Lam son tieng anh 11 đề đề xuất

SỞ GD&ĐT THANH HOÁ TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LAM SƠN KỲ THI HỌC SINH GIỎI CÁC TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN KHU VỰC DUYÊN HẢI VÀ ĐỒNG BẰNG BẮC BỘ NĂM 2022 ĐỀ ĐỀ XUẤT ĐỀ THI MÔN: TIẾNG ANH – KHỐI 11 Thời gian: 180 phút (Không kể thời gian giao đề) (Đề thi gồm 15 trang) LISTENING (50 points) Part 1: Listen to a dialogue between two students and answer the questions with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS What important aspect of history they need to learn? _ What we need to know about our ancestors? _ What does the study of anthropology include? _ What aspect of geography is focused on in the course? _ How are social studies often criticized for? _ Part 2: Listen to a talk about malware and decide if the statements are true or false Malwares mostly aim to steal secret data from digital devices All emails carry a certain type of malware Viruses will enter computers and spread when users receive an executable file Trojans not only steal confidential data but also enable cybercriminal to enter your computer 10 The spread of both viruses and worms depends on infected host file Your answer: 10 Part 3: You will hear part of a discussion programme where Florence, a marketing expert, and Mark, a retail analyst, discuss impulse buying For questions 11-15, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear 11 What does Mark imply when talking about the items made people purchase through impulse shopping? A Many expensive items are often purchased in this way B Impulse shopping can result in consumers buying unnecessary items C Most impulse buys take place in clothes shops D People very often purchase items that they cannot afford 12 What point both Mark and Florence make about the retail industry? A It actively encourages impulse-buying behaviours B It maximizes its profits by offering promotions on expensive items C It has conducted extensive research into influencing people's way of thinking D It often presents products of lesser quality as a good deal 13 What Mark and Florence agree has made impulse buying easier? A more disposable income B the availability of cheaper products C a wider variety of payment methods D advances in technology 14 When describing the relationship between stress and shopping, Florence says that A shopping may help to briefly reduce stress levels B all impulse buys are done when the consumer is stressed C the act of shopping can be stressful in itself D consumers shop online to avoid stress 15 What advice does Mark have for anyone wanting to curb their spending habits? A avoid the shops altogether B be aware that emotions guide purchasing decision C delay making a purchase D set a monthly budget for one’s spending Your answer: 11 12 13 14 15 Part 4: You will listen to a talk about nuclear waste For questions 16-25, fill in the gap with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS In Onkalo, Finland, the world’s first 16. for high-level nuclear waste is under construction One drawback of developing nuclear energy is spent fuel rods of 17. _, which Finland is planning to dispose permanently The rods will be kept in 18. buried nearly half a kilometer underground for at least 100,000 years until the 19 decay to acceptable levels There are a series of barriers to keep the rods safe underground First barrier: The rock - have few 20. _ - be impervious to water Second barrier: Bentonite - be water absorbing - plug 21. _ - block microbes - speed up 22. _ Third barrier: Copper - won’t corrode due to being 23. _ The plan in Finland was better than some other countries thanks to - 24. in the sighting process - promise of jobs from the company - promise of a new senior center - Finns’ trust in state institutions Around 2120, after having entombed 6500 tons of waste in Onkalo, all access tunnels will be backfilled and sealed up, service structure will be 25. , no sign of the repository will remain Your answer: 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 LEXICO-GRAMMAR (30 points) Part 1: Choose the correct answer to complete the sentence my dad, I would never have started playing tennis in the first place A Were it for B Were it to be for C Had it not been for D Were it not for We _ as well try to sell this old sofa before throwing it out A could B should C might D can I’d rather you anything for tonight, but I suppose it’s too late to change things now A not arrange B don’t arrange C didn’t arrange D hadn’t arranged I feel to inform the committee that a number of members are very unhappy with A my duty B this my duty C it my duty D that my duty I’d like to help you out , I’m afraid I just haven’t got any spare money at the moment A Even B Despite C Much as D Try as The company’s announced it’s over 1,000 workers A lay off B set off D switch off D kill off You’ll regret it if you don’t your important data A up B back up C key in D test out I didn’t to be a millionaire- I just wanted to run a successful business A crop up B wind down C set out D tide over My fingers are tired I’ve been at this keyboard for hours A slaving away B breaking away C plodding away D hammering away 10 So what you are saying is that I am being made redundant A in effect B in good faith C in that D in between 11 We have it that they’re thinking of closing the local office A on good authority B authority on C in authority D with authority 12 Since it was a minor offence, Derek was sent to prison A an open B an easy C a soft D a weak 13 Don’t worry- the documents are safely _ lock and key at my place A in B on C under D within 14 Ian’s really under his boss’s and isn’t allowed to make any decisions himself A finger B hand C thumb D eye 15 Our neighbour is a bit strange, but and let live, I always say A take B come C D live 16 This is the third time he’s been caught- they are really going to throw the at him this time A book B rod C row D pen 17 I’ve spent the whole morning vacuuming the inside of the car It’s now clean as a A dust B cucumber C whistle D lab 18 You have to go through a number of stages before you become an expert A medium B average C moderate D intermediate 19 The couple were finally by the landlord after not paying rent for six month A demolished B rejected C.evicted D evacuated 20 He’s extremely ; he turns up every day at nine o’clock on the dot A punctual B temporary C long-standing D subsequent Your answer: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Part 2: Provide the correct form of words in brakets 21 The Mekong Delta region was at the (front) of climate change adaptation in Viet Nam 22 The degradation had been caused by a range of factors including lack of sediment, and the land use in the coastal zone pressing the dike (sea) 23 The inadequate water management and overexploitation of groundwater resulted in land (subside) 24 Also known as IT security, (secure) measures are designed to combat threats against networked systems and applications 25 The international supporters have committed to supporting Viet Nam in strengthening the coastal zones of the Mekong Delta and the (resile) of its inhabitants 26 The environmental ministry is writing more detailed instructions under this law to (actual) and monitor waste classification 27 Waste classification in each family is undoubtedly needed and a (do) 28 KOICA is trying to solve the environmental problems through cooperation with various partners including academia, (start) and private businesses 29 The amendment to the law against domestic violence has been discussed at the group stage, and deputies have been (brain) acts that can be included 30 No matter how heavy or light it is, domestic violence leaves (repair) mental scars Your answer: 21 26 22 27 23 28 24 29 25 30 READING (60 points) Part 1: Fill in the gap with ONE suitable word (15pts) What Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon have in common? They were all left-handed! Beginning early in history, southpaws were feared, neglected, and punished because use of the left hand was considered 1. In fact, the Latin word for “left” is “sinister.” Due to this 2. _ against the left, left-handed people were forced to switch hands This change caused many problems for lefties in school, which resulted in frustration, bad behavior, and high drop-out rates Maybe that is why lefties were 3. as unintelligent, an idea that could not be further from the truth Researchers studying the brain have found differences in the left side and right side of the brain Researchers believe that people who use more of the left side of their brain tend to be more 4. They also tend to use language better and solve problems faster However, one study also showed that left-brain people tend to have 5. memories So, which side of the brain lefties use? Actually, both Right-handed people use the left side of the brain more, whereas left-handed people use both sides of the brain almost 6. The part connecting the two halves of the brain is usually larger in left-handed people Therefore, information can pass more 7. from one side of the brain to the other The left hemisphere of the brain controls speech, language, writing, logic, mathematics, and science The right hemisphere controls music, art, creativity, perception, and emotion Since lefties use both sides, they are often both creative and scientific Approximately ten percent of the world is left-handed, and the 8. of left-handed males to left-handed females is two to one Thankfully, parents and teachers no longer 9. left-handedness as a problem to be cured It may actually contribute to a child’s excellence! If allowed to learn and develop in their own way, lefties will 10. in school Perhaps one of these lefties might turn out to be the next Einstein or da Vinci (Reading challenge 2) Your answer: 10 Part 2: Read the passage and answer the questions followed (13pts) The Phantom Hand This illusion is extraordinarily complelling the first time you encounter it There is a very striking illusion in which you can feel a rubber hand being touched as if it were your own To find out for yourself, ask a friend to sit across from you at a small table Set up a vertical partition on the table, rest your right hand behind it where you cannot see it, and place a plastic right hand in view Ask your assistant to repeatedly tap and stroke your concealed right hand in a random sequence Tap, tap, tap, stroke, tap, stroke, stroke At the same time, while you watch, they must also tap and stroke the visible plastic dummy at exactly the same time in the same way If your friend continues the procedure for about twenty or thirty seconds, something quite strange will happen: you will have an uncanny feeling that you are actually being stroke on the fake hand The sensations you feel will seem to emerge directly form the plastic Why does this happen? Matthew Botinick and Jonathan Cohen, at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellion University, who reported the so-called rubber hand illusion in 1998, have suggested that the similarity in appearance fools the brain into mistaking the false hand for your real hand They believe this illusion is strong enough to overcome the discrepancy between the position of your real hand that you can feel and the site of the plastic hand you can see But that is not the whole story William Hirstein and Kathleen Carrie Armel of the University of California discovered a further twist: the object your helper touches does not even need to resemble your hand The same effect is produced if they tap and stroke the table Try the same experiment, but this time gets your acquaintance to rub and tap the surface in front of you while making matching movements on your real, concealed hand You will eventually start feeling touch sensations emerge from the wood surface This illusion is extraordinarily compelling the first time you encounter it But how can scientists be certain that the subject really believes that they are feeling sensations through the table? Kathleen Carrie Armel again and Vilayanur S Ramachandran learned that, once the illusion has developed, if you “threaten” the table by aiming a blow at it, the person winces and even starts sweating This reaction was demonstrated objectively by measuring a sudden decrease in electrical skin resistance caused by perspiration It is as if the table becomes incorporated into a person’s own body image so that it is linked to emotional centres in the brain; the subject perceives a threat to the table as a threat to themselves This may all sound like a magic trick, but it does have practical applications In fact, the experiments were inspired by work with patients who had phantom limbs After a person loses an arm from injury, they may continue to sense its presence vividly Often, the phantom seems to be frozen in a painfully awkward position To overcome this, a patient was asked to imagine putting their phantom arm behind a mirror By then putting their intact arm on the reflective side, they created the visual illusion of having restored the missing arm If the patient now moved the intact arm, its reflection- and thus the phantom- was seen to move Remarkably, it was felt to move as well, sometimes relieving the painful cramp Beyond a practical application, these illusions also demonstrate some important principles underlying perception Firstly, perception is based largely on marching up sensory inputs As you feel your hand being tapped and stroked and see the table or dummy hand being touched in the same way, your brain asks itself, “What is the likelihood that what I see and what I feel could be identical simply by chance? Nil Therefore, the other person must be touching me.” Secondly, this mechanism seems to be based on automatic processes that our intellect cannot override The brain makes these judgments about the senses automatically; they not involve conscious thought Even a lifetime of experience that an inanimate object is not part of your body is abandoned in light of the perception that it is All of us go through life making certain assumptions about our existence “My name has always been Joe” someone might think “ I was born in San Diego” and so on All such beliefs can be called into question at one time or another for various reasons One premise that seems to be beyond question is that you are anchored in your body Yet given a few seconds of the right kind of stimulation, even this obvious fact is temporarily forsaken, as a table or a plastic hand seem to become a part of you Question 11-14: The text reports the findings of three teams of researchers Match statements 11-14 with the correct team A, B or C A Botvinick and Cohen B Hirsteiri and Armel C Armel and Ramachandran 11 The illusion does not depend on the “phantom” looking like a real hand 12 The brain can disregard spatial information 13 If the fake hand is threatened, the subject will show signs of fear 14 A hand-shaped object is required for the illusion Questions 15-17: Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D in answer to these questions 15 How researchers explain the fact that subjects respond physically when someone threatens to hit the table in front of them? A The table becomes an integral part of the image subjects have of themselves B It is a reflex action triggered by the movement of the other person’s hand C An electrical connection is established between the subject and the table D Over time, the subject comes to believe that the table is one of these possessions 16 What does the phantom hand experiment show us about the nature of human perception? A It is based on conscious thought processes B It is primarily an unconscious process C It is closely related to intellectual ability D It relies only on sensory information 17 Which of these statements best summarizes the wider implications of the experiments described in the text? A The experiments are valuable in treating patients who have lost limbs B The experiments cast doubt on a fundamental human assumption C The experiments show humans to be less intelligent than was once thought D Human beings arrive at the truth by analysing the evidence of their senses Questions 18-23: Complete the summary below Choose ONE WORD FROM THE TEXT AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer It is a recognized phenomenon that patients who have been injured and lost 18. _ sometimes continue to have feelings, like pain or 19. , in these parts of their body In order to assist patients like this, doctors can use a 20. placed vertically on a flat surface The patient imagines that he is putting his phantom arm behind the mirror and his 21 arm in front When the patient moves the latter, the 22. also moves, giving the patient the illusion that his non-existent arm is moving In some cases, this illusory movement may succeed in 23. the patient’s discomfort Your answer: 11 16 21 12 17 22 13 18 23 14 19 15 20 Part 3: You are going to read an extract from an autobiography Seven paragraphs have been removed from the extract Choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap 24-30 There is one extra paragraph wich you not need to use (7pts) The Hammond Organ It’s September 1995 and I’m on my way home to Austin, Texas from Bankok Breaking the journey in Los Angeles, I spot an ad for an organ in the classifieds It’s a 1954 Hammond B2 I can’t resist this little gem, so I buy it-sight unseen- and arrange to have it collected, crated and trucked to Texas 24 Ever since I heard Green Onions by Booker T and the MG’s on the radio, the sound of a Hammond organ has moved me Although ta the time I didn’t know exactly what Booker T was playing, I knew I wanted to make that noise I didn’t even know how to play an organ, but the way it swirled and swam and it your ears off, I knew somehow I had to have one So I did my research in the music shops, and found out that the coolestsounding organs were all Hammonds, bu that the L100, while it still had that special sound, was lighter and cheaper than the other models Not that any of them were cheap, which didn’t mch matter, because I had no money 25 But when I called them up, they were very helpful There was no drawback The only thing I could not was move it, once they’d set it up That wasn’t going to be a problem The problem would be explaining the arrival of this beautiful monster to Mum and Dad But I wasn’t thinking that far ahead I wasn’t really thinking at all, apart from wondering-when could it be delivered? “Tomorrow”, “Okey” And that was it The next morning at about 10am there was a knock at the door and two men in white coats were standing on the doorstep After I’d signed papers and promised not to move it, we pushed the dining table and chairs back against the wall 26 It was all polished and shiny and made our dinning room suite look quite tatty They showed me how to start it up and we shooked hands It couldn’t have been simpler “ See you in two weeks then.” “Yes, Okey, bye” slamd “Aarrgh!” I screamed and ran upstairs to get the record player from the bedroom, set it up on top of the bookcase, plonked Green Onions on the turntable and cranked it up! Yes, yes, yes, nothing could stop me now I had lost my mind and I’d never find it again 27 The next thing to master was the Leslie cabinet This was where the sound came out The Leslie is a combined amplifier and speaker cabinet, but it has two speakers which point up and down The sound travels through revolving rotors, which throws the music out in waves It’s what makes the sound of every Hammond bit and swim in your ears You can regulate the speed it rotates and it’s very powerful 28 When Dad came whistling his way up the path after work, I went to the door to head him off “Hello Dad” “ What’s up?” “ Nothing much Well, I’ve got something to tell you’ “yes” “Er, Dad, you’ll never guess what I’ve got” “ What have you got?” “ A Hammond organ” 29 He was down the hall and peering round the door suspiciously before I could stop him “Blimey” he said “Well, I am blowed Where’s the dining room table gone?” he was in the doorway, trying to squeeze past the monster organ and the Leslie “It’s great, isn’t it?” “ Well, it is big… how are we going to eat with this thing in here, and why didn’t you ask me or your mum?” “Sorry, but it’ll only be here for a couple of weeks, listen to this,” I played the first part of Green Onions on it “Not bad, eh?” “I dunno” he was thinking “ Here, don’t day a word, let me break it to your mum.” 30 I bought it on the “never, never” Dad co-signed the hire purchase forms for me because I was under age -The missing paragraphs A This meant that there was now enough room Very carefully, they wheeled in a brand new Hammond organ and matching bench with the Playing Guide and connecting cables tucked inside the lid, and a band new Leslie 147 speaker cabinet, which filled up the entire room My face must have been a picture This was great! B I found all that out by fiddling around with it for hours that day until I got some results Basically, I just taught myself The wonderful thing about the Hammond is it sounds good without too much effort It’s not like the bagpipes or the violin, where even after a lot of work it can still sound bad C However, I never had any ambition as a kid to play the piano, let alone the organ It was all my mum’s fault She’d had a dream of playing the piano since she was a kid, but growing up in the little town of Montrath in the centre of Ireland, as one of 11 kids, there was hardly money for shoes let alone piano lessons And as she hadn’t been able to afford them when she was young, I was going to get them whether I wanted them or not D “What’s a Hammond organ?” “It’s free I’ve got it for two weeks, then they’ll come and take it away and no charge whatsoever” “Where is it then?” “ It’s in the back room, it’s fantastic and it’s not costing a penny.” E Then, thumbing through the back pages of the Melody Maker, I noticed an ad for Boosey and Hawkes, in Regent Street, who were offering to let me: “Try a Hammond Organ in your own home on two weeks’ free approval” “Yeah, right,” I thought “Pull the other one” I tried to figure out what the catch could be, because I couldn’t believe they’d let me get my sweaty hands on a genuine Hammond without money changing hands or at least making a promise to buy F Somehow I knew that meant it was going to be all right The men in white coats came to take it away two weeks later and my new mahogany Hammond organ and matching Leslie cabinet arrived the following week G Sometimes, a smell can trigger a memory so strong and true it unravels years in an instant, like the smell of oil paint, which takes me straight back to my art school days So, as they unbolt the container, even before I get to see how beautiful the instrument is, the combination of furniture polish and Hammond oil wafts up my nose and I get a flashback to 1964, when I caught that odd mixture for the first time H Now I had to figure out how to play the beast and get the same as that Carefully listening to sustained notes on the record, I pushed and pulled the drawer bars in and out until I got the same sound Then if I played the part right, the sound would change- just like the record Your answer: 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Part 4: Read the passage and answer the questions (15 pts) THE TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION By the close of the eighteenth century, the outlines of a world economy were clearly visible Centered in Western Europe, it included Russia, India, the East Indies, the Middle East, northern and western Africa, and the Americas Trade had increased greatly and shipping had grown in volume and speed, connecting the markets of the world more closely than ever before The world market, however, was confined to the coasts and along rivers, and its effects were rarely felt a hundred miles inland The expansion of economic activity into the interior, and its spread throughout China, Japan, Oceania, and Africa, was a major development of the nineteenth century It was largely accomplished through a revolution in transportation, particularly the development of the steamship, canals, and railroads Since the fifteenth century, the wooden sailing ship had been the main instrument of European economic and political expansion Sailing ships constantly grew in carrying capacity and speed with improvements in design, and they were built of easily available materials The age of sailing ships reached its zenith in the middle of the nineteenth century, the era of the great ocean-plying clippers that carried the majority of international trade Before 1850, the bulk of internal trade was carried by water In Western Europe, there had been several attempts to supplement the excellent river network with canals However, it was the demands of the Industrial Revolution, particularly the need to transport huge quantities of coal, that stimulated large scale canal building in the years 1760, 1850, first in Britain and then in Western Europe and the United States The introduction of steamboats gave an additional impetus to river navigation and canal construction The steamship rose in stature in the 1870s, when technical progress reduced the amount of coal the steam engine consumed Technical innovation, along with the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, enabled the steamship to surpass the sailing ship as the chief instrument of international trade Methods of land transport continued to be slow, uncertain, and expensive until the boom in railroad construction at mid century In 1840 there were 5.500 miles of rail track throughout the world; just twenty years later, there were 66,000 miles Of these, 50 percent were in North America and 47 percent were in Europe The rail lines built during that period served populated areas where considerable economic activity already existed, yet a global ideology of railroads gradually emerged: the belief that railroads could populate and bring wealth to undeveloped regions In Britain and the United States, private companies built hundreds of uncoordinated rail projects, but in continental Europe railroad construction became a concern of the state, which provided overall control and a large share of capital Until 1914, the building of railroads remained the most important reason for the export of capital as well as the main method of developing new territories British capital financed the majority of the railroads built in India, Canada, and Latin America The U.S transcontinental railroad played a key role in populating and developing huge tracts of land in North America, as did the Trans-Siberian Railway in Asia In the course of the nineteenth century, around million square miles of land were settled in North and South America and Oceania This was made possible by the decline in transportation costs, which greatly extended the area from which bulky products such as grains and minerals could be marketed The introduction of refrigeration on railcars and steamers in the 1870s opened huge markets for meat, dairy products, and fruit in North America and Europe The 1870s also saw the adoption of steel rails, electric signals, compressed-air brakes, and other inventions that made railroads a leading source of technical innovation in the nineteenth century, In the world context, the rise of the railroad was inseparable from that of the steamship The economic and geographic consequences of these two innovations complemented one another Both had the effect of increasing the size of markets as well as the amount of economic activity worldwide 31 Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 1? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information A International trade had to take place near oceans and rivers and did not extend to interior regions B After several centuries of slow growth, the world economy was no longer confined by geography C The effects of economic activity were felt everywhere, but especially along coasts and rivers D World markets expanded rapidly, affecting people who lived hundreds of miles from the coast 32 The word zenith in paragraph is closest in meaning to A final goal B slow period C natural limit D high point 33 What factor led to an increase in canal building? A Competition among the world powers B The need to move large quantities of coal C Improvements in the design of sailing ships D An increase in the export of capital 34 The word impetus in paragraph is closest in meaning to A push B style C shock D cost 35 Which of the following is given as a reason for the rise of the steamship over the sailing ship? A.Wood for the construction of sailing ships became scarce B The steamship could travel at faster speeds than the sailing ship C Steamships were better than sailing ships at navigating canals D.Technical advances made the steamship require less coal 36 According to the passage, what was a major result of railroad building in the nineteenth century? A The majority of wealth became concentrated in a few powerful nations B Competition increased between private and state-owned companies C There was an increase in the demand for an educated workforce D Large parts of the world became populated and economically developed 37 Why does the author mention refrigeration in paragraph 6? A To show how the steam engine contributed to refrigeration B To illustrate the standard of living of North America and Europe C To give an example of an innovation that expanded markets D To argue that refrigeration was the most important invention of the time 10 38 All of the following were effects of the transportation revolution EXCEPT A the spread of trade to new regions B innovations in technology C population decline in major cities D an increase in the size of world markets 39 It can be inferred from the passage that the author most likely believes which of the following about the transportation revolution of the nineteenth century? A There will never again be so many developments in transportation in a single century B Improvements in transportation had a direct impact on world economics C The transportation revolution was part of a worldwide political revolution D Technical innovations of that time led to similar inventions in the next century 40 Look at the four places A, B, C and D, which indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage Where would the sentence best fit? Railroad construction required enormous amounts of capital and was financed in diverse ways (A) In Britain and the United States, private companies built hundreds of uncoordinated rail projects, but in continental Europe railroad construction became a concern of the state, which provided overall control and a large share of capital (B) Until 1914, the building of railroads remained the most important reason for the export of capital as well as the main method of developing new territories (C) British capital financed the majority of the railroads built in India, Canada, and Latin America (D) The US transcontinental railroad played a key role in populating and developing huge tracts of land in North America, as did the Trans-Siberian Railway in Asia Your answer: 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Part 4: You are going to read an extract from an article about the Greek philosopher Socrates For questions 41-50, choose from the sections (A-D) The sections may be chosen more than once In which section are the following mentioned? 41 relationships between people in Socrates’ time 42 the continuing importance of Socrates’ beliefs 43 the writer’s theory concerning what happened to Socrates 44 why little is known about Socrates as a man 45 How the witer set about getting information relevant to Socrates 46 the difference between common perceptions of Socrates and what he was really like 47 an aim that Socrate was critical of 48 the realization that finding out about Socrates was a difficult task 49 how well known Socrates was during his time 50 an issue that Socrates considered in great detail Seeking Socrates 11 It may be more than 2,400 years since his death, but the Greek philosopher can still teach us a thing or two about leading “the good life” Bettany Hughes digs deeper A Sharing breakfast with an award-winning author in an Edinburgh hotel a few years back, the conversation came round to what I was writing next “A book on Socrates” I mumbled through my muesli “Socrates!” he exclaimed “What a brilliant doughnut subject Really rich and succulent with a great hole in the middle where the central character should be” I felt my smile fade because, of course, he was right Socrates, the Greek philosopher, might be one of the most famous thinkers of all time, but, as far as we know, he wrote not a single word down Born in Athens in 469B.C, condemned to death by a democratic Athenian court in 399B.C, Socrates philosophized freely for close on half a century Then he was found guilty of corrupting the young and of disrespecting the city’s traditional gods His punishment? Lethal hemlock poison in a small prison cell We don’t have Socrates’ personal archive; and we don’t even know where he was buried So, for many, he has come to seem aloof and nebulous- a daunting intellectual figure-always just out of reach B But that is a crying shame Put simply, we think the way we because Socrates thought the way he did His famous aphorism, “the unexamined life is not worth living”, is a central tenet for modern times His philosophies-24 centuries old- are also remarkably relevant today Socrates was acutely aware of the dangers of excess and overindulgence He berated his peers for a selfish pursuit of material gain He questioned the value of going to fight under an ideological the value of going to fight under an ideological banner of “democracy” What is the point of city walls, warships and glittering statues, he asked, if we are not happy? The pursuit of happiness is one of the political pillars of the West We care entering what has been describes as “an age of empathy” So Socrates’forensic, practical investigation of how to lead “the good life” is more illuminating, more necessary than ever C Rather than being some kind of remote, tunic-clad beardy who wandered around classical columns, Socrates was a man of the streets The philosopher tore through Athens like a tornado, drinking, partying, sweating in the gym as hard as, if not harder than the next man For him, philosophy was essential to human life His mission: to find the best way to live on earth As Cicero, the Roman author, perceptively put it: “Socrates brought philosophy down from the skies” And so to try to put him back on to the streets he loved and where his philosophy belonged, I have spent 10 years investigating the eastern Mediterranean landscape to find clues of his life and the “Golden Age of Athens” Using the latest archaeology, newly discovered historical sources, and the accounts of his key followers, Plato and Xenophone, I have endeavoured to create a Socrates-shaped space, in the glittering city of 500BC Athens- ready for the philosopher to inhabit D The street jargon used to describe the Athens of Socrates’ day gives us a sense of its character His hometown was known as “sleek”, “oily”, “violet-crowned”, “busybody” Athens Lead curse tablets left in drains, scribbled down by those in the world’s first true democracy, show that however progressive fifth-century Athenians were, their radical political experiment- allowing the demos (the people) to have kratos (power)- did not away with personal rivalries and grudges Far from it In fact, in the city where every full citizen was a potent politician, backbiting and cliquery came to take on epic proportions By the time of his death Socrates was caught up in this crossfire E His life story is a reminder that the word “democracy” is not a magic wand It does not automatically vaporize all ills This was Socrates’ beef, too- a society can only be good not because of the powerful words it bandies around, but thanks to the moral backbone of each and every individual within it But Athenians became greedy, they overreached themselves, and lived to see their city walls torn down by their Spartan enemies, and their radical democracy democratically voted out of existence The city state needed someone to blame High12 profile, maddening, eccentric, freethinking, free-speaking Socrates was a good target Socrates seems to me to be democracy’s scapegoat He was condemned because, in fragile times, anxious political masses want certainties-not the eternal questions that Socrates asked of the world around him Your answer: 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 WRITING (60 points) Part 1: Summarize the following passage in within about 100-120 words (15 pts) Nanotechnology is a new field of applied science It is an effort to create very tiny machines on a nano scale A nano is a unit of measurement which stands for ten to the negative power of nine It is used to describe very small things One example of nanotechnology in modern use is the making of polymers These are based on molecular structure Another is the design of computer chip layouts These are based on surface science At the nano-size level, the properties of many materials change For example, copper changes from opaque to clear Solid gold becomes liquid at room temperature Insulators like silicon become conductors All of these activities open up many potential risks Due to their altered states, nano particles become more mobile They are also more likely to react with other things There are four ways for nano particles to enter the human body They can be inhaled, swallowed, absorbed through the skin, or injected Once these particles are in the body, they are highly mobile In fact, the way these particles react inside living things is still not fully understood But scientists guess that these tiny objects could easily overload defensive cells This would weaken a body's defenses against diseases Humans could easily lose control of particles this size This would lead to mass epidemics that would cause widespread disease and death Another concern about nanotechnology is of the environmental risks One report details the possible disaster of the Earth being covered in a gray, sticky substance This terrible event is attributed to the unrestrained selfreplication of microscopic robots These robots are called nanobots and are able to control themselves Therefore, scientists need to collect much more data before they are allowed to create and release nanobots They should be highly regulated by laws that only allow licensed scientists to safe experiments Part 2: The bar chart below gives information about the percentage of the population living in urban areas in different parts of the world (15pts) Summaries the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant 13 100 90 80 70 60 1950 2007 2050 50 40 30 20 10 Part 3: Essay writing (30pts) In the past, shopping was a routine domestic task Many people nowadays regarded it as a hobby To what extent you think this is a positive trend? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience Write about 350 words THE END 14 ... a plastic hand seem to become a part of you Question 11-1 4: The text reports the findings of three teams of researchers Match statements 11-1 4 with the correct team A, B or C A Botvinick and... we shooked hands It couldn’t have been simpler “ See you in two weeks then.” “Yes, Okey, bye” slamd “Aarrgh!” I screamed and ran upstairs to get the record player from the bedroom, set it up... their radical democracy democratically voted out of existence The city state needed someone to blame High12 profile, maddening, eccentric, freethinking, free-speaking Socrates was a good target