Tài liệu Tuyển tập đề thi HSG môn tiếng Anh lớp 12 cấp tỉnh

SECTION II: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (7 points) PART 1: Choose the option (A,B,C or D) that best completes each of the following sentences. Write your answers in the numbered table below. 1. Our country is rich ________ natural resources. A. of B. with C. about D. in 2. The idea to ________ a visit to the local council residence was welcomed by all the visitors. A. pay B. do C. go D. walk 3. In his anxiety to make himself________, he spoke too loudly and too slowly. A. understand B. understanding C. understood D. to understand 4. ________ for the fact that he was working abroad, he would willingly have helped with the project. A. If it hadn’t been B. If it had been C. Had it been D. Hadn’t it been 5. Some animals are on the ________ of becoming extinct. A. edge B. verge C. side D. tip 6. The play is very long but there are three ________ A. intervals B. breaks C. rests D. naps 7. The last lecture ________ completely over my head. A. got B. went C. was D. left 8. Could I pick your ________ on the subject before the meeting? A. brains B. head C. intellect D. mind 9. I was prepared to lend my brother some money but he turned ________ my offer. A. back B. up C. out D. down 10. I ________ with the performances but I got flu the day before. A. was to have helped B. helped C. was to help D. had helped 11. The dying man’s speech was so________ that no one was able to interpret his last request. A. incoherent B. indiscreet C. nonchalant D. impotent 12. Very soon I found some other people to ________ and we began to write songs. A. keep up with B. team up with C. talk through with D. get along with 13. ________ chair the meeting. A. John was decided to B. It was decided that John should C. There was decided that John should D. John had been decided to 14. I thought about the problem but I couldn’t ________ a solution. A. come in for B. come across C. come up with D. come out 15. ________, they slept soundly. A. Hot though was the night air B. Hot though the night air was C. Hot as was the night air D. Hot although the night air was 1 PART 2: Read the text below and think of the word that best fits each gap. Use only ONE word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0). Write your answers in the numbered table below. Is your school just as you wanted (0)_______ to be? Or are there things you and your classmates (1) ________ change, given the opportunity? This is your chance to express your ideas about (2) ________ the ideal school is like. Our competition is open to (3) ________ student between the ages of twelve and eighteen. You can enter (4) ________ an individual or your whole class can work together on a team entry. Your entry can take any form – a piece of writing, a picture, or even architectural plans. It is completely (5) ________ to you. What we are looking for is evidence (6) ________ originality, imagination and, above (7) ________, the genuine views of young people. By (8) ________ part in this, you will help in a study being carried out at a leading university. All work entered ( 9) ________ the competition will be kept at the university and used in research. Entries cannot be returned (10) ________ of this. But it also means that, even (11) ________ you do not win, your views will still be heard and will remain for future educationalists to study. Entries must reach us no (12) ________ than Friday 30 April. Winners will receive valuable prizes of computer equipment and software for their schools. PART 3: Read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct and some have a word which should not be there. If a line is correct, put a tick (√). If the line has a word that should not be there, write the word at the end of the line. There are two examples at the beginning. 0 00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Congratulations on winning of the tennis championship! You must be very pleased, especially since the prize is quite a lot of money. What are you going to spend it on? You could even buy a new car with all that money! You should have be in great shape after all the training you have been doing. It must be so very hard work, practising all those hours for every day but it is worth it in the end, isn’t it? Perhaps you are thinking of going on holiday so that you can have a break from tennis and relax. Can you tell me exactly what is kind of tennis racket you chose for the competition? If I would get the same, it might help me to improve my game. Anyway, congratulations on your great victory! I’m still studying English every single day and the course has three months to go. I have moved house, as if you can see from my new address. Make sure you reply back to the right address! Your last letter went to my old address, but it wasn’t by your fault because I hadn’t told anyone who I had moved then. Did you know that I have had a job for the last three weeks? I work in a restaurant four evenings a week. I like it, but I don’t arrive at home until one o’clock in the morning, which is a bit inconvenient. of √ PART 4: Supply the correct tense or form of the verbs in brackets to complete the passage. Write your answers in the numbered table below. (0) has been done as an example. 18,000 years ago, much of Europe (0) ____lay____(lie) (1)________(bury) beneath vast sheets of ice, hundreds of metres thick. Ever since this astonishing fact (2)_______(discover) in the last century, scientists (3) ________(speculate) on the nature of the Ice Age climate, and the circumstances that brought it to an end. 2 More recently, people (4) ________(wonder) if climatic changes could (5)________(take) place in our own time. During the early 1970s there (6)_______(be) disastrous droughts in Africa, and frequent failures of Indian monsoon. In 1976, Europe sweltered in the hottest summer for over a century, and (7)_______(experience) one of the worst droughts since records began. Could such events as these be symptoms of a worldwide climatic shift? Even small changes in climate that (8)________(occur) from time to time can have a highly damaging effect on agriculture. With food reserves now (9)________ (stand) at only a few per cent of annual production, the world is extremely vulnerable (10) ________(adverse) shifts in climate. It is therefore vitally important for us to understand how climate changes take place. PART 5: Think of ONE WORD only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences. Write your answers in the numbered table below. (0) has been done as an example. 0. She screamed for _______ and luckily someone heard her. Thanks for all your _______ through such a difficult time. Practical ________ is offered through our accommodation service to new students. 1. I get off at the next _______. The referee was forced to _______ the game because of heavy snow. Work has temporarily come to a _______ while the funding in reviewed. 2. Keep your _______ on your work. Do you have anyone in _______ for this job? Don’t _______ her. She didn’t mean what she said. 3. There is a little gift _______ around the corner. I do a weekly _______ at the supermarket. He didn’t expect his own mother to _______ him to the police. 4. Everyone wished her the best of _______ at university and hoped she would enjoyed it. Jenny won the competition at her first attempt – perhaps it was beginner’s _______! There is no such thing as _______, we are capable of creating our own good fortune. 5. Politicians can abuse their position of _______ . The _______ supply to our house was cut because of roadwork. I’m afraid I do not have the _______ to authorize this change. 6. Few people could have predicted the huge impact of information _______ . No matter how advanced _______ becomes, machine will never be able to think like humans. It’s a waste of time for humans to do tasks that modern _______ can do. 7. She was struck by the sudden _______ that he might already have left. He dived in after her without a second _______. It was once _______ that the sun traveled around the earth. 8. Governments should give as much foreign _______ as possible to poorer countries. In certain circumstances, emergency _______ in the form of money should be sent immediately. The most successful long-term _______ programmes encourage self-help. 3 Write your answers here: 0. help 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. PART 6: For questions from 1-10, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. Write your answers in the numbered table below. There is an example at the beginning (0). Before going to an interview, it is (0)_________ to go through a mock interview. ADVISE This will give you the opportunity to try out your technique and answers live. It is also a chance to receive feedback that is (1)__________ in guiding you towards BENEFIT improving your interview style and general (2) _________ Just one mock interview PRESENT will result in a (3)_________ improvement in your interview skill. Why? For the NOTICE same reason that a (4) _________ doesn’t exist while it is still on paper or floating SPEAK in your head. It only exists when you give it (5)_________ The first time you give it ORAL in front of an audience, it will come out nothing like the one you prepared. It is the same with being interviewed. It is not enough to look at a question and say, ‘Yeah, I know the answer to that one.’ You need to practise your answer live; this is not the time to talk to yourself in front of a mirror. Seek out a (6) _________ and PROFESSION have the session videotaped. Then you will have two opinions – the interview’s and your own. You will find you get a completely different (7)________ when listening IMPRESS to yourself than when you are watching yourself saying something. Just as your voice always sounds different on tape, so do your (8) _______. You will be glad the RESPOND image is captured on tape and not in a potential employer’s mind. For maximum effect, you should (9)________ your answers and go through a second mock VISIT interview. This should help with any (10)________ and give you more confidence EASE for the real interview. SECTION III: READING (4 points) PART 1: Read the article below and decide which answer (A,B,C or D) best fits each gap. Write your answers in the numbered table below. There is an example at the beginning (0). Students and jobseekers keen to get onto the course or into the workplace of their ( 0)________ hope that voluntary work will help them (1)________ from the crowd. This chance to (2)________ experience – personally and professionally – is (3)________ on the wish-list of young people. A survey carried out last year revealed that young and old (4)________ said volunteering had improved their lives, particularly those (5)________in conservation or heritage work. Businesses recognise its importance and get to (6)________their profile in the community, while staff get a break from their daily routine to develop ‘soft skill’, (7)________initiative and decision-making. One volunteering 4 organisation is (8)________ another survey to find out if volunteering does make a difference in the workplace, or if it is something businesses do simply to improve their (9)________ . Not (10)________are business-sponsored placements becoming more common, the government is also investing money and aiming to (11) ________volunteers. The push is clearly on to make volunteering as attractive as possible to everyone. And the more people who participate, the more the act fulfils its (12) ________of making the world a better place. 0. A. alternative B. choice C. option D. election 1. A. stand out B. lift out C. pick out D. point out 2. A. win B. achieve C. collect D. gain 3. A. extreme B. high C. sharp D. strong 4. A. similar B. the same C. alike D. too 5. A. committed B. associate C. connected D. involved 6. A. raise B. increase C. arouse D. motivate 7. A. such B. such as C. such like D. such and such 8. A. governing B. guiding C. conducting D. directing 9. A. representation B. look C. image D. figure 10. A. only B. just C. merely D. simply 11. A. claim B. recruit C. bring D. enter 12. A. aim B. direction C. mark D. design PART 2: Look at the sentences below about a hotel. Read the text to decide if each sentence is correct or incorrect. If it is correct, write C. If it is incorrect, write I. Write your answers in the numbered table below. 1. During the 1980s, few tourists used to go to the Arctic in summer. 2. People came in large numbers to Jukkasjärvi to see the Arctic Hall. 3. The artist encouraged people to sleep in the Arctic Hall. 4. Each winter, guests come and sleep in the hotel before it is finished. 5. Progress when building the hotel is influenced by the weather. 6. The temperature inside the hotel changes according to the temperature outside. 7. Some clothes are provided by the hotel. 8. Guests should buy boots which fit as tightly as possible. 9. Items ordered through the ICEHOTEL shop will be delivered to your home. 10. It is possible to take a train from the airport to the IceHotel. THE ICEHOTEL For many years the Arctic was a popular destination in the summer season to see the land of the midnight sun but in winter the few inhabitants had the snow and ice to themselves. By the end of the 1980s it was decided that the dark and cold winter should be seen as an advantage. In the winter of 1990 the French artist Jannot Derit was invited to have the opening of an exhibition in a specially built igloo (a building made of snow) in the little town of Jukkasjärvi 5 on the frozen Torne River. The building, named Arctic Hall, attracted many interested visitors to the area. One night a group of foreign guests decided it would be a good idea to sleep in the Arctic Hall. The following morning the brave group were very pleased with their experience and the idea of an ice hotel was born. Today it is world famous. As soon as winter begins, a team of snow builders, architects and artists from all over the world come to Jukkasjärvi and they make the hotel for that year. As one part is completed, it opens to visitors and overnight guests, while the other parts are still being built. The first part is completed in December and each week after that a new part opens, until January 7th when the hotel is completed. As the ICEHOTEL is built under the open sky, using the natural materials of the winter season, the finishing date depends on nature and therefore there are sometimes changes to the plan. In the spring, as the weather gets warmer, the hotel melts. Inside the hotel, the temperature is never colder than –5 °C to –8 °C, however cold it may be outside. Winter outer clothes such as warm overalls, hats and gloves are included in the cost of guests’ stay at the hotel. In addition to this, it is a good idea for guests to bring sweaters and a scarf as well as plenty of woolen socks and to choose footwear that is larger than normal to allow space for thick socks. If you are planning to come to the hotel, you can buy warm sweaters, woolen socks and much more on the ICEHOTEL website. You can order these and the equipment you will need at the same time as you book your visit. The items will be delivered to your room when you check in. The hotel is in the village of Jukkasjärvi, 200 km above the Arctic Circle but only 15 km from Kiruna airport and 17 km from Kiruna train station. Transport by bus can be arranged from the airport or train station to the IceHotel. PART 3: Read the following passage and do the tasks below. Write your answers in the numbered table. The Atmosphere of Venus Venus, also called the Morning Star and Evening Star, is the second-closest planet to the sun and the brightest object in the night sky. The planet orbits the sun every two hundred and twenty four Earth-days and is sometimes referred to as Earth’s sister planet because the two share both a similar size and bulk. What is not similar, however, is Venus’s atmosphere in comparison to Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere on Venus is much heavier and has a higher density than that of Earth. Venus’s atmosphere also expands significantly higher than Earth’s atmosphere although a thick cloud cover makes the surface of Venus nearly impossible to see unless observed through radar mapping. While the pressure and temperature of Venus’s upper atmosphere are comparable to those of Earth, the heat and pressure of the lower atmosphere are not unlike a furnace. Venus’s atmosphere is very thick due to a composition consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, and a small amount of nitrogen. If man could survive the extreme heat of Venus’s surface (400 degrees Celsius), then he would have to contend with a surface pressure that is more than 90 times that of Earth. Venus’s extremely high temperature is thanks to the greenhouse effect caused by such a large amount of carbon dioxide. The greenhouse effect is a process by which the sun’s infrared radiation is more readily absorbed by the atmosphere. Just like in a real greenhouse used to grow plants years round, the proliferation of carbon dioxide traps radiation and warms Venus’s atmosphere. Due to this phenomenon, Venus boasts a higher atmospheric temperature than Mercury, even though Venus is twice the distance from the sun. 6 However, scientists postulate that Venus’s atmosphere was not always so hot. [A] Studies show that large bodies of water were once on Venus’s surface but that eventually evaporation of all the water caused the runaway greenhouse effect which regulates the planet today. [B] Thus Venus has become a critical study for today’s scientists, as human being are only beginning to struggle with the early stages of the greenhouse effect. [C] Our problems do not stem from evaporated water supplies but from a propagation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases due to industrial and automobile emissions. [D] Another interesting characteristic to note regarding Venus’s atmosphere is that its daytime temperatures and nighttime temperatures are not that far removed from each other. This is due to the thermal inertia, the ability of a substance to store heat despite changing temperatures and the transfer of heat by Venus’s strong winds. Although winds on the surface of Venus move slowly in comparison with Earth’s winds, Venus’s air is so dense that a slowmoving there can move large obstructions and even skip stones along the planet’s surface. In 1966, humankind made its first attempt at sending a recording instrument into Venus’s atmosphere. The Venera 3 probe did collide with Venus surface; however, the abrupt impact caused its communication system to fail, and it was unable to send and feedback. In 1967, Venera 4 successfully enter Venus’s atmosphere and was able to take many readings, one of which recorded that Venus’s atmosphere was between ninety and ninety-five percent carbon dioxide. Subsequent Venera probes were sent into Venus’s atmosphere, but most of them succumbed to the crushing air pressure. Questions 1-7: Choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the passage. 1. According to paragraph 1, Venus is named the Morning Star and Evening Star because A. it is very bright B. it is close to the sun C. it can be seen from evening till morning D. it is used to find the direction by sailors 2. The word that in paragraph 2 refers to A. size B. bulk C. atmosphere D. density 3. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the bold sentence in paragraph 3? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. A. Earth experiences greater surface pressure than Venus. B. If a man could survive its surface pressure. C. The surface pressure and heat of Venus are much greater than those on Earth. D. Venus’s surface temperature and pressure make it uninhabitable by humans. 4. According to paragraph 3, the greenhouse effect on Venus is owed to A. the small amounts of nitrogen B. the rapid increasing amounts of carbon dioxide C. growing plants D. the high atmospheric temperatures 5. In paragraph 4, the author of the passage implies that Earth 7 A. might suffer the same greenhouse effect as Venus B. once had an atmosphere similar to Venus’s C. has bodies of water similar to those on Venus today D. is experiencing a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions 6. Look at the four blanks […] in paragraph 4 that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage. Although the causes are different, the ramifications are the same. Where would the sentence best fit? 7. The word propagation in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to A. generation B. elimination C. evaporation D. desecration Question 8: Complete the brief summary of the passage by selecting the THREE answer choices that express important ideas in the passage. The introductory sentence for the summary is provided bellowed. Scientists look at Venus to predict Earth’s future. ●………………………………………………… ●………………………………………………… ●………………………………………………… Answer Choices A. Venus once had large bodies of water that elaborated and cause a rapid increase in carbon dioxide. B. Earth’s wind has a greater velocity than Venus’s because the air movement on Venus is denser and can even more large obstructions. C. Spaceships landing on Venus, though often crushed by Venus’s atmosphere, have revealed much about its carbon dioxide filled atmosphere. D. If man could survive the hot temperature of Venus, then he would have to contend with the great surface pressure. E. The first space probe of Venus was made in 1966. F. Scientists are concerned that conditions on Earth that propagate significant quantities of carbon dioxide will produce a greenhouse effects similar to Venus’s. Write your answers here: 1. 5. 2. 6. 3. 7. 4. 8. PART 4: You are going to read a magazine article about learning how to fly a plane. Eight paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from paragraphs A-I the one that fits each gap (1-8). There is one extra paragraph that you do not need to use. Write your answers in the numbered table below. Learning to Fly I had been testing cars and motorcycles for over twenty years. I couldn’t take any more. It wasn’t terribly exciting and, in any case, new cars were beginning to look identical and drive similarly. What I needed was a new challenge. 1 8 Unfortunately, I wore glasses. The Royal Air Force wouldn’t consider anyone for pilot training unless they had perfect eyesight. Halfway through an aptitude test, they realised that my eyes were far from perfect. I didn’t stand a chance. 2 It was an obvious choice. It’s just twenty minutes’ drive from my home. It’s very quiet, too, so the £90 per hour for the training is spent flying in the air, not waiting on the ground for other planes to take off. 3 It took me a whole year to get my private pilot’s license. It started well, with my first solo flight coming after just seven hours. Then came all the studying, the exams, the hard work. I never thought I’d get to the end of it. 4 Then came last winter and the end of the course was in sight. For weeks, the weather was so terrible that for most of the time it was impossible to fly. Strong winds, heavy rain and even snow and ice made flying conditions extremely hazardous. 5 But finally the first of three practical exams arrived – the navigation test. The examiner sets you a course that you have to plan according to the weather, and then fly with him sitting beside you. 6 I passed this test, but I don’t know how. The second test involves flying cross-country to two other airports, which you can choose, and landing at both. The important thing is to give the right messages to the air-traffic control people and understand their replies. 7 After this alarming episode, the exercises in the flight-handling test were simple. As we complete the sixth exercise, the examiner suddenly turned to me and said, ‘Congratulations – you’ve passed!’ 8 I wasn’t sure why, because we usually land as slowly as possible. Then I turned round and realised straight away: we were being followed by a British Airways jumbo jet! A. A week which we had set aside for finishing the course came and went with no possibility of getting in the air at all. And besides the problems with the weather, my second son was born, and that made it even more difficult to find the time for lessons and studying. B. But the real reason I chose this club was that a friend of mine, Andrew Wilkins, is the chief instructor there. He impressed me by taking me out for a free flight just so that I could see what it was like. C. Unfortunately, I got myself lost this time and flew too far east. I completely missed the first airport. However, I flew over a car factory I recognised and managed to get back on course. D. Along the way, he’ll take the controls and fly off course, just to get you lost. Then he’ll hand back the control to you and expect you to find your way home. 9 E. One day I was asked by an air-traffic controller if I could see another aircraft ahead. I said yes, and immediately it disappeared into a cloud. I just didn’t know what to do. F. At the time, taking private lessons to learn how to fly was financially beyond me. So I had to delay my plans to become a pilot for quite a while. It was twenty years, in fact, before I finally enrolled at a flying club in Hertfordshire. G. Since getting my pilot’s license, I’ve been out flying a few times. The highlight so far was flying up to Birmingham International Airport for a motor show with Andrew beside me. As we approached the way, the air-traffic controller came on the radio asking for as much speed as our little plane could manage. H. For months, my head was always in a book and my head hurt from all the facts, figures and flying instructions. I. This feeling of needing a change coincided with my 40 th birthday, which started me thinking about what I’d been doing all those years. When I left school all I had really wanted to do was fly. SECTION 4: WRITING (6 points) PART 1: Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentences printed before it. 1. Return the product to the shop if you have any complaints about it.  Should ___________________________________________________________________ 2. It’s almost nine months since I stopped subscribing to that magazine.  I cancelled ________________________________________________________________ 3. Her success went beyond her expectation.  Never ____________________________________________________________________ 4. His fondness for the game increased with his proficiency.  The more _________________________________________________________________ 5. They will not announce the findings until next week.  No announcement __________________________________________________________ 6. Both of the lifts were out of order.  Neither ___________________________________________________________________ 7. Simon hadn’t expected that he would feel so weak after the operation.  The operation left __________________________________________________________ PART 2: Finish each of the following sentences so that it has a similar meaning to the sentences printed before it, using the word given. DON’T CHANGE THE WORD GIVEN. You must use between three and five words, including the word given. There is an example at the beginning (0). 0. You must do exactly what the manager tells you. (CARRY)  You must carry out the manager’s instructions exactly. 10 1. I would like to be able to speak French. (HAD) I wish ________________________________________________________ speak French. 2. It was raining cats and dogs. (TORRENTS)  The rain was ______________________________________________________________ 3. The two theories appear to be completely different. (COMMON) The two theories____________________________________________________________ 4. It was wrong of you to borrow my book without asking. (HAVE)  You ____________________________________________before you borrowed my book. 5. When I was younger, this record was one of my favourites. (FAVOURITE)  This record used ______________________________________ mine when I was younger. 6. My sister finds commuting every day annoying. (PUT)  It’s difficult for my sister ___________________________________________ every day. 7. The police arrived as the thieves were committing the crime. (RED-HANDED) The police ________________________________________________________________ 8. The Mediterranean is warm, whereas the North Sea is much colder. (NOTHING)  The North Sea is ____________________________________________ the Mediterranean. PART 3: In class, you have been discussing the statement ‘Old people should be looked after by members of their family or it is better for them to live in nursing-home’. Your teacher has asked you to write an essay expressing your own opinion. Write your essay in 250-300 words. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… SỞ GD&ĐT VĨNH PHÚC KỲ THI CHỌN HSG LỚP 10 THPT NĂM HỌC 2011-2012 Thời gian thi: 180 phút, không kể thời gian giao đề PART II. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY I. Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct answer among four options (A, B, C or D). 1. He's really shy _______ girl. A. by B. at C. for 11 D. with 2. The teacher _______ her to improve her drawing. A. insisted B. encouraged C. made D. persisted 3. I couldn't quite ______ what they were doing because they were so far away. A. bear out B. make out C. think out D. try out 4. The meal Mary cooked tastes_______. A. well B. nice C. good D. worse 5. ______ at the party, we saw Ruth standing alone. A. Arriving B. We arrived C. Arrived D. We were arriving 6. The people who______ the survey said that they had examined over 1,000 accidents. A. gave B. proceed C. set D. conducted 7. The judge found him ______ of stealing and sent him to prison. A. evil B. innocent C. guilty D. wicked 8. The house we have rented is______. So we will have to buy some beds, chairs, tables, etc. A. unrestored B. unrepaired C. unfurnished D. undecorated 9. He was turned down for the job because he is ________. A. qualified B. qualifying C. unqualified D. qualification 10. The trouble started only______ the other man came into the room. A. when B. until C. and then D. too soon 11. _______, the disaster would not have happened. A. Had you have obeyed the orders B. You had obeyed the orders C. You obeyed the orders D. Had you obeyed the orders 12. _______ had booked in advance were allowed in. A. Only who B. Only those who C. Only who were those D. Only were those who 13. Traveling alone to a jungle is adventurous, ________. A. if not impossible B. if it not impossible C. when not impossible D. when it not impossible 14. I ______ the hot weather in the south. A. use to B. used to C. am use to D. am used to C. inviting D. invitingly 15. The meat looked very _______ to the dog. A. invited B. invite II. Use the correct form of each word on the right to complete the numbered spaces provided in the passage. Write your answers on your answer sheet. 12 The mysteries of the skies Three hundred and fifty years before the first men looked down on the amazingly beautiful surface of the moon from close quarters, Galileo’s newly built telescope (1) _____________ him to look at the edge of the hitherto mysterious sphere. He saw that the 1. ABLE apparently (2) _____________ surface was not divinely smooth and round, but bumpy and 2. LIVE imperfect. He realized that although the moon might appear (3) _____________, 3. ACT resembling a still life painted by the hand of a cosmic (4) ____________, it was a real 4. ART world, perhaps not very different from our own. This amounted to a great (5) 5. ACHIEVE _____________ hardly to be expected in his day and age, although nowadays his (6) 6. CONCLUDE _____________ may appear to some to be trivial and (7) _____________. 7. SIGNIFY Not long after Galileo lunar’s observations, the skies which had previously been so (8) _____________ revealed more of their extraordinary mysteries. Casting around for further 8. ELUDE wonders, Galileo focused his lens on the (9) _____________ planet of Jupiter. Nestling 9. STRIKE next to it, he saw four little points of light circling the distant planet. Our moon it appeared, perhaps (10) ____________ in the eyes of those fearful of what the discovery might mean, 10. FORTUNE was not alone! III. In the following passage, some numbered lines contain a word that shouldn’t be there. Tick (√) the sentences that are correct and write the words that shouldn’t be there in the numbered space. KEEPING YOUR DISTANCE Personal space is a term that refers to the distance we like to keep between 0 ___√___ ourselves and other people. When someone we do not know well gets too close that 00 someone we usually begin to feel uncomfortable. If such a business colleague comes closer 1________ than 1.2 meters, the most common response is to move away. Some interesting 2 ________ studies have been done in libraries. If strangers will come too close, many people get 3 ________ up and leave the building, others use to different methods such as turning their back 4 ________ on the intruder. Living in cities has made people to develop new skills for dealing 5 ________ with situations where they are very close to strangers. Most people on so crowded 6 ________ trains try not to look at strangers; they avoid skin contract, and apologize if hands 7 ________ touch by a mistake. People use newspapers as a barrier between themselves and 8 ________ other people, and if they do not have one, they stare into the distance, making sure 9 ________ they are not looking into anyone’s eyes. 10 _______ PART III. READING I. Complete the following passage by choosing A, B, C or D to fill in each blank. 13 In recent years, there has been a remarkable increase into happiness. The researchers have come up a number of factors which contribute to a definition of happiness. First of all, there is, in some people, a moderate genetic predisposition to be happy, in other words, happiness (1)_______ in families. And happiness seems to correlate quite strongly with the main dimensions of personalities: extroverts are generally happier, neurotics are less so. Second, people often report good social relations as a reason for their happiness. In particular, friends are a great (2) ______ of joy, partly because of the agreeable things they do together, partly because of the way friends use positive non-verbal (3) ______ such as caressing and touching, to affirm their friendship. Marriage and similar (4) ______ relationships can also form the basis of lasting happiness. Third, job satisfaction undoubtedly (5) ______ overall satisfaction, and vice versa - perhaps this is why some people are happy in boring jobs: it (6) ______ both ways. Job satisfaction is caused not only by the essential nature of the work, but (7)_____ by social interactions with co-workers. Unemployment, on the contrary, can be a serious cause of unhappiness. Fourth, leisure is important because it is more under individual (8) ______ than most other causes of happiness. Activities (9) _____ sport and music, and participation in voluntary work and social clubs of various kinds, can give great joy. This is partly because of the (10) ______themselves, but also because of the social support of other group members – it is very strong in the case of religious groups. 1. A. runs B. arrives C. goes D. descends 2. A. source B. origin C. base D. meaning 3. A. movements B. signals C. slogans D. motions 4. A. near B. tight C. close D. heavy 5. A. consists of B. applies to C. counts on D. contributes to 6. A. works B. effects C. makes D. turns 7. A. too B. as well C. also D. plus 8. A. check B. power C. choice D. control 9. A. so B. such C. like D. thus 10. A. facilities B. activities C. exercises D. amenities II. Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct option (marked A, B, C or D) to answer the questions. Scientists have established that influenza viruses taken from man can cause disease in animals. In addition, man can catch the disease from animals. In fact, a greater numbers of wild birds seem to carry the virus without showing any evidences of illness. Some scientists conclude that a large family of influenza virus may have evolved in the bird kingdom, a group that has been on earth 100 million years and is able to carry the virus without contracting the disease. There is even convincing evidence to show that virus strain are transmitted from place to place and from continent to continent by migrating birds. It is known that two influenza viruses can recombine when both are present in an animal at the same time. The result of such recombination is a great variety of strains containing different H and N spikes. This raises the possibility that a human influenza virus can recombine with an influenza virus from a lower animal to produce an entirely new spike. Research is underway to determine if that is the way major new strains come into being. Another 14 possibility is that two animal influenza strains may recombine in a pig, for example, to produce a new strain which is transmitted to man. 1. According to the passage, scientists have discovered that influenza viruses ______. A. cause ill health in wild animals B. do not always cause symptoms in birds C. are rarely present in wild birds D. change when transmitted from animals to man 2. What is known about the influenza virus? A. It was first found in a group of very old birds. B. All the different strains can be found in wild birds. C. It existed over 100 million years ago. D. It can survive in many different places. 3. According to the passage, a great variety of influenza strains can appear when______. A. H and N spikes are produced B. animal and bird viruses are combined C. dissimilar types of viruses recombine D. two viruses of the same type are contracted 4. New strains of viruses are transmitted to man by_______. A. a type of wild pig B. diseased lower animals C. a group of migrating birds D. a variety of means 5. It can be inferred from the passage that all of the following are ways of producing new strains of influenza EXCEPT_______. A. two influenza viruses in the same animal recombining B. animal viruses recombining with human viruses C. two animal viruses recombining D. two animal viruses recombining in a human III. Read the passage and choose the best answer from the four options marked A, B, C or D in the following questions. Identify your answer by writing the corresponding letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet. Several hundred million years ago, plants similar to modern ferns covered vast stretches of the land. Some were as large as trees, with giant fronds bunched at the top of trunks as straight as pillars. Others were the size of bushes and formed thickets of undergrowth. Still others lived in the shade of giant club mosses and horsetails along the edges of swampy lagoons where giant amphibians swam. A great number of these plants were true ferns, reproducing themselves without fruits or seeds. Others had only the appearance of ferns. Their leaves had organs of sexual reproduction and produced seeds. Although their “flowers” did not have corollas, these false ferns (today completely extinct) ushered in the era of flowering plants. Traces of these floras of the earliest times have been preserved in the form of fossils. Such traces are most commonly found in shale and sandstone rocks wedged between coal beds. Today only tropical forests bear living proof of the ancient greatness of ferns. The species that grow there are no longer those of the Carboniferous period, but their variety and vast numbers, and the great size of some, remind us of the time when ferns ruled the plant kingdom. 1. What does the passage mainly discuss? A. Plant reproduction B. How to locate fossils C. An ancient form of plant life D. Tropical plant life 15 2. The word “Others” refers to _________. A. plants B. pillars C. trees D. fronds 3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a characteristic of the plants described in the passage? A. They once spread over large areas of land. B. They varied greatly in size. C. They coexisted with amphibians, mosses, and horsetails. D. They clung to tree trunks and bushes for support. 4. The word “true” is closest in meaning to which of the following? A. accurate B. genuine C. straight D. dependable 5. The author states that fossils of early plant life are usually found in rocks located between deposits of _______. A. coal B. shale C. sandstone D. corollas IV. Read the passage carefully then fill in the blank a suitable word. As swimming became a popular recreation in England during the 1860s and 1870s, several (1) ______ sports developed, roughly patterned after land sports. (2) ______ them were water football (or soccer), water rugby, water handball, and water polo, in which players rode on floating barrels, painted to look (3) ______ horses, and struck the ball with a stick. Water rugby became most popular of these sports, but somehow the water polo name became attached to it, and it's been attached (4) ______ since. As played in England, the object of the sport was for a player to touch the ball, with both (5) ______, at the goal end of the pool. The goaltender stood on the pool deck, ready to dive on any opponent who was about to score. Water polo quickly became a very rough sport, filled (6) ______ underwater fights away from the ball, and it wasn't unusual for players to pass out for lack of air. In 1877, the sport was tamed in Scotland by the addiction of goalposts. The Scots also replaced (7) ______ original small, hard rubber ball with a soccer ball and adopted (8) ______ that prohibited taking the ball under the surface or, "tackling" a player unless he had the ball. The Scottish game, which emphasized swimming speed, passing, and (9) ______ work, spread to England during the early 1880s, to Hungary in 1889, to Austria and Germany in 1894, to France in 1895, and (10) ______ Belgium in 1900. Water polo was the first team sport added to the Olympic program, in 1900. PART IV: WRITING I. Write the new sentences using the given word. Do not change the word given in any way. 1. They have discovered some interesting new information. (LIGHT) 2. They suspended Jack for the next two matches. (BANNED) 3. I really want to see her again. (DYING) 4. She was so beautiful that I couldn't stop looking at her. (EYES) 5. We are looking forward to watching the program. (WAIT) II. Rewrite each of the following sentences so that it has a similar meaning to the original one. 16 1. If you changed your mind, you would be welcomed to join our class. → Were you______________________________________________________ 2. I'd rather not go out this afternoon. → I do not feel____________________________________________________ 3. Adeles tries hard, but she doesn't get anywhere. → However______________________________________________________ 4. It is thought that the boss is considering raising wages. → The boss______________________________________________________ 5. His disabilities did not prevent him from sailing around the world. → Despite the fact_________________________________________________ 6. I didn't arrive in time to see her. → I wasn't_______________________________________________________ 7. I'd prefer you not to smoke. → I'd rather______________________________________________________ 8. The mother smiled happily. She took the baby in her arms. → Smiling________________________________________________________ 9. The noise next door did not stop until after midnight. → It was not ______________________________________________________ 10. You can ring this number whenever there is any difficulty. → Should _________________________________________________________ SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO KỲ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 12 - VÒNG 1 LONG AN Đề chính thức A. Ngày thi: 06/10/2011 Bảng A Thời gian: 180 phút (Phần A & B) READING & WRITING: (80 marks) I. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. (15 marks) Steve grew up in a children’s home in Scotland. Every week, the staff took a proportion of the children’s pocket money to pay for holidays. Little Steve developed a daring strategy to hang on to what little money he had. He laughs about it now. “I used to swallow all my coins. That got them really furious, so they’d put me in a room on my own as a punishment. After a few minutes in there, I’d hit myself on the chest and cough the money back up.” Since then, Steve has turned into Steve Starr, a professional regurgitator who does up to four shows a day, and can demand fees of $500-$2,000 a show. Everything Steve swallows comes back dry, except for the goldfish. They swim about in his stomach in the water that he swallows for them first. After ten minutes they resume their normal lives in a goldfish bowl. “They never die”, says Steve. 17 Medical experts might have a few worries about Steve. The sight and sound of him swallowing and bringing back a snooker ball sometimes causes even normally calm people to panic. He also smokes a cigarette, retains the smoke in his stomach, then swallows some butane gas and mixes the two. Next he swallows some washing-up liquid, blows a huge bubble, brings up the smoke and gas inside the bubble, cuts the bubble off, gets someone to set light to it, and bang! Physically, Steve doesn’t believe he is any different from the rest of the human race, who use their stomachs simply to digest food. “It’s all done by muscle control”, he says. “I imagine a little pair of hands in there doing everything, controlled by my brain. I’m sure I could teach anyone to do what I do”. 1. Why was Steve punished in the children’s home? 2. What does the sentence “Steve grew up in a children’s home” tell you about Steve’s early childhood? 3. What does the sentence “They’d put me in a room on my own as a punishment” tell you about the children’s home? 4. Why does the bubble go bang when someone sets light to it? 5. What, according to Steve, is the secret of his skill? II. Read the following passage and then choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to complete each of the numbered blanks. (15 marks) THE LANGUAGE OF TEARS The ability to weep is a uniquely human form of emotional response. Some scientists have suggested that human tears are evidence of an aquatic past – but this does not seem very likely. We cry from the moment we enter this (1) _________ for a number of reasons. Helpless babies cry to (2) _________ their parents that they are ill, hungry or uncomfortable. As they (3) _________ they will also cry just to attract parental attention and will often stop when they get it. The idea that (4) _________ a good cry can do you (5) _________ is a very old one and now it has scientific (6) _________ since recent research into tears has shown that they (7) _________ a natural painkiller called enkaphalin. By (8) _________ sorrow and pain this chemical helps you to feel better. Weeping can increase the quantities of enkaphalin you (9) _________. Unfortunately, in our society we impose restrictions upon this naturally (10) _________ activity. Because some people still regard it as a (11) _________ of weakness in men, boys in particular are admonished when they cry. This kind of repression can only increase stress, both emotionally and physically. Tears of emotion also help the body (12) _________ itself of toxic chemical (13) _________, for there is more protein in them than in tears resulting from cold winds or other irritants. Crying comforts, calms and can be very enjoyable – (14) _________ the popularity of the highly emotional films which are commonly (15) _________ “weepies”. It seems that people enjoy crying together almost as much as laughing together. 1. A. world B. place C. earth D. space 2. A. communicate B. persuade C. inform D. demonstrate 3. A. evolve B. change C. develop D. alter 18 4. A. doing B. making C. getting D. having 5. A. better B. fine C. good D. well 6. A. validity B. truth C. reality D. reason 7. A. contain B. retain C. hold D. keep 8. A. struggling B. fighting C. opposing D. striking 9. A. construct B. achieve C. provide D. produce 10. A. curing B. treating C. healing D. improving 11. A. hint B. symbol C. feature D. sign 12. A. release B. rid C. loosen D. expel 13. A. rubbish B. waste C. leftovers D. remains 14. A. consider B. remark C. distinguish D. regard 15. A. named B. entitled C. subtitled D. called III. Read the following text and then choose the best phrase or sentence, given below, to fill each of the gaps. Write one letter (A-P) in each of the numbered gaps. Each phrase is only used once. Some of the suggested answers do not fit at all. (15 marks) Archaeologists in Iraq have discovered the world’s oldest “statue” – a stone, standing four feet high, covered with plaster (1) __________ of a human being. This “stone man” dating from 11,000 years ago, (2) __________ who were emerging from the pre-agricultural Stone Age into the Neolithic world of early farming. The statue, probably of religious significance, was located inside a prehistoric house – one of the earliest sophisticated buildings (3) __________. Investigations have shown that the house had (4) __________ with claycoated, lime-plastered walls and floor. So far excavation have unearthed three buildings containing seven standing stones, (5) __________ retain traces of lime plaster which once covered them. However, (6) __________ shows evidence of having been shaped into the likeness of a human being. It is 30 centuries older (7) __________ previously known oldest statue. (8) __________that each building appears to have had at least one standing stone inside it, and that one house actually had three. The plaster-covered human shaped obelisk (9) __________ shoulders and the stumps of arms and part of a neck. The “head”, however, (10) __________. A. ever discovered by archaeologists B. molded into the shape C. to have been built D. strangely carved E. was fashioned by people F. excavations have revealed G. only one of these H. neither of them 19 I. beautifully finished J. than the remaining K. has what appear to be L. seems to have broken off M. four of which N. has been missing O. it has been decided P. than the world’s IV. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each space. (20 marks) The worry about salt is that it may (1)__________ high blood pressure. Chemically, salt (2) __________of sodium and chloride ions, both of (3)__________are common in the human (4)__________and are important for many physiological and biochemical (5) __________. We not only need salt, we eat salt, but too (6) __________ may still be bad for us. Although the idea of a (7)__________between salt and high blood pressure (8) __________back to 2000 BC, there is still no scientific (9)__________as to whether this so or not. One reason for this (10) __________to agree is that individual salt intake (11) __________enormously from day to day, and so reliable measures of intake are hard to come (12) __________. Those who believe that salt does (13)__________to high blood pressure (14)__________to the high incidence of high blood pressure in countries that eat a very (15) __________diet. In Japan, for instance, where salted fish is an important part of the diet, high blood pressure and (16)__________ complications are common, (17) __________ among some Amazonian and African tribes, which have a low intake of salt, they are almost (18) __________. But (19)__________there is this neat relation between salt intake and the incidence of high blood pressure between countries, it doesn’t seem to apply (20) __________those countries themselves. Studies, for instance, of couples who have a similar salt intake don’t show any consistency in how often they develop high blood pressure. V. There are ten mistakes in the following passage. Find and correct them. Follow the example. (15 marks) Example: Line 1: 0. which  when FAMILY HISTORY In an age which technology is developed faster than ever before, many people are being attracted by the idea of looking back into the past. One way they can make this is by investigating their own family history. They can try to find out more about what their families came from and what they did. This is now a fast-growing hobby, especially in countries with a fairly short history, alike Australia and the United States. It is one thing to spend some time going through a book on family history and to take the decision to investigate your own family’s past. It is quite another to carry out the research work successfully. It is easy to set about it in a disorganizing way and cause yourself many problems that could have avoided with a little forward planning. 20