SỞ GD & ĐT TUYÊN QUANG KÌ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI CẤP TỈNH LỚP 12 THPT NĂM HỌC 2007 - 2008 Môn thi: TIẾNG ANH Thời gian: 135 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề) I. LISTENING You’ll hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1-8, choose the best answer by circling the corresponding letter A, B, or C. 1. You overhear this man in a shop. He wants to change some paint because A. he doesn’t like the color. B. he thinks there is something wrong with it. C. he finds it makes him ill. 2. This woman is complaining at a railway station enquiry office. She is angry because A. her train is late. B. her train has been cancelled. C. she thinks the train service is very poor. 3. These two people are having an argument. Are they arguing about A. the climate? B. the weather outside? C. the snowfall in recent years? 4. This is a conversation between a man and a woman. Is the man A. a policeman? B. a garage mechanic? C. a judge or other official in a court of law? 5. The speaker in this extract is a very keen gardener. He is talking about his success in growing A. a type of fruit. B. a type of vegetable. C. some flowers. 6. In this extract you are listening to someone speaking to quite a large group of people. Is he giving A. a history lecture? B. a talk at a gardening club? C. advice to medical students? 7. This extract comes from a talk on the radio. Is this speaker describing A. a piece of music? B. a magnificent building? C. a formal garden? 8. In this extract you can hear someone speaking on the phone. She wants to book some theatre tickets but she finds that A. the performance is fully booked. B. the performance has been cancelled. C. she can no longer have a special discount. II. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR Part 1: Choose the best answer to complete sentences by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D. 9. It’s difficult to _______ luxuries when you are used to having them. A. cut down on B. cut down at C. cut off on D. cut down into 10. I missed the seven o’clock news on the radio this morning. I _______ up too late. A. came B. turned C. grew D. woke 11. Government should _______ international laws against terrorism. A. bring up B. bring about C. bring in D. bring back 12. The advanced course in literature _______ French. A. turned off me B. turned me away C. turned me off D. turned me against 13. When we fly to Ho Chi Minh city, we’re going to _______ over in Da Nang to visit some friends. A. stop B. come C. arrive D. go 14. He died _______ heart failure _______ Thursday night. His wife is still suffering _______ shock. A. for / at / for B. of / on / from C. from / on / from D. at / on / from 15. They succeeded _______ escaping _______ the burning house. A. on / off B. in / from C. in during D. on / from 16. It never occurred _______ me to ask him _______ proof _______ his identity. A. for / for / of B. to / for / of C. to / for / for D. for / for / for 17. He is not independent _______ any means. He depends _______ his father for everything. A. by / on B. by / upon C. at / on D. A or B is correct 18. Scientists can’t agree on _______ related to other orders of insects. A. that fleas are B. how fleas are C. how are fleas D. fleas that are 19. Fish have nostrils _______ are used for smelling, not for breathing. A. they B. what C. whom D. that 20. It is believed _______ causes insomnia. A. too much caffeine B. that too much caffeine C. it is too much caffeine D. too much caffeine 21. The stimulation that infant animals receive affects their behaviour _______ they become adults. A. during B. since C. because D. when 22. _______ sighting an approaching car, some drivers tend to speed up. A. When slowing down instead of B. Instead when slowing down at C. hen instead of slowing down D. Instead of slowing down when 23. Ballet dancers, _______ actors, must spend many hours a day practicing before a performance. A. like B. the like C. the same D. same as 24. The man was in _______ health that the family began to consider whether he could continue to live in his home. A. such bad B. too bad C. such worst D. so badly 25. _______ other cells in the body, nerve cells are not healed or replaced when they are damaged or destroyed. A. Different B. Unlikely C. Unlike D. But 26. More ivory obtained from elephants in Africa _______ those in Asia. A. rather than B. more than C. than from D. as well as 27. He pretended _______ me as she passed me in the street. A. not seeing B. not to be seen C. not see D. not to see 28. You _______ out yesterday without a coat. No wonder you caught cold. A. shouldn’t have gone B. haven’t gone C. hadn’t gone D. mustn’t have gone 29. If you _______ late, you would know what we are talking about now. A. were not B. have not been C. had not been D. are not 30. Never before _______ in an earnest attempt to resolve their differences. A. have the leaders of these two countries met B. the leaders of these two countries have met C. have the leaders of these two countries meet D. met the leaders of these two countries 31. The number of chromosomes in a cell _______ from species to species. A. varies B. vary C. varying D. to vary 32. Many parts of our beautiful city _______ to look like mini garbage dumps. A. is starting B. do started C. are starting D. has started 33. The interviewer told her that he would earn $ 45000 a year, _______ she to be offered the job. A. were B. should C. lest D. would 34. It sounds like you let people take advantage of you. _______, you need to learn to be more assertive. A. Otherwise B. If only C. What if D. If so 35. They are ugly and expensive. _______ people buy them. A. Already B. Yet C. Thus D. Hence Part 2: Supply the correct form of the verb in brackets. Of the 530 students (36. apply) __________ (37. admit) __________ to the Mathematics Faculty of Oxford University ten-year-old Ruth Lawrence, from Hudderfield, (38. win) __________ the highest marks. Ruth’s parents, computer experts, (39. realize) __________ their child had an usual gift for mathematics (40. coach) __________ her at home. Ruth also (41. like) __________ history, geography and (42. play) __________ the piano. The enrolment of ten-year-old mathematical genius in Oxford University creates problems both for Ruth and her lecturers. A special program (43. draw) __________ up her in which study (44. combine) __________ with elements of play. Ruth Lawrence is not without ambition: she (45. dream) __________ of becoming a doctor of sciences and professor of mathematics. Part 3: Read the text and decide which is the best word A, B, C, or D to complete the gap 46-53. An example is given (0). I have learned, often the hard (0) way, that there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after the journey. First of all, you must always check and double-check departure times. This is absolutely essential. It is amazing how few people do this really carefully. Once I arrived at the airport few minutes before ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10.50. I walked calmly to the departure gate, thinking I (46) _____ had a little time to spare. I hadn’t bothered to take a good look at the ticket. The clerk at the desk told me politely but firmly that the departure time was 10.15 and that, (47) _____ to international regulations, the flight was ‘now closed’. Secondly, you should remember that even in this (48) _____ of credits cards, it is still important to have at least a little of the local currency with you when you arrive in a country. This can be absolutely essential if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. A few years ago, I was sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I flew there from London via Dallas with very little time to (49) _____ planes in between. I arrived there at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only (50) _____ to get to the hotel was by taxi and, since I had no American dollars, I offered to pay in British pounds instead. ‘Listen, buddy. I only take real money!’ the driver said angrily. Luckily, I was able to (51) _____ a few dollars from a clerk at the hotel, but it was very embarrassing. The third and the last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your (52) _____ before you leave. It may be very different from the weather at home. I feel sorry for some of my colleagues who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in March or April, when it is still fairly cool in places like London, Berlin or New York, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day. Few people understand just how important it is to have a right sort of clothes with you in these days of rapid air (53) _____. 0. A. path B. road C. way D. street 46. A. still B. yet C. then D. already 47. A. regarding B. relating C. according D. referring 48. A. period B. time C. term D. age 49. A. exchange B. change C. transfer D. alter 50. A. way B. manner C. path D. route 51. A. borrow B. lend C. gain D. beg 52. A. goal B. aim C. objective D. destination 53. A. travel B. trips C. journeys D. voyages III. READING Part 1: You are going to read a teacher’s memories of a class she taught. For questions 54-60, choose the answer (a, B, C, or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Halliday’s writing leaned very much back to the left. He was the only pupil in the class who wrote in this way. He was a nuisance in poetry lessons as he would giggle and make faces and could never be persuaded to read aloud. His silly behaviour made me believe that he didn’t like poetry. However, when I gave class a test in which they had to write down some poetry they had learned by heart, Halliday seemed to know the most. Halliday had a special dislike for art and I allowed him to read during this period. He never volunteered for drama and refused to make a speech. Football was the one thing at which he excelled, but the sports teacher decided that he did not assert himself enough and he made another boy captain. This boy - his name was John Jones - could hardly read or write. All attempts to make him work failed, but he captained the team with amazing skill. I remember an occasion when he led our school eleven out of the changing rooms for a cup match against our fiercest rivals, the team from nearby Winterton School. The Winterton girls’ hockey team had already beaten our own girls’ team and this - plus their excellent start to the season – had raised their morale to a fearsome level. Even so, John played like a true professional. Our only scorer, he made good use of Halliday’s passes and scored a goal for every two that the Winterton players could manage between them. Though Kingston lost, the match was a triumph for Captain Jones! In spite of all this, the pupil who impressed me most in the end was David Halliday. He gained my admiration on a day when I had his class for art. They came into the hut shouting and pushing and I sent them out again and told them they would not have a lesson until they walked in properly. They thought it was fun to waste as much time as possible, and they jeered and cheered outside the hut. I let them go on for a minute. Suddenly the noise stopped and in marched Halliday. ‘They are all right now’, he said. ‘I’ve got them lined up.’ I looked outside and sure enough the pupils of class 2D were arranged like well drilled soldiers; they were in order of size and in perfect line – so still I could see them shivering in the chilly air. ‘Walk in quietly’, Halliday commanded. They obeyed their superior officer and the lesson began. Halliday himself, as usual, refused to work. ‘Can I just sit and have a nap?’ he asked. After the help he had given me I could hardly refuse. 54. Halliday stood out from the other pupils because of his _____. A. beautiful handwriting B. bad behaviour C. love of poetry D. skill as a footballer 55. Halliday failed to be chosen as captain of the football team because _____. A. he was thought to be lazy. B. he was thought to be a poor leader. C. Jones was bad at other things and needed encouragement. D. Jones was better at scoring goals when under pressure. 56. Who felt really confident at the start of the match? A. the Winterton girls’ hockey team B. the Winterton football team C. the Kinston team, led by John Jones D. John Jones and David Halliday 57. The match was a triumph for John Jones because _____. A. his team won. B. he scored all Kingston’s goals. C. he made good use of Halliday’s passes. D. he was chosen as Kingston’s captain in stead of Halliday. 58. After being turned out of the hut, class 2D started behaving themselves because A. the teacher refused to let them in until they did. B. they had to obey their superior officer. C. David Halliday sorted them out. D. they wanted to get in out of the cold. 59. David Halliday’s teacher _____. A. admired his memory for poetry. B. admired his strong personality. C. realized that he deserved to be captain of the football team. D. realized that he deserved to read or rest during art lessons. 60. Halliday wanted a nap because _____. A. he hated art. B. he thought he deserved it. C. he was lazy. D. he had worked so hard organizing the pupils. Part 2: For questions 61-70, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0) There is nothing to match the (0. WARM) warmth and cosiness of a genuine log-fire. The luxury and sheer (61. RELAX) __________ of sitting back and watching the progress of fire and flame is almost (62. BELIEVE) __________. A log-fire appeals to all the senses. Yes, you can (63. ACTUAL) __________ taste and smell the (64. FRESH) __________ of newly cut timber – and then enjoy the sight and sound of the minor (65. EXPLODE) __________ as it burns. Logs hiss for a while before they (66. FINAL) __________ burst in the heat, so the moment of (67. DESTROY) __________ comes as a climax after lots of suspense! All of this is very (68. DRAMA) __________, and the thing that makes it more enjoyable than ever is that one’s feet are up and one’s whole body is being bathed in tropical heat. It’s a (69. MARVEL) __________ experience! IV. WRITING Part 1: For questions 71 – 80, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given. 70. He had to have his door mended. (SOMEONE) He had to his door. 71. The box was too heavy for John to carry the box on his back. (WEIGHT) Because of carry the box on his back. 72. He’d forgotten Jill’s phone number. (COULDN’T) He Jill’s phone number was. 73. I slept until the thunder woke me at seven o’clock. (WOKEN) I at seven o’clock. 74. Bloggs have committed a serious crime. (GUILTY) Bloggs a serious crime. 75. He was holding some flowers when he locked at Margaret’s door. (HAND) He had when he locked at Margaret’s door. 76. The knife was too blunt to cut the bread. (SHARP) The knife to cut the bread. 77. It was raining so much that I stayed at home. (HEAVY) The rain I stayed at home. 78. I can’t find my shoes. (KNEW) I wish were 79. Tom was definitely first in the queue. (DOUBT) There’s first in the queue. Part 2: Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be true by circling the corresponding letter A, B, C or D. 80. The tiny nucleus of an atom is held together by forces powerful capable of unleashing great energy. A B C D 81. Because of their beautiful coloration, palomino horses do often chosen as show horses for parades. A B C D 82. The discovering of quarks, minute particles of matter, has led to a new age in particle physics. A B C D 83. Thanksgiving Day, a uniquely North American holiday, is celebrated in the United States on the A B four Thursday in November. C D 84. A square is a geometric shape which is as long as is tall and which has four right angles. A B C D 85. The incidence of which is now referred to as cryovolcanism, or ice volcanoes, is quite high on the A B C surface of Triton, one of the moons of Neptune. D 86. Neither oil drilling or gas exploration can be prevented from steadily changing the face of Arctic. A B C D 87. Water and petroleum are the only two liquids what occur in large quantities in nature. A B C D 88. Solar astronomers have recently observed bursts of coherent radio waves coming from a specific A B C locations on the sun’s surface. D 89. Substances such as DDT become more concentrated in each successively level in an A B C D ecological pyramid. Part 3: You are required to write a papagraph of at least 150 words to talk about: “THE BENEFITS OF FORESTS TO HUMAN LIFE” . SỞ GD & ĐT TUYÊN QUANG KÌ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI CẤP TỈNH LỚP 12 THPT NĂM HỌC 2007 - 2008 Môn thi: TIẾNG ANH Thời gian: 135 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề) I. LISTENING You’ll hear people. questions 1-8 , choose the best answer by circling the corresponding letter A, B, or C. 1. You overhear this man in a shop. He wants to change some paint because A. he doesn’t like the color. B. he thinks. to medical students? 7. This extract comes from a talk on the radio. Is this speaker describing A. a piece of music? B. a magnificent building? C. a formal garden? 8. In this extract you can hear