SỞ GIÁO DỤC & ĐÀO TẠO KỲ THI HỌC SINH GIỎI 12 THPT CẤP THÀNH PHỐ

TP HỒ CHÍ MINH Lần ….: …….. – NĂM HỌC: …………..

MÔN: TIẾNG ANH
TRƯỜNG THCS-THPT TRÍ ĐỨC khối 12
Thời gian làm bài: 120 phút

Họ và tên học sinh:………………………

Số báo danh: ……………………….

PART ONE. MULTIPLE CHOICE 20pts

Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) that best completes the sentence.
1. The police ___________ to eliminate gambling and prostitution.
A. has been instructed B. instructs C. is instructing D. have been instructed
2. You ___________ the reports written before Friday.
A. are about to get B. are on the point to get C. are to get D. must be getting
3. Your appropriate attitude makes ___________ to succeed in your work.
A. it possible B. possible for you C. you possible D. is possibly
4. I think no-one will turn down such a nice offer, ____________?
A. do I B. will they C. won’t they D. don’t I
5. It is important that the document _____________ destroyed immediately.
A. ought to be B. had better be C. be D. should have been
6. Thankfully, we ____________ another ticket as Kate didn’t turn up.
A. needn’t have got B. hadn’t to get C. needed not to get D. didn’t need to get
7.____________ any heavier, we’d never have made it to the meeting on time.
A. Were the traffic B. Had the traffic been C. If the traffic was D. Should the traffic be
8.The man ______________ is being held at the police station for further interrogation.
A. has been arrested B. who being arrested C. arrested D. was arrested
9. ________________ will they finish the redecoration? Perhaps, in about a week’s time.
A. How fast B. How come C. How long D. How soon
10. Never before in my life ________________ complete and utter nonsense.
A. have I heard such B. did I hear so C. I have heard such D. would I have heard so
11. He admitted obtaining a(n) _____________ advantage by deception.
A. peculiar B. pecuniary C. obdurate D. biting
12. In order to __________ math well, you need logical thinking.
A. take B. do C. make D. set
13. Judging by his ability and appearance, I think he’ll ____________a good lawyer.
A. come B. transfer C. make D. turn
14. I’m just as ______________ you are to making this company a successful one.
A. determined B. wistful C. serious D. dedicated
15. We are prepared to go to any _____________ to make your stay an unforgettable experience.
A. ways B. depths C. lengths D. measures
16. She ____________ his name, then gasped as she realized what she’d done.
A. set down B. blurted out C. checked out D. got across
17. I was browsing in a bookshop, when I ___________ an old friend.
A. ran down B. bumped along C. chanced upon D. looked out
18. Mike doesn’t understand why he is always the one who ______________.
A. draws the short straw B. keeps up with the Joneses C. chances his luck D. loses his bearings
19. _______________, it is certain that in the future thing will be different.
A. For good and all B. Step by step C. For better or worse D. As always
20. – Person 1: “Nearly done, but I’m just so tired!” - Person 2: “______________”
A. Better late than never B. Let’s call it a day C. So far so good D. I’m so-so

PART TWO: WORD FORMS (40 pts)

A. Use the correct form of the word given to fill in each blank.
1. Wind and solar power are types of ___________ energy. (NEW)
2. With eagerness and sincerity, young people post their __________ thoughts. (MOST)
3. People sometimes choose partners who compensate for their own ___________. (SHORT)
4. It is hard to change such _________ routine. (GROUND)
5. He is proud of his outstanding ___________ career. (JOURNAL)
6. I don’t see any ____________ in his talk about his ex-girlfriend. (BECOME)
7. The UK wants an international agreement on the _____________ of practices through the EU. (HARMONY)
8. Harry is one of the most ___________ members of the editorial staff. (SPEAK)
9. To our surprise, the test was ___________ easy actually. (COMPARE)
10.The very first step to modernizing the city now is to improve the _____________ of the area. (STRUCTURAL)

B. 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 that you cannot use. (20 pts)
confuse anonymous flame register length safety
alternate sense popular company regulate fault
Chat rooms have a (1) _______ process that may include providing an e-mail address. Some chat rooms will let
you in using a (2) ___________ nickname such as “Guest”. (3) _____________ you can stick with chat rooms that do not
require these personal details to log in.
It is important to express yourself clearly in chatrooms. When several conversations are running in parallel, it helps to avoid (4)
___________ a comment to just one person includes their nickname. It is considered poor etiquette to send
private messages to someone without asking first. Most chat room (5) ___________ are pleasant and sociable people.
They are there to find friends, not arguments. However, you occasionally meet someone who is looking for a verbal fight (also known
as ‘(6) __________’). Either ignore them completely, or just say you are looking for friends not fights.
The real dangers of the Internet chat come from the (7) __________ of the e-world. This makes it very easy for
people to pretend to be someone they are not. In fact, you have no way of checking any of the personal details which people choose to give
you In chat room – so it is much (8) __________ to be skeptical. Most chat rooms used by teenagers offer
(9) ____________ advice such as never handing out phone numbers, e-mail or real addresses. They also warn that teenagers should
never meet people they’ve met online without being (10) ________ by adult.

PART THREE. CLOZE TEST (90 pts)

Read the passage and choose the best option (A, B, C or D) for each blank space.
PASSAGE A (15 pts)
It all started just six years ago with Birds. Since then, Eyewitness Guides have become a publishing sensation - 50 subjects
(1) ___, 40 countries conquered, 15 million copies sold. But the success of Eyewitness Guides cannot be (2)
___ in statistics alone, (3) ______ these high-quality reference books have established a (4)______ original way of
presenting information.
We live in an age of television, video and interactive computing, in which children are (5) _____ at absorbing data
from images at a glance. (6)_____ this makes them respond favourably to visual learning, the disadvantage is that they
sometimes lack confidence with words. So, what the Eyewitness Guides have done is to combine the two elements, words and
pictures, (7) _____ them as just one thing - entertainment.
One of the main reasons (8) ______ the books'; success is the discovery that, against a white background, even
the most (9) ______ objects can look wonderful. Often a single photographic image will take (10) _____ an entire double-
page spread, grabbing your (11) _____. Whatever the image, you'll always find the text (12) _____ alongside, building your
understanding of the subject.
Eyewitness Guides are the (13) ___ of a unique approach, in which photographs, models, maps and diagrams are specially
produced. Everything is done to make (14) ____ that they compete with the impact of television images. But
these books have one (15) _____ advantage - children can return to them again and again, finding something fresh to read
every time.

1. A. dealt B. fulfilled C. covered D. managed

2. A. scored B. valued C. numbered D. measured
3. A. for B. out of C. due to D. from
4. A. fully B. completely C. considerably D. widely
5. A. capable B. powerful C. effective D. skilled
6. A. In contrast B. While C. Even so D. Despite
7. A. conducting B. treating C. operating D. applying
8. A. under B. behind C. beneath D. below
9. A. accustomed B. habitual C. repeated. D familiar
10. A. up B. in C. to D. on
11. A. fascination B. involvement C. attraction D. attention
12. A. quite B. nearby C. right D. next
13. A. outcome B. production C. formation D. effect
14. A. certain B. definite C. firm D. guaranteed
15. A. high B. large C. major D. grand

PASSAGE B (15 pts)

Why explore worldwide?
For more than 16 years we’ve pioneered and (1) ____________ thousands of tours, treks, safaris and expeditions all over
the world. Our expertise has (2) ___________ expanded throughout this time, and our continual innovations have kept us
at the (3) ______________ of adventure (4) ______________. We think of it as a serious and rewarding business, one of
life great (5) ________________. Whichever holiday you choose from our worldwide brochure, we promise you a(n) (6)
_________________ experience.
Why small groups?
We offer a (7) _____________ and free-form holiday, loosely-structured for people who reject the horror of regimentation
and mass-produced (8) ___________ tours. On most trips our average group (9) _____________ is 16 people. That’s an
ideal number, keeping the experience and enjoyment as personal as possible. Typically, a group (10) ___________ about
half couples of friends, and about half individuals travelling alone. Small groups are environmentally friendlier and their effect is less
(11) _____________: they promote a better understanding and (12) _____________ among peoples of
different cultural (13) ______________ and backgrounds. A small group also means a chance to get away from the crowded
tourist (14) _____________ to those wild and wonderful places that excite and (15) ______________ our imagination.
1. A. discovered B. led C. sold D. taken
2. A. completely B. quite C. gradually D. unexpectedly
3. A. border B. verge C. frontier D. forefront
4. A. excursions B. flights C. travel D. journeys
5. A. chances B. experiences C. possibilities D. profits
6. A. forgettable B. pleasant C. memorable D. unsettling
7. A. disorganized B. flexible C. well-known D. lengthy
8. A. package B. payment C. packet D. packing
9. A. shape B. size C. bigness D. numerical
10. A. consists B. composes C. comprises D. includes
11. A. disruptive B. obvious C. tolerable D. influential
12. A. vision B. opinion C. outlook D. awareness
13. A. living B. lives C. lifestyles D. civilization
14. A. spots B. reserves C. arrivals D. haunts
15. A. reach B. capture C. increase D. receive

Fill in each of the blanks in the following passage with ONE suitable word.
PASSAGE C (30 pts)
Estimates suggest that nearly 1.5 billion people (1) _________ lack safe drinking water and that at least 5 million
deaths per year can be (2) _________ to waterborne diseases. Water pollution may come from point sources or nonpoint
sources. Point sources (3) __________ pollutants from specific locations, such as factories, sewage (4) __________ plants
and oil tankers. Technology exists to monitor and regulate point sources of pollution although in some areas this (5)
________ only sporadically.
Pollution from nonpoint sources occurs when (6) _______ or snowmelt moves over and through the ground. As the
runoff moves, it picks up and (7) ________ away pollutants, such as (8) _________ (chemical to kill pests) and fertilizers,
deposing the pollutants into lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal (9) __________ and even underground sources of drinking
water. Pollution arising from nonpoint sources (10) ___________ for a majority of the contaminants in streams and lakes.
With almost 80 percent of the planet (11) ________ by oceans, people have long acted as if those bodies of water could
serve as a limitless (12) _______ ground for wastes. However, raw (13) _______ garbage, and oil spills have begun to
overwhelm the diluting capabilities of the oceans, and most coastal waters are now polluted, (14) _______ marine wildlife.
Beaches around the world close regularly, often because the surrounding waters contain high (15) ________ of bacteria
from sewage disposal.
PASSAGE D. (30 pts)
A number of factors (1) ________ to the voice reveal the personality of the speaker.
The first is the broad area of communication, which includes imparting information by (2) ________ of language,
communicating with a group or an (3) __________, and specialized communication through performance. A person (4)
________ thoughts and ideas through choice of words, by a tone of (5) _______ that is pleasant or unpleasant, gentle or
harsh, by the rhythm that is inherent within the language (6) ________, and by speech rhythms that are flowing and regular
(7) ________ uneven and hesitant, and finally, by the pitch and melody of the utterance. When speaking before a group, a person's
tone may (8) __________ unsureness or fright, confidence or calm. At interpersonal levels, the tone may reflect ideas and feelings
over and (9) _________ the words chosen, or may belie (10) _________. Here the speaker’s tone can consciously or unconsciously
reflect intuitive (10) ____________ or antipathy, lack of concern or interest, fatigue, anxiety, enthusiasm or excitement, (11)
____________ of which are usually discernible by the acute (12) ____________. Public performance is a manner of communication
that is highly specialized with its (13) ____________ techniques for obtaining effects by voice and/or gesture. The motivation derived
from the text, and in the case of singing, the music, in (14)
____________ with the performer's skills, personality, and (15) ____________ to create empathy will determine the success of
artistic, political, or pedagogic communication.
PART FOUR. READING COMPREHENSION (20 pts)
Choose the item (A, B, C or D) that best completes the unfinished statement about the passage. PASSAGE
A. (10 pts)
Panel painting, common in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Europe, involved a painstaking, laborious process. Wooden
planks were joined, covered with gesso to prepare the surface for painting, and then polished smooth with special tools. On this
perfect surface, the artist would sketch a composition with chalk, refine it with inks, and then begin the deliberate process of applying
thin layers of egg tempera paint (egg yolk in which pigments are suspended) with small brushes. The successive layering of these
meticulously applied paints produced the final translucent colors.
 Backgrounds of gold were made by carefully applying sheets of gold leaf, and then embellishing of decorating the gold leaf by
punching it with a metal rod on which a pattern had been embossed. Every step in the process was slow and deliberate. The quick-drying
tempera demanded that the artist know exactly where each stroke be placed before the brush met the panel, and it required the use of fine
brushes. It was, therefore, an ideal technique for emphasizing the hard linear edges and pure, fine areas of color that were so much a part of
the overall aesthetic of the time. The notion that an artist could or would dash off an idea in a fit of spontaneous inspiration was completely
alien to these deliberately produced works.
Furthermore, making these paintings was so time-consuming that it demanded assistance. All such work was done by collective
enterprise in the workshops. The painter or master who is credited with having created the painting may have designed the work
and overseen its production, but it is highly unlikely that the artist’s hand applied every stroke of the brush. More likely, numerous
assistants, who had been trained to imitate the artist’s style, applied the paint. The carpenter’s shop probably provided the frame
and perhaps supplied the panel, and yet another shop supplied the gold. Thus, not only
many hands, but also many shops were involved in the final product.
In spite of problems with their condition, restoration, and preservation, many panel paintings have survived, and today
many of them are housed in museum collections.
1. What aspect of panel paintings does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) Famous example (B) Different styles (C) Restoration (D) Production
2. According to the passage, what was the first step in making a panel painting?
(A) Mixing the paint (B) Preparing the panel (C) Buying the gold leaf (D) Making ink drawings
3. The word “it” in paragraph 1 refers to
(A) chalk (B) composition (C) artist (D) surface
4. The word “deliberate” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
(A) decisive (B) careful (C) natural (D) unusual
5. Which of the following processes produced the translucent colors found on panel paintings?
(A) Joining wooden planks to form large sheets (B) Polishing the gesso
(C) Applying many layers of paint (D) Covering the background with gold leaf
6. What characteristic of tempera paint is mentioned in the passage?
(A) It dries quickly (B) It is difficult to make
(C) It dissolves easily (D) It has to be applied directly to wood
7. The word “demanded” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning of
(A) ordered (B) reported (C) required (D) questioned
8. The “collective enterprise” mentioned in paragraph 3 includes all of the following EXCEPT
(A) supplying the gold leaf (B) building the panels
(C) applying the paint (D) selling the painting
9. The author mention all of the following as problems with the survival of panel paintings EXCEPT
(A) condition (B) theft (C) preservation (D) restoration
10. The word “them” in paragraph 4 refers to
(A) problem (B) condition, restoration, preservation
(C) panel paintings (D) museum collections
PASSAGE B (10 pts)
Are organically grown foods the best food choices? The advantages claimed for such foods over conventionally grown and marketed
food products are now being debated. Advocates of organic foods - a term whose meaning varies greatly frequently proclaim that
such products are safer and more nutritious than others.
The growing interest of consumers in the safety and nutritional quality of the typical North American diet is a welcome development.
However, much of this interest has been sparked by sweeping claims that the food supply is unsafe or inadequate in meeting
nutritional needs. Although most of these claims are not supported by scientific evidence, the preponderance of written material
advancing. As a result, claims that eating a diet consisting of entirely organically grown foods prevents or cures disease provides other
benefits to health have become widely publicized and form the basis for folklore.
Almost daily, the public is besieged by claims for “no-aging” diets, new vitamins, and other wonder foods. There are numerous
unsubstantiated reports that natural to unfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than fumigated grains, and the like.
One thing that most organically grown food products seen to have in common is that they cost more than conventionally grown foods.
But in many cases, consumers misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than
conventionally grown foods. So there is real cause for concern if consumers particularly those with limited incomes, distrust the
regular food supply and buy only expensive organic foods instead.
1. The word “advocates” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A) Proponents (B) Merchants (C) Inspectors (D) Consumers
2. The word ‘’others“ in paragraph 1 refers to_____
(A) advantages (B) advocates (C) organic foods (D) products
3. The ‘welcome development” mentioned in paragraph 2 is an increase in______
(A) interest in food safety and nutrition among North Americans
(B) the nutritional quality of the typical North American diet
(C) the amount of healthy food grown in North America
(D) the number of consumers in North America
4. According to the first paragraph, which of the following is true about the tem “organic food”?
 (A) It is accepted by most nutritionists. (B) It has been used only in recent years.
(C) It has no fixed meaning. (D) It is seldom used by consumers.
5.The phrase “besieged by claims” in paragraph 3 can be understood as________
(A) surrounded by large numbers of claims (B) deceived by claims
(C) deprived of claims (D) indulged in claims
6.The word “unsubstantiated” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to______
(A) unbelievable (B) uncontested (C) unpopular (D) unverified
7. The word “maintain” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to______
(A) improve (B) monitor (C) preserve (D) restore
8. The author implies that there is cause for concern if consumers with limited incomes buy organic foods instead of conventionally
grown foods because______
(A) organic foods can be more expensive but are often no better than conventionally grown foods
(B) many organic foods are actually less nutritious than similar conventionally grown foods
(C) conventionally grown foods are more readily available than organic foods
(D) too many farmers will stop using conventional methods to grow food crops
9. According to the last paragraph, consumers who believe that organic foods are better than conventionally grown foods are
often________
(A) careless (B) mistaken (C) thrifty (D) wealthy
10. What is the author’s attitude toward the claims made by advocates of health foods?
(A) very enthusiastic (B) somewhat favorable (C) neutral (D) skeptical

PART FIVE. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (30 pts)

Rewrite each sentence in such a way that it means almost the same as the one printed before it. Use the word in brackets
without making any change to it.
1. Thanks to the UN’s timely intervention, the bad effects of the crisis was avoided. (caused)
→ Had it ______________________________________________________________________________________.

2. Hardly anyone applied for the job. (sent)

→ Almost _____________________________________________________________________________________.

3. He is said to be a good playwright. (for)

→ He has _____________________________________________________________________________________.

4. You really should be working hard because the exam is approaching. (drawing).
→ It’s high ____________________________________________________________________________________.

5. I have little confidence that our team will win the game against the opponent. (beat)
→ I have serious _______________________________________________________________________________.

6. He is so devoted the charity work that we all respect. (look)

→ Such ______________________________________________________________________________________.

7. He really concentrates on his study, but the result is not as good as he expects. (live)
→ Concentrate ________________________________________________________________________________.

8. Why didn’t you keep calm in such a situation? (head)

→ You are supposed ___________________________________________________________________________.

9. No one else in the class is as good at physics as he is. (second)

→ He is ______________________________________________________________________________________.

10. You can use these reference books at will until you don’t need them. (long)
→ These reference books are at ___________________________________________________________________.

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