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Trang 1SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
SÓC TRĂNG
KỲ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI THPT CẤP TỈNH
Năm học 2020-2021
ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC
(Thời gian làm bài 180 phút, không kể thời gian phát đề)
Đề thi này có 09 trang
- Thí sinh làm bài trên giấy bài làm
- Thí sinh làm phần nghe hiểu trước
• Bài nghe gồm 3 phần; mỗi phần được nghe 2 lần, mỗi lần cách nhau 05 giây; mở đầu và kết thúc mỗi phần nghe có tín hiệu
• Mở đầu và kết thúc bài nghe có tín hiệu nhạc Thí sinh có 01 phút để hoàn chỉnh bài trước tín hiệu nhạc kết thúc bài nghe
• Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh (bằng tiếng Anh) đã có trong bài nghe
A LISTENING (4.6 points – 0.2 point/each)
Part 1 You will hear people talking in eight different situations For questions 1 – 8, choose the best answer (A, B, or C) (1.6 points)
1 You hear some information about a country on a travel programme Where do most people spend the summer months?
A at the seaside B in the capital city C in the mountains
2 You hear part of a radio programme about chewing gum What is the speaker doing?
A outlining its history B describing why it has changed C explaining its popularity
3 You hear part of a radio programme where listeners phone in with their opinions What does the man want to do?
A express his disappointment B complain about his situation C encourage other listeners
4 You hear a woman speaking on the radio about buying a painting for the first time What opinion is she expressing?
A A painting can be a worthwhile investment
B Only buy a painting if you have room for it
C Take your time when buying your first painting
5 You hear a man being interviewed on the radio What does he say about his mother?
A She helped him become an artist
B She persuaded him to do research
C She wanted him to make money
6 You hear part of an interview with a woman who is talking about her day What is her profession?
7 You hear a man talking on the radio about teaching beginners to surf in the sea What does the man say about beginners?
A They are very sensitive to criticism
B They need to be given appropriate goals
C They often start off with the wrong attitude
8 You hear part of an interview with a crime novelist What point is he making about his novels?
A They are based on real-life crimes
B They include accurate descriptions of life in the past
C They vary in length depending on the historical period
(Source: FCE book) Part 2 You will hear a piece of news about COVID-19 vaccine development For questions 9 – 18, complete the sentences Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS and / or A NUMBER for each answer (2.0 points)
There is finally some good news after a lot of bad and (9) _ news due to the COVID-19 pandemic The scientists from U.S drug company Pfizer and (10) _ pharmaceutical company BioNTech have developed a vaccine that has a (11) _ per cent success rate in protecting against COVID-19 The vaccine does not cause (12) _ side effects
Trang 2Health experts say the vaccine will be available within (13) _ and it has to be stored in temperatures of (14) _ Dr Albert Bourla, Pfizer (15) _, was optimistic about his company's (16) _ He said that they were reaching the critical milestone in their vaccine (17) program
at a time when the world needed it most and the extraordinary results of the vaccine could stop the global
health (18) _
(Source: latimes.com/nature/pfizer.com)
Part 3 You will hear five different people talking about hotels they have recently stayed in with their children For questions 19 – 23, choose from the list (A – F) what each speaker says Use the letters only once There is an extra letter which you do not need to use (1.0 point)
A Children under ten were not allowed to stay at the hotel
B There was no swimming pool available in the hotel
C The hotel needed to know if you wanted your children to eat early
D Teenagers might not enjoy staying at this particular hotel
E The hotel was quite expensive
F A playground would have improved the facilities
Speaker 1: 19 Speaker 2: 20 Speaker 3: 21 Speaker 4: 22 Speaker 5: 23
(Source: FCE Book)
B LEXICO-GRAMMAR: (4.4 points - 0.2 point/each )
Part 1 Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences Write A, B, C or D on your answer sheet (2.0 points)
24 My uncle and aunt were _over who would get to inherit the villa in Dalat
A in conflict B at variance C at odds D at a loose end
25 My boss always keeps a stiff upper _, and a straight face
26 We _ on time, even if we'd left earlier There were dreadful traffic jams all the way
A shouldn’t have arrived B couldn’t have arrived
27 It is said that giving up smoking is just one of the ways to _ heart disease
A push off B put off C ward off D throw off
28 If you write in pencil and you make a mistake, you can rub it _
29 I _ a valuable English grammar book when helping the librarian tidy the bookshelves
A found out B came across C counted on D look for
30 a more responsible citizen, she wouldn’t have travelled internationally last week The world
is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic
A Had she been B Should she be C Did she become D Were she
31 The giraffe’s long neck and legs are the most obvious features from all other animals
A that make it different B making them different
C that make different D making different
32 The mountaineers who had been trapped by the avalanche were lucky enough within two hours
A to have found B to have been found C having found D having been found
33 It’s been announced that the parking area the university is only for the instructors
A is around B that around C around D where is
Part 2 There are FIVE mistakes in this passage Write them down and give the correction (1.0 point)
0 People have thought that the elephant has the bigger ears because it has a big body
1 However, zoologist from a natural history museum in New York have found out
2 the animal that has the biggest ears for its body size is the eared-long jerboa It is
3 a rodent and lives in the deserts of China and Mongolia It is nocturnal, which
4 means it is active at night and sleeps during the day
5 A zoologist said, “Its body measures about 10 centimetres Its ears are 3.8 to 5cm
6 long They are 40 to 50 percent as long as its body and elephant's ears are just 17
7 percent of its body length Jerboas usually live in very hot places Their long ears
Trang 38 help them to keep cool in the heat Their ears are thin and have many tiny blood
9 vessels Blood releases heat from the body to the air This helps the animal
10 cool down.”
(Adapted from breakingnewsenglish)
Example: Line 0 bigger → biggest
34 _ 35 _ 36 _
37 _ 38 _
Part 3 Put the words in parentheses into their correct form (1.4 points)
39 The invention of the silicon chip is said to have been a _ in the history of the computer
(LAND)
40 They looked very _ by the bad results of the test (HEART)
41 Despite her difficulties, Mai’s _ cheerful no matter what the circumstances (FAIL)
42 People believe that eating fish and lots of vegetables greatly increases your life _ (EXPECT)
43 _ help defend the body against infectious organisms such as bacteria that can cause disease (BODY)
44 COVID-19 is a _ disease that can cause cardiovascular complications – especially for those with pre-existing heart conditions or uncontrolled, high blood pressure (RESPIRE)
45 The book you lent me last week is _ (EMBRACE)
C READING (6.0 points - 0.2 point/each)
Part 1 You are going to read the article about scientific research For questions 46- 53, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text (1.6 points)
1) Science plays a crucial role in identifying problems related to how natural systems function and
deteriorate, particularly when they are affected by an external factor In turn, scientific findings shape the policies introduced to protect such systems where necessary Experts are frequently called upon by politicians to provide evidence which can be used to make scientifically sound, or at least scientifically justifiable policy decisions
2) Issues arise as there are frequent disagreements between experts over the way data is gathered and
interpreted An example of the former is the first scientific evidence of a hole in the ozone layer by the British Antarctic Survey The findings were at first greeted by the scientific community with scepticism, as the British Antarctic Survey was not yet an established scientific community Moreover, it was generally believed that satellites would have picked up such ozone losses if they were indeed occurring It was not until the methodology of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center was reviewed that it became apparent that data had been overlooked
3) With regards to the latter, controversy between scientists may arise where data analysis appears to
support one policy over another In 1991, the World Resource Institute (WRI) published estimates of net emissions and sinks of greenhouse gases for a number of countries, including India The report provoked criticisms among Indian scientists who argued that the figures had failed to take some significant factors into account, leading to overestimated emission values The WRI was accused of blaming less economically developed countries for global warming; a stance which, if accepted, could impede industrialisation and sustain, even widen, the wealth gap
4) Problems regarding the scientific method are well documented and it is widely accepted by the
scientific community that, however consistent scientists are in their procedures, the results born under different circumstances can vary markedly A number of factors influence research, among them the organisation of a laboratory, the influence of prevailing theories, financial constraints and the peer review process Consequently, scientists tend to believe they are not in a position to bear universal truths but to reveal tendencies
5) However, this is countered by two factors Firstly, certain scientific institutions wish to maintain a
degree of status as ‘bearers of truth’ Further, policy makers uphold this understanding by requesting scientific certainties in order to legitimise their policy decisions According to a number of authors who have documented this process, decision makers do not necessarily try to obtain all the information which is or could be made available regarding an issue Rather, they select that information which is necessary to fulfil their goals, information termed as ‘half-knowledge’ Attempts to underplay transboundary issues such as water provision and pollution are cases in point Politicians clearly cannot pretend that certain data do not
Trang 4exist if they are well-known in scientific communities or national borders, but some discretion is evident, especially where there is controversy and uncertainty
6) It is important to note that policies regarding scientific issues are influenced in no small part by societal
factors These include the relative importance of certain environmental issues, the degree of trust in the institutions conducting the research, and not least the social standing of those affected by the issue In other words, environmental problems are in many ways socially constructed according to the prevailing cultural, economic and political conditions within a society It has been suggested, for example, that contemporary 'post-materialist' Western societies pay greater attention to 'quality' - including environmental quality – than 'quantity' This theory does not necessarily assume that people of low-income countries have no interest in environmental protection, as the example of the Chipko movement in India clearly demonstrates, but demonstrates that the way a resource is valued varies widely among different communities
7) Finally, it cannot be denied that the ‘issue of the day’ changes constantly One issue becomes more or
less urgent than another, based on current events Concurrently, new issues enter the political agenda It has been noted that it often takes a 'policy entrepreneur', someone who dedicates time, energy and financial resources to a certain issue, to raise its profile Furthermore, whether an issue is taken up by political, environmental or media groups, depends very much on the degree to which it suits their particular agenda, not to mention budget
46 With reference to paragraph 1, which of the following pieces of research would NOT be relevant to this article?
A the effect of climate change on weather patterns in Africa
B whether or not low level radiation increases the risk of cancer
C how acid rain impacts species within a lake ecosystem
D a comparison of the species present in two areas of woodland
47 What is the purpose of the example of ozone data given in paragraph 2?
A to show that NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center used unreliable methods of gathering scientific data
B to show how data gathering methods and the status of scientists may affect the way data is regarded
C to prove that it is wrong to dismiss evidence which comes from a non-established source
D to show how NASA and the British Antarctic Survey disagreed over the correct way to gather ozone data
48 Paragraph 3 gives an example of a dispute over
A which country was most responsible for producing greenhouse gases
B the pollution caused by multinational companies in India
C how statistics were interpreted and presented
D erroneous data which resulted from a poorly-funded experiment
49 In paragraph 5, ‘this’ refers to
A the scientific method and its inherent problems
B the belief that scientists cannot reveal universal truths
C the variation in scientific results under different circumstances
D the list of factors which influence scientific research
50 What is meant by this sentence?
‘Further, policy makers uphold this understanding by requesting scientific certainties in order to legitimise their policy decisions.’
A Politicians when seeking evidence for policy-making, do not understand the fact that scientists are unable to act as ‘bearers of truth’
B Politicians consider the scientific research that supports their policies as more legitimate than other research
C Scientific institutions encourage politicians to use them for policy-making in order to improve their status
D Politicians, when seeking evidence for policy-making, encourage the belief that scientists can produce incontestable facts
51 Which sentence best sums up the ideas in paragraph 4?
A Scientists are aware that their work cannot present incontrovertible facts
B If scientists were more consistent, they could create more reliable evidence
C Variations in how research is conducted often affect its validity
D Scientists spend more time documenting problems than conducting research
Trang 552 Why are ‘transboundary issues such as water provision and pollution’ referred to in paragraph 5?
A to illustrate situations in which politicians pretend that certain data does not exist
B to illustrate situations in which incorrect information is given by scientific institutions keen to maintain their status
C to illustrate situations in which politicians are selective with regards to what data they gather
D to illustrate situations in which policy makers request scientists to present them with scientific certainties, even though none exist
53 Which of the following arguments is NOT presented in paragraph 7?
A An issue only gets political or media attention if someone with a high profile is supporting it
B Politicians are only interested in environmental issues if it benefits them
C Issues don’t get public attention unless a particular person advocates it strongly
D Issues may be overlooked if there are other significant events happening at the time
Part 2 Read the following text carefully (1.6 points)
ROBOTS AT WORK
A The newspaper production process has come a long way from the old days when the paper was
written, edited, typeset and ultimately printed in one building with the journalists working on the upper floors and the printing presses going on the ground floor These days the editor, subeditors and journalists who put the paper together are likely to find themselves in a totally different building or maybe even in a different city This is the situation which now prevails in Sydney The daily paper is compiled at the editorial headquarters, known as the prepress centre, in the heart of the city, but printed far away in the suburbs at the printing centre Here human beings are in the minority as much of the work is done by automated machines controlled by computers
B Once the finished newspaper has been created for the next morning’s edition, all the pages are
transmitted electronically from the prepress centre to the printing centre The system of transmission is an update on the sophisticated page facsimile system already in use on many other newspapers An imagesetter
at the printing centre delivers the pages as film Each page takes less than a minute to produce, although for colour pages four versions, once each for black, cyan, magenta and yellow are sent The pages are then processed into photographic negatives and the film is used to produce aluminium printing plates ready for the presses
C A procession of automated vehicles is busy at the new printing centre where the Sydney Morning
Herald is printed each day With lights flashing and warning horns honking, the robots (to give them their correct name, the LGVs or laser guided vehicles) look for all the world like enthusiastic machines from a science fiction movie, as they follow their own random paths around the plant busily getting on with their jobs Automation of this kind is now standard in all modern newspaper plants The robots can detect unauthorised personnel and alert security staff immediately if they find an “intruder”; not surprisingly, tall tales are already being told about the machines starting to take on personalities of their own
D The robots’ principal job, however, is to shift the newsprint (the printing paper) that arrives at the
plant in huge reels and emerges at the other end some time later as newspapers Once the size of the day’s paper and the publishing order are determined at head office, the information is punched into the computer and the LGVs are programmed to go about their work The LGVs collect the appropriate size paper reels and take them where they have to go When the press needs another reel its computer alerts the LGV system The Sydney LGVs move busily around the press room fulfilling their two key functions to collect reels of newsprint either from the reel stripping stations, or from the racked supplies in the newsprint storage area
At the stripping station the tough wrapping that helps to protect a reel of paper from rough handling is removed Any damaged paper is peeled off and the reel is then weighed
E Then one of the four paster robots moves in Specifically designed for the job, it trims the paper
neatly and prepares the reel for the press If required the reel can be loaded directly onto the press; if not needed immediately, an LGV takes it to the storage area When the press computer calls for a reel, an LGV takes it to the reel loading area of the presses It lifts the reel into the loading position and places it in the correct spot with complete accuracy As each reel is used up, the press drops the heavy cardboard core into
a waste bin When the bin is full, another LGV collects it and deposits the cores into a shredder for recycling
F The LGVs move at walking speed Should anyone step in front of one or get too close, sensors stop
the vehicle until the path is clear The company has chosen a laserguide function system for the vehicles because, as the project development manager says “The beauty of it is that if you want to change the routes,
Trang 6you can work out a new route on your computer and lay it down for them to follow” When an LGV’s batteries run low, it will take itself off line and go to the nearest battery maintenance point for replacement batteries And all this is achieved with absolute minimum human input and a much reduced risk of injury to people working in the printing centres
G The question newspaper workers must now ask, however is, “how long will it be before the robots
are writing the newspapers as well as running the printing centre, churning out the latest edition every morning?”
For questions 54 – 61, complete the flow- chart below Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
from the text for each blank
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
The newspaper is compiled at the editorial headquarters by the journalists
↓
The final version of the text is (54) to the printing centre
↓ The pages arrive by facsimile
↓
The pages are converted into (55)………
↓
(56) ……… are made for use in the printing presses
The LGVs are (57) ……… by computer
↓ The LGVs collect the reels of paper
↓
The LGVs remove the (58)……… from the reel
↓
The reel is (59)………
↓
The reel is trimmed and prepared by the (60)………
↓ The reel is taken to the press The reel is taken to the (61) ………
Part 3 Read the passage carefully and answer questions 62 – 69 (1.6 points)
Much of today's business is conducted across international borders, and while the majority of the global business community might share the use of English as a common language, the nuances and expectations of business communication might differ greatly from culture to culture A lack of understanding of the cultural norms and practices of our business acquaintances can result in unfair judgements, misunderstandings and breakdowns in communication Here are three basic areas of differences in the business etiquette around the world that could help stand you in good stead when you next find yourself working with someone from a different culture
Addressing someone
When discussing this topic in a training course, a German trainee and a British trainee got into a hot debate about whether it was appropriate for someone with a doctorate to use the corresponding title on their business card The British trainee maintained that anyone who wasn't a medical doctor expecting to be addressed as 'Dr' was disgustingly pompous and full of themselves The German trainee, however, argued that the hard work and years of education put into earning that PhD should give them full rights to expect to
be addressed as 'Dr'
Trang 7This stark difference in opinion over something that could be conceived as minor and thus easily overlooked goes to show that we often attach meaning to even the most mundane practices When things that we are used to are done differently, it could spark the strongest reactions in us While many Continental Europeans and Latin Americans prefer to be addressed with a title, for example Mr or Ms and their surname when meeting someone in a business context for the first time, Americans, and increasingly the British, now tend to prefer using their first names The best thing to do is to listen and observe how your conversation partner addresses you and, if you are still unsure, do not be afraid to ask them how they would like to be addressed
Smiling
A famous Russian proverb states that 'a smile without reason is a sign of idiocy' and a so-called 'smile
of respect' is seen as insincere and often regarded with suspicion in Russia Yet in countries like the United States, Australia and Britain, smiling is often interpreted as a sign of openness, friendship and respect, and
is frequently used to break the ice
In a piece of research done on smiles across cultures, the researchers found that smiling individuals were considered more intelligent than non-smiling people in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, China and Malaysia However, in countries like Russia, Japan, South Korea and Iran, pictures of smiling faces were rated as less intelligent than the non-smiling ones Meanwhile, in countries like India, Argentina and the Maldives, smiling was associated with dishonesty
Eye contact
An American or British person might be looking their client in the eye to show that they are paying full attention to what is being said, but if that client is from Japan or Korea, they might find the direct eye contact awkward or even disrespectful In parts of South America and Africa, prolonged eye contact could also be seen as challenging authority In the Middle East, eye contact across genders is considered inappropriate, although eye contact within a gender could signify honesty and truthfulness
Having an increased awareness of the possible differences in expectations and behaviour can help us avoid cases of miscommunication, but it is vital that we also remember that cultural stereotypes can be detrimental to building good business relationships Although national cultures could play a part in shaping the way we behave and think, we are also largely influenced by the region we come from, the communities
we associate with, our age and gender, our corporate culture and our individual experiences of the world The knowledge of the potential differences should therefore be something we keep at the back of our minds, rather than something that we use to pigeonhole the individuals of an entire nation
62 The British trainee felt that the people who want to be addressed as 'Dr' must be _
63 If you are not sure how to address someone, you should
A use the title you see on their business card
B ask them what they would like you to call them
C address them the way you would like to be addressed
D make your decision based on cultural stereotypes about their country
64 There might be a misunderstanding if an American smiles at a Russian business associate because the Russian might think that the American is _
65 The Japanese, South Koreans and Iranians might interpret a smiling face as being _
66 Americans and British people sometimes use eye contact to show that they
C are really listening to what is being said D are attending to every need of the speaker
67 The last paragraph warns the reader not to
A engage in international business
B let national culture shape the way we behave and think
C let miscommunication damage our business relationships
D overgeneralize using our knowledge of cultural stereotypes
Trang 868 Making eye contact can be interpreted in different ways in different cultures but is almost always a positive thing
69 The writer recommends keeping possible cultural differences in the forefront of our minds when doing business with people from different cultures
Part 4 Complete the following summary For questions 70 -75, choose your answers from the box
below Write the correct letter A-K on your answer sheet (1.2 points)
ANTS AS FARMERS
Ants have sophisticated methods of farming, including herding livestock and growing crops, which are
in many ways similar to those used in human agriculture The ants cultivate a large number of different
species of edible fungi which convert (70) into a form which they can digest They use their own natural (71) as weed-killers and also use unwanted materials as (72)
Genetic analysis shows they constantly upgrade these fungi by developing new species and by
(73) _ species with neighbouring ant colonies In fact, the farming methods of ants could be said to be more advanced than human agribusiness, since they use (74) methods, they do not affect the (75) and do not waste energy
A cellulose B agricultural C secretions D exchanging
E strength F fertilizers G food H fungi
I sustainable J other species K environment
D WRITING (5.0 points)
Part 1 Rewrite the following sentences in such a way that the second sentence has the same meaning as the first one (1.0 point)
76 Scientists have tried very hard to find a cure for this disease
- Enormous
77 I did not realize how much he was influenced by his brother
- I did not realize the extent _
78 These two makes of computer are practically the same
- There is
79 It is thought that the accident was caused by human error
- The accident
80 Anna failed to understand how serious her illness was until she spoke to the doctor
- Not until _
Part 2 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given Do NOT change the word given You must use between two and five words, including the word given (1.0 point)
Example:
I haven't seen you for years AGES
- It's been ages since I saw you
81 Because it snowed heavily during the night, the motorway is closed DUE
- The motorway is closed _ that there was heavy snow the night before
82 He was ordered to leave the field for arguing with the referee SENT
- The referee for arguing
83 The boy was about to cry when he was reprimanded by his mother POINT
- The boy was on when he was reprimanded by his mother
84 He didn’t succeed in searching for the stolen car VAIN
- He tried search for the stolen car
85 What she told me about her childhood made me very curious to hear the rest of the story APPETITE
- What she told me _ the story
Trang 9Part 3 Write an essay (3.0 points)
Nowadays, the whole world has been trying its best to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic Many Vietnamese people living abroad want to return home safely However, others choose to stay where they have resided Discuss both these views and give your own opinion
Write at least 250 words
-THE END - GOOD LUCK!
Họ tên thí sinh: Số báo danh: Chữ ký của Giám thị 1: Chữ ký của Giám thị 2: