Ôn thi HSG (có đáp án)

Đề ôn thi HSGQG, 304 môn tiếng Anh, đã có đáp án. Cung cấp kiến thức và kỹ năng cho học sinh chuẩn bị tham gia thi các kì HSG, bao gồm các phần lexico and gramma, multiple choice, reading, writing... Đáp án đã được giáo viên sửa, đề thi lấy từ kho ôn thi của học sinh chuyên

1 It is high time we canceled our marketing campaign as it hasn’t helped to _ in sales for months

2 I'm not surprised that Tina showed up with purple hair today—she loves _ with her hair color

A kicking the bucket B getting the ball rolling

3 I think I will _, it is unacceptable for a student to hold a racist attitude towards his teacher

A tell him a thing or two B pick his moment

C tick off on his fingers D get his brain in gear

4 He is a careful guy who will always get his _ in a row before he starts doing anything

5 After the seventh time Ally came late to work, the teacher lost her patient and hauled him over _.

6 The green protest is expected to _ steam after the minister allows the construction of a shopping center in place of the park

7 It is hard to understand what led to a prejudicial attitude and _ hatred of women in a person brought up in a progressive family like him

8 With a record of 22000 flying hours, Callaghan proved to be an _ and shrewd pilot for these storms

A inimitable B imperturbable C impermeable D unshakeable

9 In this story, the criminal is depicted as a person with a genius mind and a _ pleasure in watching others suffer

10 The view from the top of Lang Biang was so breathtaking that we just stood there _ the scenery

A bristling up in B breaking in C drilling in D drinking in

11 I think you had better spend some time to _ certain factors before applying for that position, the deadline is still far away

A mull over B bowl over C sleep over D boil over

12 Recent inconsiderate statements Mr Key made in the public are believed to be _ to the cooperation between our company and the DYC

A innocuous B prejudicial C vacuous D sinister

13 As coincidental as the first time they met each other, that actually was also part of her scheme to _ this rich guy

14 As a public figure, whose life and behavior are the focus of intense public interest, I have gradually become _ to criticism and scrutiny

A impermeable B impertinent C impervious D imperious

15 My aunt is clearly bathing in the reflected _ of her son’s outstanding performance and enviable

achievements in the National Contest

Word form

1 The second time the player was shown the yellow card for his _unsporting actions during the

game, he was dismissed from the field (SPORT)

2 The prevalence of illegal drug trafficking in the Philippines is lower than the global average,

partly thanks to strict drug policies in this country (TRAFFIC)

3 I think hibiscus will do poorly as a houseplant _, given the fact that it is native to tropical regions

and adores full sun (PLANT)

4 Imported coffee is having a difficult time trying to find a foothold in the Vietnamese market

Vietnam (FOOT)

5 I don’t have the _willpower to stay on a diet so the only way for me to lose weight is exercising.

(POWER)

READING

Part 1 For questions 1-13, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.

EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES

a book review

The title of Eats, Shoots and Leaves refers to a famously misplaced comma in a wildlife manual that ended

up suggesting a panda rather violently “eats, shoots and leaves” instead of eating shoots and leaves The author of this book, journalist Lynne Truss, is something akin to a militant linguist, dedicating this “zero tolerance” manifesto on grammar to the striking Bolshevik printers of St Petersburg who, in demanding the same remuneration for punctuation as they received for letters, ended up setting in motion the first Russian Revolution

Some of the book involves humorous attacks on erroneous punctuation There is the confused Shakespearian thespian who inadvertently turns a frantic plea: “Go, get him surgeons!” into the cheerful encouragement of “Go get him, surgeons!” Street and shop signs have a ubiquitous presence A bakery declares “FRESH DONUT’S SOLD HERE” and a florist curiously announces that “Pansy’s here!” (Is she?) The shameless title of a Hollywood film Two Weeks Notice is reeled in for criticism—“Would they similarly call it One Weeks Notice?” Truss enquire—and sometimes, as in the case of signs promoting

“ANTIQUE’S” and “Potatoe’s”—one questions whether we are bearing witness to new depths of grammar ignorance, or a postmodern caricature of atrocious punctuation

Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not just a piece of comedy and ridicule, however, and Truss has plenty to offer

on the question of grammar usage If you have ever wondered whether it is acceptable to simply use an

“em dash” in place of a comma—the verdict from Truss is that you can “The dash is less formal than the semicolon, which makes it more attractive”, she suggests “It enhances conversational tone; and it is capable of quite subtle effects.” The author concludes, with characteristic wry condescension, that the em dash’s popularity largely rests on people knowing it is almost impossible to use incorrectly Truss is a personal champion of the semicolon, a historically contentious punctuation mark elsewhere maligned by novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr., as a “transvestite hermaphrodite representing absolutely nothing” Coming to the semicolon’s defense, Truss suggests that, while it can certainly be over-used—she refers to the dying words of one 20th century writer: “I should have used fewer semicolons” —the semicolon can perform the role of “a kind of Special Policeman in the event of comma fights.”

Truss has come under criticism on two broad points The first argument criticizes the legitimacy of her authority as a punctuation autocrat Louis Menand, writing in the New Yorker, details Eats, Shoots and

Leaves' numerous grammatical and punctuation sins: a comma-free non-restrictive clause; a superfluous ellipsis; a misplaced apostrophe; a misused parenthesis; two misused semicolons; an erroneous hyphen

in the word “abuzz", and so on In fact, as Menand notes, half the semicolons in the Truss book are spuriously deployed because they stem from the author’s open flouting of the rule that semicolons must only connect two independent clauses “Why would a person not just vague about the rules but disinclined to follow them bother to produce a guide to punctuation?" Menand inquires Ultimately, he holds Truss accused of producing a book that pleases those who “just need to vent'' and concludes that Eats, Shoots and Leaves is actually a tirade against the decline of language and print that disguises itself, thinly and poorly, as some kind of a style manual

Linguist David Chrystal has criticized what he describes as a “linguistic purism" coursing through Truss’ book Linguistic purism is the notion that one variety of language is somehow more pure than others, with this sense of purity often based on an idealized historical point in the language’s development, but sometimes simply in reference to an abstract ideal In The Fight for English How Language Pundits Ate, Shot and Left, Chrystal —a former colleague of Truss—condemns the no-holds-barred approach to punctuation and grammar “Zero tolerance does not allow for flexibility," he argues “It is prescriptivism taken to extremes It suggests that language is in a state where all the rules are established with 100 per cent certainty The suggestion is false We do not know what all the rules of punctuation are And no rule

of punctuation is followed by all of the people all of the time."

Other detractors of Truss’ “prescriptivism" are careful to disassociate needless purism from robust and

sensible criticism, an oppositional stance they call descriptivism “Don’t ever imagine," Geoffrey K Pullum

on the Language Log emphasizes, “that I think all honest attempts at using English are just as good as any others [Bad] writing needs to be fixed But let’s make sure we fix the right things." In other words, we do not require a dogmatic approach to clean up misused language Charles Gaulke concurs, noting that his opposition to “prescriptivism" does not require contending with the existence of standards themselves, but questioning whether our standards should determine what works, or whether what works should determine our standards

Ultimately, it is unlikely the purists and pedagogues will ever make absolute peace with those who see language as a fluid, creative process within which everyone has a role to play Both sides can learn to live

in a sort of contentious harmony, however Creativity typically involves extending, adapting and critiquing the status quo, and revising and reviving old traditions while constructing new ones Rules must exist in order for this process to take place, if only for them to be broken On the flip side, rules have

an important role to play in guiding our language into forms that can be accessed by people across all manner of differences, so it is vital to acknowledge the extent to which they can be democratic, rather than merely autocratic in function Nevertheless, all the regulations in the world cannot stem the natural spring of language, which bursts through rivets and snakes around the dams that linguistic authorities may try to put in place We should celebrate rather than curse these inevitable tensions

Questions 1-6

In boxes 1-6, write:

True if the statement agrees with the information

False if the statement contradicts the information

Not Given if there is no information on this

1 A well-known error lays the groundwork for Truss’s book

2 Humour is utilized to aid the delivery of subliminal messages in the book

3 Truss’s view of punctuation marks diverges from that of another writer

4 According to an adversary, the book fails to serve its stated role

5 Mutability in the rule of punctuation is accepted when zero tolerance is applied

6 The development of language is fundamentally unstoppable

Your answers

For questions 7-13, complete the following paragraph with words taken from the passage.

The review gives readers an insight into a book on grammar and punctuation by Lynne Truss which was dedicated to people who ignited the first Russian Revolution with their request for (7)

remuneration for punctuation Included in the book is criticism heaped upon incorrect punctuation, with the repeated appearance of (8) _semicolons _ Some cases involving such anomalous use can even be considered a(n) (9) _kind of Special Policeman in the event of comma fights Beside certain merits, the book has also come under fire One of the arguments against it describes Truss as (10) _a punctuation autocrat and highlights grammatical mistakes

in her book It has also been castigated due to a sense of (11) _a style manual _ conveyed.

Furthermore, Truss’s perspective, described as prescriptivism, has met with disapproval from people

who oppose the use of (12) descriptivism to rectify linguistic errors This oppositional stance

and prescriptivism are stated to be constantly at loggerheads, but they can still co-exist in such a state of

(13) contentious harmony _

Part 2 For questions 14-23, read an extract from an article and choose the answer A, B, C or D that fits best according to the text Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.

WHY DO WE KEEP PETS?

Why do we keep pets? After all, we are surely the only species on the planet inclined to do so Even our closet cousins, the great apes, do not similarly indulge Indeed, when footage of four chimps ‘playing’ with

an antelope recently emerged, it caused much debate on the subject momentarily until the exact

circumstances of the ‘play date’ were understood The chimps at first played innocently with the calf, then gradually their play became rougher and rougher and sadly, the calf did not come out the other end of the game alive Despite this, the chimps continued to amuse themselves with the corpse with no less enthusiasm for a further half hour Now, do you see?

Humans, contrarily invest heavily on an emotional and financial level in their domestic animals, and this again begs the question: why exactly? After all, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that we benefit health-wise from, for instance, increased longevity by keeping them and the effort of caring for pets definitely outweighs any payback there is As mentioned, pets are high-maintenance and require meals,

healthcare and housing, and, though they provide companionship for some and practical services like guarding for others, caring for them is extremely time-consuming They often require walking, grooming, worming and much else besides Yet in spite of all this, for many, they are an intrinsic part of the family, almost like having a child around

However, the comparisons end before they even begin in that respect After all, there are practical reasons for having children From an evolutionary perspective, they keep the genes alive Not to mention the fact that they can return the favor of care years down the line when you have grown old and they are

in the prime of their existence And whilst they also demand an enormous amount of care and attention (admittedly, there are similarities in some respects, then!), they can and are typically expected to contribute actively to family affairs themselves as they get older There is, in short, a clear return on investment where kids are concerned

[ ] On the other hand, in the past, perhaps a practical agenda for keeping pets could not be ruled out so summarily [ ] For instance, pet-tending arguably may have demonstrated desirable female qualities in the care-giver, making the carer more attractive to potential suitors [ ] Indeed, the urge to care also highlighted other admirable traits of a more empathetic nature [ ]

Indeed, even today, some researchers argue the merits of pet ownership from a practical point of view, suggesting that they might be helpful to humans lacking emotion and social support The science, at least

in one respect, is clear and such people are definitely more vulnerable to disease and infection However, when it comes to the question of whether pets can adequately fulfil the vacant role, substituting for human interaction, the situation is a lot more cloudy and contradictory research exists, with opinions often toing and froing

Besides, many of us are more like the chimps than we’d perhaps care to admit For instance, the notion of pet keeping is a cultural one which does not exist across all cultures Some Kenyan indigenous tribes, for instance, do not have a word for pet They keep dogs, yet, but solely for their own protection Indeed, in some cultures young-dog meat itself is a staple of the traditional diet Many Westerners claim this shocks them and damn such behavior, but they will happily eat young sheep, with lamb being a favorite dish for

many What’s the difference? You see, it’s all about perspective

Some researchers suggest that pet keeping is a purely cultural phenomenon akin to fashion, indeed In other words, it is socially contagious and we keep pets because our friends and neighbors do – and there

is much evidence to support this assertion, in fact However, the problem with this theory is it’s a bit like

that of the Big Bang, just as we can’t account for where the particles which produced same to create the universe came from, nor can we explain how or why the perpetually self-reinforcing trend of

pet-keeping began

14.Why does the writer use the example of the chimps in paragraph one?

A to give an instance about the contrast between toys and pets

B to demonstrate similar behavioral patterns between chimps and humans

C to exemplify how evolved chimps have become

D to prove that the subject remains a hotly debated manner

15.The writer implies that

A keeping pets is not as altruistic as having children.

B having children and pets are basically the same.

C it would be more reasonable to have children than keep pets.

D child bearing ought to take precedence over pet keeping.

16.According to the writer, the rationale behind pet ownership in the past may have been

A people’s aspiration to appear sympathetic.

B a yearning by members of one gender to show their compatibility as parents.

C a craving for the generation of more weath and improvement of social status.

D a need for an additional care-giver in the family.

17.In paragraph five, the writer suggests that

A it has yet to be confirmed whether or not pets have beneficial impacts on the health conditions of

socially isolated people

B most researchers concur in relation to the practical benefits of having pets today.

C research indicates pet owners are more susceptible to disease and infection.

D pets can substitute the roles of humans in a social context for lonely individuals.

18.What does the writer mean when he mentions ‘perspective’ in the sixth paragraph?

A Dogs are blatantly abused in certain cultures.

B Dogs can fulfil the dual role of protector and pet.

C We cannot judge others by our own conventions.

D Several countries exploit dogs solely for hunting purposes.

19.Why does the author refer to Big Bang Theory?

A To suggest that theories fall in and out of popularity within the scientific community.

B To disprove the notion that pet keeping is fashion led.

C To call for the implementation of a scientific approach to examine pet keeping habits.

D To insinuate that a certain theory about pet keeping habits is flawed.

20.The word “antelope” in paragraph 1 mostly means

A a favorite toy of chimps.

B chimps’ companion.

C a corpse that chimps play with.

D a large mammal like a deer.

21 Look at the four squares [ ] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the

passage

Alternatively, pet-keeping may have served as a symbol of status and wealth; after all, before you can own one, you must sound finances.

Where would the sentence best fit?

A First square.

B Second square.

C Third square.

D Fourth square.

22.Why does the author mention Big Bang in the final paragraph?

A To highlight the role of the Big Bang theory.

B To identify a stark contrast between the origin of the universe and that of the pet keeping habit.

C To account for the origin of the pet keeping trend.

D To illustrate the ambiguity in finding out the root of the pet keeping trend.

23.The phrase “perpetually self-reinforcing trend” in the final paragraph mostly means

A a tendency that has reinforced pet keeping habits so far.

B a trend that has existed for a long time.

C a trend that serves to strengthen itself for a long time.

D a tendency that aims to perpetually keep pets.

Your answers

Part 3 In the passage below, seven paragraphs have been removed For questions 24-30, read the passage and choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap There is ONE extra paragraph which you do not need to use Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.

VALUES FOR A GODLESS AGE

When the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in 1989 so did the plaster cast which had kept the idea of human rights in limbo It was now free to evolve in response to the changing conditions of the late twentieth century

24 E

Of course, in one sense, the quest for universal human rights standards after the Second World War was

an early attempt to communicate across national boundaries, albeit a rather faltering endeavour, with its claims to universality challenged both in terms of authorship and content More recently, a loosening of the reins of the human rights dialogue has ushered in wider debate

25 F

Perhaps the best known of these is Amnesty International, established in 1961 Before Amnesty, there were very few organizations like it, yet now there are thousands operating all over the world Whether campaigning for the protection of the environment or third-world debt relief, any such organization is engaged in the debate about fundamental human rights And it is no longer just a soft sideshow

The fact that strangers from different countries can communicate with each other through the worldwide web is having a similar effect in dealing a blow to misinformation During one recent major human rights trial over sixty websites sprang up to cover the proceedings, while sales of the government-controlled newspaper in that country plummeted

The effect of increased responsibility at this highest level has been to continually extend the consideration of who is legally liable, directly or indirectly, under international human rights law In part, this is an acknowledgement that even individuals need to be held responsible for flagrant breaches of others ‘rights, whether these are preventing protesters from peacefully demonstrating or abusing the rights of children

28 D

It has been noted that paradoxically, in such circumstances, it may be in the interests of human rights organizations to seek to reinforce the legitimacy and authority of the state, within a regulated global framework

Part of the new trend in human rights thinking is therefore to include powerful private bodies within its

remit The International Commission of Jurists has recently explored ways in which international human

rights standards could be directly applied to transnational corporations

Whatever the way ahead, the lessons of the past must be learnt Any world view or set of values which is presented as self-evident is ultimately doomed to failure The case for human rights always needs to be made and remade In a world where globalization too often seems like a modernized version of old-fashioned cultural imperialism, it is important to query the claim that human rights are universally accepted

The missing paragraphs:

A The problem is that the growth of globalization makes the protection of nation states a pointless goal

in certain circumstances Transnational corporations with multiple subsidiaries operating in a number of countries simultaneously wield significant economic and political power and it is often extremely difficult for the state - both home and host governments - to exercise effective legal control over them

B If the proliferation of pressure groups has raised the profile of the human rights debate, satellite

television has reinforced much of the content of their campaigns The fact that from our armchairs we can all see live what is happening to others around the world has had an enormous impact on the way the struggle for human rights is viewed It would not be remotely believable to plead ignorance nowadays, for 24-hour news coverage from the world's hotspots reaches us all

C This is, after all, a uniquely propitious time, as the values and language of human rights are becoming

familiar to more and more people, who judge the merits or otherwise of political and economic decisions increasingly in human rights terms Arguments seem fresh and appealing in many quarters where once they sounded weak and stale

D On a global scale, it is not strong states that are the problem here but weak ones, as they fail to protect

their citizens from private power - whether it is paramilitaries committing murder and torture or transnational corporations spreading contamination and pollution

E One of the most significant of these is what has come to be called 'globalization', the collapsing of

national boundaries in economic, political and cultural life From the expanding role of the world's financial markets and the spread of transnational corporations to the revolution in communications and information technology, more and more areas of people's lives are affected by regional, international or transnational developments, whether they are aware of this or not

F Not only must states not infringe rights, and enforce those rights which fall within their direct sphere

(like providing a criminal justice system or holding fair elections), but they also have 'positive obligations' to uphold rights enshrined in human rights treaties, even when it is private parties which have violated them

G The results of its investigations were published in 1999 in a unique pamphlet on Globalization, Human Rights and the Rule of Law The issue to be faced is whether to treat these and other

corporations as 'large para-state entities to be held accountable under the same sort of regime as states',

or whether to look for different approaches to accountability 'that are promulgated by consumer groups and the corporations themselves.'

H No longer the preserve of representatives of nation states meeting under the auspices of the United

Nations, a developing conversation is taking place on a global scale and involving a growing cast of people

- for an increasing range of pressure groups now frame their aspirations in human rights terms

Your answers

24 25 26 27 28 29 30.

Part 4 The passage below consists of four sections marked A, B, C and D For questions 31-40, read the passage and do the task that follows Write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the corresponding numbered boxes provided

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Our reporter spent a night camping out inside a zoo in Australia

A Scanning the breakfast menu, I found myself swiftly losing my appetite: on offer were beetle larvae,

maggots and frozen mice Fortunately, spending the night at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo needn’t involve sampling the animals’ meals, though it does entail getting extremely close to all manner of creatures The Roar and Snore programme, curiously little known in Australia let alone overseas, allows you to spend a night camping in the heart of the zoo, long after the crowds of day trippers have dispersed And if your experience of zoos is creatures slumped motionless in their enclosures, or skulking in their dens, then let

me assure you that at dusk, the place comes alive and echoes with the din of hundreds of creatures making their presence known A ferryboat dropped me off at the foot of the zoo, which sprawls across a steeply sloping swathe of bushland across the bay from the city Guides, Steve and Nikki, awaited with bright, enthusiastic smiles Ten of us had signed up and, in no time at all, we were busily erecting tents on

a rectangle of grass outside the zoo’s education centre An adjacent area of gum trees was inhabited by kangaroos, wallabies and an alarmingly inquisitive emu – our first animal encounter

B After a quick briefing, we set off into the gathering gloom Steve unlocked a huge metal gate that then

clanged ominously behind us We were in, though not without some trepidation – what had we let ourselves in for? It was just us, a handful of security staff and 2,000 furred and feathered inmates A gibbon let out a haunting, liquid whoop and wild possums frolicked noisily through the eucalyptus trees above us, their dark silhouettes framed against a full moon The skyscrapers of the city centre twinkled in the distance as a pair of zebras scuffled in a cloud of dust; farther along, a giant Kodiak bear lumbered menacingly around a large, rock-strewn enclosure An awesome spectacle in the gloom, but the buzz that evoked was soon surpassed when a pair of snow leopards came within a few feet of us as they paced around the rocky ledges of their cage

C Not all the animals at Taronga are behind bars Semi-tame African guinea fowl nest in the gum trees

and a water buffalo let out a surprisingly cow-like moo, whilst a group of macaws screeched as we climbed back up to the education centre It gets chilly after dusk, but Steve had left nothing to chance and

a warming barbecue was already sizzling with sausages and chicken kebabs Meanwhile, Nikki brought out some animals that are used to being handled: first a diamond python called Little Spots and then a koala Even the Australians in the group were enthralled as Nikki showed us the pad of hardened skin that enables the species to sit for hours at a time in the crook of a tree As she explained, the gum trees they eat contain only four percent protein, so they have little energy to do much else

D After a bitterly cold night under canvas, it was a relief to be woken at dawn for breakfast As the sun

rose and bathed the zoo in a soft, orange light, we fed carrots to the zoo’s small herd of giraffes One of