Đề thi HSG-Tiếng Anh 12 (2010-2011)

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TỈNH YÊN BÁI Đề chính thức (đề có 11 trang) KỲ THI LẬP ĐỘI TUYỂN DỰ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA NĂM HỌC 2010 -2011 Môn thi : Tiếng Anh Thời gian : 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề) Điểm của bài thi Họ, tên và chữ kí của giám khảo Số phách (do chủ tịch HĐCT ghi) Bằng số: Giám khảo 1: Bằng chữ: Giám khảo 2: PART I : LISTENING (3 points) • There is a piece of music at the beginning and at the end of the listening part. • You have 30 seconds to read each question before listening. • Each recording is played twice with an interval of 10 seconds. Question I: Listen to a telephone conversation and complete the notes below (1 point). a. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. TRANSPORT FROM AIRPORT TO MILTON Distance: 147 miles Options: • Car hire: don't want to hire • 1………………… …: expensive • Greyhound bus: direct to the 2………………….……, long 3…………… …………… • Airport Shuttle: 4…………………….… service. Need to 5. ……………… ……… b. Write ONE WORD OR A NUMBER for each answer: AIRPORT SHUTTLE BOOKING FORM To: Milton Date: 6.……………………. Number of passenger: One Bus Time: 7…………………… Type of ticket: Single Name: Janet 8……………. Flight No: 9…………………… From: London Heathrow Address: Vacation Motel, 24, Kitchener Street Fare: $ 35 Credit Card No: (Visa) 10………………………………………. Question II: Listen and fill in the gaps. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. (1 point) Page 1 of 11 John Frank Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln lived in different times. Kennedy was born in 1._______________, whereas Lincoln was born more than 100 years earlier. As for their family backgrounds, Kennedy came from a rich family. He was able to attend expensive private schools. he graduated from 2._______________ University. Lincoln only had one year of formal schooling. In spite of his lack of 3._______________, he became a well-known lawyer. He was a 4. _____________ man. In spite of these differences in their backgrounds, some interesting 5. _______________ between the two man are evident. For example, take their political careers. Both of them began their political careers as a 6. _______________. They went to the Congress just 7. _______________ apart. Another interesting coincidence is that each man was elected President of the United States in a year ending with the number 60. Furthermore, both men were presidents during the years of civil 8. _______________ in the country. Both of them were 9._______________ while in office. They were shot while they were sitting next to 10. _______________ Question III: Listen to a talk and choose the correct answer (1 point). 1. PS Camping has been organising holidays for ________ A. 15 years B. 20 years C. 25 years 2. The company has most camping sites in ________ A. France B. Italy C. Switzerland 3. Which organised activity can children do everyday of the week? A. football B. drama C. model making 4. Some areas of the sites have "no noise" rules after ________ A. 9.30 pm B. 10.00 pm C. 10.30 pm 5. The holiday insurance that is offered by PS Camping ________ A. can be charged on an annual basis. B. is included in the price of the holiday. C. must be taken out at the time of booking. 6. Customers who have recommended PS Camping to friends will receive ________ A. a free gift B. an upgrade to a luxury tent C. a discount Where are the following items? Write A,B or C after each item A. They are provided in all tents. B. They are found in central areas of the campsite. C. They are available on request. 7. barbecues ………………. 8. toys ………………. 9. cool boxes ………………. 10. mops and buckets ………………. PART II: LEXICO - GRAMMAR (6 points) Question I: Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence by choosing the letter A, B, C or D next to the correct word or phrase (1 point). 1. I'm afraid a rise in the salary is out of ________ just now. A. sight B. control C. date D. question 2. Mr Black supposes, ________, that he will retire at the age of 60. A. like most people do B. like most people did C. as do most people D. as did most people 3. Please come ________ to us sometimes. You are always welcome. A. to B. about C. round D. away 4. He set the alarm clock at 5 a.m. so as to ________ he did not oversleep. Page 2 of 11 A. assure B. ensure C. insure D. reassure 5. The Sun and the Moon are often ________ in poetry. A. personified B. personalised C. personal D. privatised 6. I finished my homework 3 days ahead ________ the deadline. A. of B. to C. by D. at 7. The government is expected to ________ steps against the unemployment. A. use B. take C. make D. apply 8. ________ he loved her, he didn't forgive what she had done. A. Much as B. Because C. However D. No matter 9. He spent his entire life ________ round the world, never settling down anywhere. A. roaming B. scattering C. scrambling D. transporting 10. She tries to set ________ 15 minutes everyday to do some aerobics. A. about B. aside C. down D. in Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Question II : Fill in each blank with the correct form of the words from the box (1 point). special able develop use organise success full compete communicate demonstrate A teacher standing in front of a history class is seldom teaching history alone. A good teacher is also (1) ________ self-expression, management ability, (2) ________ skills and a whole host of other skills that may be (3) ________ for you later in life. There are certain basic (4) ________ that everyone needs to have if they are to be (5) ________ in education, employment and even in social circumstances. Learning these skills is (6) ________ important at secondary school level in order to (7) ________ prepare for further education and the working world. A minimum level of (8) ________ is demanded by all employers, colleges and universities. The more advanced you are in those areas, the more the (9) ________ believes you will be competent. These personal (10) ________ skills differ from other school subjects in that they can not be taught in isolation from the rest of school curriculum. Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Question III : The passage below contains 10 mistakes. Underline the mistakes and correct them in the space provided in the column on the right. (1 point) Most obviously, those exposing to weekly general music classes or private instrumental or vocal lessons will find an outlet for their creativity and self-expression. Therefore, a closer, more - scientific look at music will show that the advantages are indeed much greater than just increased creativity. Research has showed that learning a musical instrument and merely learning how to read music assists a child in developing higher thinking skills, such as problem-solving and problem- finding, analysis, and evaluation. A child who learns to understand the aspects of reading music, including notation, key signatures, and other items found on a piece of music as well as the child who develops the ability following the sequence of notes, is using the same portion of the brain that is used in mathematics thinking. Gifted musicians, it’s reported, are often gifted mathematicians as well. Those who study music diligently also develop self- discipline. The serious music student who sets up time to practice each day will develop similar positive habits in other subjects. Organizational skills are better, grades are higher, and children learn what it takes to excel at something. Participate in group musical activities builds teamwork, and students learn that working 1. _________ 2. _________ 3. _________ 4. _________ 5. _________ 6. _________ 7. _________ Page 3 of 11 together as a group is essential to the production of a good finishing product. They learn to rely on others and to be relied upon. Teamwork also promotes responsibility; i.e. If you’re the only trumpet in the band, you need to show up for rehearsing no matter what! They’ll also come to understand that music is the threat that binds them together with the world,. Music is indeed the universal language but it also helps children to learn about cultural heritage, their own as well as others, and gives them an insight into history. 8. _________ 9. _________ 10._________ Question IV : Supply the correct tense of the verbs in brackets (1 point). In mankind's millions of years on Earth, many types of energy resources (1. utilise) ________. However, in the last ninety years, petroleum by far (2. become) ________ the most important. Accounting for over fifty percent of all energy consumed, it (3. be) ________ so essential that, without petroleum, we (4. face) ________ economic disaster. Of course, the Earth's supply of petroleum (5. not/last) ________ forever, and in fact, it (6. disappear) ________ sooner than most people (7. believe) ________. At the current rate of consumption, the world oil reserves (8. may/exhaust) ________ within forty or fifty years. Obviously, measures (9. take) ________ decades ago to reduce our dependence on oil. Amazingly, such measures (10. still/discuss) ________ today. Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Question V: Fill in each blank with an appropriate preposition or particle (1 point) 1. The company is committed _________ raising salaries and improving conditions. 2. I’ve really gone _________ Bill. I thought he was such a kind man but I’ve found out that he is really very self - centered. 3. The delegate touched _________ a number subjects during her speech. 4. I applied for a part - time job at the supermarket. They’ve going to take me _________ 5. I was passing their house, so I dropped _________ Claire and Peter. 6. Damage to the building resulted _________ an unusually high wind. 7. I would like to protest _________ your treatment of the staff. 8. We are _________ no obligation to change goods which were not purchased here. 9. You should do what you believe is right and stick _________ your principle. 10. Tourists complain of being ripped _________ by local cab drivers. Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Question VI: Insert A, AN, THE or Φ where necessary (1 point). Animals have (1) _________ intuitive awareness of quantities. They know without (2) _________ analysis of the difference between a number of objects and (3) _________ smaller number. In his book “The Natural History of Shelburne” (1786), (4) _________ naturalist Gilbert White tells how he surreptitiously removed one egg a day from (5) _________ plover’s nest, and how (6) _________ mother laid another egg each day to make up for (7) _________ missing one. He noted that other species of birds ignore the absence of (8) _________ single egg but abandon their nests if certain type of wasp always provides five- never four, never six- caterpillars for each of their eggs so that their young have something to eat when (9) _________ eggs hatch. Research has also show that both mice and pigeons can be taught to do distinguish between old and even numbers of food pieces. These and similar accounts have led some people to infer that creatures other than humans can actually count. They also point to dogs that have been taught to respond to (10) _________ numerical questions with correct number of barks, or horses that seem to solve arithmetic problems by stomping their hooves the proper number of time. Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Page 4 of 11 PART III: READING (4 points) Question I: Choose a suitable word to fill in each blank. (1 point) Nobody knows for certain what the origin of music was. Music is certainly older than poetry and painting but as early man had no way of (1) ________ it, we can only guess what it sounded like. Watching a child (2) ________ on a drum with his hands or a piece of wood, it is easy to see that this is the simplest of instruments. It does not (3) ________ much effort to produce a rhythm on it. Wall painting show what some of the instruments looked like. Early civilisations had already discovered three basic (4) ________ of producing music; blowing into a tube, striking an object and scraping a string. We know that western music comes from the (5) ________ Greeks. The musical scale we now use are (6) ________ on a certain sequences of notes which the Greeks used to create a particular (7) ________. Until the sixteenth century, most players of instruments were single performers, but as music became more (8) ________, orchestras and musical groups began to (9) ________. This (10) ________ about the writing of music to be played by several musicians at a time. This can certainly be called the birth of modern music. 1. A. recording B. playing C. producing D. performing 2. A. hitting B. knocking C. crashing D. banging 3. A. make B. call C. take D. do 4. A. forms B. manners C. systems D. ways 5. A. ancient B. old C. aged D. antique 6. A. raised B. based C. established D. supported 7. A. spirit B. temper C. mood D. humour 8. A. widespread B. enlarged C. expanded D. extended 9. A. turn B. appear C. spring D. be 10. A. produced B. affected C. caused D. brought Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Question II: Read the passage carefully and use a suitable word to fill in each blank (1 point). In the 1960s women tennis players received little or no prize money at all. In the 1990s, (1) _________, the top players can earn twice as much in a fortnight as a successful company director does in a whole year. And (2) _________ most young people of their age were still studying for exams, players (3) _________ Monica Seles and Jenifer Capriatia were earning thousands of pounds a week. When she was only sixteen, Seles was rich enough to buy any car she (4) _________. Nowadays, most of a (5) _________ tennis player’s income comes from sponsorships contracts with fashion or sportswear companies rather than from major championships. Players are (6) _________ huge sums of money to wear anything from tennis shoes (7) _________ a wristwatch. Official prize money, in fact, only accounts for fractions of total earnings. But (8) _________ so much money in the bank, and the world of their feet, it will be surprising if these young stars (9) _________ not affected by success. Both Seles and Capriati are coached by their fathers, (10) _________ do their best to protect their daughters from the pressure fame has brought. Only time will tell whether this is enough. Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Question III: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answers (1 point). Harvard University, today recognized as part of the top echelon of the world’s universities, came from very inauspicious and humble beginnings. Page 5 of 11 This oldest of American universities was founded in 1636, just sixteen years after The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Included in the Puritan emigrants to the Massachusetts colony during this period were more than 100 graduates of England’s prestigious Oxford and Cambridge universities, and these university graduates in the New World were determined that their sons would have the same educational opportunities that they themselves had had. Because of this support in the colony for an institution of higher learning, the General Court of Massachusetts appropriated 400 pounds for a college in October of 1636 and early the following year decided on a parcel of land for the school; this land was in an area called Newtown, which was later renamed Cambridge after its English cousin and is the site of the present - day university. When a young minister named John Harvard, who came from the neighboring town of Charlestown, died from tuberculosis in 1638, he willed half of his estate of 1,700 pounds to the fledgling college. In spite of the fact that only half of the bequest was actually paid, the General Court named the college after the minister in appreciation for what he had done. The amount of the bequest may not have been large, particularly by today’s standards, but it was more than the General Court had found it necessary to appropriate in order to open the college. Henry Dunster was appointed the first president of Harvard in 1640, and it should be noted that in addition to serving as president, he was also the entire faculty, with an entering freshman class of four students. Although the staff did expand somewhat, for the first century of its existence the entire teaching staff consisted of the president and three or four tutors. 1. The main idea of this passage is that _________. A. Harvard is one of the world’s most prestigious universities B. What is today a great university started out small. C. John Harvard was key to the development of a great University D. Harvard University developed under the auspices of the General Court of Massachusetts 2. The passage indicates that Harvard is _________ A. one of the oldest universities in the world B. the oldest university in the world C. one of the oldest universities in America D. the oldest university in America 3. It can be inferred from the passage that the Puritans who traveled to the Massachusetts colony were _________. A. rather well educated B. rather rich C. rather supportive of the English government D. rather undemocratic 4. The underlined pronoun “they” refer to _________. A. Oxford and Cambridge universities B. university graduates C. sons D. educational opportunities 5. The “pounds” are probably _________. A. types of books B. college student C. units of money D. school campuses 6. The “English cousin” refers to a _________. A. city B. relative C. person D. court 7. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about John Harvard? A. What he died of B. Where he came from C. Where he was buried D. How much he bequeathed to Harvard 8. The underlined word “fledgling” could best be replaced by which of the following? A. newborn B. flying C. winged D. established 9. The passage implied that _________. A. Henry Dunster was an effective president B. Someone else really served as president of Harvard before Henry Dunster C. Henry Dunster spent much of his time as president managing the Harvard faculty D. The position of president of Harvard was not merely an administrative position in the early years Page 6 of 11 10. The underlined word “somewhat” in line 20 could best replaced by _________. A. back and forth B. to and from C. side by side D. more or less Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Question IV: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answers (1 point). ARE YOU A MACHINE OR MANY PARTS? What future historians remember about the impact of science during the last decade of the 20th century? They will not be much concerned with many of the marvels that currently preoccupy us, such as the miraculous increase in the power of home computers and the unexpected growth of the Internet. Nor will they dwell much on the global warming, the loss of biodiversity and other examples of our penchant for destruction. Instead, the end of the 20th century will be recognised as the time when, for better or worse, science began to bring about a fundamental shift in our perceptions of ourselves. It will be the fourth time that science has forced us to re-evaluate who we are. The first time, of course, with the revolution that began with Copernicus in 1543 and continued with Kepler, Galileo and Newton. Despite the Church's opposition, we came to realise that the Earth lie in the center of the universe. Instead, we gradually found we live on a small planet on the edge of a minor galaxy, circling one star in a universe that contains billions of others. Our unique position in the universe was gone forever. A few centuries later, we were moved even further from stage center. The Darwinian revolution removed us from our position as a unique creation of God. Instead, we discovered we were just another part of the animal Kingdom proud to have "a miserable ape for a grandfather", as Thomas Huxley put it in 1860. We know now just how close to the apes we are - over 90% of our genes are the same as those of the chimpanzee. Increasing knowledge of our genetics is one of the driving forces in the third great conceptual shift that will soon take place. Other are the growing knowledge of the way our minds work, our new ability to use knowledge of the nervous system to design drugs that affect specific states of minds and the creation of sophisticated scanners which enable us to see what is happening inside our brains. In the third revolution, we are taking our own selves to pieces and finding the parts which make up the machine that is us. Much of the new knowledge from genetics, molecular biology and the neuro-sciences is esoteric. But its cultural impact is already running ahead of science. People begin to see themselves not as wholes with a moral center but the result of the combined action of parts for which they have little responsibility. It's Nobody's Fault is the title of a popular America book on "difficult" children. Many different children, the book explains, are not actually difficult but are suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). There is nothing wrong with them or the way they have been brought up. Rather, the part of the brain which controls attention is short of a neuro-transmitter. ADD is now the world's fastest growing psychological problem. In the United States, a survey showed that 1.5 million children between the ages of five and eighteen were being treated with a drug, Ritalin, for the disorder. Since then, the number taking the drug is believed to have doubled. You might, as many people do, question the way in which the disorder has been diagnosed on such staggering scale but that is not the point. The cultural shift is that people are not responsible for their disorders, only obtaining for treatment for the parts of them that have gone wrong. The more we know about the parts of ourselves, the more cures for our defects will appear. The best- selling Listening to Prozac claimed the drug "can transform pessimists into optimists, turn loners into extroverts". And Prozac, the book explained, "was not so much discovered as planfully discovered, through the efforts of a large pharmaceutical firm… the likely result of this form of research is not medicines that correct particular illnesses but medicine that affects clusters of function in the human brain." Even when a treatment is not to hand, the notion that we are made of "clusters of functions" remains strong. Genetic analysis supports this view. A gene linked to alcoholism has been located and a Gallup poll has Page 7 of 11 revealed that the majority of Americans consider alcoholism to be a disease. There are claims of genes too for obesity, homosexuality and even for laziness. Some claims about the genes may be silly. Or you may think that the current conceptual shift is just a re- run of old arguments about the relative role of nature and nurture. Instead, take Viagra, as an example of the new way of thinking about our selves. If you suffer from impotence, it might have a variety of psychological causes. Or you just might be anxious about sexual performance. But Viagra does not make such fine distinctions; it acts at the level of the chemical reactions that control the blood flow needed to maintain an erection. Once we can dissect ourselves into parts and know how the parts work, it really does not matter what was the initial cause of the problem. If you own a car and the breaks wear out quickly, it is not important whether you have been driving the car too hard or you bought cheap brake shoes to begin with. You just need to change the breaks. The more direct means we have of changing who we are, through changing the parts we are composed of, the harder become the question of who was the person who made the decision to change, before becoming someone else. This will be the real issue for the 21th century: who are we, if we are the sum of our parts and science has given us the power to change those parts. 1. What is the most important scientific progress in the 20th century? A. The development of computer technology. B. The birth and growth of the Internet. C. Mankind's ability to control global warming. D. People's new knowledge of themselves. 2. What did Copernicus discover? A. The Earth does not lie at the center of the universe. B. The Church was wrong about the history of mankind. C. Human beings live on a small planet. D. Mankind has a unique position in the universe. 3. What did Darwin discover? A. Human beings were a unique creation of God. B. Human beings and apes shared a common ancestor. C. Human beings were lucky while apes were miserable. D. Human beings and chimpanzees were nearly identical. 4. Which of the following is NOT "one of the driving forces in the third great conceptual shift"? A. Knowledge of our own genetics. B. Knowledge of our way our minds work. C. Knowledge of how to use sophisticated scanners D. Knowledge of how to design drugs that affect specific states of mind. 5. Which of the following is likely to be the main idea of the book It's nobody's fault? A. Many children are suffering from ADD. B. ADD is the problem for problematic children. C. Some people's brains do not have neurotransmitters. D. The way people are brought up determines their behavior. 6. How many people are taking Ritalin in the US? A. less than 1.5 million B. 1.5 million of the people aged 5-18 C. 3 million of the people aged 5-18 D. more than 3 million teenagers 7. Which of the following refers to the cultural shift? A. More people are diagnosed to be suffering from mental disorders. B. People are not responsible for the problems they have. C. More people are seeking mental treatment. D. People begin to question the accuracy of doctors' diagnoses. Page 8 of 11 8. What is Prozac? A. a book B. a medicine C. a type of people D. a mental disorder 9. Genetic analysis seems to have confirmed that there is a gene in our body that is responsible for A. alcoholism B. homosexuality C. obesity D. laziness 10. Which of the following does the drug Viagra illustrate? A. "Some claims about genes may be silly" B. We have "a new way of thinking about ourselves" C. A physical order "might have a variety of psychological causes" D. "People … are … obtaining treatment for the parts of them that have gone wrong" Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. PART IV: WRITING (7 points) Question I: Rewrite the sentences so that the new one has a similar meaning as the given one (1 point). 1. It's such a wonderful opportunity that we mustn't miss it. It's too ____________________________________________________________ 2. You have disobeyed, you will therefore be punished. As a result _________________________________________________________ 3. Even if we don't like the idea, we'll have to follow him this time. Whether __________________________________________________________ 4. I'm absolutely sure that he took the money on purpose. He couldn't ________________________________________________________ 5. Her success went beyond her expectation. Never ____________________________________________________________ Question II: Rewrite each of the sentences using the given word so that the new one has a similar meaning as the one preceded. You must not change the given word (1 point). 1. We had a long discussion about the problem but we could not solve it. (LENGTH) _________________________________________________________________ 2. I don't think this record will be popular. (ON) _________________________________________________________________ 3. He usually invents ridiculous stories like that. (MAKES) _________________________________________________________________ 4. His reputation was greatly damaged by the scandal. (HARM) _________________________________________________________________ 5. My brother is not feeling well these days. (WEATHER) _________________________________________________________________ Question III: The chart below shows the changes of literacy rates by country in 1990 and 2000. Write a report describing the information in the chart in at least 150 words. (2 points) Page 9 of 11 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Question IV: Some students consider the National Exam for gifted students a waste of time and practice whereas others appreciate its great help in further study. Which opinion are you for? Write an essay of about 250 words to express your ideas. (3 points) Page 10 of 11 . TẠO TỈNH YÊN BÁI Đề chính thức (đề có 11 trang) KỲ THI LẬP ĐỘI TUYỂN DỰ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA NĂM HỌC 2010 -2011 Môn thi : Tiếng Anh Thời gian :. -2011 Môn thi : Tiếng Anh Thời gian : 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề) Điểm của bài thi Họ, tên và chữ kí của giám khảo Số phách (do chủ tịch HĐCT ghi)