ĐỀ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 9

PHÒNG GD & ĐT TP NINH BÌNH Năm 2022-2023

TRƯỜNG THCS ĐINH TIÊN HOÀNG MÔN: TIẾNG ANH
Thời gian làm bài: 150 phút
(Đề thi gồm 5 phần, 12 trang)

PART I: LISTENING (5.0 pts)

Hướng dẫn thí sinh:
- Phần thi nghe gồm 3 bài. Thí sinh được nghe mỗi bài 2 lần liên tiếp.
- Thí sinh đọc kĩ yêu cầu của từng bài trước khi nghe.
- Hướng dẫn chi tiết bằng Tiếng Anh đã có trong đĩa nghe. Bắt đầu và kết thúc bài nghe có
tín hiệu nhạc.

PART 1: LISTENING (5pts) = 25 x 0,2

Section 1: You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1-8,
choose the best answer (A, B or C).
1. You hear a restaurant manager talking about the cooks who work for him.
What does he say about them?
A. They dislike cleaning tasks.
B. They have a choice of jobs.
C. They help to decide the menu.
2. You hear a woman talking about a new book.
What does she particularly like about the book?
A. It is educational.
B. It is well organized.
C. It is enjoyable.
3. You hear the writer of a television soap opera being interviewed about the programme.
What will happen next in the story?
A. Someone will make an important decision.
B. Someone will go away unexpectedly.
C. Someone will learn the truth at last.
4. You hear part of a radio interview.
Who is speaking?
A. a taxi driver
B. a porter
C. a tourist guide
5. You hear a woman talking about how she keeps fit.
Why did she decide to take up line dancing?
A. She thought the pace would suit her.
B. She had heard about it on television.
C. She wanted to try exercising to music.
6. You overhear a conversation in a restaurant.
What does the woman think about the food she has just eaten?
A. It was expensive.

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 B. It was delicious.
C. It looked wonderful.
7. You turn on the radio and hear a man talking.
What is he talking about?
A. drawing pictures
B. writing fiction
C. composing music
8. You overhear a student phoning her parents.
What is her opinion of the place she is living in while at college?
A. She is not sure she will have enough room to study.
B. She has difficulty in working because of the noise.
C. She does not get on well with her room-mates.
Section 2: You will hear an interview with Elizabeth Holmes about her experience
working in Africa. For questions 9-18, complete the sentences.
Volunteering in Africa
Elizabeth worked for a (9) ________________ before she went to Africa. Elizabeth first
found out about working as a volunteer from a (10) ________________ she saw at the
dentist's. The course in London that Elizabeth attended was called (11) ________________.
Elizabeth's job in Africa was to teach (12) ________________ how to market their goods.
On arrival in Africa, Elizabeth spent (13) ________________ doing a training course with
other volunteers. Elizabeth used a (14) ________________ to travel short distances in
Africa. Elizabeth feels that she got on best with (15) ________________ in the area of
Africa where she lived. Back in England, Elizabeth found that she was disturbed by the (16)
________________ in the city.
At the moment, Elizabeth buys and sells (17) ________________ from Africa. Nowadays,
Elizabeth spends more time on her favourite pastime, which is (18) ________________.

Section 3: You will hear an interview with Trina Trevose, a pop singer who is only
fifteen. For questions 24-30, choose the best answer (A, B or C).
19. When Trina went to the USA, she ________.
A. thought the records she made would be unsuccessful.
B. knew her friends would be jealous of her.
C. didn't tell many people why she was going.
20. When Trina was in the USA, she wrote songs about ________.
A. her home.
B. the weather.
C. people she met.
21. Where was Trina performing when she was noticed by the record company?
A. in London
B. near her home
C. in the USA
22. Why did Trina sing with David Pearson?
A. He needed some help.
B. She wrote a song for him.
C. The record company asked her to.
23. Trina was asked to return to the USA to ________.
A. re-do some work.
B. appear on TV again.

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 C. record a new song.
24. Why isn't Trina popular in Britain?
A. Her kind of music isn't popular in Britain.
B. The company don't want to sell her records in Britain.
C. Her records haven't been available in Britain.
25. How does Trina see her future?
A. She will continue making records in the USA.
B. She may make singing her career eventually.
C. She wants to study music at college.
PART II: VOCABULARY (2.0 pts)
I. Choose the correct answer (A, B, C, or D) to each question. (1.0 pt)
1. You're _______ your time trying to persuade him; he'll never help you.
A. A. spending B. wasting C. losing D. missing
2. Of all the national parks in the United States, Yellowstone is _______ visited.
A. one of the most B. of the most C. one most D. the most one
3. We regret_______ that the sightseeing tour has been canceled because of the bad
weather.
A. telling you B. saying you C. to tell you D. to say you
4. Since the 1970s, riding bicycles _______ in the United States.
A. becomes increasingly widespread B. become increasingly widely spread
C. has become increasingly widespread D. has increased and becomes spread widely
5. _________ sport really improves relations between countries
A. national B. internationally C. multi – national D. nationally
6. Hurry up, or they ______ serving meals by the time we get to the restaurant.
A. stopped B. will have stopped C. would stop D. are stopping
7. ________anything suspicious arise, please let me know at once.
A. Would B. Can C. Did D. Should
8. A fire must have a readily available supply of oxygen. ________, it will stop burning.
A. Otherwise B. Consequently C. Furthermore D. However
9. Most European emigrants left their homelands searching for greater _____.
A. economical opportunities B. economics opportunities
C. economy opportunities D. economic opportunities
10. Haris has just watched Jaris’s dancing performance.
- Haris: "You're a great dancer. I wish I could do half as well as you."
- Jaris: "______ I'm an amateur dancer!"
A. You're too kind. B. You've got to be kidding!
C. Oh, thank you very much. D. That's a nice compliment!
Your answers:
1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___ 4. ___ 5. ___ 6. ___ 7. ___ 8. ___ 9. ___ 10. ___

II. Give the correct form(s) of words. (1.0 pt)

The Meaning of Dreams

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Until the twentieth century most scientists argued that dream was nothing but a random
jumble of completely incomprehensible (1. IMAGINE) _________ remaining from the
sensory accumulation of our daily lives. Since the idea that dreams have meaning in their
own way became popular, (2. PSYCHOLOGY) _________have proposed (3. COUNT)
_________theories to explain the logic of dreams.
The bewildering nature of this logic reflects the primary source of the dreams outside the
tidy confines of the conscious mind. A dream can be a response to events in the outside
world, or it can (4. ORIGIN) _________within, expressing aspects of the dreamer’s deep-
seated feelings; it can fulfil desires or highlight unresolved emotions in the dreamer’s life.
Not (5. EXPECT) _________, the contradictions implicit in these complex processes are
reflected in the syntax of dreams. Often enigmatical, halting and fragmentary, the language
of dreams can warp time, bringing together (6. HISTORY) _________ and contemporary
figures. It can mix the familiar with the (7. KNOW) _________, and work fantastic
transformations by its own band of magic. Scenes in dreams merge (8. MYSTERY)
_________into one another, as in certain movies. People or animals may fly or inanimate
things may move (9. DEPEND) _________and talk. It is out of such complex and contrary
(10. HAPPEN) _________that the meanings of dreams have to be teased.
Your answers:
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.

PART III: READING (5.0 pts)

I. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space. Put
a circle on the letter indicating the correct answer. Write your answers in the boxes
provided. (1,0 point).
Most artists who create three-dimensional objects, rather than paintings or drawings (1)
________ use of materials like stone or metal in their work. An exhibition has just opened
at the Bowes Museum in England, however, where re-creations of sculptures carved from a
very different material, sugar, are on (2) _______________
To understand the (3) ________ of this art form, you must go back 500 years, to a time
when sugar was very rare and was (4) ________ only to the very wealthy. In those days, it
became popular for rich Europeans to show (5) ________ their wealth by decorating their
dining tables with elaborate sugar sculptures to impress their guests on special occasions.
The finest artists were employed to work on these sculptures, (6) ________ reflected the
host's good taste and position in society. (7) ________ expensively decorated tables
remained popular into the 19th century, the idea then went out of (8) ________ and was
largely forgotten. This was partly because sugar sculptures only last for a limited time -
around 100 years at most - so eventually there were none in (9) ________. The Bowes
Museum has recently acquired a collection of the wooden tools used in the production of
sugar sculptures, together with some original designs, in an attempt to recreate the (10)
________ art form.
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1. A. make B. put C. get D. take
2. A. presentation B. display C. viewing D. sight
3. A. development B. circumstance C. arrangement D. outcome
4. A. reserved B. available C. prefered D. kept
5. A. off B. out C. up D. in
6. A. that B. who C. which D. where
7. A. Although B. Because C. As soon as D. Supposing
8. A. fashion B. custom C. habit D. trend
9. A. presence B. occurrence C. existence D. survival
10. A. forgetting B. forgetful C. forgettable D. forgotten
Your answers:
1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___ 4. ___ 5. ___ 6. ___ 7. ___ 8. ___ 9. ___ 10. ___

II. Read the passage and answer the questions. Write your answers in the boxes
provided. (2,0 points)
Long before they can actually speak, babies pay special attention to the speech they hear
around them. Within the first month of their lives, babies’ responses to the sound of the
human voice will be different from their responses to other sorts of auditory stimuli. They
will stop crying when they hear a person talking, but not if they hear a bell or the sound of a
rattle. At first, the sounds that an infant notices might be only those words that receive the
heaviest emphasis and that often occur at the end of utterances. By the time they are six or
seven weeks old, babies can detect the difference between syllables pronounced with rising
and falling inflections. Very soon, these differences in adult stress and intonation can
influence babies’ emotional states and behavior. Long before they develop actual language
comprehension, babies can sense when an adult is playful or angry, attempting to initiate or
terminate new behavior, and so on, merely on the basis of cues such as the rate, the volume,
and melody of adult speech.

Adults make it as easy as they can for babies to pick up a language by exaggerating such
cues. One researcher observed babies and their mothers in six diverse cultures and found
that, in all six languages, the mothers used simplified syntax, short utterances and nonsense
sounds, and transformed certain sounds into baby talk. Other investigators have noted that
when mothers talk to babies who are only a few months old, they exaggerate the pitch,
loudness, and intensity of their words. They also exaggerate their facial expressions, hold
vowels longer, and emphasize certain words.

More significant for language development than their response to general intonation is
observation that tiny babies can make relatively fine distinction between speech sounds. In
other words, babies enter the world with the ability to make precisely those perceptual
discriminations that are necessary if they are to acquire aural language.

Babies obviously derive pleasure from sound input, too; even as young as nine months old
they will listen to songs or stories, although the words themselves are beyond their
understanding. For babies, language is a sensory-motor delight rather than the route to
convey meaning that it often is for adults.
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1. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A. the response of babies to sounds other than the human voice
B. how babies differentiate between the sound of the human voice and other sounds
C. the differences between a baby’s and an adult’s ability to comprehend language
D. how babies perceive and respond to the human voice in their earliest stages of language
development
2. The author mentions syllables pronounced with rising and falling inflection in order
to ________.
A. demonstrate how difficult it is for babies to interpret emotions
B. illustrate that a six-week-old baby can already distinguish some language differences
C. provide an example of ways adults speak to babies
D. give a reason for babies’ difficulty in distinguishing one adult from another
3. The word “noted” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to________.
A. observed B. disagreed C. theorized D. requested
4. The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to________.
A. mothers B. words C. babies D. investigation
5. The word “diverse” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to________.
A. surrounding B. divided C. different D. stimulating
6. All of the following are mentioned as ways adults use to modify their speech when
talking to babies EXCEPT________.
A. using meaningless sounds B. speaking more loudly than normal
C. speaking with shorter sentences D. giving all words equal emphasis
7. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that ________.
A. the mothers observed by the researchers were consciously teaching their babies to speak
B. mothers from different cultures speak to their babies in similar ways
C. babies who are exposed to more than one language can speak earlier than babies exposed
to a single language
D. babies ignores facial expressions in comprehending aural language
8. The point the author makes to illustrate that babies are born with the ability to acquire
languages is that________.
A. babies notice even minor differences between speech sounds
B. babies exaggerate their own sounds and expressions
C. babies begin to understand words in songs
D. babies are more sensitive to sounds than adults are
9. According to the author, babies listen to songs and stories even though they cannot
understand them because________.
A. they understand the rhythm
B. they enjoy the sound
C. they focus on the meaning of their parents’ words
D. they can remember them easily
10. All of the following are true about young babies EXCEPT that they________.
A. use language the way adults do
B. consider language as a source of joy
C. find pleasure from what they hear
D. enjoy listening to music without understanding it
Your answers:
1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___ 4. ___ 5. ___ 6. ___ 7. ___ 8. ___ 9. ___ 10. ___

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III. Read the following text and do the tasks that follow. (2.0 points)
Western Immigration of Canada
A. By the mid-1870s Canada wanted an immigrant population of agricultural settlers
established in the West. No urban centres existed on the prairies in the 1870s, and rural
settlement was the focus of the federal government’s attention. The western rural settlement
was desired, as it would provide homesteads for the sons and daughters of eastern farmers,
as eastern agricultural landfilled to capacity. As well, eastern farmers and politicians viewed
western Canada, with its broad expanses of unpopulated land, as a prime location for
expanding Canada’s agricultural output, especially in terms of wheat production to serve the
markets of eastern Canada.
B. To bolster Canada’s population and agricultural output, the federal government took
steps to secure western land. The Dominion of Canada purchased Rupert’s Land from the
Hudson’s Bay Company in 1870. In 1872, the federal government enacted the Dominion
Lands Act. This act enabled settlers to acquire 160 acres of free land, as long as settlers
remained on their land for a period of three years, made certain minor improvements to the
land, and paid a $10.00 registration fee. The Canadian government also created a Mounted
Police Force in 1873. The Mounties journeyed west to secure the area for future settlers. By
1876 the NWMP had established themselves in the West. The major posts included Swan
River, Fort Saskatchewan, Fort Calgary, Fort Walsh and Fort Macleod. All of these
initiatives attracted a number of Eastern-Canadian settlers, as well as European and
American immigrants, to Canada’s West, and particularly to the area of Manitoba.
C. The surest way to protect Canadian territory, and to achieve the secondary goal for
joining British Columbia to the rest of the country, was to import large numbers of Eastern
Canadian and British settlers. Settling the West also made imperative the building of a
transcontinental railway. The railway would work to create an east-west economy, in which
western Canada would feed the growing urban industrial population of the east, and in
return become a market for eastern Canadian manufactured goods.
D. Winnipeg became the metropolis of the West during this period. Winnipeg’s growth
before 1900 was the result of a combination of land speculation, growth of housing starts,
and the federal government’s solution in 1881 of Winnipeg as a major stop along the CPR.
This decision culminated in a land boom between 1881 and 1883 which resulted in the
transformation of hamlets like Portage la Prairie and Brandon into towns, and a large
increase in Manitoba’s population. Soon, Winnipeg stood at the junction of three
transcontinental railway lines which employed thousands in rail yards. Winnipeg also
became the major processor of agricultural products for the surrounding hinterland.
E. The majority of settlers to Winnipeg, and the surrounding countryside, during this early
period, were primarily Protestant English-speaking settlers from Ontario and the British
Isles. These settlers established Winnipeg upon a British-Ontarian ethos which came to
dominate the society’s social, political, and economic spirit. This British-Ontarian ethnic
homogeneity, however, did not last very long. Increasing numbers of foreign immigrants,
especially from Austria-Hungary and Ukraine soon added a new ethnic element to the
recent British, the older First Nation Métis, and Selkirk’s settler population base. Settling
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the West with (in particular) Eastern Canadians and British immigrant offered the advantage
of safeguarding the 49th parallel from the threat of American take-over, had not the
Minnesota legislature passed a resolution which provided for the annexation of the Red
River district. The Red River in 1870 was the most important settlement on the Canadian
prairies. It contained 11,963 inhabitants of whom 9,700 were Métis and First Nations. But
neighbouring Minnesota already had a population of over 100,000.
F. Not all of the settlers who came to western Canada in the 1880s, however, desired to
remain there. In the 1870s and 1880s, economic depression kept the value of Canada’s
staple exports low, which discouraged many from permanent settlement in the West.
Countries including Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and the United States
competed with Canada for immigrants. Many immigrants and thousands of Canadians chose
to settle in the accessible and attractive American frontier. Canada before 1891 has been
called “a huge demographic railway station” where thousands of men, women, and children
were constantly going and coming, and where the number of departures invariably exceeded
that of arrivals.”
G. By 1891 Eastern Canada had its share of both large urban centres and problems
associated with city life. While the booming economic centres of Toronto and Montreal
were complete with electricity and telephones in the cities’ wealthiest areas by the turn of
the century, slum conditions characterised the poorest areas like the district known as ‘the
Ward’ in Toronto. Chickens and pigs ran through the streets; privy buckets spilled onto
backyards and lanes creating cesspools in urban slums. These same social reformers
believed that rural living, in stark contrast to urban, would lead to a healthy, moral, and
charitable way of life. Social reformers praised the ability of fresh air, hard work, and open
spaces for ‘Canadianizing’ immigrants. Agricultural pursuits were seen as especially fitting
for attaining this ‘moral’ and family-oriented way of life, in opposition to the single male-
dominated atmosphere of the cities. Certainly, agriculture played an important part in the
Canadian economy in 1891. One-third of the workforce worked on farms.
H. The Canadian government presented Canada’s attractions to potential overseas migrants
in several ways. The government offered free or cheap land to potential agriculturists. As
well, the government established agents and/or agencies for the purpose of attracting
emigrants overseas. Assisted passage schemes, bonuses and commissions to agents and
settlers and pamphlets also attracted some immigrants to Canada. The most influential form
of attracting others to Canada, however, remained the letters home written by emigrants
already in Canada. Letters from trusted friends and family members. Letters home often
contained exaggerations of the ‘wonder of the new world.’ Migrant workers and settlers
already in Canada did not want to disappoint, or worry, their family and friends at home.
Embellished tales of good fortune and happiness often succeeded in encouraging others to
come.
Questions 1 - 6: The first six paragraphs of reading passage are lettered A-F. Choose
the most suitable headings for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below.
(There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all.)

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 Paragraphs Lists of Headings
1. Paragraph A i Not all would stay in Canada forever
ii Government’s safeguard in the West
2. Paragraph B
iii Eastern Canada is full
3. Paragraph C iv Built-up to the new infrastructure
4. Paragraph D v An exclusive British domination in Ontario
established ever since
5. Paragraph E vi Ethnics and language make-up
6. Paragraph F vii Pursuing a pure life
viii Police recruited from mid-class families
ix Demand of western immigration
x Early major urban development of the West

Your answers:
1. ______ 2. ______ 3. ______ 4. ______ 5. ______ 6. ______

Questions 7-10: Complete each of the following statements with words taken from the
passage. Write ONE or TWO WORDS for each answer.

With the saturation of Eastern Canada, the Western rural area would supply homestead for
the descendants of easterners. Politicians also declared that Western is got potential to
increase (7) ___________ of Canada according to (8) ___________ crop that consumed in
the East. The federal government started to prepare and made it happen. First, the
government bought land from a private (9) ___________ and legally offered a certain area
to people who stayed for a qualifying period of time. Then, mounted police force was found
to secure the land. However, the best way to protect citizens was to build a (10)
___________ to transport the migrants and goods between the West and the East.

Your answers:
7. ______________ 8. ______________ 9. ______________ 10. _____________

PART IV: WRITING (5.0 points)

I. Write an email of about 150 words: (2.0 pts)
You have invited one of your pen friends, Ian to come to your house during his visit to
Vietnam next week. He wrote an email to ask you some information as follows:
Dear Tracy,
It’s great to receive your invitation to your house during my visit to Viet Nam next week.
I’m preparing for the trip and want to know some information. Firstly, how can I get to your
house from the airport? I’m not sure about that because it’s my first trip to Viet Nam. Now
it’s the autumn in the US, the weather is cool here, what’s the weather in your hometown
like? Can you also suggest some special dishes in your hometown?
I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Lots of love,
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Ian
Write an email in reply to Iran’s questions.

Your email:
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
With love,
Jane
II. Paragraph writing: (3.0 pts)
Many people believe that every language learner should spend at least once a year in his or
her life going to the country where the language is spoken because studying abroad brings
him or her more advantages than disadvantages.
Do you agree or disagree with this opinion? Write a paragraph about 200 words to express
your ideas.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 PART V: SPEAKING (3.0 pts)
Topic 1:

1. Describe the poster? (1.0 pt)

2. In your opinion, what are the simple ways to stay safe and keep heathy? (2.0 pts)

Topic 2:

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 1. Describe the picture? (1.0 pt)
2. In your opinion, what should the government do to encourage people use public
transportation? (2.0 pts)

_______The end_______

PHÒNG GD & ĐT TP NINH BÌNH HƯỚNG DẪN CHẤM

TRƯỜNG THCS ĐINH TIÊN HOÀNG
ĐỀ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 9

12
 Năm 2022- 2023
MÔN: TIẾNG ANH
(Hướng dẫn chấm gồm 3 trang)

PART KEYS POINT

Section 1: (1.6 pts)
1. B 0.2
2. C 0.2
3. C 0.2
4. B 0.2
5. A 0.2
6. B 0.2
7. C 0.2
8. A 0.2
Section 2: (2.0 pts)
9. travel agent(‘s)/ travel agency 0.2
10. poster 0.2
PART I: 11. Changes 0.2
LISTENING 12. (local)(African) farmers 0.2
(5.0 pts) 13. three/ 3 weeks 0.2
14. motorbike/ motorcycle 0.2
15. (the) (local) women 0.2
16. traffic( noise) 0.2
17. (pieces of) furniture 0.2
18. gardening 0.2
Section 3: (1.4 pts)
19. C 0.2
20. C 0.2
21. B 0.2
22. A 0.2
23. A 0.2
24. C 0.2
25. B 0.2
I. (1.0 pt)
1. B 0.1
2. A 0.1
PART II: 3. C 0.1

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 4. C 0.1
5. C 0.1
6. B 0.1
7. D 0.1
8. A 0.1
9. C 0.1
10. C 0.1
II. (1.0 pt)
1. images 0.1
VOCABULARY 2. psychologists 0.1
(2.0 pts) 3. countless 0.1
4. originate 0.1
5. unexpectedly 0.1
6. historical 0.1
7. unknown 0.1
8. mysteriously 0.1
9. independently 0.1
10. happenings 0.1
PART III: I. (2.0 pts)
READING 1. A 0.2
(5.0 pts) 2. B 0.2
3. A 0.2
4. B 0.2
5. A 0.2
6. C 0.2
7. A 0.2
8. A 0.2
9. C 0.2
10. D 0.2
II. (2.0 pts)
1. D 0.2
2. B 0.2
3. A 0.2
4. A 0.2
5. C 0.2
6. D 0.2
7. A 0.2
8. A 0.2
9. B 0.2
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 10. A 0.2
III. (1.0 pt)
1. ix 0.1
2. ii 0.1
3. iv 0.1
4. x 0.1
5. vi 0.1
6. i 0.1
7. agricultural output 0.1
8. wheat 0.1
9. company 0.1
10. transcontinal railway 0.1
I. Letter writing (2.0 pts)
- Body: main points: details, reasons, examples, …
- Conclusion: Wrapping the email up politely in an
appropriate style or tone.
2. Content: 1.5 points
- Having 2 to 3 appropriate measures with good vocabulary,
conjunctions, structures.
3. Minus point:
PART IV: - 3 spelling or grammar mistakes equal to -0.1 point.
WRITING III. Paragraph writing (3.0 points)
(5.0 pts) 1. Organization (1.0 point): Having enough 3 parts:
- Introduction: Showing a good topic sentence.
- Body: main points: supporting details, reasons, examples,
…
- Conclusion: Showing a good concluding sentence.
- Length: 180 to 200 words.
2. Content (2.0 points)
- Having 3 appropriate measures with good vocabulary,
conjunctions, structures.
3. Minus point:
- 3 spelling or grammar mistakes equal to -0.1 point.
Markers should discuss the suggested answers and the marking scale thoroughly
and add more answers possible before marking the papers.

-----------The end-----------

Transcript

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Section 1:
Transcript:
Question 1:
As restaurant manager, I feel responsible for the quality of the food we serve. So it's up to
me to check the ingredients that have been delivered overnight to make sure they are of
sufficient quality, and to produce a menu for the day. The cooks arrive at about ten a.m. to
prepare lunch and I'll take them through the menu. Because lunch is concentrated over a
short period of time it can get very busy and very hot. But unlike some kitchens, we tend to
divide the jobs up according to who likes doing what, and that includes cleaning pots and
pans and clearing the place before dinner.
Question 2:
It's a factual book, a chronicle of the twentieth century and it's wonderful. I mean it's terribly
bitty and it's not going to give you a lot of information nor be good for school work. That's
what's really nice about it. Here is a reference book which it is fun to dip in and out of. It's
hardly going to help anyone write an essay and it avoids being geared to any school
syllabus, unlike so much of what is published today. But for anyone who likes little details,
you know, you can look up your date of birth, for example, and see what else happened
then, it's a very good book.
Question 3:
Man: So, there've been some dramatic events in Victoria Street this past week, what with
Mariela deciding not to marry Jason, and Stephen leaving home in the middle of a family
row. Are next week's episodes as exciting?
Woman: Well, I can't give away the whole story, but I don't think you'll be disappointed! I
can tell you that Stephen's mother is forced to tell her husband the secret she's been hiding
for years, which leads to more fireworks and a few tears. And Jason refuses to accept
Mariela's decision, so you're going to hear a lot more from him, and look out for some
surprises there.
Question 4:
We get people to the taxis, that's the first priority, and to the trains. We make sure they get
on early and get comfortable seats. These days many passengers have a lot of luggage and
they want assistance with it. So we provide a muchneeded service. We even take people
down to the Underground or to places in the surrounding streets. But the majority of users
are airline passengers with a lot of bags and perhaps accompanied by elderly relatives,
young children and so on. Obviously they can't manage everything on their own.
Question 5:
I exercise in the form of dance. At one time, I did aerobics because exercise is more
interesting with music, but I've since moved on to line dancing. It's less energetic, but I go
three times a week. I run my own business, work hard, and it's just a way to cut off rather
than watch television. It's also a challenge keeping up with the new steps. I think young
people sometimes take exercise too far, get over-concerned with how they look, when
they'll never be able to keep it up at that sort of pace. Whereas line dancing struck me as
something I could sustain as part of my normal life.
Question 6:
Man: Well, what did you think of that, then?
Woman: Brilliant! I've never tasted anything like it! I wish now I'd tried this place sooner. I
mean, I've been walking past it for years.
Man: Why didn't you?

16
Woman: Well, to be honest, I never thought I'd be able to afford it, but it's actually quite
reasonable. Mind you, I think they could have tried a bit harder with the presentation. I
think if food looks good on the plate you automatically expect it to taste good. Yours was
okay, but I think they could have made more of an effort with mine.
Question 7:
In practical terms, the place I'm in doesn't matter too much. As long as I have the necessary
tools, you know, pencil and paper and, of course, my keyboard. Once I'm started, I go over
things again and again - must be very dull if anyone's listening. I change a few notes here
and there, but basically I tend to stick with an idea once I have it. I guess home's the best
place in a way because there I'm relaxed enough to let my imagination flow and that's what
you need to do, in order to produce a good piece ...
Question 8:
Well, I'm sharing with two other girls ... I know, it was supposed to be me and one other
person, but there's a shortage of accommodation, apparently. Anyway, the room's rather
cramped. But it's great. There've been three parties so far, and it's still the first week. It's an
incredibly noisy place, with doors banging and people laughing and shouting till the small
hours. Yes, I suppose we'll have to get down to work soon, though I don't know how we'll
be able to, packed into that little space - none of us is very tidy ...

Section 2:
Transcript:
Interviewer: Visitors to the small Devon village of Whimple might be forgiven for looking
twice as they pass the garden of Elizabeth Holmes. In the middle of the garden there stands
a traditional African hut, a reminder of the two years Elizabeth spent in Africa as a
volunteer. Elizabeth, what persuaded you to leave your secure job in a travel agent's and go
to Africa?
Elizabeth: Well, I'd been feeling restless for ages. I wanted to see the real world, not just
tourist places. Then, I was at the dentist's one day, waiting to go in, and I'd read all the
magazines in the waiting room, so I started looking at a poster - it was all about volunteers
working in Africa.
Interviewer: And it interested you?
Elizabeth: Yes, I took down the name and address and applied. I had an interview locally
and did some aptitude tests. Then just before I left for Africa, there was a training weekend
in London, which they call 'Changes' and which gives you some idea of what you're letting
yourself in for.
Interviewer: What particular skills could you offer?
Elizabeth: I had a degree in economics and I had done some teaching at one time. What
they wanted to send me to Africa to do was to train local farmers in the marketing of their
produce. I flew out with fifteen other volunteers, all going to do different things, like
nursing, teaching, and so on. When we got there, we were supposed to have a four-week
course at a training centre learning something about the local culture and the basics of the
language - you know, greetings and things like that. Anyway, there was a problem and it
only lasted three weeks in the end - not enough really.
Interviewer: Did it take a long time to get used to your new lifestyle?
Elizabeth: I found it quite difficult for the first few weeks, but after that I settled in very
well. My area covered 1200 square kilometres, and I had a truck for longdistance travel, but
for more local trips I rode a motorbike.
Interviewer: How did you get on with the local people?

17
Elizabeth: Very well. The men were very polite but they tended to keep their distance -
unlike the women, who were always inviting me to meals. They showed me how they wove
and dyed material to make clothes for themselves and their children. I used to get magazines
sent from England and we'd spend ages looking at them.
Interviewer: I expect you found it very different when you returned to England?
Elizabeth: Yes, I certainly did. After two years of living very simply, I found the
supermarkets especially overwhelming - just the enormous choice of food. Also, the traffic
disturbed me. I had to move from my flat in the city to a small cottage in the country just to
get some of the peace and quiet I'd become accustomed to in Africa.
Interviewer: And what are you working on at the moment?
Elizabeth: Well, I didn't want to just go back to working in someone else's office so I set up
my own business, which I run from home. I deal in African furniture. I brought some small
pieces back with me as souvenirs and everyone loved them in Britain. However, I'm still in
touch with the organisation that sent me to Africa as a volunteer. I organise events to raise
funds and give talks about my experience to encourage other people to go.
Interviewer: Has the experience in Africa changed you at all?
Elizabeth: Oh yes, in many ways. I used to spend all my time working, but now I make sure
I have more time for gardening - my favourite hobby.
Interviewer: Well, I'd like to thank Elizabeth for coming into the studio today. If you're
interested in ...
Section 3:
Transcript:
Interviewer: ... Trina, you're 15 and you've just come back from America where you've
been making records. What was it like?
Trina: It was wonderful. I had the six-week school summer holidays and, you know, went
over there for a month and then started school again.
Interviewer: What did your classmates at school think?
Trina: I just told close friends what I was doing in the States ... And I thought, well, if the
records were successful, then I'd tell everyone ...
Interviewer: And they were successful.
Trina: Right. And my friends were very good about it. Not envious, or anything.
Interviewer: Did you like being in the USA?
Trina: Oh, yes, most of the time it was great - the people are so friendly.
Interviewer: Did you manage to write any songs there?
Trina: Well, yeah, I did. Most of the stuff I'd done in England had been about the people
closest to me - you know, Mum, Dad, my sister. They weren't with me in the States, and
although I missed them and silly things like the rain in England and fish and chips, being
surrounded with new faces gave me lots of material tor my songs.
Interviewer: Now, your home in England is a long way from London.
Trina: Yes, about as far as you can get!
Interviewer: So, is it easy to get into the music business if you live that far away? Don't
you have to be in London or near a big city at least?
Trina: No, no. We did play in London once but we were actually approached at a local
concert, so I don't think it's impossible to get noticed anywhere. There are lots of record
companies looking for bands, and they do go quite a long way from the cities to find them. I
was lucky with my band, and there have been other bands like us that've been lucky as well,
so you don't have to come from a huge city to be discovered.

18
Interviewer: Now, in the USA you did a song with someone who was a star when I was
your age, David Pearson, and you hadn't any idea who he was?
Trina: No. It was embarrassing, actually. But he was a really pleasant guy. He was
recording an album in the same studio, and he had this song that he needed someone to sing
with him, and he asked me, and I was only too delighted to do it!
Interviewer: But that wasn't the only famous star you worked with in the States, was it?
Trina: No, there was Lance Lakatoff.
Interviewer: But you had heard of him ...
Trina: Yes. He's a bit of a hero of mine, in fact.
Interviewer: And you were in his TV series?
Trina: Yes
Interviewer: And what was that like?
Trina: It was a really good experience. I hadn't done anything like that before. And they
filmed us for three or four days, you know. That was the end of it. Or so I thought! But they
had made some mistakes, which was such a shame. Because I had to go back to the USA! I
came home to England, and then they phoned up and said they had some bad camera work,
etc., and I had to fly all the way back and do it again ...
Interviewer: Actually, in the USA your record did well. But not here in England. Why's
that?
Trina: Because you've never been able to get it over here in Britain. The record company's
never had any arrangements to sell their records in Britain, so it's always just been the USA,
which is nice in a way.
Interviewer: Why do you say that?
Trina: Well, it's good to come home and get away from it.
Interviewer: But is it that the company don't think your style will appeal over here?
Trina: No, it's purely the fact they don't operate over here. But the company's just been
sold, and the new company does operate over here, so maybe they will release the record.
Interviewer: So, where do you see your career going? Will you go back to the States?
Trina: Well, not for a while I shouldn't think, as I have another two years at school here in
England. I know my school friends are thinking of college but I'm not sure that's for me,
even to do music. Then, my agent has been trying to persuade me to do it full time, and my
parents say it's up to me, but I'm happy to wait a while before that happens. I can still write,
after all - in fact, one of my songs is in the American charts at the moment, but sung by
someone else.
Interviewer: Well, the best of luck, Trina, and now ...

NGƯỜI RA ĐỀ THI NGƯỜI THẨM ĐỊNH VÀ XÁC NHẬN CỦA BGH

PHẢN BIỆN CỦA TRƯỜNG

19
Mai Thị Anh Lê Đức Thái

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