§Ò thi häc sinh giái tØnh Yªn B¸i N¡m häc 2009-2010 Question 1: Choose the word that has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others’ (1 point). 1. A. primary B. divide C. comprise D. religion 2. A. impressed B. closed C. wished D. stopped 3. A. practical B. pattern C. fashion D. tradition 4. A. clothes B. think C. without D. therefore 5. A. please B. teacher C. pleasure D. easy 6. A. took B. school C. food D. choose 7. A. town B. grown C. flower D. down 8. A. internet B. invent C. media D. spend 9. A. what B. who C. which D. why 10. A. says B. stays C. sprays D. lays Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Question 2: Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence (2 points). 1. They decorate their house ________ flowers and color lights before the party. A. by B. with C. from D. for 2. Students are still worried about the exam ________ they have prepared well for it. A. but B. so C. although D. and 3. The animal which ________ chosen to be the logo of SEA Games 23 is the buffalo. A. is B. was C. are D. were 4. Have you ever seen ________ UFO in your life? A. a B. an C. the D. Φ 5. I recently went back to the town in ________ I was born. A. where B. which C. that D. it 6. What would you have done if you ________ Lee Min Ho at the studio? A. see B. saw C. had seen D. have seen 7. This exercise needs ________ on time. A. finish B. to finish C. to be finish D. finishing 8. ________ to Singapore? Yes, I was there last year. A. Did you ever go B. Have you ever gone C. Have you ever been D. Were you ever 9. Who do you take ________, your mother or you father? A. after B. before C. off D. on 10. It's difficult for foreigners to get used ________ on the left in England. A. to drive B. to driving C. drive D. driving Question 3: Read the passage and fill in each blank with the correct form of the word in brackets (2 points). Nearly all the (1.discover) ________ that have been made through the ages can be found in books. The (2.invent) ________ of the book is one of the human kind's greatest (3.achieve) ________, the importance of which can't be underestimated. Books are very adaptable, providing us with both (4.ent ertain) ________ and information. The (5.produce) ________ of books began in ancient Egypt, though not in a form that is (6.recognise) ________ to us today. The books read by the Romans, however, have some (7.similar) ________ to the ones we read now. Until the middle of the 15 th century in Europe, all books were written by hand. They were often beautifully illustrated and always rare and (8.expense) ________. With printing came the (9.possible) ________ of cheap, large-scale publication and distribution of books, making (10.know) ________ more widespread and accessible. Question 4: Supply the correct tense of the verbs in brackets (2 points). A friend of mine, Dave, (1.work) ________ in the Asian sales department of the Microsoft for a year now. He (2.just/return) ________ from a business trip to Vietnam. He (3.ask) ________ (4.go) ________ because he can speak Vietnamese. When he (5.be) ________ a business student at Harvard university, he (6.study) ________ Vietnamese for four years. He (7.never /have) ________ the opportunity to use his Vietnamese until he (8.go) ________ to Hanoi last year. While he was there, he (9.speak) ________ Vietnamese every day and (10.enjoy) ________ every minute of it. PART III: READING (6 points) Question 1: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answers (1 point). Good results in your study can be obtained from developing good study habits. The best place to study is a comfortable room with good lighting. The best chair for studying should be the one which you would be comfortable in, but not so comfortable that you may fall asleep in it after a while. Before you start, look for a quiet environment without distractions. If you find your home too noisy to study, try the library or community center instead. When you study, set realistic goals for yourself to achieve. For example, do not try to study five chapters of Geography in one sitting when you know that it takes more than an hour to finish one chapter. Furthermore, remember not to push yourself too hard. When you have studied for a period of time, reward yourself by taking a short break. You could perhaps take a short walk or listen to some music for a while. If you begin to feel sleepy when studying, do not force yourself to go on as you may lose your power of concentration. Instead, you should take a short sleep to refresh yourself. Studying may be strenuous on the eyes. When you study, it may be a good idea to lift your eyes away from your books occasionally. Looking at objects at a distance or at greenery can help soothe tired eyes. 1. The first thing to be considered in developing good study habits is ________. A. your ability to study well B. the best chair to sit for studying C. your attitude towards good study at home D. environment for studying 2. Which of the following does not improve your good study habits? A. a quiet room with enough lighting B. an extremely comfortable chair C. a proper chair and a right-size table D. a public or college library 3. When studying, you had better ________. A. learn as much as you want in one sitting B. learn either sitting or standing C. take a short break after each chapter D. set reachable goals for you 4. Taking a short sleep is necessary when ________. A. you feel sleepy and can not concentrate on studying B. your eyes become red after studying C. you can not lift your eyes away from your books D. you want to go on after getting your concentration 5. The best title for the passage may be ________. A. how to use your study time efficiently B. how to build up good study habits C. how to get relaxed when studying D. how to avoid sleepiness when studying Question 2: Read the passage and decide whether the statements are true (T), or false (F) (1 point). It is estimated that about 200 million people who use the internet around the world. Most people use the internet to get information or for entertainment. A new study, however, says that almost 6% of internet users are using it so often that it is seriously harming their lives. The study says that people may find it difficult to stop using the internet because they have become addicted. Someone who is addicted finds it extremely hard to stop a bad habit. According to Mr. Greenfield, a psychologist, 30% internet users say they use the internet to escape problems or emotions. The study also shows that having discussion with strangers in internet areas called "chat room" is one of the most addictive activities. 1. The internet is used only for information and entertainment. 2. Using the internet so often can do more harm than good. 3. 6% of Internet users are addicted to it. 4. Some people use the internet to get away from their unpleasant situations. 5. Chatting is the least addictive activity on the internet. Question 3: Read the passage then choose the best word to fill in the gap (2 points). For good or bad, computers are now part of our daily life. Experts predict that before long all schools and businesses and most rich families in rich parts of the world will ____1____ a computer of some kind. Among the general public, computers arouse strong feelings - people either love them ____2____ hate them. The computer lovers talk about how useful computers can be in business, in education and ____3____ the home. Apart ____4____ all the games, you can do your accounts on them, learn languages from them, write letters on them and even ____5____ your shopping with them. Computers, they say, bring leisure, as many ____6____ jobs are done by computerized robots. The haters, on the other hand, argue that computers bring not leisure but ____7____. They worry, too, that those ____8____ spend all the time talking to computers may forget ____9____ to talk to each other. Their biggest fear is that computers may eventually take ____10____ all human activities. 1. A. own B. do C. learn D. make 2. A. so B. but C. and D. or 3. A. at B. on C. in D. to 4. A. for B. from C. with D. to 5. A. do B. make C. have D. surf 6. A. interesting B. skillful C. unpleasant D. well-paid 7. A. unemployed B. employment C. unemployment D. employ 8. A. that B. whose C. who D. whom 9. A. why B. how C. what D. when 10. A. over B. after C. off D. up Question 4: Fill in each numbered blank with ONE suitable word (2 points). More than two hundred years ago, the term "environmental pollution" was quite strange to people. They lived healthily, drank ____1____ water and breathed fresh air. Nowadays, the situation is quite ____2____. People all over the world are worried ____3____ things that are happening ____4____ the environment. Actually, it's man that is destroying the surroundings with many kinds of wastes, everybody knows that cars and motorbikes emit ____5____ that cause poisonous air and cancer but no one wants to travel on ____6____ or by bicycle. Manufacturers know that wastes from factories make water and soil ____7____ but they don't want to ____8____ money on treating the wastes safely. Scattering garbage is bad for our health but no one wants to spend time burying it. Is it ____9____ talking a lot about pollution without doing anything to ____10____ the environment? PART IV : WRITING (5 points) Question 1: Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence printed before it (1 point). 1. I'm sorry that I did not take your advice. I regret ____________________________________________________________________ 2. You remembered to post the letter, didn't you? You didn't __________________________________________________________________ 3. I haven't eaten meat for three years. It's _____________________________________________________________________ 4. People used to think that the Sun moved around the Earth. The Sun ____________________________________________________________________ 5. I only realized how important English is when I had started my job. Not until ________________________________________________________ Question 2: Rewrite each of the sentences using the given word so that the new one has a similar meaning as the previous one. You must not change the given word (1 point): 1. I don't read newspapers any more. (GIVEN) 2. The car was so expensive that I could not buy it. (TOO) 3. He suggested that I should give him a ring in advance. (WHY) 4. Harry doesn't have enough money to buy the laptop. (AFFORD) 5. Although the internet has developed quickly, many people can't get access to it. (DEVELOPMENT) Question 3: Write a composition to answer the questions "Do you like learning English? Why?" Your composition should be between 150 and 180 words (3 points): . §Ò thi häc sinh giái tØnh Yªn B¸i N¡m häc 2009-2010 Question 1: Choose the word that has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others’ (1 point). 1. A. primary B. divide C be a good idea to lift your eyes away from your books occasionally. Looking at objects at a distance or at greenery can help soothe tired eyes. 1. The first thing to be considered in developing. been made through the ages can be found in books. The (2.invent) ________ of the book is one of the human kind's greatest (3.achieve) ________, the importance of which can't be underestimated.