tổng tập đề thi olympic 30 4 2010 2014 p4

MỤC LỤC ĐỀ THI OLYMPIC TRUYỀN THỐNG 304 – NĂM 2013 2 ĐỀ THI CHÍNH THỨC 2 CÁC ĐỀ THI ĐỀ NGHỊ 1 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN MẠC ĐĨNH CHI – TP HỒ CHÍ MINH 10 2 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN THƯỢNG HIỀN – TP HỒ CHÍ MINH

MỤC LỤC

CÁC ĐỀ THI ĐỀ NGHỊ

1 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN MẠC ĐĨNH CHI – TP HỒ CHÍ MINH 10

2 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN THƯỢNG HIỀN – TP HỒ CHÍ MINH 18

3 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN TRẦN ĐẠI NGHĨA – TP HỒ CHÍ MINH 26

4 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LƯƠNG THẾ VINH – ĐỒNG NAI 35

5 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN TẤT THÀNH – KON TUM 40

6 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN ĐÌNH CHIỂU – ĐỒNG THÁP 48

7 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN PHAN NGỌC HIỂN – CÀ MAU 55

8 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN TRẦN HƯNG ĐẠO – BÌNH THUẬN 62

9 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN QUANG TRUNG – BÌNH PHƯỚC 71

10 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN HUỲNH THÚC KHÁNG – QUẢNG NAM 79

11 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN THỊ MINH KHAI – SÓC TRĂNG 86

12 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN DU – ĐẮC LĂK 94

13 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ QUÝ ĐÔN – ĐÀ NẴNG 101

14 TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN BẾN TRE – BẾN TRE 108

ĐỀ THI OLYMPIC TRUYỀN THỐNG 30/4

NĂM 2013

ĐỀ THI CHÍNH THỨC

A MULTIPLE CHOICE

I PHONOLOGY

Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others

Choose the word which is stressed differently from the other,three.

10 A unaffected B unanimous C unaccountable D unambiguous

II WORD CHOICE:

Choose the best options to complete the following sentences.

11 When I finish writing this composition, I’m going to………and go to bed

A make time B hit the hay C hit the big time D call it a day

12 Mary usually buys her clothes……… It’s cheaper than going to a dressmaker

13 You are at………to do what you like

14 Without written evidence, we don’t have a………on

A leg to stand B foot to stand C leg to lean D foot to lean

15 It was very strange but I had a(n)………that the plane would crash

16 Although he spoke slowly, I found it difficult at times to follow the………of his argument

17 I intend to………an official complaint to the Director

18 The transport strikes a real………, which will make it very difficult for me to get to work

A pain in the back B nuisance C last straw D frustration

19 ………benefits include a new car and free health insurance

20 Mind that the baby shouldn’t touch the knife; it’s as sharp as a ………

II GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES

Choose the best options to complete the following sentences.

21 He prefers to attend Economics University rather than………

A going to Polytechnic B to be accepted to Polytechnic

C studying Polytechnic D to attend Polytechnic

22 It pays………some professional advice before you make a decision

23 It………able to finish it in an hour

A can’t have been too hard if you had been C couldn’t be too hard if you are

B can’t have been too hard if you were D couldn’t' be too hard if you had been

24 It could have been a lot worse………there

11.D 12 C 13.D 14.A 15.C 16.C 17.B 18.B 19.B 20.D 21.A 22.D 23.B 24.C 25.A 26.C 27.D 28.B 29.A 30.B

A when he had not been C had he not been

B for he had not been D whether or not he had been

25.………believed to be over 300 species of trees in El Yunque rain forest in Puerto Rico

26 ………classified as a carnivore, the North American Grizzly bear eats berries and even grass

27 I’m………my brother is

A nothing near as ambitious C nowhere like so ambitious

B nothing as ambitious than D nowhere near as ambitious as

8 On the island………the only representation of the Indians’ handicraft

29 It is advised that not only Tam but also his friends………punctual

10 Many a boy………come up with many new ideas

V PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS

31 If you pay thé restaurant bill with your credit card, I’ll ……… with you later

32 Demand for the products is expected to peak 5 years from now and then to………

33 It was an embarrassing situation, but she managed to………

A laugh at it B laugh on it C laugh it off D laugh it out

34 The police………a good deal of criticism over their handling of the demonstration

A came in for B brought about C went down with D opened up

35 The rain was simply………down on the deserted street

36 As we were waiting on the pavement, a black Mercedes………beside us

37 I was………the impression that you liked Indian food

38 Ms Dung, your form teacher,………as a very sympathetic person She can be a shoulder to cry on

about

39 She brought………the deal even though nobody thought she was capable of doing it

40 It took the parents a long time to………their children’s games

V GUIDED CLOZE

Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.

(41)…………Christmas evolved in the United States, new customs were (42) …………and many old ones were reworked The legend of Santa Claus, for example, had (43) …………in Europe and was brought

by Dutch settlers to New York in the early 18th century Traditionally, Santa Clause - from the Dutch Sinter Klaas - was depicted (44) …………a tall, dignified, religious figure riding a white horse (45) …………the air Known as Saint Nicholas in Germany, he was usually accompanied by Black Peter, an elf who punished disobedient children In North America, he (46) …………developed into a fat, jolly old gentleman who had neither the religious (47) …………of Saint Nicholas nor the (48) …………disciplinarian character of Black Peter

Santa’s transformation began in 1823, when a New York newspaper published the poem “A Visit from-Saint Nicholas”, which Clement Clark Moore had written to amuse his daughter The poem introduced

Since

many Americans to the story of a kindly saint who flew over housetops in a reindeer-drawn sleigh Portraits and drawings of Santa Claus by American illustrator Thomas Nast further (49) …………the legend

during the second half of the 19th century Living at the North Pole and assisted by elves, the modern Santa produced and delivered toys to all good children By the late 19th century, he had become such a (50)

…………figure of American folklore that in 1897, when Virginia O’Hanlon wrote to the New York Sun newspaper asking if Santa was real, she received a direct answer: “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”

VI GUIDED CLOZE 2

Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

All plants rely on nutrients taken from the soil in order to survive However, in areas where the soil does not contain enough (51)………….nutrients, some plants have adapted to (52) ………… their diets from another source: living organisms Though they are few in number, carnivorous plants are (53) ………… fascinating beings that “eat” anything from one-celled organisms to insects in order to survive They are commonly found in marshlands Carnivorous plants feature one of several types of “traps” to ensnare prey, which they consume to make up for nutrients that may be missing from the soil While there are over 400 species of carnivorous plants in the world today, some are more (54) ………….than others

The most well known of these plants are the snap traps, which include the Venus fly trap Snap traps are easily identified by , their leaves, which are separated into two lobes that have the ability to fold together Inside the lobes, the surface is covered with tiny hairs that are (55) ………….to movement When the plant’s prey brushes against the hairs, it triggers a closing mechanism that rapidly brings the two lobes together, trapping the prey (56) ………….inside The response of the traps is phenomenal (57) ………….speed: thetime between triggering the hairs and snapping shut is less than a second As the prey struggles inside the trap,

it only triggers more hairs, causing the leaves to tighten their (58) ………… The plant then secretes liquid chemicals from special glands into the trap to dissolve the prey and absorb all of its nutrients Besides the Venus fly trap, only one other type of snap trap exists today, (59) ………….to as the waterwheel plant The two share a common ancestor and differ only in a few ways For instance, the waterwheel is an aquatic plant, while the fly trap is exclusively terrestrial In addition, the fly trap feeds primarily on arthropods like spiders, while the waterwheel lives (60) ………….simple invertebrates, like certain types of plankton

57 A in regard to B in accordance with C in preference to D on merits of

VII READING PASSAGE 1

Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.

GERTRUDE STEIN

One of the most influential literary figures of the twentieth century was American author Gertrude

Stein Her literary style and vision was often a radical departure from traditional methods, which relied on a

more linear plotline Instead, Stein focused on language itself by employing methods of repetition and

spontaneity in an attempt to mirror human consciousness But, Stein’s influence did not stop with her writing

As an expatriate in Paris, she was responsible for bringing some of the greatest minds in art and literature together at her apartment, Salon 27 The Spanish painter Pablo Picasso and American writer Ernest

Hemingway were two frequent visitors Indeed, Stein was the one who coined the phrase “Lost Generation” todenote up-and-coming American writers living in Paris at the time mainly due to their disillusionment with art

as a whole back home While Gertrude Stein may not be the most recognizable figure in literature, her

personal and literary influence on artists was invaluable

Stein began living in Paris in 1903 Eventually, her flat, Salon 27, became a center of intellectual exchange for writers and artists Before long, she became an integral part of the artistic and literary scene in the city and befriended numerous important figures, such as Picasso and Matisse They would meet there weekly, where they could expound on new theories of art, philosophy, literature, politics, and social issues in the stimulating, prỏductive environment provided by Stein Without Stein’s Salon 27, it is quite possible that many of the artists and writers of the day never would have crossed paths, and the individual disciplines would not have become as diverse or fully developed as they eventually did These interactions also became a major influence on Stein’s own literary style

Stein became enamored with Picasso’s cubist style, and, as a result, many of his earliest works adornedthe walls of her apartment But they were not simply decorative Cubism attempts to reduce the subject from its natural form into an abstract, geometrical shape capable of numerous angles of perception In a similar fashion, Stein attempted to interpret cubism through literature and writing Like cubist painters, Stein wrote in

a style that took into consideration every possible angle of her subject matter She wanted to give readers the opportunity to view her work on many different levels, not just a single, flat surface But, unlike the cubists who relied on formal structure to some degree, Stein took it a step further and placed less emphasis on formal writing structures such as grammar and syntax and focused on what she called “automatic” language, which was spontaneous and repetitive and relied more on the spoke word

In many ways, Stein’s style was a reaction against nineteenth century authors’ tendency to place order and structure above all other considerations Stein revolutionized the style of the twentieth century by

undermining traditional, expected methods that came before the modern era Stein focused on the process of

writing, not its ultimate result She also believed that all parts of a sentence were equally important For example, to her, an article was as important as a noun, and a conjunction was as vital as a verb In essence, every part of a sentence was related She learned this from painters, who believed every brushstroke on a canvass contributed to the whole and could not be left out Furthermore, the act of perception, whether it be art

or literature, was crucial, not the ultimate outcome because to Stein, consciousness never ceases It is

continuous, so it became her task to try to embody the movement of consciousness in her work through

techniques such as the repetition of words or spontaneity rather than depicting events or a plotline in a linear fashion

In many ways, Stein’s writing mirrors the chaotic, detached atmosphere of post-Word War I Paris, yet

it also marks the moment when literature began to leave the nineteenth century behind in favor of a more modernist style of imagination and innovation It is also a clear precursor of stream of consciousness, which dominated writing styles during the rest of the twentieth century in America For instance, Hemingway’s style

in many of his early novels is clearly influenced by Stein While Stein was able to capitalize on artistic

renditions of life and translate them into literature, other artists benefited form her willingness to reject the

accepted traditions and create her own

61 The word “radical” is closest in meaning to

62 The author’s description of Gertrude Stein mentions which of the following?

A She was originally from Paris and later moved to the US

B Her writing style was centered on a structured plotline

C She attempted to focus on the linguistic side of writing

D Her work was quite controversial due to its extreme nature

63 Which of the following can be inferred from Paragraph 1 about American expatriates in Paris?

A They did not completely agree with Picasso’s style at first

B They were more satisfied with the creative capacity of Europe

C They attempted to forge a new style of literary consciousness

D They rarely met together in Stein’s apartment to converse

64 The author discusses Salon 27 in paragraph 2 in order to

A illustrate its relevance as a place of artistic1 interaction of the time

B note it is where the painters Matisse and Picasso first met one another

C indicate it was an adequate place for such great minds to mingle

D show that artists of the day lacked a meeting place at’which to gather

65 According to paragraph 3, Stein followed the cubist style because

A it focused on the geometric forms inherent in most subject matter

B it gave her a way to present her reader with various perspectives

C it was the simplest form with which to interpret and understand her work

D it eschewed the secondary parts in fayor of the major parts of art

66 The word “undermining” in the passage is closest in meaning to

67 The author’s description of Stein’s revolutionary style mentions all of the following EXCEPT

A She placed reason, order and logic above all other facets of her technique

B She considered each part of the sentence to be essential to its weight and meaning

C She did not believe that the finality of a work of literature was very important

D She attempted to capture the movement, of consciousness through various, techniques

68 The word “embody” in the passage is closest in meaning to

69 According to paragraph 5, Stein’s style is a product of the era because

A it translates the sentiment of Europeans during a time of reconstruction

B it is more imaginative and innovative than anything the world had seen

C it continues the former structural traditions present before World War II

D it rejects the past and is fashioned out of the sentiment of post-war Europe

70 The word “renditions” in the passage is closest in meaning to

VIII READING PASSAGE 2

Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.

According to accounts, when the first astronauts in space looked down and saw the Earth floating in the vast black void, they had what can only be described as a profound spiritual experience; in an instant they had attained a 'global consciousness' in which all national and international boundaries disappeared, and they were left with the awesome realisation that they were mere 'planetary citizens' To the astronauts, the planet looked as if it were some huge single living system The photographs they brought back touched us all in some way, and the blue sphere in space came to symbolise the oneness of all humanity and life on Earth The

idea that the planet might be alive, strange though it sounds, was soon to gain credence, even among the

scientific community

Not long afterwards in the 1970s, the hypothesis that the Earth's biosphere actually functions as a single living system was put forward by Dr James Lovelock, a British scientist and inventor who had been commissioned by NASA to help determine whether or not there was life on Mars By comparing the

atmospheres of both planets, he soon realised that, while Mars had a stable, unchanging, 'dead' atmosphere, Earth had no such equilibrium, and that there were some complex processes going on It was this imbalance that made the planet suitable for sustaining life He postulated that: 'the physical and chemical condition of thesurface of the Earth, of the atmosphere and of the oceans has been, and is, actively made fit and comfortable

by the presence of life itself in contrast to the conventional wisdom which held that life adapted to the

planetary conditions as it, and they, evolved their separate ways.'

Suffice it to say, Lovelock knew that when looking at the Earth in this way, what he was seeing was not so much a planet that just happened to be suitable for sustaining life, but a self-evolving, and self-

regulating system that adjusted itself to support life This seemed to qualify the Earth as a living entity in her own right, so he named her 'Gaia' - after the Greek goddess who was said to have drawn the living world forthfrom Chaos - and the 'Gaia hypothesis' was born

Lovelock first published his idea in 1979 in his book, Gaia, a New Look at Life on Earth, although the science behind the hypothesis was still imprecise The ideas in the book provoked a storm of criticism, but also generated a lot of research, which has since led to profound new insights about life on Earth For

instance, Lovelock knew that the heat of the sun has increased by 25% since life began on Earth, yet he did not understand by which process the temperature on the surface had been kept at the optimum conditions suitable for sustaining life

Since that time, many of the mechanisms by which Gaia regulates her systems have been identified For example, it has been shown that cloud formation over the open ocean is almost entirely a function of the metabolism of oceanic algae Previously, it was thought that this cloud formation was a purely chemical phenomenon Further research suggested that Gaia has automatically been controlling global temperature, atmospheric content, ocean salinity, and other factors in order to 'maintain the conditions suitable for its own survival', in much the same way that any individual organism regulates its body temperature, blood salinity etc

Similarly, all the life forms on the planet are a part of Gaia, in a way analogous to the different organs

in a body, each with its own function The oceans and atmosphere act as the planet's circulatory and

temperature control systems, while the tropical rainforests could be compared to the liver, cleansing the body

of toxins In their diversity, the myriad life forms of earth co-evolve and contribute interactively to produce and sustain the system as a whole

Some of Lovelock's critics took his hypothesis to imply that the Earth was behaving with a sense of purpose, that it was being a teleological* being, actively controlling the climate and so on However,

Lovelock had never stated that planetary self-regulation was purposeful, only that it was a living, highly complex system No one doubts that plants or bacteria are alive, yet they do not produce processes nearly as complicated as the Earth's

The Gaia Theory has already had a huge impact on science and has inspired many leading figures of the past 20 years, who have written and spoken eloquently about how we can model human activities that are beneficial to the living systems of our planet By making us more aware of the damage we are doing to the eco-system, Gaia theory may also help us to survive We are just one part of a larger system, and are reliant onthat system for our continued existence As Lovelock said: 'if we see the world as a superorganism of which

we are a part - not the owner, nor the tenant, not even a passenger - we could have a long time ahead of us andour species might survive for its 'allotted span' It all depends on you and me.'

*A being with an ultimate purpose/design towards an end.

71 The first astronauts in space were

A conscious of the lack of physical boundaries between nations

B forced to adjust their perspective of their place in the cosmos

C profoundly affected by the symbolism of the Earth

D made aware of the life-forces operating on Earth

72 The word “credence” is closest in meaning to

73 Dr James Lovelock had originally

A been arv inventor in Britain

C been employed to compare Mars with Earth

B been looking for Martian life

D proved Mars was a dead planet

74 The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to

A life on Earth B planetary conditions

C oceans D atmosphere and temperatures

75 Lovelock surmised that

A Earth’s inconstant atmosphere was a bi-product of life on the planet

B the chemical condition of the Earth had come about by accident

C the imbalance of gases on Earth had created life

D life had evolved to survive in Earth’s planetary conditions

76 Research has shown that

A the various planetary systems are regulated by different mechanisms

B clouds are formed by metabolic chemical changes in the sky

C the saltiness of the seas is due to the presence of oceanic algae

D Gaia can ultimately control her own survival

77 The word “analogous” is closest in meaning to

78 According to Gaia theory

A the planet has physical biological organs similar to a person’s

B the oceans control the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere

C the rainforests can remove all the pollution from the Earth

D each species on Earth has a part to play in the planet’s survival

79 According to Lovelock,

A higher forces are at work behind the Earth’s existence and survival

B the Earth had developed senses and was conscious of its purpose

C the complex life-forces on earth are equal to the sum of a living being

D bacteria and plants are alive but can only produce simple processes

80 The Gaia hypothesis may ultimately ensure the immediate survival of

A the planet Earth B the human species

C the ecosystem D all life on Earth

B WRITTEN TEST

I CLOZE TEST: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits eack space Use only ONE WORD for each space.

OPEN CLOZE 1

Quite different from storm surges are the giant sea waves called tsunamis, which derive their (1)

………….from the Japanese expression for “high water in a harbor” These waves are also referred to by the general public as tidal waves, although they have relatively (2) ………… to do with tides Scientists often refer to them as seismic sea waves, far more appropriate in (3) ………….they do result from undersea seismicactivity

Tsunamis are caused when the sea bottom suddenly moves and the water above the moving earth is suddenly displaced This sudden shift of water sets off a series of waves, which can travel great distances at speeds close to 700 kilometers per hour In the (4) ………….ocean, tsunamis have little noticeable amplitude, often no more than one or two meters It is when they hit the shallow water (5) ………….they increase in(6)

……….possibly up to 40 meters Tsunamis often occur in the Pacific because the Pacific is an area of (7)

………….seismic activity Two areas of the Pacific (8) ………….accustomed to the threat of tsunamis are Japan and Hawaii Because the seismic activity that causes tsunamis in Japan often (9) ………….on the ocean

name

bottom quite close to the islands, the tsunamis that hit Japan often come with little (10) ………….and can therefore prove disastrous.

Adaptations for speed, however, are likely to require sacrifices, so we might expect only some species

to adopt a simple fast flight strategy Another way of enhancing the effectiveness of flight is to move in an erratic and unpredictable (14) ………… Many species, like ptarmigans, snipes, and various antelopes and gazelles, flee from predators in a characteristic zigzag fashion Rapid unexpected changes in flight direction (15) ………….it difficult for a predator to track (16) ………… In some species, like the European hare, erratic zigzag flight might be more effective in the (17) ………….of predators that are faster than they are andstraight flight more effective against predators that are (18) ………… A quite different way of enhancing escape by flight is to use so-called “flash” behavior Here, the alarmed grey flees for a short distance and then

“freezes” Some predators are unexcited by (19) ………… prey, and a startling flash of activity followed by immobility may confuse them “Flash behavior” is used in (20) ………….by frog and orthopteran insects

II WORD FORMATION

PART 1: Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses.

1 This involved some………… dealings with the chief of the police (HAND)

2 Ensure your screen colors are not causing eye strain Avoid fluorescent………… screens (COLOR)

3 You can travel from one end of the park to the other on a………… railway (MINIMIZE)

4 Mr Madill stated that the………… against him were unfounded (ALLEGE)

5 The lingering war in the country has brought about nothing but the………… effects of poverty and

squalor (HUMAN)

6 The………… between blacks and whites are more and more common (MARRY)

7 I don’t think Tom’s getting too much sleep lately His eyes are terribly………… (BLEED)

8 He has unwavering belief in something unreal such as………… forces (NORMALITY)

9 ………… can be dangerously close to racism (NATION)

10 The world champion was………… by a younger Russian challenger (THRONE)

PART 2: Complete the passage with appropriate forms from the words given in the box.

KICK LEAVER IKELIHOOD ECSTASY RELATION

ADVENTUROUS NURTURE COUNT ATTEND REMARK

Over the years, there have been (11) ………… fans of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yogi Bear The cartoon series enjoyed by young and old alike revolved mostly around the (12) ………….of this loveable bear and his (13) ………… Boo-Boo as they tried unsuccessfully to snag “pic-a-nic” baskets in the made-up land of Jellystone Park It is not often that people think about where the ideas for these cartoon characters come from, which brings up an interesting point: do bears actually search for food (14) …………

in Picnic baskets and (15) ………… campsites?

(16) ………….enough, bears have been known to seek out food from some (17) ………….sources, including picnic baskets, on top of their usual diet of berries, insects, and fish Bears work throughout the summer and fall to build up fat stores so as to have energy enough to last them through their winter

hibernations (18) ………… to this is their need to replenish their depleted reserves when they wake up in thespring Food is generally scarce in the early spring, and consequently they will (19) ………….indulge in any foods that are (20) ………… This is the main reason for many incidents involving bears entering campsites

in search of food

III ERROR CORRECTION

The following passage contains 10 errors Identify and correct them.

kickings

intermarriage

dethroned Nationality

1 Many flowering plants woo insect pollinators and gently direct them to their most fertile blossoms by changing the colors of individual flowers from day to day Through color cues, the plant signals for theinsect that it would be better off visiting one flower on its bush than other The particular hue tells the pollination that the flower is full of far more pollen than are

5 neighboring blooms That nectar-rich flower also happens to be fertile and ready to disperse its pollen

or to receive pollen the insect has picked out from another flower Plants do not have to spend preciousresources remaining reservoirs of nectar in all their flowers Thus, the colorcode communication system benefits both plants and insects

For example, on the lantana, a flower starts out on the first day as yellow, when it is rich

10 with pollen and nectar Influenced by an as-yet-unidentified environmental signal, the flower changes

its color of triggering the production of the pigment anthromyacin It turns orange on the second day and red on the third By the third day, it has no pollen to offer insects and is no longer fertile On any given lantana bush, only 10 to 15 percent of the blossoms are likely to be yellow and fertile But in the tests measuring the response of butterflies, it’s discovered that

15 the insects visited the yellow flowers at least 100 times more than would be expected from the

haphazard visitation Experiments with paper flowers demonstrated that the butterflies-were

responding with color cues rather than, say, the scent of the nectar In other types of plants, blossoms change from white to red, others from yellow to red, and so on These color changes have been

observed in 74 families of plants

IV SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION

ewrite the following sentences using the words given.

1 This liver condition is common among those who drink a lot

→ This liver condition……… drinkers

2 “ I think the whole idea is ridiculous,” he said

5 Her lateness made the boss angry (BANANAS)

→ It was because she………

6 She wore headphones in order not to disturb anyone

→ She wore headphones lest………

7 She is not very good at arranging flowers (FLAIR)

→………

8 Bill changed his ways when he came out of prison (LEAF)

→ Bill has………

9 You must not, I repeat not, open this box until Christmas Day (TO)

→ Under ………opened until Christmas Day

10 Her early success has made her very conceited (HEAD)

→………

TRƯỜNG THPT MẠC ĐĨNH CHI - TP HỒ CHÍ MINH

A MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

I PHONOLOGY

Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the other three.

the whole idea as being ridiculous

She doesn't have a flair for arranging flowers

turned over a new leaf when

was late made her boss went bananas

no circumstances should this box to be

She let her early success go to her head

have known that my children

4 A subtle B timber C plumber D doubtful

Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other three.

9 A painstakingly B fascinatingly C interestingly D temporarily

II WORD CHOICE

Choose the best answer to complete eạch of the following sentence.

1 We welcome the new regulations, which become………on the first of next month

2 Although he spoke slowly, I found it difficult at times to follow the……… of his argument

3 The Red Cross is ………an international aid organization

A intriguingly B intrusively C intrinsically D intrepidly

4 If I were you, I would regard their offer with considerable………because it seems too good to be true

5 When his accomplices failed to turn up at the meeting point, it on him that he had been tricked

6 Tourism provides people with jobs - albeit often rather ……… ones!

7 Anna is a very nervous child and she’s very………of strangers

8 He was………with an extraordinary musical ability

9 I’m opting out of the ………race and going to live on a small farm in the countryside

10 Champagne is a………wine, which originally came from the north-east of France

III STRUCTURES AND GRAMMAR

Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentence.

1 Jacob won’t pass the course without studying,………else he does

2 They………the loan because they already owed too much money elsewhere

A weren’t successful to get B didn’t succeed to get

C weren’t succeeded in getting D didn’t succeed in getting

3 It………been Max you saw last night because he’s been out of town for a week

A will not have B wasn’t to have C Should not have D couldn’t have

4 ‘Is this the suitcase you want to take on the trip?’

‘No, I wanted ………brown one.’

5 Irene……… asked to the party

A pleased to be B pleased being

C was please for being D was pleased to be

6 The new highway could not be completed because ………money

7 You can take either a math or a physics course this semester,……….what you decide

A dependent in B depending on C depends for D to depend for

8 Where are my car keys? I can’t remember where………

A last they were put B did I last put them

C were they to be put last D I last put them

9 Sarah had to take………lessons before she got her license

10 Mary was having trouble deciding whether or……… take the new job

A not should she B not she should

C should she not D should not she

IV PREPOSITIONS AND PHRASAL VERBS

Choose the correct phrase to complete each sentence.

1 No matter how often I explain it, he doesn’t seem to

2 That is the proposal which I shall……… to the Managing Director

3 Leila………the information she wanted in her reference books

4 Local shopkeepers are………their prices for the summer sales

5 Lucia was surprised when her guests………late for the party

6 Sergio noticed how cold it was when he………the plane

7 All the ideas were good, but Michael………the best plan of all

8 I think a plain blouse would………better………that skirt

9 She………the flat three times, before deciding to buy it

10 Although he’s my friend, I find it hard to………his selfishness

Both were immensely popular, and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the “Yellow Kid,” the first

continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcaulthad been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst The “Yellow Kid’ was in many ways a pioneer Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech balloon inside the

strip, usually placed above the characters heads

The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks’s “Katzenjammer

Kids,” based on Wilheim Busch’s Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century The “Kids”

strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips It contained not only speech

balloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of most earlier comics

Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black- and-white strips were not far behind They first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904 It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 black-and-

white comic strips had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country.

1 What does the passage mainly discuss?

A A comparison of two popular comic strips

B The differences between early and modem comic strips

C The effects of newspapers on comic strip stories

D Features of early comic-Strips in the United States

2 Why does the author mention Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst?

A They established New York’s first newspaper

B They published comic strips about the newspaper war

C Their comic strips are still published today

D They owned major competitive newspapers

3 The passage suggests that comic strips were popular for which of the following reasons?

A They provided a break from serious news stories

B Readers enjoyed the unusual drawings

C Readers could identify with the characters

D They were about real-life situations

4 To say that Richard Outcault had been “lured away from the “world” by Hearst (line 9) means which of the following?

A Hearst convinced Outcault to leave the World

B Hearst fired Outcault from the World

C Hearst warned Outcault to leave the World

D Hearst wanted Outcault to work for the World

5 The word “it” in line 10 refers to…………

6 According to the passage, the “Yellow Kid” was the first comic strip to do all of the following

EXCEPT…………

A feature the same character in each episode

B include dialogue inside a balloon

C appear in a Chicago newspaper

D charactertize city life in a humorous way

7 The word “incorporate” in line 12 is closest in meaning to…………

8 The word “prototype” in line 14 is closest in meaning to…………

9 The word “staple” in line 20 is closest in meaning to…………

A regular feature B popular edition C new version D huge success

10 In what order does the author discuss various comic strips in the passage?

A Alphabetical order by title

B In the order in which they were created

C According to the newspaper in which they appeared

D From most popular to least popular

PASSAGE B

Life originated in the early seas less than a billion years after the Earth was formed Yet another three billion years were to pass before the first plants and animals appeared on the continents Life’s transition from the sea to the land was perhaps as much of an evolutionary challenge as was the genesis of life

What forms of life were able to make such a drastic change in lifestyle? The traditional view of the

first terrestrial organisms is based on megafossils - relatively large specimens of essentially whole plants and animals Vascular plants, related to modern seed plants and ferns, left the first comprehensive megafossil record Because of this, it has been commonly assumed that the sequence of terrestrialization reflected the evolution of modern terrestrial ecosystems In this view, primitive vascular plants first colonized the margins

of continental waters, followed by animals that fed on the plants, and lastly by animals that preyed on the plant-eaters Moreover, the megafossils suggest that terrestrial life appeared and diversified explosively near the boundary between the Silurian and the Devonian periods, a little more than 400 million years ago

Recently, however, paleontologists have been taking a closer look at the sediments below this

Silurian-Devonian geological boundary It turns out that some fossils can be extracted from these sediments by putting

the rocks in an acid bath The technique has uncovered new evidence from sediments that were deposited nearthe shores of the ancient oceans - plant microfossils and microfossils and microscopic pieces of small animals

In many instances the specimens are less than one-tenth of a millimeter in diameter Although they were entombed in the rocks for hundreds of millions of years, many of the fossils consist of the organic remains of

the organism

These newly discovered fossils have not only revealed the existence of previously unknown

organisms, but have also pushed back these dates for the invasipn of land by multicellular organisms Our views about the nature of the early plant and animal communities are now being revised And with those revisions come new speculations about the first terrestrial life-forms

11 The word “drastic” in line 5 is closest in meaning to

12 According to the theory that the author calls “the traditional view,” what was the first form of life to appear on land?

A Bacteria B Meat-eating animals

C Plant-eating animals D Vascular plants

13 According to the passage, what happened about 400 million years ago?

A Many terrestrial life-forms died out

B New life-forms on land developed at a rapid rate

C The megafossils were destroyed by floods

D Life began to develop in the ancient seas

14 The word “extracted” in line 15 is closest in meaning to

15 What can be inferred from the passage about the fossils mentioned in lines 15-18?

A They have not been helpful in understanding the evolution of terrestrial life

B They were found in approximately the same numbers as vascular plant fossils

C They are older than the megafossils

D They consist of modem life-forms

16 The word “instances” in line 18 is closest in meaning to

17 The word “they” in line 19 refers to

18 The word “entombed” in line 19 is closest in meaning to

19 Which of the following resulted from the discovery of microscopic fossils?

A The time estimate for the first appearance of terrestrial life-forms was revised

B Old techniques for analyzing fossils were found to have new uses

C The origins of primitive sea life were explained

D Assumptions about the locations of ancient seas were changed

20 With which of the following conclusions would the author probably agree?

A The evolution of terrestrial life was as complicated as the origin of life itself

B The discovery of microfossilssupports the traditional viewof how terrestrial life

C New species have appeared at the same rate over the course of the last 400 million years

D The technology used by paleontologists is too primitive to make accurato determinations about ages of fossils

VI CLOZE TESTS

PASSAGE A

When it became quite common for people to own a television in the USA in the 1950s, producers wereforced to (1) ………….up with different kinds of programmes One type that rapidly (2) ………….popularity was the ‘game show’, in which contestants had to answer questions One such programme, which was the

subject of a film called Quiz Short, caused a scandal of nationwide proportions over forty years ago.

Like all commercial television stations, the one that (3) ………… this show was interested in the number and opinions of viewers who watched the programme (4) …………., the sponsors were paying a greatdeal of money to get their (5) advertised This put pressure on the producers They had to make sure people (6) on watching so they carried out surveys about the contestants who (7) ………….on theshow When the public grew tired of the champion, there was a danger of people watching another television (8) ………… which, in turn, would put their jobs at risk

In order to keep everybody happy, they had to ‘fix’ the show They did this by giving either the

champion or the challenger the answers to the questions, (9) ………….the public’s preferences and wishes The plan worked well for a while, but when it was (10) …………., the popularity of game shows decreased

elsewhere are free to roam over 70,000 square kilometres of nature (15) ………….Yet these areas only account for six per cent of the country so that, increasingly, private land and farms are playing a major role in conserving wildlife As a result, some progress has been (16) ………….The black rhinoceros, numbering 100,000 only fifty years ago, was decimated by the trade in its horn for medicines in Asia and ornamental (17)

………….for weapons in the Middle East but the signs are that the trend towards the (18) …………

of the species has at least been halted, if not reserved The change has come about largely because of greater co-operation between government and private agencies The law has been much more (19) …………

Enforced Poachers now face heavy fines and sentences of ten years in prison Those who live (20) …………

to protected areas now feel they have a stake in the preservation of the country’s wild life This is an immense advantage in ensuring the survival of the species

15 A enclosures B folds C parks D reserves

Migrating animals (4) ………….to use three mechanisms fox finding their way Over short distances

an animal moyes to successive familiar landmarks and this is called piloting In orientation, a straight line path

is taken, (5) ………… on the animal adopting a particular compass direction Navigation is the most complexprocess as the animal must first (6) ………….its present position before taking a direction relative to that It seems that some birds (7) ………….the sun, stars (often the North star which moves very little), and an

‘internal clock’ which (8) ………… allowances for the relative position of these heavenly (9) ………… Even when the sun is hidden behind a cloud, many birds are (10) ………… to continue their migration quiteaccurately by plotting their direction with respect to the Earth’s magnetic field

PASSAGE B

Football fans who insist that officials need their eyes tested may not be far off the mark Scientists have discovered that in the case of offside, (11) ………….in every ten rulings is wrong The rule states that a player is offside if he is nearer the goal than the last defender, (12) ………….from the goalkeeper It is

designed to prevent players hanging around the goal, waiting for the ball to come to them Linesmen must raise a flag indicating that a player is offside and the referee must then stop the game but they often (13)

………….it difficult to decide (14) ………… all the players on the field are in (15) ………….to each other Experts have argued that the reason for this is that the linesman is looking at the player who passes the ball, not at the one who receives it, and when he looks back, the other player has moved But the research (16)

…………out suggests that the mistake is due to an optical illusion If the linesman is (17) ………… to the goal than the last defender, it is very hard to judge the players’ position The study also showed that a

linesman who is in (18) ………… is not very likely to raise the flag if the players are beside him, but will often raise it by (19) ………….if they are on the other side of the field The ideal (20) ………….to the

problem would be to employ a video eye to check the decisions but in that case the referee would have to stop the game continually to ask for a second opinion

II WORD FORMS

Complete the following sentences with the correct forms of the words given

1 It was thanks to the ………….of the medical staff that she recovered from her injuries (DEDICATE)

2 …………., the hole in the ozone layer has doubled in size this year (ALARM)

3 It’s………….to see the friendship and enthusiasm these kids display on the sports field (HEART)

4 Some groups of football fans have reputation for………….(DESTROY)

5 The fans’ bad behaviour has resulted in the………….of their football team from the championship

(QUALIFY)

6 John works completely independently - he is to nobody but himself (ANSWER)

7 The spectators were debating the likely result of the tennis final (ANIMATE)

8 She runs so………….as if it’s the easiest things in the world (EFFORT)

9 You can trust Samantha- she always manages to remain………….in a crisis (COOL)

dedication Alarmingly

heartwarming

destructiveness disqualification

answerable

animatedly effortlessly

10 It was very.………….of you to admit your shot had gone out after the umpire had said it was in

(SPORTS)

Put the words given in the correct blanks You have to use their correct forms to make a meaningful passage.

fertility - help - initial - retrieve - sleep special - success - surgery - swell - treat

One of the things people think about when a young woman is diagnosed with cancer is that the

chemotherapy will almost certainly leave her (11).………….afterwards In other words, she will be unable to have a baby One woman, Theresa, explained her experience She told how one day she had found a strange (12) ………….lump She had gone to the hospital and, to her horror, found she had cancer She had recently married and had been thinking of starting a family She had had many (13) ………… Nights worrying about how she and her husband would cope without children (14) ………….the doctors did not even broach the baby issue Although Theresa found her own oncologist (15) …………., one enlightened (16) ………… told her about the possibility of egg (17) ………….This is when the woman’s eggs are removed and kept safe while she has chemotherapy She was determined to recover from cancer and have children She had to go to a (18) ………….to find out that there was a hormone (19) ………… that could help protect the ovaries during chemotherapy Happily, Theresa’s cancer was (20) ………….treated and now she is expecting her first child

III ERROR IDENTIFICATION

There are 10 mistakes in the following passage Identify the mistakes and correct them.

People commonly complain that they never have time enough to accomplish tasks The hours and minutes seem slipping away before many planned chores get done According to time management experts, the main reason for this is that most people fail to set priorities about how to do first They get tied down of trivial, timeconsuming matters and never complete the important ones

One simple solution often used by those at the top is to keep lists of tasks being accomplished daily These lists order jobs from most essential to least essential and checked regularly through the day to assess progress Not only this is an effective way to manage time, but also it serves giving individuals a

much-deserved sense of satisfaction over their achievements People not keep lists often face the end of the work day with uncertainty over the significance of their accomplishments, which over time can contribute with serious problems in mental and physical health

1……… 2………

3……… 4………

5 6………

7.……… 8………

9……… 10.………

IV SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION 1 Mr Tipper’s wife was very sorry she couldn’t celebrate the New Year with her husband → Mrs Tipper greatly………

2 The journalists only heard about the changes to the wedding plans when they arrived at the venue → It was only ………

3 Success in the academic field depends on your ability to amass qualifications → The more ………

4 We finished dinner and, a few moments later, Mrs Jones arrived on the doorstep → Hardly ………

5 Do you have any idea about how Jack made enough money to buy that new sports car (light) → Can you………

6 Kate has finally accepted that their friendship is over (terms) → Kate has finally………

7 You should not lock this door for any reason when the building is open to the public (circumstances) sportsmanlike when the journalist heard about did they arrive at the venue come to terms with the fact that their friendship is over cast any light on how Jack

had we finished dinner when Mrs Jones arrived on the doorstep

infertile

swollen

sleepless

helpless surgeon

retrieval

successfully

treatment

specialist

Initially

qualifications you amass the more success in the academic field depends

apologized for not be able to celebrate the New Year with her husband

TRƯỜNG THPT NGUYỄN THƯỢNG HIỀN - TP HỒ CHÍ MINH

A MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

I PHONOLOGY

Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others

Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from the other three of each group

II VOCABULARY AND STRUCTURE

Choose the best answer A, B, V or D to complete each blank.

1 Ann’s encouraging words gave me to………undertake the demanding task once again

2 The neighbours said they hadn’t got a………who could have broken into our garage

3 I don’t need any medicine I’m as right as ………

4 Don’t be angry with Sue All that she did was in good………

5 A military junta has taken over power in the country after the democratic administration ………

5 Hats like this may have been fashionable in the 60’s, but now they are………the times

7 Just change your approach towards the assignment The way you are dealing with it now will

certainly……… you nowhere

8 Anything he does is in………with the law and that’s why I have suggested him for the post

9 I hope you won’t take………if I say that your project needs more improvement to be accepted

10 Of course, we don’t need this dictionary at present, but in the long………it may prove useful

11 There are geographic, economic, and cultural reasons why………around the world

A diets differ B do diets differ C are diets different D to differ a diet

no circumstances should this door be opened to the public

far as Colin is concerned, he hasn't done

for the ingenious plan of his brother, the stranded climber would

have any clue to send a fax when

12 The wedges………dart board are worth from one to twenty points each.

13 The Dewey Decimal System, currently used in libraries throughout the world,………all written works into ten classes according to subject

14 Individual differences in brain-wave activity may shed light on why some people are more prone to emotional stress disorders………

A that others are B and others are C others are D than are others15………a cheese shop has since grown into a small conglomerate consisting of a catering business and two retail stores

A In the beginning of B It began as

C its beginning which was D What began as

16………definitive study of a western hard - rock mining community cemetery appears to have been done is in Silver City, Nevada

17………in the first draft of the budget will not necessarily be in the final draft

A Although it appears B It appears

C What appears D Despite its appearance

18 During free fall, ………up to a full minute, a skydiver will fall at a constant speed of 120m.p.h

19 Like Thomas Berger’s fictional character Little Big Man, Lauderdale managed to find himself

where………of important events took place

A it was an extraordinary number B there was an extraordinary number

C an extraordinary number D an extraordinary number existed

20.This course is one of………few English courses offered by the college

III PREPOSITION

Choose the best answer A, B, C or D to complete each blank.

1 During tough negotiations, such as the ones we have witnessed over the last week or so, neither side wants to………

2 It is regrettable that two items were………of the invoice and need to be added immediately

3 He brought………the business deal through sheer persistence

4 The bully………when he saw the teacher approaching

5 You cannot………violence by using violence

6 He………the schedule one more time just for my benefit

A went back over B set back C went back on D fell back on

7 You shouldn’t………other people’s problems, even if you don’t consider them to be very serious

A shed light upon B come to light C make light of D see the light

8 Whatever happens tomorrow, she’ll………in history………a great stateswoman

9 She………to the temptation of lying around in bed all day

10 The effect of the drug won’t………until tonight

In general, the survival strategies of desert plants can be divided into two kinds: adaptation for quick

use of ephemeral resources (“maximum variance behavior’’) and adaptation for the best use of poor but more

permanent resources (“minimum variance behavior”) The former strategy involves adaptation to

environmental changes, such as seasonal availability of water This is observed in desert annuals and

perennials alikes Such plants tend to grow rapidly and produce many seeds under the right conditions The latter strategy involves adaptation to the worst possible conditions, which can be seen in succulents, true xerophytes, and grasses These plants usually grow slowly, use water efficiently, and exhibit passive cooling

Water scarcity and heat are the key factors limiting the survival of desert plants Plants that have adapted to the worst possible conditions have evolved ways for quickly acquiring and storing water to ensure their survival Depending on strategies and physical adaptations, they can be divided into either succulents or drought-resistant plants For the most part, succulents have evolved extensive, shallow root systems to quicklyabsorb water during brief periods of heavy rainfall Water is then stored in the fleshy tissue of their thick trunks or lobes, as well as in the roots The cactus is a good example of a succulent To retain water,

succulents have waxy coatings on their skin and a modified system of respiration The stomata (surface

pores), through which the plant takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, open only at night when

temperatures are cooler and less water from the plant will evaporate Unlike most other plants, a succulent stores all or most of its chlorophyll, the chemical essential to photosynthesis, in its stem, skin, or other outer tissues, rather than concentrating it in the leaves Doing this places it in a strong, well-watered part of the plant, rather than in an appendage susceptible to drying out and dropping off

Drought-resistant plants, or xerophytes, come in many forms including true xerophytes, deciduous plants, and grasses Xerophytic shrubs, such as the five species of creosote bush, are the most abundant type

of vegetation in most arid environments They are able to withstand desiccation in severe droughts without dying Some have evolved small leaves with special coatings to reduce loss of water through evaporation

Others have replaced leaves with thorns or spines While succulent roots form shallow, dense webs,

xerophytes tend to develop deep root networks that pull water out of soil other desert plants cannot reach

For example, the roots of the mesquite bush, said to have the deepest root systems among desert plants, can reach depths of up to eighty feet

Succulents and xerophytes, on one hand, have physically adapted to gather and retain water to survive long periods of drought Drought-avoiding plants, on the other hand, escape unfavorable conditions by

perishing These include annuals and perennials Because profuse seed development is crucial to the survival

of most annual species, they tend to produce far more flowers than other types of desert plants The desert marigold of the American southwest, for example, has adapted to seasonal changes in rainfall by growing rapidly, bursting into a brilliant display of yellow flowers, and then dropping a cascade of seeds before dying

In some cases, annuals complete their entire life cycle in a matter of a few weeks or months Their seeds may remain inactive for up to ten years while waiting for wetter conditions Perennials, such as the ocotillo, may

go dormant during dry periods, spring to life when it rains, and then return to dormancy in a process that may occur up to five times per year

1 According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of desert plants?

A They are hard to see in the harsh desert landscape

B They have evolved similar features, regardless of geographic origins

C They have evolved from different families that exchanged survival strategies.

D They all look essentially the same

2 The word ephemeral in the passage is closest in meaning to

3 The word respiration in the passage is closest in meaning to

4 Why does the author mention the action of stomata in the passage?

A To explain how chlorophyll works

B To emphasize a unique adaptation of succulents

C To illustrate that cacti have no leaves

D To describe the basic parts of a succulent

5 The word desiccation in the passage is closest in meaning to

6 The word others in the passage refers to

7 Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information

A At the same time that xerophytes evolved their thick webs of low-lying roots, succulents formed thin networks to reach surface water

B Both succulents and xerophytes form long, dense networks of roots in order to reach water within the soil that non-desert plants could not reach

C Because of their long roots systems developed to reach water deep within the soil, xerophytes have becomemore dominant in desert environments than succulents

D In contrast to xerophytes, which produce long root systems to tap water deep within the soil, succulents develop a thick web of roots just below the soil surface

8 According to paragraph 4, thorns on xerophytes

A are similar to blades of grass

B can reach water very far underground

C are what some plants have instead of leaves

D help keep the plants from being eaten by animals

9 In what form do drought-avoiding annuals wait for wetter weather?

10 According to the author, all of the following are associated with plants that exhibit "minimum variance behavior" EXCEPT

A slow growth, B modified respiration

C rapid seed production D deep root systems

Passage 2 MAKING EVERY DROP COUNT

A The history of human civilisation is entwined with the history of the ways we have learned to

manipulate water resources As towns gradually expanded, water, was brought from increasingly remote sources, leading to sophisticated engineering efforts such as dams and aqueducts At the height

of the Roman Empire, nine major systems, with an innovative layout of pipes and well-built sewers, supplied the occupants of Rome with as much water per person as is provided in many parts of the industrial world today

B During the industrial revolution and population explosion of the 19th and 20th centuries, the demand

for water rose dramatically Unprecedented construction of tens of thousands of monumental

engineering projects designed to control floods, protect clean water supplies, and provide water for irrigation and hydropower brought great benefits to hundreds of millions of people Food production has kept pace with soaring populations mainly because of the expansion of artificial irrigation systems that make possible the growth of 40% of the world's food Nearly one fifth of all the electricity

generated worldwide is produced by turbines spun by the power of falling water.

C Yet there is a dark side to this picture: despite our progress, half of the world's population still suffers,

with water services inferior to those available to the ancient Greeks and Romans As the United

Nations report on access to water reiterated in November 2001, more than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water; some two and a half billion do not have adequate sanitation services Preventable water-related diseases kill an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 children every day, and the latestevidence suggests that we are falling behind in efforts to solve these problems

D The consequences of our water policies extend beyond jeopardising human health Tens of millions of

people have been forced to move from their homes - often with little warning or compensation - to make way for the reservoirs behind dams More than 20% of all freshwater fish species are now threatened or endangered because dams and water withdrawals have destroyed the free-flowing river ecosystems where they thrive Certain irrigation practices degrade soil quality and reduce agricultural productivity Groundwater aquifers are being pumped down faster than they are naturally replenished

in parts of India, China, the USA and elsewhere And disputes over shared water resources have led to violence and continue to raise local, national and even international tensions

E At the outset of the new millennium, however, the way resource planners think about water is

beginning to change The focus is slowly shifting back to the provision of basic human and

environmental needs as top priority - ensuring ‘some for all,’ instead of 'more for some’ Some water experts are now demanding that existing infrastructure be used in smarter ways rather than building new facilities, which is increasingly considered the option of last, not first, resort This shift in

philosophy has not been universally accepted, and it comes with strong opposition from some

established water organisations Nevertheless, it may be the only way to address successfully the pressing problems of providing everyone with clean water to drink, adequate water to grow food and a life free from preventable water-related illness

F Fortunately - and unexpectedly the demand for water is not rising as rapidly as some predicted As a

result, the pressure to build new water infrastructures has diminished over the past two decades Although population, industrial output and economic productivity have continued to soar in developed nations, the rate at which people withdraw water from aquifers, rivers and lakes has slowed And in a few parts of the world, demand has actually fallen

G What explains this remarkable turn of events? Two factors: people have figured out how to use water

more efficiently, and communities are rethinking their priorities for water use Throughout the first three-quarters of the 20th century, the quantity of freshwater consumed per person doubled on average;

in the USA, water withdrawals increased tenfold while the population quadrupled But since 1980, the amount of water consumed per person has actually decreased, thanks to a range of new technologies that help to conserve water in homes and industry In 1965, for instance, Japan used approximately 13 million gallons of water to produce $1 million of commercial output; by 1989 this had dropped to 3.5 million gallons (even accounting for inflation) - almost a quadrupling of water productivity In the USA, water withdrawals have fallen by more than 20% from their peak in 1980

H On the other hand, dams, aqueducts and other kinds of infrastructure will still have to be built,

particularly in developing countries where basic human needs have not been met But such projects must be built to higher specifications and with more accountability to local people and their

environment than in the past And even in regions where new projects seem warranted, we must find ways to meet demands with fewer resources, respecting ecological criteria and to a smaller budget

Choose the correct heading for paragraph B - H from the list of the headings below

List of headings

I Scientists’ call for a revision of policy

II An explanation for reduced water useIII How a global challenge was met

IV Irrigation systems fall into disuse

V Environmental effects

VI The financial cost of recent technological improvementsVII The relevance to health

VIII Addressing the concern over increasing populations

IX A surprising downward trend in demand for water

X The need to raise standards

XI A description of ancient water suppliesExample: Paragraph A: XI

1.Paragraph B 2 Paragraph C 3 Paragraph D

4.Paragraph E 5 Paragraph F 6 Paragraph G 7 Paragraph H

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? For question 8-10 write down

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

8 Feeding increasing populations is possible due primarily to improved irrigation systems

9 Modern water systems imitate those of the ancient Greeks and Romans

10 Industrial growth is increasing the overall demand for water

V GUIDED CLOZE TEST

Read the following passage and choose the options that best complete the blanks

PASSAGE 1

The idea that only an Italian is (1)………….of making the world’s greatest cup of coffee seems to have been around forever, so universally is it (2) ………….today (3) ………… it is actually a fairy recent phenomenon Emilio Lavazza, who died in 2010 at the age of 78, can (4) ………….much of the credit He taught the world not only how to make coffee, but also how to drink it That may explain why Italy has still not been invaded by the American coffee - bar chains so ubiquitous elsewhere in Europe

Emilio Lavazza was born in 1932, and was a leading figure in the generation of Italian businessmen who (5) ………… their family firms in the 1950s These began to expand rapidly, first around the country and then abroad as Italy (6) ………… its long post - war economic expansion This was the generation that (7) ………….the seeds for what has (8) ………… to be known as ‘Made in Italy’, the (9) ………….ofcompanies and brands that make high - quality household and consumer products, from fashion to food to furniture These products are identified with a (10) ………….of craftsmanship on the one hand, and the elegant Italian lifestyle on the other Emilio Lavazza made sure that coffee became an inextricable part of that heritage

work One (4) study has shown that 60 per cent of foreign capital (5) in tourism in

developing countries returns to first - world countries, and although tourism often provides employment, much of it is low - skilled and very poorly paid

Recently, however, a British organization, Tourism Concern, surprised everyone by mounting an (6) vigorous campaign for tourism which respects the rights of local people They argue that local people are at present nowhere near as involved as they should be in decisions about how to (7) their area for tourism Furthermore, they believe tourists should be actively encouraged to use what is often

perfectly satisfactory accommodation offered by local communities, and to fly with airlines (8) ………….in the host countries This would (9) ………….that jobs are provided at all (10) ………….and that capital does not disappear out of the country

B WRITTEN TEST

I OPEN CLOZE

Fill in each gap with one suitable word.

Passage 1

THE TROUBLE WITH SCHOOL

In the first few years at school all appears to (1)………… very well There is much concern, (2)

………… the part of the teachers, with high educational standard, and the children, even those who are (3)

………… from being socially privileged in other ways, seem eager and happy However, by the time the children reach adolescence, the promise of the early years frequently remains unfulfilled Many leave school (4)………… having mastered those basic skills which society demands, let (5)………… having developed the ability to exercise any sort of creative intelligence

There is no denying that, in spite of the enlightened concern of our primary schools with happiness, schooling (6)………… or other turns into a distinctly unhappy experience for many of our children Large numbers of them emerge from it well (7)………… that they are ill - equipped for life in our society So then they either regard (8)………… as stupid for failing or else, quite understandably, they regard the

activities at (9) they have failed as stupid In any event they want no (10) ………… of them How can we justify a long period of compulsory education which ends like that?

Passage 2

RELAXATION

True relaxation is most certainly not a matter of flopping down in front of the television with a

welcome drink Nor is it about drifting (1)……….an exhausted sleep Useful though these responses to tension and over - tiredness (2) ………be, we should distinguish between them and conscious relaxation

in (3) ………of quality and effect (4) ………of the level of tiredness, real relaxation is a state of alert yet at the same time passive awareness, in which our bodies are at rest while our minds are awake

Moreover, it is as natural (5) ………a healthy person to be relaxed when moving as resting Being relaxed in action means we bring the appropriate energy to everything we do, (6) ………as to have

a feeling of healthy tiredness by the end of the day, rather than one of exhaustion

Unfortunately, as a (7) ……… of living in today’s competitive world, we are under constant

recent

đả m nh ậ n, cam k ế t

as

so alone

strain and have difficulty in coping, (8) ……… alone nurturing our body’s abilities (9)………….needs

to be rediscovered is conscious relaxation With that in mind we must apply ourselves to understanding stress and the nature of its causes, (10) ………deep - seated

II WORD FORM

Part 1 Supply the correct form of the word in the bracket in each sentence.

1 You’d better ask Frank, I’m not in………… (POSSESS) of the manual you are looking for

2 Thanks to the operation my ………… (SEE) has improved considerably I hope that after the next one I won’t have to wear glasses at all

3 The English term café, borrowed from French, is ultimately a………… (DERIVE) of the Turkish kahve,

meaning coffee

4 Cats are not considered to be social animals in the sense that they have never………… (HABIT) travelled

in packs or adopted leaders

5 With two ………… (LYRIC) Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, Lloyd Webber composed a hugely successful version of‘The Phantom Of The Opera’

6 The Thompsons have helped us a lot in these hard times We do feel………… (DEBT) to them for their great support

7 ‘Have you got any………… (GIVE) about the cooperation?’ - ‘Oh no, I’m sure it will be successful.’

8 I was overcome with great………… (BITTER) when my invitation was rejected by most of my friends

9 Cigarettes, coffee, alcohol and other ………… (ADD) are known to have an adverse influence upon human health

10 The Bulgarian sportsman was immediately………… (QUALIFY) after the traces of steroids were

discovered in his blood samples

Part 2

Complete the following passage with the correct forms of the given words.

NECESSARY RELY VISION EXCEED GRADE

SIGNIFICANT MODE DESCEND ADVANTAGE PERSUADE

Ancient man used sticks of charcoal to draw pictures on cave walls in order to communicate (with, probably, their deities and trainee huntsmen) Today, some of their direct (1) ………are still using ‘chalk and talk’ and other (2) ………equipment to make presentations to sophisticated business audiences

Now, there’s nothing wrong with whiteboards, flip charts and overhead projectors In their right context, they are still (3) ……… useful presentation tools But in a business environment in which the presentation of clear, easily understandable information is a (4) ……… and in which memorability is key, managers should be constantly (5) ………their equipment to keep pace with developments

Audiences are coming to expect high - quality presentations that are (6) ………stimulating and get the message across without wasting time Professionally - made presentations clearly (7) ………that the person giving them has thought through the issues and knows what they are talking about They can put a (8)

………case that wins over an audience in a way that pieces of paper can’t And they can put you, or yourcompany, in the most (9) ………light possible by delivering a well thought - out message (10)

………….every time

Ill ERROR IDENTIFICATION

There are ten mistakes in the following paragraph Find them then give the correction.

Adolescence always has been and always will be a very difficult time in life You are lost where between childhood and adulthood, but still, this is the time in life when you have to break freely from the conformity of your peers to find yourself Some people argue that it’s more difficult to be young today than it used to be Is this true, and in that case, why?

In modern society teenagers pressure to mature much more quickly than one or two hundred years ago.Today, minors on a very early stage have to make decisions regard education, often bearing upon their future careers In the past children were expected to follow-in the footsteps of their parents, that is to say, the son

persuasive

disadvataged significantly

exceedingly

visual

let

was supposed to take in the profession of his father, while the daughter was expected to stay at home to take care of domestic duties such as cooking and cleaning.

Furthermore, today it’s much more difficult to find your place in society As cities grow, crime

increases, and the aponymity people experiment grow as well It becomes more difficult to find and cultivate your own ideals and values

On the other hand, the adolescent ọf today have great opportunities than ever before In the past, if your father was a blacksmith or a farmer, in ten years, so you would be Today, teenagers have the possibility

to fulfil in all their dreams and ambitions

IV SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION

Rewrite the sentences with the given words or beginning in such a way that their meanings remain unchanged.

1 Nobody knows what caused the collapse of the building

9 Diane finds that creating things stops her from thinking about her work (MIND)

Diane finds that being ………

10.The manager praised one particular player (SINGLED)

One particular player………

TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN TRẦN ĐẠI NGHĨA - TP HỒ CHÍ MINH

A MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

I PHONOLOGY

A Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others of the group

B Choose the word that has the main stress placed differently from that of the other three

II USE OF ENGLISH: Word choice/ Structure and Grammar

1 Mary usually buys her clothes………… It’s cheaper than going to a dressmaker

large, you did a good job though having a few minor mistakes

not supporting

had he drunk a glass of wine when his mood began to improve

for Mike's affluency, Ann wouldnt be dating him

was fell short of my expectation although it

doesn't have much flair for arranging flowers

creative take her work off her mind

was singled out for praise by the manager

unknown what caused

being willing to

affluence

was so wrapped up in her work that she didn’t notice when I came in.

A in public B on the shelf C off the peg D on the house

2 Kathy was as pleased as………….when she heard she had passed the exam

3 I’ve heard that argument before and quite frankly it just doesn’t………….!

A hold water B face the music C carry weight D hit the roof

4 When I tell my parents that we’ve decided to call off the wedding, they’re going to have…………

5 It is advisable to ………….any contact with potential rabit animals

6 Please hand in a concise report on this issue to me by tomorrow morning.

7 I couldn’t tolerate my mother’s incessant nagging.

8 It took me quite ạ long time to………….what the aim of the game was

9 Nancy has the………….to be a great dancer

10 The car was………….speed

11.…………., I would give a party

A Were she to come B Were she coming

C Were she come D She were coming

12 Jane was not………….the landlady had imagined she was

13.I am no………….able to operate this machine than he is

14 The weather forecast was for rain, but the day was fine and dry,………….it turned out

15 What………….make is your car? It’s………….Toyota Altis

16 He………….upon himself the responsibility for protecting her

17 There…………

A does my bus come B my bus comes

C Comes my bus D my bus does come

18 You were the last one………….the office, weren’t you?

19 Our plane tickets never arrived,………….in the post

A must have been B having been lost

C having lost D could have been lost

20 When Kevin arrived, he soon………….at all his jokes

A had everyone laughed B had laughing everyone

C had laughed everyone D had everyohe laughing

Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs:

1 The boss was away so his assistant had to………….him and make a speech

A make off with B do away with C stand in for D take up on

2 They………….that movie so much It’s bound to be a letdown

3 I hate the way Carol………….people………….behind their backs

A runs down B plays down C lays down D batters down

4 I’m so………….with work at the moment - it’s awful

5 Keep………….and you’ll finish your novel eventually

6 The area has been………….following a bomb threat

7 Rudy was really opposed to the idea at the start, but we managed to………….him………….in the end

8 If you ignore it, you’re just………….problems for the future

9 I’ve got to………….the French Revolution for tomorrow’s test

10 Could you lend me $50 to………….me………….until pay day?

III READING COMPREHENSION

Reading 1:

IMAGE AND THE CITY

In the city, we are barraged with images of the people we might become Identity is presented as

plastic, a matter of possessions and appearances; and a very large proportion of the urban landscape is taken

up by slogans, advertisements, flatly photographed images of folk heroes - the man who turned into a

sophisticated dandy overnight by drinking a particular brand of drink, the girl who transformed herself into a

femme fatale with a squirt of cheap scent The tone of the wording of these advertisements is usually pert and

facetious, comically drowning in its own hyperbole But the pictures are brutally exact: they reproduce every detail of a style of life, down to the brand of cigarette-lighter, the stone in the ring and the economic row of books on the shelf

Yet, if one studies a line of ads across from where one is sitting on a tube train, these images radically conflict with each other Swap the details about between the pictures, and they are instantly made illegible if the characters they represent really are heroes, then they clearly have no individual claim to speak for society

as a whole The clean-cut and the shaggy, rakes, innocents, brutes, home-lovers, adventurers, clowns all compete for our attention and invite emulation As a gallery, they do provide a glossy mirror of the aspirations

of a representative city crowd: but it is exceedingly hard to discern a single dominant style an image of how most people would like to see themselves

Even in the business of the mass-production of images of identity, this shift from the general to the diverse and particular is quite recent Consider another line of stills: the back-lit, soft-focus portraits of the first and second generations of great movie stars There is a degree of romantic unparticularity in the face of each one, as if they were communal dream-projections of society at large Only in the specialised genres of

Westerns, farces and gangster movies were stars allowed to have odd, knobbly cadaverous faces ,The hero as

loner belonged to history or the underworld: he spoke from the perimeter of society, reminding us of its dangerous edges

The stars of the last decade have looked quite different Soft-focus photography has gone, to be

replaced by a style which searches out warts and bumps, emphasises the uniqueness not the generality of the face Voices, too, are strenuously idiosyncratic: whines, stammers and low rumbles are exploited as features of'star quality' Instead of romantic heroes and heroines, we have a brutalist, hard-edged style in which

isolation and egotism are assumed as natural social conditions

In the movies, as in the city, the sense of stable hierarchy has become increasingly exhausted; we no

longer live in a world where we can all share the same values, the same heroes (It is doubtful whether this world, so beloved of nostalgia moralists, ever existed; but lip-service was paid to it, the pretence, at least was kept up.) The isolate and the eccentric push towards the centre of the stage; their fashions and mannerisms are

presented as having as good a claim to the limelight and the future as those of anyone else In the crowd on theunderground platform, one may observe a honeycomb of fully-worked-out worlds, each private, exclusive, bearing little comparison with its nearest neighbour What is prized in one is despised in another There are noclear rules about how one is supposed to manage one’s body, dress, talk, or think Though there are elaborate protocols and etiquettes among particular cults and groups within the city, they subscribe to no common standard.

For the new arrival, this disordered abundance; is the city’s most evident and alarming quality He feels as if he has parachuted into a funfair of contradictor imperatives There are so many'people he might become' and a suit of clothes, a make of car, a brand of cigarettes' will go some way towards turning him into

a personage even before he has discovered who that personage is Personal identity has always been deeply rooted in property, but hitherto the relationship has been a simple one - a question of buying what you could afford, and leaving your wealth to announce your status In the modern city, there are so many things to buy, such a quantity of different kinds of status, that the choice and its attendant anxieties have created a new pornography of taste

The leisure pages of the Sunday newspapers, fashion magazines, TV plays, popular novels,

cookbooks, window displays all nag at the nerve of our uncertainty and snobbery Should we like American cars, hard-rock hamburger joints, Bauhaus chairs ? Literature and art are promoted as personal accessories: the paintings of Mondrian or the novels of Samuel Beckett 'go' with certain styles like matching handbags., There is in the city a creeping imperialism of taste, in which more and more commodities are made over to being mere expressions of personal identity Tire piece of furniture, the pair of shoes, the book, the film, are important not so much in themselves but for what they communicate about their owners; and ownership is stretched to include what one likes or believes in as well as what one can buy

1 What does the word ‘barraged’ mean?

2 What does the writer say about advertisements in the first paragraph?

A Certain kinds are considered more effective in cities than others

B The way in which some of them are worded is cleverer than it might appear

C They often depict people that most other people would not care to be like

D The pictures in them accurately reflect the way that some people really live

3 The writer says that if you look at a line of advertisements on a tube train, it is clear that

A city dwellers have very diverse ideas about what image they would like to have

B some images in advertisements have a general appeal that others lack

C city dwellers are more influenced by images on advertisements than other people are

D some images are intended to be representative of everyone’s aspirations

4 What does the writer imply about portraits of old movie stars?

A Their tried to disguise the less attractive features of their subjects

B Most people did not think they were accurate representations of the stars in them

C They made people feel that their own faces were rather unattractive

D They reflected an era in which people felt basically safe

5 What does the word ‘cadaverous’ mean?

A extremely pale and thin B energetic and enthusiastic

C dangerous D skeptical

6 What does the writer suggest about the stars of the last decade?

A Some of them may be uncomfortable about the way they come across

B They make an effort to speak in a way that may not be pleasant on the ear

C They make people wonder whether they should become more selfish

D Most people accept that they are not typical of society as a whole

7 What does the word ‘hierarchy’ mean?

8 The writer uses the crowd on an underground platform to exemplify his belief that

A no single attitude to life is more common than another in a city

B no one in a city has strict attitudes towards the behaviour of others

C views of what society was like in the past are often inaccurate

D people in cities would like to have more in common with each other’

9 The writer implies that new arrivals in a city may

A change the image they wish to have too frequently’

B underestimate the importance of wealth

C acquire a certain image without understanding what that involves

D decide that status is of little importance

10 What point does the writer make about city dwellers in the final paragraph?

A They are unsure as to why certain things are popular with others

B They are aware that judgements are made about them according to what they buy

C They want to acquire more and more possessions

D They are keen to be the first to appreciate new styles

Reading 2:

PARENTHOOD

Paul watched the television above the bar An army of turtles waddled up a beach, cumbersome

helmets dragged through the fine sand to deposit a clutch of smooth, white eggs in the dunes He saw the wriggling reptilian babies emerge sticky from the broken shells and repeat the journey in reverse, thousands of

tiny helmets trundling inexorably over the moonlit dunes towards the breakers Those who escaped being

flipped over on their backs and pecked to death by wading birds were finally swallowed up in the surf There was no pleasure involved in this reptilian cycle of birth and death The turtles survived purely because there were so many of them, and the Oceans were so vast, that one or two were bound to slip through unnoticed

He wondered why they bothered, and presumed it could only be because they had no choice Their genes forced them ever onwards - life would not be denied Previous generations had imposed their will upon their distant descendants, and the descendants wearily obeyed If, by chance, a turtle was born in whom this instinct towards multiplication was misformed or absent, a turtle whose instincts directed them not towards reproduction but towards reflection on the purpose of reproduction, say, or towards seeing how long it could stay underwater on one breath, then this instinct would die with the turtle The turtles were condemned to multiply purely by the breeding success of their own ancestors There was no escape for them Multiplication, once set in motion, was unstoppable

At the present moment, the balance of his own inclinations tilted more towards sleep, the cessation of thought, hibernation, vegetation Had he been one of those tiny helmets, he would, at that moment, have flipped over belly-up in the sand and simply awaited the releasing beak Parenthood had taken him by

surprise The books, the articles, the classes, had not prepared him for the intensity of it all Snap decisions to

be made, everybody looking to him for the answers, and no way of knowing if he had made the correct guess,

no way of finding his way back to the main track if he took a wrong turning Last night he had been half a

couple He had lived with others all his life It was easy -you had rows, you had resentments, but if they

became too frequenij or too boring, or if the compensations ceased to be adequate, you just left, and tried again with someone else until you found someone you could put up with He could noti remember how it had all changed Perhaps it had been the doors of youth and liberty creaking shut behind him, or the demands that were suddenly being made of him, the faces turning towards him when a decision was required Or perhaps it was just the steaming concoction of his emotions, his hormones, his thoughts slopping around his veins with the coffee and nicotine Whatever it was, something had obliged him to seek out a tranquil place in order to restore some order to his metabolism

Then there was the feeling that he had been duped - the one feeling that he hadn't been warned of -

when he saw mother and baby together and realized that the reason why everyone made such a big deal of fatherhood these days was simply because it was such an implausible state Mothers and babies were the

world Fathers werej optional extras, accessories If some strange virus colonized the Y-chromosome and poisoned all the men, the world would carry on It would not be a very exciting world perhaps, rather bland and predictable, but women would find some way to reproduce, and within a generation or two it would be difficult to believe that there had ever been men at all They would appear in the encyclopaedias somewhere between dinosaurs and Romans Future generations of little girls would try, in vain, to understand what it had been that men had done, how they had contributed What use had they been? He had suddenly seen his role exposed as that of a footnote The books had warned him of this feeling, of jealousy, of irrelevance and superfluity They had said it was natural, that he would get over it What they had not said was that it was natural because it was so manifestly, poignantly true, or that he would get over it only by stopping thinking about it Fathers deceived themselves Mothers and babies held it all together The men came and went, interchangeably, causing trouble and bringing presents to make up for it.

He turned his attention to the television The tiny helmets he had watched clawing their way down towards the surf had become parents themselves now You could tell they were the same turtles, because the scientists had painted fluorescent hieroglyphics on their shells They returned to the beach on which they had hatched, and the credits rolled

1.What did Paul notice about the turtles in the first paragraph?

A their reluctance to return to the sea

B their behaviour with their young

C the effort they made to survive

D the tiny proportion of young who survived

2 What does the word ‘inexorably’ mean?

3 Paul assumed that if a turtle did not wish to reproduce,

A it is would be punished by other turtles B it would end up doing so anyway

C this attitude would not spread to other turtles D this would not come as a surprise

4 His thoughts turned towards going to sleep because

A he knew that he was unlikely to get much in the near future

B he had been left mentally exhausted by becoming a parent

C he had become weary of his actions being criticized

D he felt that thạt was what many o{ the turtles probably wanted to do

5 What does the word ‘resentment’ mean?

6 What did he feel he had been forced to do since last night?

A accept that he was not really cut out for living with other people

B find a way pf making himself feel better physically

C identify precisely what had caused his life to change so radically

D remind himself of howr he had felt prior to this

7 In what way did he feel that he had been duped?

A He had expected his role to be one that differed from that of most men

B He had not been informed about how women changed when they became mothers

C He had not been told the truth by women about how they really regarded men

D He had thought fatherhood was treated as a major subject because fathers were important

8 He felt that the books had failed to warn him that his feeling of irrelevance

A would not fade away naturally B would not be shared by others

C would be replaced by worse feelings D would reduce him to inactivity

9 What does the word ‘duped’ mean?

10 What is implied about events on the television programme?

A They made him more depressed than he would otherwise have been

B They made him feel that turtles were better off than humans.

C They reflected his own lack of joy at becoming a father

D They gave him a Chance to escape{rom his own thoughts

IV CLOZE TEST:

Cloze Test 1:

HOLIDAY COMPLAINTS

There are too many people in Britain today who are ready to complain rather than enjoy their holidays and who ………(1) the word about how easy it is to get money back from the travel industry which appears to have become paralysed with fear over bad……… (2)

I recently heard a middle-aged woman protesting bitterly that she had to pay for the ……… (3) of

a golf cart during an all-inclusive golfing holiday in Jamaica and demanded back all the money spent on the cart together with more for the ‘distress’ she had been……… (4) A friend of mine recently overheard a group of young lads deciding, before they even……… (5) the aircraft, what they were going to complain about to get a refund on the cost of their holiday and which high-value item would be ‘lost’ during the

……… (6)

Last month a Manchester man led a ‘mutiny’ of 200 passengers on a……… (7) ship because, he said, the bingo prize was not big enough This week I heard details of a honeymoon……… (8) who were sent a big bouquet of flowers by the tour operator and then complained that it was too big and……… (9) them from moving freely about their hotel room These types, who we have all met in airport……… (10) , just make the rest of us suffer, when they lie and fool tour operators into handing cash back

Cloze Test 2:

ENGLISH SPELLING

Why does English spelling have a reputation for being difficult? English was first written down when Christian monks came to England in Anglo-Saxon……… (1) They used the 23 letters of Latin to write down the sounds of Anglo-Saxon ……… (2) as they heard it However, English has a wider range of basic sounds (over 40) than Latin The alphabet was too small, and so combinations of letters were needed to……… (3) the different sounds Inevitably, there were inconsistencies in the way that letters were combined

With the Norman invasion of England, the English language was put at risk English survived, but the spelling of many English words changed to follow French……… (4), and many French words

were……… (5) into the language The result was more irregularity

When the printing press was invented in the fifteenth century, many early printers of English texts spoke other first languages They ……… (6) little effort to respect English spelling Although one of the short-term ……… (7) of printing was to produce a number of variant spellings, in the long term it

created fixed spellings People became used to seeing words spelt in the same way Rules were ……… (8), and dictionaries were put together which printers and writers could refer to However, spoken English wasnot fixed and continued to change slowly - just as it still does now Letters that were sounded in the Anglo-Saxon period, like the ‘k’ in 'knife’, now became ……… (9) Also, the pronunciation of vowels then had

little in common with how they sound now, but the way they are spelt hasn’t changed No……… (10),then, that it is often difficult to see the link between sound and spelling.

B WRITTEN TEST

I OPEN CLOZE TEST

Open Cloze Test 1:

When rainforests are cleared and [1] ………,millions of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere affecting climatic conditions and threatening us all [2] ………severe flooding, drought and drop failure The rainforests [3] ……… at least half of the earth’s species At the current rate of

devastation an [4] ……… 50 species worldwide become extinct every day

One in four purchases from our chemists is derived from the rainforests Scientists are [5] …………caught in a race against time to find rainforest treatments for cancer, AIDS and heart disease before they are [6] ………… forever Tribal people in the rainforests have been shot, poisoned and infected with diseases to which they have no resistance - to make room for logging, mining and dams If this destruction continues, only nine [7] ……… the 33 countries currently exporting rainforest timber will have any [8] ………

by the end of the decade

Almost everyone will have part of the rainforests in their home, as do-it-yourself stores still supply andthe construction industry still uses tropical hardwoods for doors, window [9] ………and even toilet seats

Please help us [10] ………the tropical rainforests now, before it is too late

Open Cloze Test 2:

Plants and animals hold medicinal, agricultural, ecological [1] ……… Endangered species must

be protected and saved so that future generations can experience their presence and value Plants and animals are responsible for a variety of useful medications In fact, about forty percent of all prescriptions written today are composed from the natural compounds of different species These species not only save lives, but they [2] ……… to a prospering pharmaceutical industry worth over $40 billion annually Unfortunately, only 5% of known plant species have been screened for their medicinal values, although we continue to lose

up to 100 species daily The Pacific yew, a slow- growing tree found in the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest, was historically [3] ………a “trash" tree [4] ………, a substance in its bark was

recently identified as one of the most promising treatments for ovarian and breast cancer Additionally, more than 3 million American heart disease sufferers would die within 72 hours of a heart attack without digitalis, adrug [5] ………from the purple foxglove

Plant and animal species are the foundation of healthy ecosystems Humans depend on ecosystems such as coastal estuaries, prairie grasslands, and ancient forests to purify I their air, clean their water, and supply them with food When species become [6] ……… it is an indicator that the health of these vital ecosystems is beginning to unravel The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service [7] ……… that losing one plant species can trigger the loss of up to 30 other insect, plant and higher animal species The northern spotted owl,listed as threatened in 1990, is an indicator of the declining health of the ancient forests of the Pacific

Northwest These forests are the home [8] ……… over 100 other old-growth dependent species, which are at risk due to decades of unsustainable forest management practices Pollution [9] ………the coast

of Florida is killing the coral reefs along the Florida Keys, which serve as habitat for hundreds of species of

fish Commercial fish species have begun to decline, [10] ………a threat to the multi-million dollar tourism industry; which depends on the quality of the environment.

II WORD FORMS

A Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the given word

1 He deposited his……… gains in foreign bank accounts (GET)

2 As young women……… , they may perceive sex as an assertion of independence and gender equality (CULTURAL)

3 She……… all the reasons why she wanted to leave him (NUMBER)

4 He's been involved in some ……… dealings (HAND)

5 Radium was one million times more……… than its parent uranium (ACT)

6 She found him arrogant and ……… (DOMINATE)

7 He claimed that the drugs had been planted to……… him (CRIME)

8 An anonymous……… donated $2 million (BENEFIT)

9 ………of course, I'm much better off than I used to be (MONEY)

10 The rain gave us a ……… excuse to stay at home (MAKE)

B Complete the following passage with the correct forms of the words given in the box

action fundamentalism imply plausibility disturbance

speculate punctual affect puzzle wake

It is fairly clear that the sleeping period must have some function, and because there is so much of it the function would seem to be important (1) ………about its nature have been going on for literally thousands of years, and one odd finding that makes the problem (2) ……… is that it looks very much as

if sleeping is not simply a matter of giving the body a rest 'Rest', in terms of muscle relaxation and so on, can

be achieved by a brief period lying, or even sitting down The body's tissues are repairing and

self-restoring to a degree, and function best when more or less continuously active In fact a basic amount of movement occurs during sleep which is specifically concerned with preventing muscle (3) ………

If it is not a question of resting the body, then perhaps it is the brain that needs resting? This might be a(4) ………hypothesis were it not for two factors First the electroencephalograph (which is simply a device for recording the electrical activity of the brain by attaching electrodes to the scalp) shows that while there is a change in the pattern of activity during sleep, there is no evidence that the total amount of activity is any less The second factor is more interesting and more (5) ………In 1960 an American psychiatrist named William Dement published experiments dealing with the recording of eye-movements during sleep Heshowed that the average individual's sleep cycle is (6) ………with peculiar bursts of eye-movements, some drifting and slow, others jerky and rapid People woken during these periods of eyemovements generallyreported that they had been dreaming When (7) ………at other times they reported no dreams If one group of people were disturbed from their eye¬movement sleep for several nights on end, and another group were (8) ………for an equal period of time but when they were not exhibiting eye-movements, the first group began to show some personality disorders while the others seemed more or less (9) ……… The (10) ………of all this were that it was not the disturbance of sleep that mattered, but the disturbance of dreaming

III ERROR IDENTIFICATION

There are 10 errors ill the following passage Identify and correct them.

Journeys are the midwife of thought Few places are more conducive of internal conversations than a moving plane, ship or train There is an almost quaint correlation with what is in front of our eyes and the thoughts that we are able to have in our heads: large thoughts at times require large views, new thoughts, new places Introspect reflections that are liable to stall are helped along by the flow of the landscape The mind may be reluctant to think properly when thinking is all it is supposed to do The task can be as, paralyzing as having to play a joke or minijic an accent in demand Thinking improves when parts of the mind are given other tasks, are charged with listening to music or following a line of trees

Of all modes of transport, the train is perhaps the best aid to thought; the views have none of the potential monotony of that on a ship or plane, they move fast enough for us not to get exasperated but slowly enough to allow us to identify objects They offered us brief, inspiring glimpses into private domains, letting

us see a woman at the exactly precise moment when she takes a cup from a shelf in her kitchen, then carrying

us on to a patio where a man is sleeping and then to a park where a child is catching a ball thrown by a figure

we cannot see

IV SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION

Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence printed before it

1 He is said to be a very good pianist

Rewrite each sentence so that it contains the word in capitals, and so that the meaning stays the same.

6 Those of us at the back couldn’t hear most of the play (inaudible)

I Pick out the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the rest

II Pick out the word which has the main stressed syllable differently from the rest

B VOCABULARY

I Choose the most suitable word to fill in each blank.

1 Xiuyun’s most striking ………… is her ability, to withstand stress and strain

2 The crowded city is so unpleasant compared to the ………… countryside.

3 A person was lying…………on the road at the scehe of the accident

4 A child's existence seems so…………in the arms of its mother

5 Demeng was…………to court for violating the traffic law

6 Yongle derived a lot of…………from his opponent’s confusion

7 The soldiers …………when they heard that the war was over

8.…………me of stealing your wallet is ridiculous, because I wasn’t even anywhere near you

9 The…………that the emperor was dead came as a shock to everybody

10 The teacher…………the students not to copy one another’s work or they would be punished

II Choose the word to replace the underlined words in each sentence below.

1 Zhiwei has left a job from his job because he has just got a better-paying one

2 Zaleha’s parents were against to her going out alone at night

3 The fact that he would have to stay at the deserted old mansion all night filled with terror him

4 The king’s reaching of a place was heralded by several short blasts of the trumpets

5 He was jailed on charges of culpable homicide not adding up to murder

6 The people who design buildings need to check the plans of the houses again

7 We have a large amount of proof of Mr Chen’s guilt, though he denies being involved

8 We mustn’t allow to have way to these impudent demands

9 Nathan is often taken to be another for his twin brother, Shanker

10 The wealthy art collector came to get most of his antiques from the junk shop dealer

III Choose the correct word or phrase to fill in each blank.

keep the ball rolling

mind your own business

bombshell

a bear with a sore head

made a bee-line for

an all-rounder beat about the bush

in cold blood

nipped in the bud bolt from the blue apple of his eye take up arms

1 Xiuzhen is………She is able to do almost any type of job satisfactorily

2 Mr Huang’s only grandson was the…………

3 Many able-bodied young men were required to leave their families and ………… during the Japanese

4 Mr Li had to………… at the office when his partner was ill

5 Haniff has been as bad-tempered as………… all morning

6 Karen………… for the post-office because she had an important letter to post

7 The murder was carried out …………

8 Shanker’s visit was quite a …………

9 She dropped a………… about her secret marriage to her varsity mate

10 Their friendship was………… before it could develop

IV Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the word in capital.

1 The………… little puppy looked up at us with its large brown eyes ADORE

2 She pressed down on the………… and raced off in her new car ACCELERATE

3 “Glad to make your………… ,”said Weiming to his new classmate ACQUAINT

4 Under the weight of a heavy conscience, he finally………… to committing the crime ADMIT

5 The………… board has decided against implementing the new system ADVISE

6 Mr Lin works at a ………… CAN

7 The flowers that Meiying arranged made a lovely………… CENTRE

8 Mr Brown was the………… at the meeting CHAIR

9 Elias gave a very………… account of the incident in his report DESCRIBE

10 He was………… of making her acquaintance DESIRE

C GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES

I Choose the word or phrase which best fits each gap of the sentence.

1 The chaos in the house was starting to…………

A put him up B get down him C put up with him D get him down

2 Don’t worry about paying; I’ll…………

A shoulder the bill B foot the bill

C foot the money D shoulder the money

3 The journalist reported that the city was………… the verge of a crisis

4 Tourism is a word………… for the last 50 years

A using B which was used C that has been used D that is used

5 Humans are the only animal that chooses what it…………

6.………… their physical appearance, our ancestors distanced themselves………… the rest of animals

A Customize / away B Customizing / away

C Customized / from D By customizing / from

7 There………… a drop in the sales of new houses since mortgages became more difficult…………

A has been / to obtain B have been / to obtain

C was / to be obtained D were / to be obtained

8 I’m rather………… for time at the moment ………… we talk about it tomorrow?

A pressing / Couldn’t B pressing / Wouldn’t

C pressed / Couldn’t D pressed / Wouldn’t

9 When I………… after the accident, I couldn’t remember what had happened

10 At first I found………… to get used to………… on the other side of the road

A difficult / drive B it difficult / drive

C difficult / driving D it difficult / driving

II The passage below contains 5 mistakes UNDERLINE the mistakes and write their correct forms in the space provided below (0) has been done as an example.

The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci has always attracted controversy Only 14 work have ever been

nipped in the bud

made a bee line mind your own business

boilt from the blue

inadvisable

chairman

attributed by him and experts have questioned the authenticity of several Not even the Mona Lisa is above suspicion The painting is neither signed nor dating and no record of payment to Leonardo has ever been found Believing to be the portrait of the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del Gioconda dating from

1502, it has been in public display in the Louvre since 1804 Now housed in a bullet-proof glass case, it has always been surrounded by tight security

0 has → have

D READING COMPREHENSION

I Cloze test: Fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word

In the 21st century food will (1)………… more than just feed you A new range of products appearing

on shelves in shops and supermarkets (2) ………… designed to give you specific health benefits The

demands of modern life make these foods very attractive Not only do they provide proven ways to improve health, but they are also very attractive (3) ………… a quick and convenient way of making sure we enjoy ahealthy diet

In some countries it is already possible to buy crisps that make you feel (4) ………… depressed, chewing gum that increases your brain power and tea that helps you (5) ………… over the tiredness

associated (6) ………… long-distance air travel In the future, experts promise biscuits that will keep your heart healthy, and a hot chocolate drink to give you strong bones

Despite the fact that these ‘functional’ foods cannot replace a balanced diet and regular exercise, they can help the body perform at (7) ………… best a lot of the time At (8) ………… these foods are more expensive than other foods, but that is due to the ingredients they (9) ………… of and the way they are made All the foods contain probiotics (10) ………… increase the number of ‘good’ bacteria in your

stomach, helping to keep your digestive system healthy

For questions 1-18, read the three texts below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) kstfits each gap.

TELEVISION DOCUMENTARIES

Here's a new game for you Watch a documentary with the sound turned down and make up your own commentary It's great for parties You (1) ………… all your guests to stand outside and then they come in one at a time and have a (2) ………… at guessing what it's about

It's only when you turn down the sound that you realize just how (3) ………… the pictures are to most documentaries I expect you've noticed by now that television is primarily a visual medium TV directorsget into a terrible (4) ………… if there’s nothing to show you They don't mind so much if there's nothing to tell you - 80% of television has nothing to say - but no director has ever turned to a cameraman and asked: 'What are you doing here?'

The most insuperable problem with a large (5) ………… of documentaries is that they are working in the wrong medium They ought to be newsprint articles You can say more in print You can say it better Andit's interactive The readers can go at their own (6) ………… Television is hampered by having to fill the screen and move at the approximate speed of the slowest member of the audience

THE REJECTED NOVEL

“You’ve not had much luck with the book, I hear.'

That had to be the understatement of the year My novel had been rejected four times (7) ………… far I’ve no doubt that behind my (8) ………… the family were having a good snigger Rhona of course had been the loyal exception, though I admit that her piteous expressions when the thing limped home battered by

work->works dating->dated

Believing->believed dating->datedseveral->severe

were

with

less get

with

be

consist which

once the

franking stamps were harder to (9) ………… than her sister's outright sarcasm: 'Has your boomerang got back yet, Patton?' she'd enquire, while her husband Jack would give the knife an extra twist by asking if I'd managed to sell any of my daubs Which meant that he presumed I'd (10) ………… my job on the railways topursue a painting career Maybe I should have The manuscript had begun to show bruises from its days, weeks and months buried in the 'slush pile' of various publishing firms Actual criticism of the novel by its rejecters was very (11) ………… on the ground, although the consensus of opinion seemed to indicate that itsmain weakness (12) ………… in its apparent 'lack of plot'.

LONELINESS IN THE CITY

For the really lonely individual in the city, life becomes a string of disconnected occasions Eating by himself in a restaurant he feels conspicuous; he tries to (13) the eyes of other lone diners,

(14) himself the subject of other people's conversations, sees a world divided into two groups the majority; complacent couples, parties and families, and an envious minority of single people He takes (15)

………… at the imagined snubs or cursory service of the waiter He calls for his bill with the coffee, knowing he has no further excuse to (16) put In a phone booth, he makes a cliffhanger out of the ringing tone, and (17) with relief when it is answered When his own phone stays silent for a day, he suspects a conspiracy to drop him, and (18) the operator to check his line At a party, he stays too long, since there is nothing to follow it

You are going to read four extracts which are all about the writers’ school days For questions 19 - 20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

THE ELEVEN PLUS EXAM

At school, particularly when I was ten or eleven, I was suffocated by the amount of ipormality I was subjected to I knew how to count, and yet they, the teachers, pushed all these complex forms of mathematics down my throat I could read, but I wasn't allowed to read what I wanted I was force-fed the school syllabus, and all because it was deemed to be the standard And someone had decided that children should be judged at the age of eleven so that they could be segregated for the rest of their lives No consideration was given for talents outside the limited range required by the examining board The misfits were destined to become

factory fodder, farm workers or manual workers like my father, with no incentive to achieve or realize their potential

I sat at my desk on the day of the Eleven Plus exam and looked at my paper I felt it was more than myintelligence that was being tested, it was my whole being I had to decide either to play the game their way, and succeed or fail according to their rules, or take my own route I decided to settle my own fate I signed myname at the top of the paper, and did nothing more for the rest of the exam The room was silent, apart from the anxious scratching of pencils, and yet inside my head was a triumphant explosion, like the opening cannonshot of war I had made my first statement to the world But it was also like watching opportunity float away

on a piece of paper down the river It would damage me, but at the same time it was a victory For the first time in my life I realized that it would be a battle between me and them

19 The writer implies in the first paragraph that his school days were characterized by

A a system which benefited none of the pupils at his school.

B his belief that he would not end up in the same sort of job his father had

C his belief that he had abilities that the school system did not cater for

D a refusal on his part to do what teachers expected of him

20 When the writer decided not to answer any of the questions in the exam, he

A was fully aware of the consequences of what he was doing

B did so because he feared that the exam would suggest he was not very intelligent

C told himself that doing so would not have long-term consequences

D thought it was the logical thing to do in view of his behaviour at school

E WRITING

Use the word given in brackets and make any necessary additions to complete a new sentence in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence Do NOT change the form of the given word You must use between three and eight words, including the word given.

1 Now that their parents have consented to their marriage, their future happiness is guaranteed (stands)

→ Now that they have their………

way of their future happiness

2 Puzzle-solving is one of her favorite pastimes and always has been (passion)

→She ………she was a child

3 They all agreed that the new dress code was a complete success (hailed)

→ The new dress code ………everyone

4 She knew nothing of her husband’s impending promotion (about)

→Little………to be promoted

5 She only ever has one chocolate at a time (permits)

→ She never ………one chocolate at a time

TRƯỜNG CHUYÊN NGUYỄN TẤT THÀNH - KON TUM

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

I PHONOLOGY:

A Choose the word which has the underlined part is pronounced differently from the rest:

B Choose the word which is stressed differently from the rest:

10 A constituency B constitution C presentiment D subsidiary

II WORD CHOICE:

Choose the word which best completes each sentence:

11 Modern buildings should………….with the surrounding area

12 The proposal has not met with………….agreement

13 In the old days, people believed that the world was flat and ships would fall off the…………

14 You must forgive my………….in these matters

has had a passion of puzzle solving since was hailded as a complete success by

did she know that her husband is about

permits to have more than