EXAM PRACTICE SECTION A (8 points) Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions Question 1: A abandon B familiarity C exhilaration D admiration Question 2: A taboo B lookalike C balloon D bandicoot Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions Question 3: A science B actual C pavement D mature Question 4: A humanity B particular C agriculture D available Question 5: A understand B irrigate C optimist D lyrical Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions Question 6: We’re exhausted! We …… for nearly two hours A were jogging B jogged B had jogged D have been jogging Question 7: He is coming …… a cold after a night out in the rain A up with B away from C down with D across with Question 8: I really object …… for parking A to being charged B to be charged C being charged D to charging Question 9: My neighbor is driving me mad! It seems that …… it is at night, …… he plays his music! A the less/ the more loud B the less/ less C the more late/ the more loudly D the later/ the louder Question10: …… Sahara of …… Africa is the world’s largest desert A Ø/ the B The/ Ø C A/ an D The/ the Question 11: Nam: “Thanks a lot for assisting me in the presentation.” Thanh: “…… ” A It was really hard work B It was the least I could C I was glad D It’s pleasing Question 12: The concert was interesting, but it was …… long A much too B too much C very much D so much Question 13: Only once …… late to school A he came B he did come C did he come D came he Question 14: There were a lot of people at the party, only a few of …… I had met before A them B whom C who D All are correct Question 15: I want you to meet that …… girl A blonde tall Swedish B Swedish blonde tall C blonde Swedish tall D tall blonde Swedish Question16: Daisy: “Do you mind if I turn the music down?” Jack: “…… ” A Not for me B Not at all C Never mind D Not enough Question 17: Jack …………… yet, otherwise he would have telephoned me A can’t have arrived B mustn’t have arrived C needn’t have arrived D shouldn’t have arrived Question 18: The students refused to comply …… the school rules A to B about C with D towards Question 19: The Prime Minister is to consider changes to sexually …… laws to enforce equal opportunities A discriminatory B discrimination C discriminate D discriminated Question 20: The truth was known to no one …… than himself A another B others C other D the other Questions 21: Bravely …… they fought, they had no chance of winning A although B as C since D while Question 22: We still meet up for a drink and a chat once …… A at a time B in a blue moon C in a black mood D in a while Question 23: …… we’ve been having! A What dreadful weather B How dreadful is the weather C How dreadful the weather D What a dreadful weather Question 24: …… you to be offered that job, would you have to move to another city? A Should B Had C Were D Provided that Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions Question 25: We purchased a package of biscuits at the grocer's near our school A brought B bought C pursued D sought Question 26: The mother scolded the boys for making too much noise A told off B disagreed C punished D beat Question 27: They went ahead with their plan, ignoring my counsel A prediction B request C suggestion D advice Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions Question 28: There was an abundance of food at the wedding A large quantity B excess C small quantity D sufficiency Question 29: Why are you being so arrogant? A snooty B humble C cunning D naive Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions Question 30: Education is a (A) lifelong process, a process (B) that starts long before the start of school, and (C) ones that should be an integral part of (D) one’s entire life Question 31: The instructor (A) advised me (B) to use the rearview mirror (C) often and (D) I should observe the speed limit Question 32: (A) A number of large insurance companies (B) has their (C) headquarters in the (D) capital city Question 33: I (A) would rather they (B) not travel during the bad weather, (C) but they insist that they (D) must return home today Question 34: We (A) are going to (B) have the locks (C) on our doors (D) change Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 35 to 44 HOMEWORK AT ROOT OF MANY FAMILY ARGUMENTS Homework can cause friction between parents and children, especially in middle-class families where concerns about a child’s future can lead to a dangerous (35) of pressure to succeed, according to a recent report Homework can also create anxiety, boredom, fatigue and emotional exhaustion in children, who resent the encroachment on their free time, (36) they think homework helps them well at school The resulting (37) to the parent-child relationship may (38) any educational advantage homework may (39) , the Institute claimed The report found that problems can (40) when parents try to help with homework, especially when they feel they (41) the knowledge or the time Parents may inhibit their children’s effectiveness in doing homework by trying to control the homework environment – telling children when and where to homework or trying to eliminate distractions – instead of helping them (42) it to suit their learning styles, the body said On the plus side, the report said, parental (43) in homework has been shown (44) the strongest predictor of better grades Report author Dr Susan Hallam said: “Parents have the most positive influence when they offer moral support, make appropriate resources available and discuss general issues They should only actually help with homework when their children specifically ask them to.” Question 35: A atmosphere Question 36: A while Question 37: A damage Question 38: A exceed Question 39: A bring Question 40: A proceed Question 41: A go without Question 42: A amend Question 43: A involvement Question 44: A being B mood B even though B injury B overbalance B B derive B miss B adapt B contribution B having been C attitude C supposing C destruction C outweigh C make C rose C lack C refine C collaboration C as being D climate D if D hurt D compensate for D grow D arise D are deprived of D convert D connection D to be Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 45 to 54 The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspaper war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century The first full-color comic strip appeared January 1894 in the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer The first regular weekly full-color comic supplement, similar to today’s Sunday funnies, appeared two years later, in William Randolph Hearst’s rival New York paper, the Morning Journal Both were immensely popular and publishers realized that supplementing the news with comic relief boosted the sale of papers The Morning Journal started another feature in 1896, the “Yellow Kid”, the first continuous comic character in the United States, whose creator, Richard Outcault, had been lured away from the World by the ambitious Hearst The “Yellow Kid” was in many ways a pioneer Its comic dialogue was the strictly urban farce that came to characterize later strips, and it introduced the speech balloon inside the strip, usually placed above the characters’ heads The first strip to incorporate all the elements of later comics was Rudolph Dirks’s “Katzenjammer Kids”, based on Wilhelm Busch’s Max and Moritz, a European satire of the nineteenth century The “Kids” strip, first published in 1897, served as the prototype for future American strips It contained not only speech balloons, but a continuous cast of characters, and was divided into small regular panels that did away with the larger panoramic scenes of earlier comics Newspaper syndication played a major role in spreading the popularity of comic strips throughout the country Though weekly colored comics came first, daily black-and-white strips were not far behind The first appeared in the Chicago American in 1904 It was followed by many imitators, and by 1915 black-andwhite comic strips had become a staple of daily newspapers around the country Question 45: What does the passage mainly discuss? A A comparison of two popular comic strips B The differences between early and modern comic strips C The effects of newspapers on comic strip stories D Features of early comic strips in the United States Question 46: Why does the author mention Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Heart? A They established New York's first newspaper B They published comic strips about the newspaper war C Their comic strips are still published today D They owned major competitive newspapers Question 47: The passage suggests that comic strips were popular for which of the following reasons? A They provided a break from serious news stories B Readers enjoyed the unusual drawings C Readers could identify with the characters D They were about real-life situations Question 48: To say that Richard Outcault had been “lured away from” the World by Heart (paragraph 2) means which of the following? A Hearst fired Outcault from the World B Hearst convinced Outcault to leave the World C Hearst warned Outcault not to leave the World D Hearst wanted Outcault to work for the World Question 49: The word “it” in paragraph refers to A The “Yellow Kid” B dialogue C farce D balloon Question 50: According to the passage, the “Yellow Kid” was the first comic strip to all of the following EXCEPT ……… A feature the same character in each episode B include dialogue inside a balloon C appear in a Chicago newspaper D characterize city life in a humorous way Question 51: The word “incorporate” in paragraph is closest in meaning to …… A affect B create C combine D mention Question 52: The word “prototype” in paragraph is closest in meaning to …… A story B humor C drawing D model Question 53: The word “staple” in paragraph is closest in meaning to …… A regular feature B popular edition C new version D huge success Question 54: In what order does the author discuss various comic strips in the passage? A In alphabetical order by title B In the order in which they were created C According to the newspaper in which they appeared D From most popular to least popular Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 55 to 64 Psychologists are interested in the reasons why some people like taking part in risky sports When they studied people who were learning to jump from a plane with a parachute, they found that parachutists’ bodies produced large amounts of two hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline, just before they made their jump These hormones help to prepare us for any sudden activity Adrenaline increases the heart rate and provides more sugar for the muscles, while noradrenaline makes us react more quickly However, noradrenaline also stimulates a part of the brain which controls feelings of pleasure Some psychologists have concluded that it is a feeling of pleasure caused by this hormone which makes certain people want to participate in dangerous sports Another possible reason is the level of arousal in part of the brain According to some psychologists, the brain tries to maintain a certain level of arousal They believe that people who normally have a low level of arousal look for excitement and new experiences in order to stimulate themselves, whereas people who usually have a high level of arousal try to avoid risks and unfamiliar situations in order not to become overexcited If the psychologists are right, people with a low arousal are the ones who enjoy participating in dangerous sports and activities It is thought that people with low levels of arousal have a slower-reacting nervous system than people with higher arousal levels It may therefore be possible to find out your level of arousal by testing your nervous system A quick way of doing this is to put some lemon juice on your tongue If you produce a lot of saliva, your nervous system has been affected by the lemon and so you probably have a high level of arousal; if you produce little of saliva, you probably have a low arousal level If you have a low level, you might enjoy taking part in risky sports However, this does not mean that you have to try parachuting! Question 55: Why did the parachutists’ bodies produce a lot of adrenaline and noradrenaline before they jumped from a plane? A This is a natural reaction which helps to prepare one for sudden activity B Because they had high arousal levels C It is a natural reaction which guards them against the effects of accidents D Because they had taken drugs which led to the production of these two hormones Question 56: What two possible reasons are given for some people’s desire to participate in dangerous sports? A A lack of common sense, and a high level of arousal B A low level of arousal, and an inborn desire for adventure C The pleasure that results from the production of noradrenaline, and a low level of arousal D A desire to show off, and a lack of common sense Question 57: What does the brain try to maintain, according to some psychologists? A A high temperature B A low temperature C A certain level of arousal D A sense of safety Question 58: Why psychologists believe that people with a high level of arousal try to avoid danger? A Because they already have the level of excitement which the brain tries to maintain B Because they are more aware of the dangers involved C Because they already have enough of the two hormones, adrenaline and nor adrenaline D Because they would not be able to cope with accidents Question 59: What is shown by putting lemon juice on your tongue? A It shows that you have a high level of arousal if no saliva is produced B It indicates your level of arousal by the amount of saliva that is produced C It can indicate whether your saliva is more acidic or more alkaline D It is a good test of your sense of taste Question 60: What kinds of substances are adrenaline and noradrenaline? A Subatomic particles B Minerals C Vitamins D Hormones Question 61: What substance is thought to stimulate the brain to make us feel pleasure? A Adrenaline B Noradrenaline C Lemon juice D Manganese dioxide Question 62: Which of the following does adrenaline do? A It weakens the muscles B It makes people afraid C It makes the heart beat more quickly D It makes the heart beat more slowly Question 63: Where were the parachutists when, according to the passage, they produced large amount of the two hormones? A On an airplane B In the air C On the ground D At sea Question 64: According to some psychologists, what kind of people try to avoid unfamiliar situations? A People who not like lemon juice B People who have a low hormone content C People who normally have a low level of arousal D People who normally have a high level of arousal SECTION B (2 points) I Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence printed before it Question 1: If there is an emergency, ring this number → In case ………………………………………………………………………… Question 2: Mark is too young to see horror films → Mark is not …………………………………………………………………… Question 3: It is not a habit of mine to sleep in the afternoon → I am …………………………………………………………………………… Question 4: Accepting that job was my mistake → I wish ………………………………………………………………………… Question 5: Gary is the best guitarist in her class → No one else ………………………………………………………………….… II Write a paragraph of about 140 words to express your opinion on the following statement “Travel broadens the mind.” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… THE END ... However, this does not mean that you have to try parachuting! Question 55: Why did the parachutists’ bodies produce a lot of adrenaline and noradrenaline before they jumped from a plane? A This is... questions from 45 to 54 The modern comic strip started out as ammunition in a newspaper war between giants of the American press in the late nineteenth century The first full-color comic strip appeared... feelings of pleasure Some psychologists have concluded that it is a feeling of pleasure caused by this hormone which makes certain people want to participate in dangerous sports Another possible