Professional Documents
Culture Documents
THÁI BÌNH KỲ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA THPT
NĂM 2023-2024
- Bài nghe gồm 4 phần; mỗi phần được nghe 2 lần; Mở đầu và kết thúc phần nghe có tín
hiệu.
- Mở đầu và kết thúc bài nghe có nhạc hiệu. Thí sinh có 02 phút để hoàn thành phần nghe
trước nhạc hiệu kết thúc bài nghe.
- Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh đã có trong phần nghe.
Part 1: For questions 1-5, listen to the recording and answer the following questions with NO
MORE THAN FOUR WORDS for each answer.
1. What kind of shows did the article say brown face used to be common in?
theatrical
2. Who did Justin Trudeau dress up as?
a character from Aladdin
3. What is Mr. Trudeau running for?
re-election as Canada's leader
4. Who told reporters that he was extremely shocked?
His biggest rival
5. Where is Mr. Trudeau different, according to Jagmeet Singh?
Behind closed doors
Part 2: For questions 6-12, listen to the following recording and fill in each blank with NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
6. Susan Boyle has experienced a stratospheric rise to fame after auditioning for Britain’s Got
Talent.
7. It is suggested that Susan’s biggest attraction lies in her unassuming persona.
8. Susan is probably the most unlikely star to be discovered recently with her no-nonsense
approach to life.
9. Max Clifford, a renowned PR guru commented that the massive interest in her is partly due to
people having to challenge their own 10. prejudices and assumptions.
11. Susan is believed to be the odds-on favourite to win in the next performance on Britain’s Got
Talent.
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12. It is highly likely that there will be a Susan Boyle album in the charts with talk of contracts and
celebrity duets .
Part 3: You will hear an interview with someone whose work is concerned with the design
and marketing of products. For questions 13 – 17, choose the answer A, B, C or D which fits
best according to what you hear.
13. David says that the session he has just conducted ___________.
A. was longer than most sessions he conducts.
B. illustrates his own beliefs about focus groups.
C. is an example of a new approach to visual planning.
D. concentrated as much on positive as negative attitudes to cleaning.
14. What did David know about cleaning products before the session?
A. Some people could not make up their minds which ones to buy.
B. Manufacturers were concerned about falling sales in them.
C. Some of them looked too dull to appeal to shoppers.
D. People felt that false claims were made about them.
15. One of the comments made during the session referred to ___________.
A. regarding the choice of a cleaning product as unimportant.
B. cleaning products all looking the same.
C. the deliberate misleading of shoppers.
D. buying a cleaning product because it is familiar.
16. David says that what the women produced when they were split into groups ___________.
A. did not focus on what cleaning products actually do.
B. presented contrasting images.
C. was not what they had expected to produce.
D. was similar to the presentation of other kinds of product.
17. David says that he has concluded from the session that ___________.
A. his firm's methods will need to change slightly.
B. he was right to question a certain assumption.
C. cleaning products do not fit into a general pattern.
D. what he had previously thought was not entirely correct.
Part 4: For questions 18-25, listen to the following recording and fill in each blank with NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
18. San Francisco is paving the way and changing the way we think about trash.
19. Zero waste means sending next to nothing to incinerators or landfills.
20. Up to now, San Francisco has diverted 80% of its waste from landfills.
21. Government representatives from all over the world visit the facilities to learn about how they
could replicate what is being done here.
22. Every day San Francisco collects 650 tons of food scraps, yard trimmings and other organic
waste.
23. After the waste is ground up and screened for plastic and other bits of trash, the organic leftover
get watered and aerated.
24. A piping system then filters out dangerous greenhouse gases produced by microbes.
25. After the compost is complete, it is sold to local farmers and vineyards.
II. LEXICO – GRAMMAR: (2.0 Points)
Part 1: For questions 26 – 40, choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) to each of the
following questions. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
26. Some version of this coronavirus is bound to _____ our vaccines.
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A. backstab B. flummox C. commiserate D. bulwark
27. Large quantities of condensed milk, put up in _____ sealed tins, are sold for use in mining
camps.
A. hermetically B. eccentrically C. enigmatically D. esoterically
28. Local housing prices, thanks to the _____ of a picturesque beach, are out of the reach of many
buyers.
A. probity B. prolixity C. propinquity D. proclivity
29. This shoe repairer is so quick that he can sole and heel your shoes in a(n) _____.
A. moment B. hurry C. instant D. jiffy
30. _____political ambitions, corporate career and family to care for, Jane has no time for
socialising.
A. What with her B. It’s not only her C. There’s her D. That’s just her
31. It's reckoned that someone in the club was _____ the assassin. They could have collaborated
for a long time.
A. at odds over B. under the thumb of C. on the uppers by D.in cahoots with
32. For weeks, millions of people have been _____ in their apartments, going out only when
absolutely required.
A. locked down B. snowed under C. cooped up D. cordoned off
33. Yields of organic maize are nearly twenty percent ______ conventional maize in years under
drought in Pennsylvania, highlighting the role of organic matter in enhancing the soil’s water-
holding capacity.
A. higher than those B. higher than of C. as high as D. as high as those of
of
34. A law passed in 1991 gave the president _____ in the removal of top officers.
A. idee fixe B. carte blanche C. hoi polloi D. social milieu
35. They won't be able to give you even a(n) _____ without drawings, measurements and thoughts
on materials.
A. collision course B. ballpark figure C. bridal gown D. hefty shove
36. My sister _____ and then finally admitted she'd worn my shoes.
A. waxed and waned B. ranted and raved C. hemmed and D. racked and ruined
hawed
37. Many teachers have been trained to use e-learning tools, while others have faced a steep
learning _____.
A. curve B. circle C. lapse D. loop
38. _____ isolation of infected patients is used to reduce spread, but its benefit over other
precautions is unknown.
A. Detention B. Lockdown C. Quarantine D. Cohort
39. This exhibit put our small town on the _____, bringing in major collectors from all around the
world.
A. poster B. books C. map D. rocks
40. The designer refuses to gild the _____, preferring simple lines of his creations.
A. lily B. rose C. daisy D. daffodil
Part 2: For questions 41 – 45, write the correct form of each bracketed word in each sentence
in the corresponding numbered spaces provided in the column on the right.
Your answers
26. Squamous CARCINOMA is strongly associated with smoking and alcohol and
41.
predominantly affects the middle third of the esophagus. (CANCER)
27. The cost of living keeps rising, especially for NON-DISCRETIONARY
42.
expenditure such as rent and mortgage payments, healthcare and childcare.
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(DISCRETION)
28. The cooked pastry dough is DECEPTIVELY simple, but it takes total
43.
concentration and hours of practice to achieve good results. (DECEIVE)
29. The judge dismissed his DUI charge but convicted him for improper lane
44.
changing and refusing the BREATHALYZER test. (BREATHE)
30. He's been seen out at nightclubs and restaurants with a series of IDENTIKIT
45.
blondes. (IDENTITY)
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A recent survey published by Artworks, the National Children's Art Awards, revealed that average
yearly spending on art materials in English and Welsh schools had fallen from an already
dangerously low figure to a derisory one. Five- to seven-year olds were allocated a mere £1.18 per
head, while 11- to 18-year-olds fared little better with an average annual budget of £2.68.
58. B
If you went into a museum or gallery back in the 1970s, you would have found a dusty regime run
by an elite for an elite. A curator would have gathered a collection of artifacts or pictures into a
gallery, and unless the visitor was steeped in art history, he or she would have little idea of why any
particular group of objects had been grouped together in the same room, as there was no
explanation or interpretation on offer.
59. F
A case in point is the newly reopened British Galleries, housing a collection of objects from 1500-
1900, at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. In many museums, the education team is brought
in as an afterthought to tidy up after the curator and the designer have decided on the exhibits and
the layout. But for the British Galleries, the education team was in on the act from the outset.
60. A
Museums outside London often have to fight harder for recognition and in many ways have an even
greater part to play in the cultural fabric of the community than their grander counterparts. The
National Museum of Photography Film & Television in Bradford is a case in point. Situated in the
second poorest ward in the country, it has become a focal point for the north-east. "We have
succeeded in one of the most challenging areas in Britain," says Amanda Nevill, the museum's
head. "We attract people from all sections of the community.
61. G
"In countries such as Italy and France, opera has always been a popular musical form," says Mark
Tinkler, EPO's artistic director. "It's only in the US and the UK that it has been branded elitist. We
believe it is something that should be available to everyone so, as well as providing workshops in
schools, we perform in places such as Hemel Hempstead and Thames Ditton where opera is
seldom, if ever, staged."
62. I
Alexander Booth is an advertising copywriter in his mid-30s. For the last 10 years or so he has
played footie, got drunk and generally hung out with a group of male friends. About a year ago, they
decided to form their own reading group. "We meet up once a month to discuss a particular book
and to choose the next one," he says. "We've read all sorts from modern-day middlebrow, such as
Nick Hornby, to 17th-century novelists. We're quite democratic about the process, but I'm not sure
how much anyone actually learns. We've all got strong opinions and there can be a fair bit of
shouting. But at the very least we've all read a book we might not have got round to."
63. C
At its best, art represents the highest form of human achievement; at its worst, it is tame,
unchallenging and hollow. To engage or not to engage? Now, more than ever, the choice is ours.
A. "We wanted to be clear about what the galleries were trying to say about the history of art and
design and to ensure we catered for our target audiences," says Christopher Wilk, chief curator of
the British Galleries. "Art galleries have tended to appeal to the analytical learner who likes to
absorb information from a plaque, but we have gone out of our way to arrange exhibits in a variety
of ways so that the galleries can be understood and absorbed by everyone."
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B. Unsurprisingly, then, because art counts for nothing in the performance league tables, schools
have largely washed their hands of the subject and in the process a generation of schoolchildren
have had their access, both to practical artistic experience and to a wider appreciation of aesthetics,
severely compromised. But where the schools have failed, arts organisations, museums, galleries
and the media have tried to step in.
C. But for all the good news on offer, a note of caution is also required. Even in times of prosperity,
arts budgets are tight and in times of recession they are often slashed. Arts organisations are
fighting for every penny and many are struggling on a shoestring to continue to offer a first-rate
programme; no one can take their survival for granted.
D. Twenty-five years ago we tended to take a very different view. Art meant high art. If it wasn't a
Mozart opera, a Shakespeare play or a Rembrandt painting, then it wasn't art: it was popular
culture. Today the distinctions have become increasingly blurred. Circus skills, pop music, even TV
soaps, are now all recognised as legitimate art forms.
E. You might have thought that it was the education system that had inspired this latter-day cultural
revolution. But even though there has been a lot of talk coming out of government about creativity in
schools, since Tony Blair discovered that the creative economy was worth billions of pounds per
year to the British economy, little more than window dressing has emerged.
F. There is still a minority of curators and critics who believe that the art should stand alone and
speak for itself, but most now recognise that museums have a duty to inform, as our national
treasures belong to all of us.
G. While painting, film and theatre may have opened up to a wider public, there are still some art
forms, such as opera, that are still regarded in some quarters as inaccessible. But this too is
changing. The Royal Opera House has taken to providing a running English translation of its foreign
language works, but more importantly there are a number of small opera groups, such as English
Pocket Opera (EPO), which are dedicated to making the art form more accessible.
H. They want meaning on a plate, served up the way it has always been. They often seem to want
demonstration of familiar skills. Some people are afraid, both of the feelings art provokes and of
having their preconceptions of what art ought to be upset.
I. Arts organisations can't take all the credit for the growth of interest in the arts. A lot is also down to
the motivation of individuals who have gone out of their way to provide themselves with the
education they never got at school and to indulge their passions in ways that suit them.
Part 3: Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Answer the questions 64 - 74 by referring to the article below. Choose from the list of
woods (A-D) for each question. Some of the choices may be required more than once.
Which wood... (A-D):
64. contains something that prevents it being attacked? A
65. is not spoken of as being used in military equipment? B
66. doesn't have the reputation of being pretty to look at? D
67. can be permanently submerged with little ill effect? B
68. can make a food or drink more valuable? A
69. are you most likely to find on stage at a rock concert? C 75.
70. became associated with luxurious buildings? A
71. is the most flexible and is therefore used where this is required? B
72. burns very well? D
73. was used as an agricultural aid? B
74. can alter its colour? C
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Four Woods
Here is the list of woods. Write only the letter (A-D) for each question.
A. Oak
Oak wood has a density of about 0.75 g/cm3, great strength and hardness, and is very resistant to
insect and fungal attack because of its high tannin content. It also has very appealing grain
markings, particularly when quarter sawn. Oak planking was common on high status Viking long
ships in the 9th and 10th centuries. The wood was hewn from green logs, by axe and wedge, to
produce radial planks, similar to quarter-sawn timber. Wide, quarter-sawn boards of oak have been
prized since the Middle Ages for use in interior paneling of prestigious buildings such as the
debating chamber of the House of Commons in London, and in the construction of fine furniture.
Oak wood, from Quercus robur and Quercus petraea, was used in Europe for the construction of
ships, especially naval men of war, until the 19th century, and was the principal timber used in the
construction of European timber-framed buildings.
Today oak wood is still commonly used for furniture making and flooring, timber frame buildings,
and for veneer production. Barrels in which wines, sherry, and spirits such as brandy, Scotch whisky
and Bourbon whiskey are aged are made from European and American oak. The use of oak in wine
can add many different dimensions to wine based on the type and style of the oak. Oak barrels,
which may be charred before use, contribute to the colour, taste, and aroma of the contents,
imparting a desirable oaky vanillin flavour to these drinks. The great dilemma for wine producers is
to choose between French and American oak woods. French oaks give the wine greater refinement
and are chosen for the best wines since they increase the price compared to those aged in
American oak wood. American oak contributes greater texture and resistance to ageing, but
produces more violent wine bouquets. Oak wood chips are used for smoking fish, meat, cheeses
and other foods.
B. Elm
Elm wood was valued for its interlocking grain, and consequent resistance to splitting, with
significant uses in wagon wheel hubs, chair seats and coffins. The elm's wood bends well and
distorts easily making it quite pliant. The often long, straight, trunks were favoured as a source of
timber for keels in ship construction. Elm is also prized by bowyers; of the ancient bows found in
Europe, a large portion of them are elm. During the Middle Ages elm was also used to make
longbows if yew was unavailable.
The first written references to elm occur in the Linear B lists of military equipment at Knossos in the
Mycenaean Period. Several of the chariots are of elm, and the lists twice mention wheels of
elmwood. Hesiod says that ploughs in Ancient Greece were also made partly of elm.
The density of elm wood varies between species, but averages around 560 kg per cubic metre.
Elm wood is also resistant to decay when permanently wet, and hollowed trunks were widely used
as water pipes during the medieval period in Europe. Elm was also used as piers in the construction
of the original London Bridge. However this resistance to decay in water does not extend to ground
contact.
The Romans, and more recently the Italians, used to plant elms in vineyards as supports for vines.
Lopped at three metres, the elms' quick growth, twiggy lateral branches, light shade and root-
suckering made them ideal trees for this purpose. The lopped branches were used for fodder and
firewood. Ovid in his Amores characterizes the elm as "loving the vine", and the ancients spoke of
the "marriage" between elm and vine.
C. Mahogany
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Mahogany has a straight, fine and even grain, and is relatively free of voids and pockets. Its
reddish-brown color darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when polished. It has
excellent workability, and is very durable. Historically, the tree's girth allowed for wide boards from
traditional mahogany species. These properties make it a favorable wood for crafting cabinets and
furniture.
Much of the first-quality furniture made in the American colonies from the mid-18th century was
made of mahogany, when the wood first became available to American craftsmen. Mahogany is still
widely used for fine furniture; however, the rarity of Cuban mahogany and over harvesting of
Honduras and Brazilian mahogany has diminished their use. Mahogany also resists wood rot,
making it attractive in boat construction. It is also often used for musical instruments, particularly the
backs, sides and necks of acoustic guitars and drum shells because of its ability to produce a very
deep, warm tone compared to other commonly used woods such as maple or birch. Guitars often
feature mahogany in their construction. Mahogany is now being used for the bodies of high-end
stereo phonographic record cartridges and for stereo headphones, where it is noted for “warm” or
“musical” sound.
D. Beech
Beech wood is an excellent firewood, easily split and burning for many hours with bright but calm
flames. Chips of beech wood are used in the brewing of Budweiser beer as a fining agent. Beech
logs are burned to dry the malts used in some German smoked beers, giving the beers their typical
flavour. Beech is also used to smoke Westphalian ham, various sausages, and some cheeses.
The European species Fagus sylvatica yields a utility timber that is tough but dimensionally
unstable. It weighs about 720 kg per cubic metre and is widely used for furniture framing and
carcass construction, flooring and engineering purposes, in plywood and in household items like
plates, but rarely as a decorative wood. The timber can be used to build chalets, houses and log
cabins.
Beech wood is used for the stocks of military rifles when traditionally preferred woods such as
walnut are scarce or unavailable or as a lower-cost alternative.
The fruit of the beech tree is known as beechnuts or mast and is found in small burrs that drop from
the tree in autumn. It is small, roughly triangular and edible, with a bitter, astringent taste. They have
a high enough fat content that they can be pressed for edible oil. Fresh from the tree, beech leaves
are a fine salad vegetable, as sweet as a mild cabbage though much softer in texture. The young
leaves can be steeped in gin for several weeks, the liquor strained off and sweetened to give a light
green/yellow liqueur called beech leaf noyau.
Your answers:
64. A 65. B 66. D 67. B 68. A
69. C 70. A 71. B 72. D 73. B
74. C
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A. Due to her status as a gay icon
B. Due to her ambition and drive
C. Because she has created new fashions
D. Because she has triumphed over legal battles
78. Why was the musical of Imelda’s life criticised?
A. Because it did not portray Imelda’s faults
B. Because the show was too shallow
C. Because it was too glamorous and showy
D. Because it was both serious and comedic
79. What was it about Imelda’s story that interested David Byrne and Norman Cooke?
A. The ongoing themes of power, greed and music
B. The fact that the story had both a clear hero and villain
C. The reasoning why people such as Imelda become who they are
D. The fact that her musical taste was similar to theirs
80. According to Carlos Sedran, how do people respond to Imelda’s expensive lifestyle?
A. Most people are shocked by it.
B. It evokes both positive and negative feelings
C. People want to be like her
D. People realise why she did it
81. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text as something Imelda Marcos did for the
Philippines?
A. She made health services available to the people
B. She gave the country a cultural identity
C. She reduced the levels of poverty for Filipino people
D. She drew the world’s attention to the country.
List of headings
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i 165 million years
vii Unique body plan helps identify dinosaurs from other animals
ix Lepidosaurs
82. Paragraph A vi
83. Paragraph B xi
84. Paragraph C xiii
85. Paragraph D vii
86. Paragraph E iv
87. Paragraph F v
88. Paragraph G viii
Your answers:
82. vi 83. xi 84. xiii 85. vii 86. iv 87. v 88. viii
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Your answers:
89. skeletal anatomy 90. eosuchians 91. two long bones
Questions 92 - 95
Choose one phrase (A-H) from the List of features to match with the Dinosaurs listed below.
Write the appropriate letters (A-H) in boxes 92 - 95 on your answer sheet.
The information in the completed sentences should be an accurate summary of the points made by
the writer.
NB. There are more phrases (A-H) than sentences, so you will not need to use them all.
You may use each phrase once only.
Dinosaurs
92. Dinosaurs differed from lizards, because B
93. Saurischian and ornithischian dinosaurs G
94. Unlike therapods, sauropodomorphs H
95. Some dinosaurs used their tails to balance and could walk F
List of features
Your answers:
92. B 93. G 94. H 95. F
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weight because their bodies break down food and turn it into energy more slowly than those with a
so-called normal metabolic rate.
'This is nonsense,' says Dr. Susan Jebb from the Dunn Nutrition Unit at Cambridge in England.
Despite the persistence of this metabolism myth, science has known for several years that the exact
opposite is in fact true. Fat people have faster metabolisms than thin people. 'What is very clear,'
says Dr. Jebb, 'is that overweight people actually burn off more energy. They have more cells,
bigger hearts, bigger lungs and they all need more energy just to keep going.'
It took only one night, spent in a sealed room at the Dunn Unit to disabuse one of their patients of
the beliefs of a lifetime: her metabolism was fast, not slow. By sealing the room and measuring the
exact amount of oxygen she used, researchers were able to show her that her metabolism was not
the culprit. It wasn't the answer she expected and probably not the one she wanted but she took the
news philosophically.
Although the metabolism myth has been completely disproved, science has far from discounted our
genes as responsible for making us whatever weight we are, fat or thin. One of the world's leading
obesity researchers, geneticist Professor Stephen O'Rahilly, goes so far as to say we are on the
threshold of a complete change in the way we view not only morbid obesity, but also everyday
overweight. Prof. O'Rahilly's groundbreaking work in Cambridge has proven that obesity can be
caused by our genes. 'These people are not weak-willed, slothful or lazy,' says Prof. O'Rahilly, 'They
have a medical condition due to a genetic defect and that causes them to be obese.'
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Part 2: The graph shows the value in US dollars (in millions of dollars) of investment in funds
of four categories from 1988 to 2014.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant. You should write about 150 words.
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(You may write overleaf if you need more space)
- The end -
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