Bài tập Bồi dưỡng HSG lớp 9 – Vòng 3

PRACTICE TEST 4
Full name:_________________
SECTION I: LISTENING
You will hear three times two tourists Sally and Peter talking about a coffee shop.
Part 1: Question 1 – 5: Listen and choose A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to
each question below. Write your answers in the spaces provided under this part.

Example:
How long has Sally been waiting?
A. five minutes B. twenty minutes C. thirty minutes

1. What does Peter want to drink?

A. tea B. coffee C. a cold drink
2. What caused Peter problems at the bank?
A. The exchange rate was down.
B. He was late.
C. The computers weren’t working
3. Who did Peter talk to at the bank?
A. an old friend B. an American man C. a German man
4. Henry gave Peter a map of
A. the city . B. the bus routes. C. the train system.
5. What do Peter and Sally decide to order?
A. food and drink B. just food C. just drinks
Part 2: Question 6 – 8: Complete the notes below using words from the box:

Art Gallery
Cathedral
Castle
Gardens
Markets

- Tourist attractions open all day: 6……………………………and Gardens

- Tourist attractions NOT open on Mondays: 7……………………and Castle
- Tourist attractions which have free entry: 8…………………….and Markets

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Part 3: Question 9 – 10: Complete the sentences below. (Write NO MORE THAN
THREE WORDS) for each answer.
9 The first place Peter and Sally will visit is the………………………………………..
10 At the Cathedral, Peter really wants to……………………………………………….
SECTION II: LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the words or phrase which best completes each sentences. Write your
answers ( A,B,C or D ) in the spaces provided under this part.
11. People of all countries are expected to………………the principles of the United Nations
A. uphold B. inspect C. exaggrate D. integrate
12. Children can be difficult to teach because of their short attention……………
A. limit B. span C. duration D. time
13.Hardly had the van turned the corner when one of the back wheels…………..
A. broke away B. turned round C. came off D. rolled down
14. 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
15. ………… any other politician would have given way to this sort of pressure years ago.
A. Really B. Practically C. Actually D. Utterly
16. Mary couldn’t attend the meeting as the date…………with her holidays.
A. clashed B. struck C. opposed D. occurred
17. The decision was ………….to a later meeting.
A. cancelled B. arranged C. deferred D. delayed
18. Sometimes grammar is taught………….. That is not right.
A. alone B. only C. in isolation D. in context
19. It is just as well you didn’t put your money in that company, because it would have been
an absolute _________ if you had.
A. mistake B. error C. miscalculation D. catastrophe
20. Some companies, however, have their own advertising departments which………much
like an agency.
A. run B. manage C. deal D. function
21. After blowing furiously all day, the wind finally……………..
A. dropped down B. died down C. got down D. fell down
22. Scientists have discovered a close…… between smoking and several serious diseases.
A. action B. connection C. union D. combination
23. I’m not sure if the proposed scheme will…………… senior citizens.
A. survive B. favor C. guarantee D. advance
24. His emotional problems…………from the attitudes he encountered as a child, I think.
A. stem B. flourish C. root D. sprout
25. The overcrowded loving conditions…………..a heavy strain on the family.
A. set B. put C. made D. pressed
Part 2: The passage below contains 10 errors. IDENTIFY and CORRECT them. Write
your answers in the spaces provided below the passage.
Simply be bilingual does not qualify anyone to interpreting. Interpreting does not
merely a mechanical process of converting one sentence in language A into a same
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 Bài tập Bồi dưỡng HSG lớp 9 – Vòng 3

sentence in language B. Rather, it is a complex art in that thoughts and idioms which have no
obvious analogues from tongue to tougue – or words which have multiple meanings – must
quickly be transformed in many a way that the message is clearly and accurately expressing
to the listener.
There are two kinds of interpreters, simultaneous and consecutive, each requires separate
talents. The former, sitting in an isolated booth, usually at a large multilingual conference,
speaks to listeners wearing headphones, interpreting that a foreign-language speaker says as
he says it – actually a sentence afterwards. Consecutive interpreters are the one most
international negotiators use. They are mainly employed for smaller meetings without sound
booths, headphones, and another high-tech gear.
Your answer:
Mistakes Corrections Mistakes Corrections
26 31
27 32
28 33
29 34
30 35
Part 3: Fill in each gap with the correct form of the word in capital letters.
THE SPIRAL AND THE HELIX
They are everywhere, graceful, curving shapes whose incredible (36)…………..…
(regular) contrasts so sharply with the random world around them. We call them spirals and
helices but that hardly does (37)…………….…(just) to their diversty or their significance.
Over the centuries, (38)……………..……(mathematics) have identified many different
types, but the most intriguing are those that (39)……………(repeat) occur in the natural
world.
The need to (40)…………..…(ravel) the mysteries of the existence of spirals and
helices has exercised some of the best scientific brains in the world and opened the way to a
number of (41)……………….(break) in fields as widely varied as genetics and
(42)…................... (meteor).
The most (43) ………….……(spectacle) spirals on earth are also the most unwelcome
hurricanes. Their (44)………..…….(awe) power comes from the sun’s heat, but they owe
their shape to the force caused by the rotation of the earth. After innumerable years of study,
however, Nature’s spirals and helices have yet to (45)……..………(close) all their secrets.
For example, why, astronomers wonder, are so many galaxies spiral-shaped?
Part 4: Fill in each blank with a suitable PREPOSITON. Write your answers in the
spaces provided below the passage.
Only about two hours by car and ferry (46)………..downtown Manhattan lies Fire
Island, a popular vacation spot (47)………city-weary NewYorkers. Threatened (48)……....
beach erosion and (49)……….its location close to New York City, this beautiful island is
now a national seashore (50)……….the protection of the National Park Service. On the
island, there are no roads (51)………ordinary cars, and its small communities can be reached
only by boat. A visitor (52)…….. the island can still enjoy a peaceful walk (53)……….an

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almost deserted beach, and forget, if only (54)……..a short time, the huge skyscrapers and
fast pace associated (55)………city living.
SECTION III: READING COMPREHENSION
Part 1: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space.
Write your answers in the spaces provided below the passage.
Interpreting the feelings of other people is not always easy, as we all know, and we
(56)_____ as much on what they seem to be telling us, as on the (57)_____ words they say.
Facial (58)_____ and tone of voice are obvious ways of showing our (59)_____ to something,
and it may well be that we unconsciously (60)_____ views that we are trying to hide. The art
of being tactful lies in (61)_____ 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 (62)_____ reluctant to answer our question, and so we stop pressing them. Body
movements in general may also (63)_____ feelings, and interviewers often (64)_____
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 (65)_____, and psychological
stability. This raises the (66)_____ questions of whether job candidates should be asked to
complete psychological tests, and the further problem of whether such tests actually produce
(67)_____ results. For many people, being asked to take part in such a test would be
objectionable (68)_____ into their private lives. Quite (69)_____ from this problem, can such
tests predict whether a person is likely to be a (70)_____ employee or a valued colleague?
56. A. estimate B. rely C. reckon D. trust
57. A. other B. real C. identical D. actual
58. A. looks B. expression C. image D. manner
59. A. view B. feeling C. notion D. reaction
60. A. express B. declare C. exhibit D. utter
61. A. taking down B. putting across C. picking up D. going over
62. A. at least B. above all C. anyhow D. in fact
63. A. display B. indicate C. imply D. infer
64. A. have B. how C. make D. pay
65. A. quirks B. mannerisms C. traits D. points
66. A. awkward B. risky C. unpleasant D. touchy
67. A. faithful B. regular C. reliable D. predictable
68. A. invasion B. intrusion C. infringement D. interference
69. A. different B. apart C. away D. except
70. A. pedantic B. particular C. laborious D. conscientious
Part 2: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow by choosing
A,B, C or D to indicate your answers . Write your answers in the numbered spaces
provided below the passage.
THE MODERN CARS OF THE FUTURE
Today’s cars are smaller, safer, cleaner, and more economical than their predecessors,
but the car of the future will be far more4pollution-free than those on the road today.
 Bài tập Bồi dưỡng HSG lớp 9 – Vòng 3

Several new types of automobile engines have already been developed that 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, transportation 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 trollers.
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 station. 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.
Planner 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 a freeway today.
71. The following electrical vehicles are all mentioned in the passage except
A. vans B. trains C. planes D. trolleys
72. 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.
73. The passage would most likely be followed by detail about
A. automated freeways B. pollution restrictions in the future
C. the neighborhood of the future D. electric shuttle buses.
74.The word “compact ” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. long-range B. inexpensive C. concentrated D. squared
75. 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.
76. 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.
77. The word “charging” in this passage refers to
A. electricity B. credit cards C. aggression. D. lightning.
78. The word “foresee” in this passage could best be replaced with
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 A. count on B. invent C. imagine D. rely on
79. The word “commuters” in paragraph 4 refers to
A. daily travelers B. visitors C. cab drivers D. shoppers
80. The word “hybrid” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to
A. combination B. hazadous C. futuristic D. automated.
Part 3: Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the spaces
provided
In British English this standard accent is known as R.P. or Received Pronunciation.
This coupled with the sort of English described in grammar books is the accepted (81)………
Its use, however, is restricted (82)…………..geographically and socially; it is most
(83)………….used among the middle classes in the south of England. Its speakers,
(84)…………., carry both a geographical and (85)………….label, as do the speakers of all
its variants, although the more socially mobile someone is the more complex his accent
becomes, and so the more (86)……….he is to label. Attitudes towards this vary, from the
parents (87)………….train their children not to speak with a local (88)…………..so that “
they will have a better chance in life ”, to the liberal, trendy young manager who adopts a
local accent (89)………… a form of inverted snobbery. But these stances are extreme, but,
nevertheless, the (90)…………….between the language and social status is a potentially
explosive subject in British society.
Part 4: Choose the most appropriate heading from the list A - H for each part (1 - 7) of
the article. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. An example is
given.
A RESEARCH HOLDS THE KEY TO SUCCESS.
B NEW AND IMPROVED TECHNIQUES.
C A NEW KIND OF ATHLETE.
D NEW EQUIPMENT HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE.
E ATHLETES ARE WHAT THEY EAT.
F PERSONALIZED PROGRAMMES WILL HELP.
G THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS.
H IS THERE A LIMIT TO RECORD-BREAKING?
RECORD-BREAKERS
91
A world record is every athlete’s dream, but the hard-won records of a few years ago
are mostly just today’s qualifying times. Roger Bannister’s famous four-minute mile of 1956
has been beaten by nearly 15 seconds, while almost an hour and twenty minutes has been
taken off the women’s marathon since. 1953. ‘Faster, higher, stronger’, is the Olympic motto,
and today’s competitors continue to push back the boundaries of what the body can achieve.
But one wonders if this can continue.
92
The last forty years have seen many important technological advances. For example,
since the introduction of strong, flexible fibreglass poles, over a metre has been added to the
pole vault record. There have also been important developments in the design of the running
shoe. And while a shoe won’t actually make someone run faster, modern shoes do mean
many more miles of comfortable, injury-free training.
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93
Pushing back the limits now depends more on science, technology and medicine than
anything else. Athletic technique, training programmes and diets are all being studied to find
ways of taking a few more seconds off or adding a few more centimetres to that elusive world
record. It seems that natural ability and hard work are no longer enough.
94
The search to find more efficient ways of moving goes on. Analysis of an athlete’s
style is particularly useful for events like jumping and throwing. Studies show that long
jumpers need to concentrate not on the speed of approach, as once thought, but on the angle
their bodies make with the ground as they take off. However, the rules governing each sport
limit advances achieved by new styles. For instance only one-footed takeoffs are allowed in
the high jump.
95
In the future, it should be possible to develop a more individual approach to training
programmes. Athletes will keep detailed diaries and collect data to help predict the point
when training becomes overtraining, the cause of many injuries. If athletes feed all their
information into a database, it may then be possible to predict patterns and to advise them
individually when they should cut down.
96
Combining the right diet with a training programme is vital. Athletes are continually
searching for that special ‘go-faster’ ingredient, but apparently it’s still a battle to get them to
drink sufficient liquid and to follow a balanced healthy diet throughout all phases of training,
competition and recovery. Diet in the period after an event is particularly important and often
neglected. An athlete who doesn’t replace all the liquid lost immediately after a hard run
won’t be able to repeat the performance at the same level 24 hours later.

97

So what of the future? It is no secret that many records are not authentic and with the
tightening of drugs controls, performances may actually decline, particularly in events like
the shot putt and discus. The throwers of the future will be ‘clean’ and smaller and will pay
more attention to technique and less to strength.
SECTION IV: WRITING
Part 1: Finish the second sentence in such a way that it means the same as the sentence
printed before it.
98. All that stood between John and a gold medal was Jim’s greater speed.
But for……………………………………………………………………………………..
99. For further information, please send a self-addressed envelope to the above address.
Further information can……………………………………………………………………
100. You think that fat people are always jolly, but you are wrong.
Contrary………………………………………………………………………………….
101. Contact the Social Services department if you have any further problems.
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 Get………………………………………………………………………………………..
102. The brochure gives hardly any useful information.
Precious…………………………………………………………………………………..
Part 2: Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as
possible in meaning to the original sentence. Use the words given and other words as
necessary. Do not change the form of the words.
103. The minister’s popularity suffered as a result of the scandal. (EFFECT)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
104. People don’t want to buy cars with large engines any more. (CALL)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
105. You should think about the price bofore you decide whether to buy it or not
(CONSIDERATION)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
106. She’s not sure whether she wants to marry him or not now. (SECOND)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
107. When I bought it I thought it was a beautiful colour, but I don’t like it any more.
(GONE)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Part 3:

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 Bài tập Bồi dưỡng HSG lớp 9 – Vòng 3

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Part 4: Your English teacher wants you to write a story. This is the title for your story:

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 An unexpected visitor
Write your story in about 100-120 words.
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Write a composition (from 200 to 250 words) about the following topic: It has been said,
“Not everything that is learned is contained in books” and contrast knowledge gained
from experience with knowledge gained from books. In your opinion, which source is
more important? Why?
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 Bài tập Bồi dưỡng HSG lớp 9 – Vòng 3

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THE END

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