terms. He is
able to perform algebra, calculus, and other mathematics that utilise symbols, formulas, and logic, and he
is capable of other complex critical and analytical thought. This also allows him to hypotheses from
experiments and using these to predict the effects of certain actions. The extent to which people achieve
this degree of abstract thinking is always different, and some may never fully or adequately grasp these
skills, even as adults.
1. The word “delineate” in the passage is closest in meaning to “...................”.
A. counterbalance B. descry C. embolden D. map
2. In paragraph 1, the author moots Piaget’s dissertations with children in order to ...................
A. collate his disquisitions with contemporary therapists’
B. denote the glitches in his procedures
C. designate how he augmented his postulations
D. exhibits how Piaget’s hypotheses are pertained
3. According to paragraph 1, what can be inferred about Piaget’s analyses?
A. They are chiefly issued from other therapists’ inquires.
B. They have been called into question recently.
C. They invalidated other schools of psychology.
D. They were never orthodox among psychiatrists.
4. According to paragraph 2, a child’s development in the sensorimotor juncture is typified by...................
A. an aptitude for discerning reversible notions
B. a cognizance of the entity of external objects
C. an sagacity of numerical hypotheses
D. a significant diminution in egocentrism
5. The word “rudimentary” in the passage is closest in meaning to “...................”.
A. abortive B. basic C. makeshift D. unsophisticated
6. The phrase “oblivious to” in the passage is closest in meaning to “...................”.
A. heedless of B. impervious to C. insensible to D.
unconscious of
7. According to paragraph 3, most children who executed Piaget’s mountain test ...................
A. could use their motor prowess to manipulate their surroundings
B. evinced the ability to classify objects into different categories
C. had tribulations assigning symbols to external objects
D. were impotent to ruminate on the perspectives of other personages
8. According to paragraph 4, all of the following are true about the formal operational juncture
EXCEPT....................
A. It conventionally institutes at the onset of juvenescence.
B. It is the most abiding episode of development.
C. It is when people refine skills mandatory for convoluted mathematics.
D. It makes the same strides with the same ramifications all and sundry.
9. According to the passage, at which episode would a child distinctly possible commence to impersonate
an astronaut?
A. concrete B. formal C. preoperational D. sensorimotor
10. Based on the information in the passage, what can be inferred about a child in the concrete
operational juncture?
A. He would be adroit to conduct and unravel the elaborate mathematical equations often wielded
in calculus.
B. He would discern that the containers in the liquids-in-two containers test have the same amount.
C. He would most likely flunk Piaget’s test that incorporated a three-dimensional model of
mountain.
D. He would only be able to kick, shriek, and masticate on miscellaneous objects to create changes
in his vicinities.
VI. CLOZE TEST
PART 1. Select the option which best fits each space in the following passage.
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the box provided. (5pts)
Slavery was not the only (1).....................of life in New Orleans that would have been (2)................
with men like Captain Amos Stoddard, a New Englander who became one of the governors of the new
lands. Stoddard might have been (3).....................by the odd cultural mix that New Orleans represented,
and which it still (4)....................., in some forms, to this day. After the Spanish ceded Louisiana to the
French, much of the Spanish population in New Orleans departed for Cuba. As they left and French
immigrants came in from Francophone colonies like San Dominque, New Orleans took on a Gallic tinge.
At the same time, traces of Spanish occupation remained strong, with luxurious homes in the city built in
Spanish style, around courtyards and with stucco walls. As a further reminder of the territory’s past
governments, the Louisiana State Legislature met in the former palace of the Spanish governors, until it
burned down in 1827. In what might (5)..................... readers today as a particularly
(6).....................reminder of the city’s
previous masters, two pillories stood on Chartres Street. The Spanish authorities had locked prisoners in
those stocks and sometimes publicly humiliated and abused them.
Thom as Jefferson, the American President, in purchasing Louisiana and bringing about the
(7)........... of control that occurred on December 20, opened a new (8)..................... in American history
and closed the old one, of which he had been a principal author. Only a few years before, he had rejected
Alexander Hamilton’s proposal for a national bank by arguing that the Constitution didn’t
(9 )..................... the
U.S. government to create such an institution. By 1803 he seems to have changed his feelings about the
problem of “implied powers” - or at least been excited enough about the possible uses of 828,000 square
miles of property to set aside any legal (10)..................... .
1. A. demeanor B. exposure C. facet D. outlook
2. A. anomalous B. unconversant C. unenlightened D.
unorthodox
3. A. disconcerted B. discombobulated C. nonplussed D. perplexed
4. A. refrains B. relinquishes C. renounces D. retains
5. A. inspire B. instil C. present D. strike
6. A. alarming B. chilling C. freezing D. petrifying
7. A. conveyance B. hand-over C. transfer D. transplantation
8. A. chapter B. convocation C. section D. subdivision
9. A. emancipate B. empower C. liberate D. unshackle
10. A. compunctions B. qualms C. reservations D. scruples
PART 2. Select the option which best fits each space in the following passage.
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the box provided. (5pts)
The issues for (1) ..................... economies are a little more straightforward. The desire to build on
undeveloped land is not (2) ..................... out of desperation or necessity, but is a result of the relentless
march of progress. Cheap labor and a relatively highly-skilled workforce make these countries highly
competitive and there is a flood of inward investment, particularly from (3)..................... looking to take
advantage of the low wages before the cost and standard of living begin to rise. It is factors such as these
that are making many Asian economies extremely attractive when viewed as investment opportunities at
the moment. Similarly, in Africa, the relative (4).....................of precious metals and natural resources
tends to
attract a lot of (5)..................... companies and a whole sub-industry develops around and is completely
dependent on this foreign-direct investment. It is understandable that countries that are the focus of this
sort of attention can lose sight of the environmental implications of large-scale industrial development,
and this can have devastating consequences for the natural world. And it is a (6).....................cycle
because the more industrially active a nation becomes, the greater the demand for and harvesting of
natural resources. For some, the environmental issues, though they can hardly be ignored, are viewed as a
(7) ..................... concern. Indeed, having an environmental conscience or taking environmental matters
into consideration when it comes to decisions on whether or not to build rubber-tree (8)..................... or
grow biofuel crops would be quite (9).....................indeed. For those involved in such schemes it is a
pretty black-and-white issue. For vast (10).....................of land in Latin America, i.e. it is clear that the
welfare of the rainforests matters little to local government when vast sums of money can be made from
cultivating the land.
1. A. converging B. demerging C. emerging D. resurging
2. A. arisen B. born C. bred D. grown
3. A. intercontinentals B. multinationals C. outmigrations D.
transmigrations
4. A. abundance B. accumulation C. amplitude D.
premonition
5. A. exploitation B. exploration C. purveyance D. surveillance
6. A. vacuous B. vexatious C. vicious D. viscous
7. A. exponential B. extrinsic C. parallel D. peripheral
8. A. holdings B. homesteads C. plantations D. ranches
9. A. imperative B. prohibitive C. proscriptive D.
prospective
10. A. plots B. regions C. sectors D. tracts
B. WRITTEN TASKS (70pts)
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST (20pts)
PART 1. Fin each gap with ONE suitable word. Write you r answers in the box provided.
Many separate fires smoldered in the humus of the forest floor. Smoke sometimes (1).....................
a shadow over the sun, which was often visible only at midday. On September 30, flames came within
three miles of the town of Green Bay, (2).....................1,200 cords of wood stored at a charcoal kiln. The
settlements in the area were becoming increasingly (3)..................... from both the outside world and one
(4)..................... as railroad and telegraph lines burned. The fires seemed to wax and (5) .....................,
depending on the wind and chance. On September 30 the Marinette and Peshtigo Eagle reported
hopefully that “the fires have nearly (6).....................out now in this vicinity.” But the paper was wide of
the (7)..................... , and the fires were growing. By October 4, the smoke was so thick on Green Bay
that '
ships had to use their foghorns and navigate by compass. On October 7, the paper, (8)..................... to
looking for any scrap of good news, noted that at least the smoke had greatly reduced the mosquito
population and that “a certain establishment down on the bay shore that has been obnoxious to the
respectable citizens” had burned. The paper’s editor, (9)..................... -off by the burning of the telegraph
line, could not know it, but a large, deep low-pressure area was moving in from the west. The winds
circling it would turn the smoldering forest of north-eastern Wisconsin into (10)..................... on earth.
PART 2. Fill each gap with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the box provided.
Despite the continued resilience of those early town perks, it wasn’t until the Depression that
modern Hershey started to take (1).....................Perhaps the only town in the country actually to prosper
during the 1930s, it thrived because Hershey vowed his Utopia would never be on the (2)......................
Instead he funded a massive building boom that gave (3) ..................... to the most visited buildings in
today’s
Hershey and delivered wages to more than 600 workers. He admitted that his (4)..................... were partly
selfish: “If I don’t provide work for them, I’ll have to feed them. And since building materials are now at
their lowest cost levels, I’m going to build and give them jobs.” He seems to have spared no
(5)..................; most of the new buildings were strikingly opulent. The first to be finished was the three-
million-dollar limestone Community Centre, home to the 1,904-seat Venetian-style Hershey Community
Theatre, which has played (6)..................... since 1933 to touring Broadway shows and to music, dance,
and opera performances. It offers just as much to look at when the lights are on and the curtains closed.
The floors in the aptly (7).....................Grand Lobby are polished Italian lava rock, surrounded by marble
walls and capped with a bas-relief ceiling showing (8)..................... of wheat, beehives, swans, and scenes
from Roman mythology. With dazzling inner foyer, Hershey (9).....................his nose even harder at the
ravages of the Depression: The arched ceiling is tiled in gold, the fire curtain bears a painting of Venice,
and the ceiling is studded with 88 tiny lightbulbs to re-create a Star-(10)..................... night.
II. WORD FORM (20pts)
PART 1. Use the right form of the words given in capitals to complete the sentences below. Write
your answers hi the box provided.
1. Although the U.S. has recognised same-sex marriage nationwide, it doesn’t mean we allies can rest on
our laurels and are ..................... from the responsibility to advocate our LGBT friends and families.
(ONUS)
2. As the global warming looms large, more and more icebergs make the .....................journey from one
continent to another, resulting in the sea level rise. (POLE)
3. My mother was unable to get over her..................... since she was never a part of the high-tech
generation, for whom computers must have been a living nightmare. (PHOBIC)
4. People coming from the Southern Vietnam always enjoy home cooking, especially the snakehead fish
done slowly in .....................pots over fires then served with rice and vegetables. (EARTH)
5. The fauna is becoming comparatively ..................... due to the isolation, young geological age of the
island and forestry activities within habitats. (PAUPER)
6. The jailbreaking of iOS is led by a (n)..................... talented and pre-eminent group of hackers, whose
jobs are much more complex than its simple elements might imply. (PASS)
7. The mind-boggling TV series Sense8 has posed a serious question: What happens when our
convictions and callings clash..................... with those of ordinary people? (CONCILIATE)
8. Training for advanced English exams is an opportunity to challenge yours elves, for it is quite difficult
to know your level if the consolidations are ...................... (BRAIN)
9. When children are bitten by poisonous snakes, initial treatment of .....................involves keeping them
collected and preventing further toxin release until access to medical assistance. (VENOM)
10. While many people argue that taking a gap year and travelling before college is merely a waste of
time and money, others consider it a (n)..................... experience that provides insight into real life. (EYE)
PART 2: Fill in each blank with the correct form of one appropriate word in the box. Use each
word only ONCE and write your answer in the numbered box
define labour slave tacit water
hold pain suffice take world
The Navajo are a peaceful and pastoral people, living by, with and off their flocks of sheep and
goats. Though the arid character of their country - good for grazing only - forces them to lead a nomadic
life, most of the families have one main home, generally in a(n) (1).....................valley, where they raise
corn, beans,
melons, oats, alfalfa, etc. The Navajo women weave the renowned Navajo blankets, famous for their
durability, beauty and variety of design, and careful execution, whilst a number of men are clever
silversmiths, -making silver necklaces, belts, bracelets, wristlets, rings and buttons of rare beauty, out of
Mexican silver dollars. They have always been (2)..................... They have little of the sullen,
(3)................ disposition attributed to Indians generally, and are cheerful, friendly, hospitable and
industrious. Their government is democratic; there is no chief over the whole tribe, and their local chiefs
are men of temporary and (4)..................... authority, whose power depends largely upon their personal
influence, their eloquence and their reputation for wisdom and justice. The tribe is divided into about 58
clans or genres, grouped under several original or nuclear clans. Marriages with Mexicans, Utes,
Apaches, but especially with the neighboring Pueblo Indians who were captured or (5).....................and
eventually adopted into the tribe, are responsible for a number of clans. As a consequence there is nothing
like a(n) (6)..................... or a prevailing Navajo type. Every variety of form and figure can be found
among them. Marriage occurs early in life and polygamy and divorce are prevalent.
The (7).....................system of pagan worship, expressed in chants, sacrifices, sand painting,
dances, ceremonies^ some of which last nine days, make the Navajo appears very religious. Though they
have no conception of one supreme being, their anthropomorphous deities are numerous and strikingly
democratic. The ideas of paradise and (8) ..................... being unknown to them, they believe in a
hereafter consisting of a life of happiness with the people of the lower worlds. They are consistent
(9)..................... in their faith system. Diseases are thought to be caused by evil beings, by malign
influences of enemies, and by various occult agencies. Their remedies are largely magical and constitute
an integral part of their religion. Their superstitions, ceremonies and customs are (10)..................... kept
alive by an extra ordinarily large number of medicine men who wield a powerful influence among them.
Though missionaries have lived among the Navajo since the early 1600s, few Navajo have been
converted to Christianity.
III. ERROR CORRECTION (10 pts)
There are 10 mistakes in spelling or use of English in the text. Underline the mistakes and
correct them in the box below.
Gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931 to increase venue for the state. Today the casinos are
very all-important for the financial growth of Las Vegas. Bugsy Siegel, the gangster and casino owner, is
the developer we remember most. A Capone syndicate boss, Siegel came to Las Vegas in the late 1930s
and
saw a potential gold mine in the book operations that casinos used to get bets on horse races in Florida,
New York, and California, Offering his syndicate’s race-reporting Continental Wire Service to the
bookbinders at a lower price than any of the existing services, Siegel cornered the market. Then, in 1942,
the competition was eliminated, Siegel abruptly raised the prices and demanded a profit share from each
book. Without another source for race results, and frightened by Siegel’s connections to Capone, in which
the casinos capitulated.
With the profits, Siegel started his own casino. The ambitious Flamingo Hotel was finished in 1946.
Situated on a strip of land along the Los Angeles Highway and designed to be an elegant resort rather
than a faux Western gambling hall, the Flamingo forever moved the concentration of Las Vegas away
from downtown. This helped the town assure of the success of gambling as its major industry. Freeing
from the confinement of their Western heritage, European-style casinos and resorts flourished in the years
after 1946. Siegel was shot in a gangland execution in 1947, but his legacy lives on in the gaudy
formalism of casinos like Caesar’s Palace and The Sands.
IV. TRANSFORMATION (20pts)
Part 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.
1. Rain has been scarce over the past few months, and even if it rained, it didn’t last long.
- What ...................................................................................................................
2. That the press heaped scorn on the handling of the crisis is immaterial to us.
- Of ......................................................................................................................
3. The last time there was such an environmental catastrophe was a thousand years ago.
- Not................................................................................................................... proportions.
4. All that stood between John and the gold medal was Jim’s greater speed.
- But for ...................................................................................................................
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.
1. I was not well enough to play football that day.
- I didn’t feel...................................................................................................................
2. I think John is planning to take over the business when his boss retires. (DESIGNS)
- I am ..............................................................................................................................
3. John advised starting the project over again from the beginning to get it perfect. (SCRATCH)
- It was on ...................................................................................................................perfection.
4. Making a fuss over such trivial things at this stage will get us nowhere. (MOUNTAIN)
- Making...................................................................................................................avail.
5. People always hold fate responsible for whatever’s going wrong in their life. (UNTOWARD).
- People always pin ................................................................................................................... happens.
6. People say that Nguyen Chi Thanh was once an example of an exceptionally green street. (SINGLED)
- Nguyen Chi Thanh ...................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN HÙNG VƯƠNG - BÌNH DƯƠNG
A. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (80ps)
I. PHONOLOGY (10ps)
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the rest.
1. A. asymmetric B. ahistorical C. oceanic D. aide
2. A. Aborigine B. recipe C. catastrophe D. secrete
3. A. fuzzy B. blizzard C. pizza D. buzz
4. A. gradual B. soldier C. education D. independent
5. A. chronicle B. choleric C. chimera D. chauvinist
Choose the word that is stressed differently from the others in the list
6. A. rendezvous B. scenario C. arithmetic D. quintessence
7. A. influenza B. controversial C. demonstrative D.
preferential
9. A. legislature B. repository C. magnificent D. mistake
hypersensitive
II. VOCABULARY (10ps)
1. I'm sorry to ..................... , but did you happen to mention the same "Fiona"?
A. butt in B. cut you C. intercede D. jump
2. Peter agreed reluctantly to sign the form but looked extremely ill at......................
A. agreement B. ease C. heart D. soul
3. Kate spent the morning..................... along the sea-front.
A. hiking B. rambling C. strolling D. crawling
4. A common cause of..................... is the use of untreated water in preparation for foods, which is quite
common in certain underdeveloped countries.
A. displeasure B. malnutrition C. eupepsia D. dysentery
5. The bus stopped at the traffic lights with a ..................... of the brakes.
A. screech B. howl C. crash D. grind
6. The saucepans fell onto the floor with a great......................
A. clatter B. rattle C. crunch D. squeak
7. With the end of childhood, and the onset of ......................, young people experience profound changes.
A. teenage B. childhood C. middle-age D. adolescence
8. The police promised him ...................... from prosecution if he co-operated with them fully.
A. safety B. protection C. immunity D. absolution
9. The barman began to ......................his fists in a threatening manner so I left.
A. gather B. fold C. bundle D. clench
10. It must be true. I heard it straight from the...................... mouth.
A. dog's B. horse's C. camel's D. cat's
II. STRUCTURE AND G RAMMAR (10 ps)
1. Diligently...................... Mary studied, she never got best marks.
A. while B. when C. as D. since
2. “Which is more important: luck or effort?” - “Luck is……………effort”.
A. of the same importance B. the same importance as
C. as the same importance as D. of the same important as
3......................, including climate, mineral content, and the permanency of surface water, wetlands may
be mossy, grassy, scrubby, or wooded.
A. Depending on many factors B. Many factors depending on
C. Factors depending on many D. On many factors depending
4. I’d sooner you...................... badly in the last exam.
A. didn’t done B. hadn’t done
C. couldn’t do D. wouldn’t have done
5. You ......................then; otherwise, the policeman wouldn’t have stopped you.
A. could have been speeding B. must have been speeding
C. might have been speeding D. ought to have been speeding
6. On being told about her sack,.......................
A. her boss felt sorry for Mary B. Mary was shocked
C. Mary’s face turned pale D. her boss’ face felt sorry for Mary
7. Would you be......................my letter while I am away?
A. too good as to forward B. as good as forward
C. so good as to forward D. so good as forwarding
8......................the Coast Guard, not a single life was lost in the ferry accident.
A. Were it not for B. Regardless of C. Thanks to D. As a result
of
9. Social scientists believe that ......................from sounds such as grunts and barks made by early
ancestors of human beings.
A. language, which was very slow to develop
B. language, very slowly developing
C. the very slow development of language
D. language developed very slowly
10. If I ............ you a pet crocodile, what would you do with it?
A. were going to give B. could give
C. were for giving D. were to give
IV. PREPOSITION AND PHRASAL VERBS (10 ps)
1. At first, Tim insisted he was right, but then began to....................
A. back down B. follow up C. drop off D. break up
2. It’s no good pretending, you’ve got to ...................... reality.
A. bargain for B. come up against C. face up to D. get down to
3. What were you two ...................just now in the garden?
A. bringing about B. getting up to C. coming up with D. getting
round to
4. You should always have alternative plan to .................
A. bring about B. ask after C. feel up to D. fall back on
5. A general amnesty for political prisoners may be......................the offing.
A. on B. at C. in D. through
6. Thomas is always flying...................... the handle at the slightest thing.
A. off B. over C. around D. through
7. Gareth Bale is a brilliant young footballer who is ......................the up and up.
A. in B. to C. through D. on
8. No agreement was reached. The strikers decided to ...................... out for a better deal.
A. keep B. watch C. hold D. draw
9. That dietician is going to bring...................... a book on healthy eating next month.
A. on B. up C. forward D. out
10. He...................... up a lot of debts in the town and then disappeared without a trace.
A. put B. ran C. brought D. made
V. READING COMPREHENSION (20ps)
PA SSAGE 1: Read the text below and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to each question.
The development of jazz can be seen as part of the larger continuum of American popular music,
especially dance music. In the twenties, jazz became the hottest new thing in dance music, much as
ragtime had at the turn of the century, and as would rhythm and blues in the fifties, rock in the fifties, and
disco in the seventies.
But two characteristics distinguish jazz from other dance music. The first is improvisation, the
changing of a musical phrase according to the player's inspiration. Like all artists, jazz musicians strive
for an individual style, and the improvise or paraphrase is a jazz musician's main opportunity to display
his or
her individuality. In early jazz, musicians often improvised melodies collectively, thus creating a kind
of polyphony. There was little soloing as such, although some New Orleans players, particularly cornet
player Buddy Bolden, achieved local fame for their ability to improvise a solo. Later the idea of the
chorus-long or multichorus solo took hold. Louis Armstrong's instrumental brilliance, demonstrated
through extended solos, was a major influence in this development. Even in the early twenties, however,
some jazz bands had featured soloists. Similarly, show orchestras and carnival bands often included one
or two such “get-off” musicians. Unimproved, completely structured jazz does exist, but the ability of
the best jazz musicians to create music of great cohesion and beauty during performance has been a
hallmark of the music and its major source of inspiration and change.
The second distinguishing characteristic of jazz is a rhythmic drive that was initially called "hot"
and later "swing". In playing hot, a musician consciously departs from strict meter to create a relaxed
sense of phrasing that also emphasizes the underlying rhythms. ("Rough" tone and use of moderate
vibrato also contributed to a hot sound.) Not all jazz is hot, however, many early bands
played unadorned published arrangements of popular songs. Still, the proclivity to play hot distinguished
the jazz musician from other instrumentalists.
1. The passage answers which of the following questions?
A. Which early jazz musicians most Influenced rhythm and blues music?
B. What are the differences between jazz and other forms of music?
C. Why is dancing closely related to popular music in the United States?
D. What instruments comprised a typical jazz band of the 1920's?
2. Which of the following appeared before jazz as a popular music for dancing?
A. Disco B. Rock C. Rhythm and blues D. Ragtime
3. According to the passage, jazz musicians are able to demonstrate their individual artistry mainly by?
A. creating musical variations while performing
B. preparing musical arrangements
C. reading music with great skill
D. being able to play all types of popular music
4. Which of the following was the function of “get-off” musicians?
A. Assist the other band members in packing up after a performance
B. Teach dance routines created for new music
C. Lead the band
D. Provide solo performances in a band or orchestra
5. Which two types of music developed around the same time?
A. jazz / rock B. dance / rhythm & blue
C. rock / rhythm & blue D. jazz / dance
6. Louis Armstrong was mentioned as an influential musician of.......................
A. "hot" or "swing" jazz B. chorus-long jazz
C. structured jazz D. soloing jazz
7. The word "consciously" is closest in meaning to ......................
A. carelessly B. easily C. periodically D. purposely
8. The word "unadorned" is closest in meaning to ......................
A. lovely B. plain C. disorganized D. in expensive
9. Which of the following terms is defined in the passage?
A. "improvisation" B. "polyphony" C. "cornet player" D.
"multichorus”
10. The topic of the passage is developed primarily by means of
A. dividing the discussion into two major areas
B. presenting contrasting points of views
C. providing biographies of famous musician
D. describing historical events in sequence
PASSAGE 2: Read the following text and then choose the best phrase or clause given below it to fill
each gap. Write your answers in the numbered spaces under this part.
Every teacher knows that not all students are good examinees. Some are too tense, become
overanxious or too stressed and then perform below expectations (1) ...................... Teachers try to help
by compensating, believing (2)...................... they will cure his fear of exams.
So, last year, (3)...................... , I completely rewrote the Business Studies Revision Course at this
secondary school. The central idea of the course is to treat the exam as an event, a challenge, a
performance, (4)......................, a drama production, or perhaps a major music concert, (5)......................
and very definitely on the public stage. The idea is to show that the exam is not a test, (6)...................... to
show how good the candidate is.
The objective is to improve students’ final performance (7)......................, control and ability to
cope. The theme of “total preparation for performance” teaches them that (8)...................... are obviously
important, they are only two of the five skills required, the others being coping strategies, mental skills
and
management skills. These additions give a new dimension (9)......................, increasing enjoyment and
motivation.
They widen a student’s focus and help to convince some of the less confident students that there are
many ways in which they can actively contribute towards their (10)......................
A. much like a sports match
B. self-confidence and self-esteem
C. by increasing self-confidence
D. relying on my expertise alone
E. to a student’s revision
F. that if they boost a student’s academic knowledge
G. by improving a student’s revision
H. but an opportunity
I. those not mattering so much
J. drawing on my teaching experience and sports psychology skills
K. but bigger and more important
L. just when it matters most
M. but a real desire
N. while knowledge and examination techniques
O. despite the need for sustained effort
VI. CLOZE TEST (20ps)
PASSAGE 1: Rea d the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.
Since the time of Nostradamus, meteorologists have been trying to decipher the mystery of climate
changes. Their (2)...................... has been to be able to precisely (1)...................... the weather for the days
to come. In the past, meteorologists looked skywards to find hints in the clouds. At present, their eyes are
directed at the spots where the most intriguing climatic transformations (3)......................about, namely,
the (4)...................... depths of the oceans where swirls, whirlpools and waves generate the patterns for
the future weather.
The most efficient way of (5)......................hold of the ever changing map of the swirling currents
circulating their heat around the planet is from space. Weather satellites (6)......................with
complicated instruments examine the surface and the bottom of the oceans and determine the exact height
of water. The impressive advantage offered by satellite scanning is that measurements can be
(7)......................even in the most inaccessible parts of the oceans and can provide daily pictures of the
water surface together with the calculated wave h eight and wind speed.
Besides being a priceless device for predicting climatic conditions for tourists, farmers or aviators,
weather satellites also (8)...................... advance warnings against storms or typhoons which
(9)................. the coastal populations to (10)...................... themselves against these destructive forces of
nature.
1. A. subject B. objectivity C. subjection D. objective
2. A. unravel B. perceive C. forecast D. explore
3. A. come B. turn C. bring D. get
4. A. utmost B. indefinite C. terminal D. ultimate
5. A. getting B. coming C. finding D. making
6. A. equipped B. delivered C. supplement D. donated
7. A. done B. formed C. fulfilled D. taken
8. A. denote B. proceed C. emerge D. issue
9. A. entitle B. entail C. enable D. enforce
10. A. protect B. ward C. sustain D. preserve
PASSAGE 2: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.
DOLPHIN TO THE RESCUE
People often claim that humans and animals are not as different as they appear. For example,
dolphin are often (1)...................... with human - or even super-human - intelligence and also a sort of
(2)............. with human beings. This attitude to dolphins is not surprising in view of (3).....................like
the following one, which happened in 1983. A lawyer’s wife was bathing alone from a private beach in
Florida. She had only just (4)...................... into the water when she was (5)......................off by a strong
current. She swallowed water and was beginning to lose (6)...................... , wishing desperately that
someone would come and rescue her. And she tells how at this moment she was given ‘a tremendous
shove’ and found herself (7)......................out of the water. She slowly recovered and turned to thank her
rescuer. But there was no one about, only a pair of dolphins playing and leaping out of the water a few
metres offshore.
At this point a man came running up to say that he had seen, what he had taken for a dead body
being pushed ashore by one of the dolphins. Now this is not an obscure (8)...................... of an incident
which happened in the dim and(9) ...................... past. It happened in our own times and was witnessed
by a number of(10) ......................
1. A. credited B. awarded C. attributed D. reckoned
2. A. likeness B. attraction C. sympathy D. fellowship
3. A. occasions B. incidents C. scenes D.
circumstances
4. A. swum B. emerged C. entered D. gone
5. A. taken B. carried C. fetched D.
transported
6. A. sight B. life C. awareness D. consciousness
7. A. staggering B. hauling C. rescuing D. appearing
8. A. narrative B. account C. tale D. version
9. A. unreliable B. historical C. ancient D. distant
10. A. onlookers B. watchers C. viewers D. spectators
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZ E T EST (20ps)
Fill each blank with ONE suitable word.
CLOZE TEST 1
The knowledge and eloquence that people gain through travelling is usually perceived
(1) ................. the best fulfillment in life. It is the inquisitive human nature (2) ................impels people to
seek thrilling experiences and to set out on an exploration trip. Those who travel frequently and to diverse
places benefit
from establishing new relationships and (3) .................a better knowledge about other cultures and
lifestyles. However, there is a grain of truth in the assumption that people are prone to cherishing clichés
and unfounded prejudices about other nations and their characteristics. Sometimes, it is only the first-
hand encounter that can help change the approach towards the (4) ................ “inferior communities”. This
direct (5) .....................with a different civilization enables travelers to drop their baseless assumptions
and get acquainted with the real concept of life in all four (6 )...............of the globe. Beyond question,
travelling
facilitates friendship and makes (7) .................... easier for many individuals to acknowledge the true
value of different traditions and customs. Yet, it does not always (8) .....................enjoyment.
It(9)...................also involve coming close with the atrocities of real existence as well as becoming aware
of the challenges
and hardships that other people have to struggle with. Hence, a true voyage is the one with a good deal of
experience to reminisce about, (10) ................. often combined with exposure to abhorrent sights and
incredible ordeals. The learning to be complete, thus, requires an ability to observe and analyze the
surroundings, both their glamour and brutality.
CLOZE TEST 2
ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF STRESS
Are you looking forward to another busy week? You should be according (0) to some experts. They
argue that the stress (1 ).................in our daily lives is not only good for us, but essential to survival. They
say that the (2 )................to stress, which creates a chemical (3) ...................adrenalin, helps the mind and
body to act quickly (4) ....................... emergencies. Animals and human beings use it to meet the hostile
conditions which exist on the planet.
Whilst nobody (5)................. the pressures of everyday life, what is surprising is that we are yet to
develop successful ways of (6)......................with them. Even the experts consider the current strategies to
be inadequate and often dangerous. They believe that (7)....................... of trying to manage our response
to stress with drugs or relaxation techniques, we must exploit it. Apparently, research shows that people
who (8)......................conditions of stress for themselves by doing exciting and risky sports or looking for
challenges, cope much better with life’s problems. Activities of this type (9)......................been shown to
create a lot of emotion; people may actually cry or feel extremely uncomfortable. But there is a point at
which they have succeeded and know that it was a positive (10 )..............
II. WORD FORM. (20ps)
1. The agenda for meeting is still not....................... (FINAL)
2. Management decided the office was...................... and sacked three junior typists. (MAN)
3. New full-time students from lower income households will be able to apply for a (n)......................
maintenance grant offered by the government, but have to work in public sectors after they graduate.
(PAY)
4. University faculties expect to receive completed......................by the beginning of June. (THESIS)
5. He made a ...................... attempt to climb the tree to recover his kite. (FOOL)
6. Store cards are offered at the till and people can obtain......................of credit cards with relative ease.
(FIST)
7. Please place y our cigarette ends in the...................... provided. (RECEIVE)
8. Why don’t you take the...................... and arrange the meeting. (INITIATE)
9. His workmates were very ...................... and selfish. (COOPERATE)
10. Heavy rain and excessive use have the soil....................... (POVERTY)
PART 2: Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in
the space in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).
NATIONAL INDIA THROUGH THE RAILWAY
Not only can the railway be seen as a (0. MOBILE) mobiliser of (1. NATION)......................, but as
a mobiliser of (2. CAPITAL)...................... As Ian Kerr suggests in Building the Railway of Raj, the
building of the railway in India introduced the framework of (3.CONTRACT)...................... employment-
of the
labour market- and, the knowledge of the saleability of that labour, (4. ARGUE)...................... , lays the
(5.FOUND) ...................... for unions, The Congress Party and ultimately independence. Independence
and the conceiving of the nation internationally can be (6. FAR) ......................perceived in the
participation of Indian construction workers in the building of railway throughout Africa. The knowledge
of the saleability of labour internationally anticipated the falling of border through (7.
GLOBAL)...................... before
their construction. As Barrack Obama arrives at the old Nairobi train station in the post aspect of
(8.COLONY )......................he writes upon a railway line that had taken ‘the lives of several hundred
(9.IMPORT)......................Indian workers’ for the Tine track that helped usher in Keya’s colonial history’
(10. INFER)...................... an interconnectivity within the Empire, and an interconnectivity within the
constructing of-railways and furthermore, how that ‘colonial history’ relied upon the introduction of the
railway.
III. ERROR IDENTIFICATION (10 ps)
Identify 10 mistakes in the following passage and correct them.
If there is one characteristic of British work in the arts that seems to stand out is its shortage of
identification with wider intellectual .trends. Playwrights and directors can be left-wing in their political
look-out, but the plays they produce rarely convey a straightforward message. The same is largely true of
British novelists and poets. Their writing is naturalistic and is not connected to particular intellectual
movements. The theatre had always been very strong in Britain, especially in London. The country's most
successful playwrights are those who explore the darker side of the personality and of personal
relationships. In contrast, the cinema in Britain is often regarded as not quite part of the arts in all, it is
simply entertainment. Britain is unique between the large European countries in giving mostly no
financial help to their film industry. Classical music is also a minority interest. British seem disinterested
in high education, they watch lots of television, but are enthusiastic readers. The vast majority of books
reading in
Britain are not classified as serious literature.
IV. SENTENCE TRANS FORMATION. (20 ps)
A. Finish each of the sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence printed
before it.
1. I rarely sleep in the afternoon.
→ I'm not in ........................................................................................................
2. It was wrong of you to borrow my book without asking.
→ You ............................................................................... before you borrowed my book.
3. It was not until five years had elapsed that the whole truth about the murder came out.
→ Not for............................................................................................................
the South Pole.
→ It was the........................................................................................................
B. Write a new sentence using the word given. Do not alter the word in any way.
5. Christ would only eat a pizza if he could have a mushroom topping. (ON)
→ Christ..............................................................................................when he ate a pizza.
6. My sister finds commuting every day annoying. (PUT)
→ It’s difficult for my sister ................................................................................every day.
7. The Mediterranean is warm, whereas the North Sea is much colder. (NOTHING)
→ The North Sea is ..............................................................................the Mediterranean.
8. My father persuaded me to learn another foreign language. (TALKED)
→My father ....................................................................................another foreign language.
9. Whatever difficulties Anna had, she still attended university. (SHINE)
→ ........................................................................................................................................
10. The view from the hotel is absolutely breathtaking. (BREATH)
→ ........................................................................................................................................
TRƯỜNG CHUYÊN LÊ QUÝ ĐÔN - BÀ RỊA - VŨNG TÀU
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE
I. PHONOLOGY
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others
1. A. diletante B. machete C. matoke D. catastrophe
2. A. putsch B. schema C. schlock D. schmo
3. A. cachet B. bouquet C. ballet D. racquet
4. A. coup B. group C. soup D. croup
5. A. longevity B. encore C. develope D. endive
Choose the word which is stressed differently from the other three
1. A. lieutenant B. medulla C. karate D. juvenile
2. A. finite B. escrow C. highlight D. massif
3. A. paradigmatic B. spiritualism C. misunderstanding D. justification
4. A. gladiator B. heredity C. herbivorous D. delingquency
5. A. deluge B. parole C. senile D. typhoid
II. WORD CHOICE:
Choose the best options to complete the following sentences
1. The computer has changed the world ............................
A. irreplaceably B. irrevocably C. irredeemably D.
irreparably
2. The offer of a place at university is not to be ......................at.
A. coughed B. sneezed C. winked D. shrugged
3. Salted butter was developed to prevent spoilage; and to mask the taste of .................. butter.
A. mouldy B. rotten C. bad D. rancid
4. The theft of my father’s camera cast rather a ..................on the holiday.
A. blight B. curse C. misfortune D. misery
5. There was a loud...................... sound as the bathwater ran down the plughole.
A. trickling B. gurgling C. gushing D. pouring
6. In order to explore the city........... , I left my luggage at the station.
A. unladen B. unencumbered C. undeterred D. unrestrained
7. There were so many people ............ me in the crowd that I couldn’t hold the camera steady.
A. jostling B. jerking C. obstructing D. agitating
8. He drove into some railings and .................. a hole in the back of his car.
A. gouged B. wrenched C. plucked D. dragged
9. I thought you were looking a little .................... this morning.
A. tumble-down B. downcast C. run-down D. down-and -
out
10.The crew on the stage had to move the ................. scenery during the play. It is a good thing that they
are strong.
A. cumbersome B. spurious C. spasmodic D. perennial
III. STRUCTURES AND GRAMMAR:
1. Ask him to make a choice..........................not receive anything else on his birthday.
A. on the understanding that he will B. on the condition that he should
C. only if he may D. as long as he shall
2. On the top of the mountain..........................where my father was born.
A. the cabin is located B. is the located cabin
C. is located the cabin D. located is the cabin
3. I went to have a look at the room where I ..................... that afternoon.
A. was to have talked B. was to talk
C. should have talked D. must have talked
4. When all ....................... fails, read the instruction.
A. the other B. else C. others D. another
5. She is ..................... too ready to accept the offer.
A. far B. much C. all D. almost
6. If he so.........................at another woman, I’ll kill him.
A. as to look B. much as to look
C. much as looks D. much as looking
7.......................him walk down the street, you would never know he was blind.
A. To see B. Having seen C. When you see D. So as to
see
8. The leaves of the white mulberry provide food for silkworms,...................silk fabrics are woven.
A. whose cocoons B. from cocoons
C. whose cocoons are from D. from whose cocoons
9. They found all the lost documents......................for one.
A. but B. aside C. save D. other
10.................and terrifying, coral snakes can grow to 4 feet (1.2 meters) in length.
A. They are extremely poisonous B. The poisonous is extreme
C. Extremely poisonous D. An extremely amount of poison
IV. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS:
1. Listen, I can’t make it for dinner tonight. Something has cropped ...................at work ad it looks like I
ma going to be stuck at the office all night.
A. out B. up C. in D. through
2. The door burst open and his mother.................in. “ I thought so,” she said. “You are not doing your
homework,”
A. barked B. banked C. barged D. bottled
3. In his speech, he ....................the plight of the sick and the hungry.
A. dwelt on B. glossed over C. drummed up D. sounded off
4. I have tried asking Stephanie, but she’s proving difficult to ....................a particular date.
A. let in on B. pin down to C. tie in with D. creep up on
5. There is nothing like a spa treatment to end...................a relaxing day spent on the beach on an Olu
Deniz holiday.
A. up B. in C. off D. with
6. Why....................for a taxi when there’s a perfectly good bus service?
A. fork out B. hank after C. hype up D. soft up
7. All the employees were asked to .....................ten dollars so that flowers could be bought for the
receptionist’s birthday.
A. even out B. dragged on C. chip in D. beaver away
8. Psychology is .....................definition an inexact science.
A. with B. in C. by D. through
9. We will have to economise..................... heating or we’ll won’t be able to pay the bill.
A. about B. with C. on D. over
10. The government has been forced to ......................the issue of increased tax.
A. climb down over B. walk out on C. crack down on D. read up on
REREADING COMPREHENSION:
Read the texts below and choose the best answer to each question
TEXT 1:
When Christopher Colum bus landed on America’s shores, he encountered copper-skinned people
whom he promptly called “Indians”. Mistaken in his geography, he believed he had reached India.
Current estimates indicate that there were over a million Indians inhabitating North America then. There
are
approximately 800,000 Indians today, of whom about 250,0 00 live on reservations.
The early settlers had an amicable relationship with Indians, who shared their knowledge of
hunting, fishing and farming with their uninvited guests. The stereotyped stealthy, diabolical Indian of
modern Western movies was created by callous, treacherous white men; the Indian was born friendly.
Antipathy developed between the Indians and the settlers, whose encroachment on Indian lands
provoked an era of turbulence . As early as 1745, Indian tribes coalesced to drive the French off their
land. The French and Indian war did not end until 1763. The Indians had succeeded in destroying many
of the
Western settlements. The British, superficially submissive to the Indians, promised that further
migrations west would not extend beyond a specified boundary. However, there was no holding back
ardent adventures like Daniel Boone, who ignored the British covenant with the Indians and blazed a trail
westward.
Evicted from their lands or, worse still, ingenuously ceding their property to the whites for a few
baubles, Indians were ruthlessly pushed west. Tempestuous wars broke out, but lacking their former
stamina and large numbers, the Indians were doomed to capitulation. The battle in 1876 at Little Big
Horn River in Montana, in which Sitting Bull and the Sioux tribes massacred General Custer’s cavalry,
caused the whites to intensify their campaign against the redmen. The battle at Wounded Knee, South
Dakota, in 1890 rescinded the last vestige of hope for amity between Indians and whites. Thenceforth
Indians were relegated to their own reservations, lands allotted to them by the federal government.
Although the Bureau of Indian Affairs has operated since 1824, presumably for the purpose of
guarding Indians’ interests, Indians on reservation lead notoriously deprived lives. Poverty,
unemployment, high infant mortality, and deficient medical care have maimed a once proud race. In
recent times irate
Indians have taken a militant stand and have appealed to the courts and the American people to
ameliorate their substandard living conditions.
1. You can infer that the author of this passage
A. works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
B. thinks the Indians were ferocious savages
C. admires the settlers for their endurance
D. sympathizes with the Indian
2. The early settlers in America
A. had to fight Indians B. found the Indians very helpful
C. went hunting and fishing D. thought the Indians were sly and mean
3. The French and Indian War
A. was quickly terminated
B. caused great destruction among the French forces
C. lasted eighteen years
D. led to westward migration
4. The British make an agreement with the Indians to
A. fool the Indians B. get the Indian’s land
C. stop westward migration D. send Daniel Boone across the continent
5. The word “coalesced” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. to merge B. made great efforts C. withdrew D. planned
6.The word “amity” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. corporation B. friendship C. rivalry D. contention
7. The battle at Wounded Knee
A. marks the end of the Indian wars B. occurred on the Indian reservation
C. caused great hope among the Indians D. was won by the Indians
8. Apparently the author feels that the Bureau of Indian Affairs
A. has been of great help to the Indians
B. was established in the nineteenth century
C. deprived the Indians
D. has never done much for the Indians
9. The Indians have recently begun to
A. rebel against the Bureau of Indian Affairs
B. stand up for their rights as a people
C. suffer from extreme deprivation
D. live on reservations.
10. You can infer that Indian reservations
A. are on fertile land B. would appeal to American tourists
C. offer little opportunity for agriculture D. are happy hunting grounds
TEXT 2:
Fortunately there are still a few tasty things for us gourmands to enjoy in the relative security. Their
numbers, however, are depleted almost daily, it seems, by ruthless proclamations from the ever-vigilant
Food and Drug Administration and its allies, our doctors. The latest felon to face prosecution is the salt of
life, sodium chloride.
Ostensibly, overuse of salt causes high blood pressure and hypertension, the cause of half the
deaths in the United States every year. A few years ago the anti-salt campaigners raised such a rumpus
that salt was banned from baby food. Currently pressure is being applied to food manufacturers to oblige
them to label their products to show sodium content. Because doing so would cost mercenary many
facturers money, they argue that they have no idea how much salt remains on such things as potato chips
and how much sticks to the bag. Furthermore, salt isn’t the only harmful ingredient in food. If the
manufacturer has to provide sodium content, why not require him to list every ingredient and specify
which are detrimental to out health? Cigarettes have a warning printed on them. Shouldn’t the same type
of warning appear on canned foods that are notoriously over salted?
There are endless ifs and buts in the controversy, but the most telling of these is the questionable
proof of salt’s diabolic effect upon the blood pressure. True, people who cut their salt intake lowered their
blood pressure, but where is the scientific proof that something other than salt didn’t do the trick? The
most
common means of providing dubious proof that salt causes hypertension is to compare societies that use
little salt with those that use mountain s of salt in their daily diets. Which group has the higher rate of
hypertension? Whose blood pressure is lower? What happens when salt is introduced into a group where
salt is a novelty? Does the blood pressure rise significantly? Studies of the Japanese indicate that as the
world’s greatest salters, they suffer the most from hypertension. On the other hand, the simple, salt-free
cuisine of several tribes in the Solomon Islands has kept older tribesmen and women from developing
hypertension and high blood pressure, ailments traditionally killing their peers in America. No account is
taken of the effects of inflation, recession, pollution, crime and sundry other ills to which Americans,
unlike people on primitive islands, are exposed.
To salt or not to salt? That is the question. Now that the question has arisen, it must not be treated
with levity, but rather with searching scientific investigation so that those of us who are preoccupied with
both savory food and longevity may decide which of the two is worth its salt.
1 .The attitude of the author of this passage toward the salt controversy is that
A. we must stop eating salt immediately
B. she is not convinced that salt is harmful
C. the Food and Drug Administration works well with doctors
D. soon there won ’t be anything tasty left to eat.
2. The author’s approach to the topic is
A. angry B. humorous C. scientific D. sympathetic
3. Presumably a gourmand is a
A. person B. theory C. food D. protest
4. Food manufacturers don’t want to label packages with sodium content because
A. they disagree with the FDA
B. salt doesn’t stick to potato chips
C . they would have to spend more money
D. it isn’t important to single out salt
5. True or False? At present baby food contains salt...................
6. Canned goods should have the same type of warning as cigarettes because
A. both contain salt
B. the author likes to smoke and eat
C. the cigarettes warning reduces smoking
D. both are harmful to your health
7. True or False? Comparing societies is a scientific means of determining the dangers of salt
consumption......................
8. According to the passage, the Japanese use a lot of salt
A. but they suffer from hypertension
B. and they suffer from hypertension
C. because they suffer from hypertension
D. when they suffer from hypertension
9. True, False or Information not given? People in societies that use little salt never have high blood
pressure.......................
10. The author suggests that Americans suffer from hypertension as a result of
A. too much salt B. emotional stress
C. salt-free cuisine D. ailments
IV. CLOZE TEST:
Read the texts below and decide which answer best fits each space
TEXT1:
TRAVEL BOOKS OF THE YEAR
The best travel books of this year (1) .............into three main categories : (2).................
informational, narrative and what , for (3) .............of a better form, I’ll call “anecdotal”. Between these
broad categories, however , the boundaries are (4) .............One problem with putting travel writers into
genres is that they
are (5)....................to be pigeon-holed. Many of them see their role as a (6) ..................of the documentary
and the creative. Some (7)...................... to be more like novelists, (8) .....................some of the elements
of fiction writing. Others regard themselves as sociologists, exploring the customs and mores of other
societies. At the end of the day, what (9) ....................is how readable or useful the book is, and in many
cases, how well it is presented. However, it is quite clear that travel and books were (10)..............for each
other.
1. A. land B. line C. fall D. sort
2. A. purely B. merely C. solely D. alone
3. A. want B. absence C. shortage D. need
4. A. misted B. blurred C. blended D. sketchy
5. A. wary B. loath C. cautious D. resistant
6. A. merger B. mixture C. cross D. compound
7. A. allege B. hold C. claim D. contend
8. A. engaging B. exerting C. employing D. exercising
9. A. counts B. reckons C. bears D. signifies
10. A. given B. cut C. lent D. made
TEXT 2:
THE JOURNEY
The car had again failed to start, and Elizabeth was again (1)................to take the train. She bought
a cup of coffee down the rocking carriage, (2) ...................as the boiling fluid (3).....................out from
under the lid and on to her hand. The heating was turned up (4) .......................and most of the people in
the
carriage seemed on the verge of unconsciousness as they looked out of the window at the flatlands sliding
(5) .................. the window. Elizabeth had telephoned the matron of the home, who told her that Brennan
was barely worth visiting, but that he would see her if she came. She felt excited by the (6)…..............of
actually meeting someone from that era. She would be like a historian who, after working from other
histories, finally (7)....................hands on original source material. She had an unclear ( 8)..................of
Brennan in her mind, although she knew he would be old and (9) ................. from what the matron had
said, (10 ).......................
1. A. compelled B. enforced C. necessitated D. restricted
2. A. leering B. squinting C. wincing D. smirking
3. A. seeped B. trickled C. dripped D. pelted
4. A. top B. full C. maximum D. peak
5. A. beside B. along C. past D. across
6. A. prospect B. outlook C. foresight D. viewpoint
7. A. sets B. rests C. casts D. lays
8. A. sight B. picture C. vision D. figure
9. A. reflecting B. accounting C. judging D. rating
10. A. decrepit B. rancid C. mouldy D. derelict
B. WRITTEN TEST
I. OPEN CLOZE TEST
Read the texts below an d think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE word for
each space.
TEXT 1
Popular culture in industrial societies is (1) ........................to its core. On the one hand it is
industrialised - its commodities produced and distributed by a profit-motivated industry that follows only
its own (2)..................... interests. But on the other hand, it is of the people, and the people’s interest are
not
(3)........................ of the industry - (4).......................is evidenced by the number of films, records and
other products that the people make into expensive failures. To be incorporated into popular culture, a
commodity must also bear the interests of the people. Popular culture is not consumption, it is culture –
the active process of generating and circulating meanings and pleasures within a social system : culture,
(5).............. industrialized, can never be adequately described in (6)..................of the buying and selling
of commodities.
Culture is a living active process: it can be developed only from (7)..................it cannot be imposed
from without or above. The fears of the mass culture theorists have not been (8).. ....................out in
practice because mass culture is such a contradiction in terms that it cannot exist. A homogeneous,
externally produced culture cannot be sold ready-made to the masses: culture simply does not work like
that (9)................. do the people behave or live like the masses, an aggregation of alienated, one-
dimensional persons whose only relationship to the system that enslaves them is one of unwitting dupes.
Popular culture is made by the people, not produced by the culture industry. All the culture industries can
do is produce a repertoire of cultural resources for the (10) .............................formations of the people to
use or reject in the ongoing process of producing their popular culture.
TEXT 2
Many people in the western world (1)........................half their lives, three-quarters of their energy
and 99 % of their emotions in travelling, without once using their legs and, arguably, without ever really
(2)....... anywhere; and no one seems to stop for long enough to ask why. “The pedestrian remains the
largest single (3 )......................... to free traffic movement,” a Los Angeles planning officer reportedly
once said. It’s an attitude which typifies 20th-century urban planning in the western world and goes a long
way towards
explaining why so many cities are (4).......................by cars.
The (5).......................result is a world where the motor car rules supreme; (6 )..................with cities
hemmed in by ring roads and flyovers, with sprawling suburbs where nobody walks and residents must
drive endless kilometers for work or nourishment. In such an environment, children no longer play
outside
their houses or walk to school; people no longer (7)........................ along the street or stand outside
talking to the neighbours. Pedestrians have all (8).....................disappeared from the street - and walking
from the culture.
Moreover, people seem to live in complete awe of the device to which they have surrendered their
lives, despite knowing that it (9)................... them the clean air, peace and quiet and a pleasant living
environment they claim to value so highly. It must have something to do with the fact that,
(10)..................
inside, they enjoy the unreal sense of power that comes from a complete surrender to mechanism.
Although I am not alone in regarding the car as a fearsome engine of destruction, nobody seems prepared
to give it up.
II. WORD FORMATION :
PART 1: Complete the sentences, using the correct forms of the words in parentheses.
1. Now aged 42, he is no longer considered a serious (CONTENTION) .................for the title.
2. If knew of plans to carry out killings of exiled political (RESIDENT).................and at the very least
did nothing to top them.
3. How can a loving, (POTENT).............. God permit disease, war and suffering?
4. They put on a(n) (IMPROVISE )...........................concert for the visitors.
5. Find the area and (METRE)................ of the following shape.
6. As the clock ticked (TONE).....................on the wall Mr Simons slowly and methodically cut up and
ate his food.
7. He knew hundreds, perhaps thousands, of song off the top of his head, but he was not a
(VIRTUE) ....................musician.
8. Her action earned her the (ENEMY) .................of two or three colleagues.
9. I fought some guy on the weekend and (HEAD)..........his ass into the ground.
10. Stop (FOOT)................. around and tell me what you really think.
PART 2: Complete passage with appropriate forms of the words given in the box
BENT PERSON TALISMAN SMOKE TYPE IN WHERE REBEL
APPROACH SECRET
I was just a (1)....................child of my time, I suppose - open to everything. I was being a teenager:
curious, (2).....................in quest of the forbidden. You heard about these hip clubs in London from a
friend who had heard it from another friend who had actually been to one. The names alone took a
magical(3).... quality: the Marquee, Ronnie Scott’s. I used to come up from school and go to clubs when I
was about 16. I was dazzled by this scene, rudimentary as it was. I was just a girl from the provinces,
going up to the big
city to see what gives. I didn’t know anybody, I was alone and (4). ............. ...; I never spoke to anyone. I
was putting together a (5)..................out of a lot of diverse elements. The 1960s hadn’t happened yet,
there were only hazy intimations of what was coming. I thought maybe there was a bit more to it than
shuffling
around (6)...................... clubs and I was (7)..................... on being there when it happened, whatever it
was!
(8)........................... in the back of my mind I had made a decision to leave home, to break away.
My mother never suspected this. I’ve always laid my plans very (9)................... and never let anyone in
on them, which more often than not has turned out to be a mistake. I didn’t know that it was possible to
talk things over with people and not lose everything in the process - I thought the minute you confided
anything it would be gone or they would try to stop you. This was definitely true of my mother. I learned
very young to conceal my (10)...................thoughts from her.
III. MISTAKE CORRECTION (10 mistakes)
According to a recent survey, working from home is an idea when time has come. Apparently, we
are all queuing up not to get the bus, but to carry our favourite coffee mug upstairs and cosy up with the
laptop. The overwhelming reason given by those questions was that they could be much , much more
efficient if they worked from home. I can see the obvious advantages but, believe me, working from
home is not just efficient, it is impossible.
You may as well have a dedicated study in which you can prevent yourself against the general
mayhem that is family life, but many people do not. The other awkward truth about home-working is that
if , like me, you suffer from the least defect of motivation, you are placing yourself in the grip" of mental
agony. At first there are the household chores you really should do, and then there’s so fascinating radio
programme...
When I gave up and found a cheap office- shared with other self-employees my life improved a
hundredfold. I discovered that a distinct break from work and home was crucial for psychological health.
When I was at work, I could focus on my task; once I was at home, I could devote myself to the domestic
routine.
I also realized that there is something profoundly depressing about working at home. It’s as if you
haven’t got a proper job. Most of us gain self-esteem from our identity as a working person, but there can
be no a such benefit if the work
takes place in social isolation.
1. Sometimes he goes close to overstepping the mark and what he did at Grace Road last summer was an
example.
Sometimes he goes close................................................... happened at Grace Road last summer.
2. How could the film star die at such an early age?
It’s so unfair........................................................................................ so young.
3. Jane was extremely exuberant when he saw Cape Town.
Jane could feel nothing..................................................................................of Cape Town.
4. Fortunately, his route took him very near where they lived.
As luck.........................................................................where they lived.
5. There was absolute quietness after the manager said the factory would be closing. (DROP)
You could .. ................................................................... closing.
6. Susie believes this job interview is really important. (STORE)
Susie..................................................................................................this job interview.
7. Last year Raph had a luxurious lifestyle, but since he lost his job, he has had to make a few changes.
....................................................................................redundant, he has had to make a few changes.
8. I very much want to know - you must tell me who has won! (CURIOSITY)
I am ............................................................................................ - you must tell me who has won!
9. Given their recent matches, it’s unlikely that the Spanish team will win the cup. (EVIDENCE)
.................................................................it’s unlikely that the Spanish will win the cup.
10. While most writers earn only modest royalties, a lucky few create a bestseller. (STRIKE)
A few writers ........................................................................... norm.

Olympic 2017

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Tuyển tập Olympic 30 - 4 2017

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