Đề thi chọn đội tuyển dự thi Học sinh giỏi quốc gia THPT năm 2018 môn Tiếng Anh tỉnh Bắc Ninh

UBND TỈNH BẮC NINH
ĐỀ THI LẬP ĐỘI TUYỂN
SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
DỰ THI HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA THPT NĂM 2018 Môn thi: Tiếng Anh ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC
Thời gian: 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề) Điểm bài thi Giám khảo 1 Giám khảo 2 Số phách Bằng số: Họ tên: Họ tên: Bằng chữ: Chữ ký: Chữ ký:
* Ghi chú: - Đề thi gồm 14 trang. Thí sinh làm bài trực tiếp vào đề thi.
- Thí sinh không được sử dụng từ điển. Giám thị coi thi không giải thích gì thêm.
SECTION I: LISTENING (50 points)
HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI NGHE HIỂU
 Bài nghe gồm 4 phần, mỗi phần được nghe 2 lần.
 Mở đầu và kết thúc phần nghe có tín hiệu nhạc.
 Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh (bằng tiếng Anh) đã có trong bài nghe.
Part 1: For questions 1 – 5, listen to part of a discussion about a book on laughter. Write NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER taken from the recording for each answer in the spaces provided. (10 points)
1. Provine’s book proposes that laughter is used to improve human ________________________ .
2. Mark says that today people often only laugh at TV ________________________ .
3. Diana says that women think a good ________________________ is vital in personal male/female relationships.
4. Diana thinks that the fact that there haven’t been many ________________________ in the past
reflects a commonly held attitude.
5. Although laughter is important in relationships, there is no evidence to suggest that our
________________________ would benefit. Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. False
Part 2: Listen to a conversation between two psychologists about modern childhood. For questions
6-10, decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F). Write your answers in the
numbered boxes below. (10 points)
6. Daniel implies that past images of childhood are entirely fictional.
7. According to Daniel, children are failing to learn adequate social skills.
8. Louise believes that modern life has a negative effect on children.
9. Louise says that the media encourages celebrities to inspire young children.
10. Daniel implies that machines are more of a menace to children than people are. Your answers: 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 3: For questions 11 - 15, listen to Tim Cole talking about guidebooks and choose the best
answer (A, B, C or D), which fits best according to what you hear. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes. (10 points)
11. Once, when Tim used a guidebook in Australia, _____. Page 1 of 14
A. he found the best budget hotel ever
B. it took him ages to find the place he was looking for
C. he ended up at an unexpected destination
D. he travelled a lot to his favourite places
12. Tim believes the problem with guidebooks is that _____.
A. some of them are very poorly researched
B. many things have changed by the time you read the book
C. they are only regularly updated
D. some passengers cannot book their hotels
13. The thing Tim particularly dislikes about guidebooks is _____.
A. the recommendations about where to eat
B. that they have too much information about nightlife
C. the limited amount of information about history and culture
D. that they are too heavy to carry
14. Other things which should be included in guidebooks are _____.
A. clear and detailed maps of the area
B. as much information as possible about an area
C. good pictures of well-known tourist sites D. as much money as possible
15. What is Tim’s view on digital guidebooks?
A. They can be problematic when downloading.
B. He can’t find what he wants as easily as he can in a traditional guidebook.
C. He likes the fact that they’re tailored to your individual requirements.
D. Too many travellers are too trusting of their guidebooks. Your answers: 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Part 4: Listen to the news about Reindeer and fill in each blank of the news summary with the
missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each
answer in the corresponding numbered boxes. (20 points)
Polar bears aren't the only beloved Arctic animal threatened by climate change. Scientists
believe reindeer are at risk as a warming world makes their main winter food source disappear. But
reindeer on one Alaskan island are (16) ______________.
Historically, the reindeer population on St. Paul island ate (17) _________, a small type of
plant or fungus that grows on rocks in areas with cold weather. However, climate change has made it
harder for lichen to grow on this island, and the reindeer ate the lichen faster than it could grow back.
Researchers thought that the reindeer population would starve without access to lichen, but these
reindeer have found another way to survive.
Reindeer are not (18) ___________ to Alaska, and they were introduced to rural villages
around the state in the (19) __________, in order to provide an alternative food source for residents of
the villages. In communities like St. Paul, where grocery prices are (20) ___________, residents
depend on reindeer to feed their families. And to (21) ____________ winter, the reindeer need something as well.
Fortunately, after the reindeer on this island depleted the lichen supply, they went (22)
_____________. They began digging and discovered new sources of food: roots and grass shoots.
Plants like these grow more quickly than lichen in the warmer, wetter conditions introduced by climate
change, and the reindeer’s (23) ___________ to their new diet is a good sign for the survival of the
species. However, reindeer researchers are not so (24) ___________. They warn that global reindeer
populations are still in danger, as climate change warms and alters their (25) _______________, as are
many other animals that depend on colder conditions to survive.
(Adapted from “When Their Food Ran Out, These Reindeer Kept Digging”) Page 2 of 14 Your answers: 16. 21. 17. 22. 18. 23. 19. 24. 20. 25.
SECTION II: LEXICO-GRAMMAR (40 points)
Part 1: For question 26-39, choose the best answers (A, B, C or D) to complete each of the following
questions and write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the corresponding numbered boxes. (28 points)
26. Fiona didn’t lie but she did give rather ______ a picture of the situation. A. defaced B. distorted C. disfigured D. disguised
27. As Michelle told me the story, tears ______ up in her eyes. A. welled B. raised C. filled D. mounted
28. J. Edgar Hoover was a(n) ______ professional who served as director of the FBI for 48 years. A. astounding B. resilient C. determined D. perceptive
29. When threatened, the opossum often ______ death. A. avoids B. confronts C. feigns D. withstands
30. Most tadpoles are vegetarians, ______ those of some species are carnivorous. A. albeit B. simply C. supposedly D. notwithstanding
31. I hope you won’t take it ______ if I suggest an alternative remedy. A. offence B. amiss C. upset D. heart
32. ______ for the defence made an application for more time to discuss matters with his clients. A. Counsel B. Lawyer C. Judge D. Legislation
33. Psychologists still wonder if some personality traits are ______. A. inevitable B. interminable C. inadvertent D. innate
34. I thought you were looking a little ______ this morning. A. tumble-down B. downcast C. run-down D. down-and-out
35. Do you think your family members would ______ ranks if criticized? A. close B. bridge C. order D. join
36. I must get to bed early tonight; I sat up till the ______ hours to finish that report. A. small B. deep C. late D. last
37. He seemed rather ______. Was he upset about something? A. unsocial B. apathetic C. passive D. subdued
38. I wouldn't say he was brilliant at his job but he is quite ______. A. competent B. quary C. effective D. cautious
39. He has no friends because he's the new kid on the ______. A. bus B. block C. house D. corner Your answers: 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.
Part 2: For questions 40 – 45, write the correct form of each given word in corresponding numbered box. (12 points) CUL8R!
Fancy some sort of (40) _____ with a distant boyfriend or girlfriend? 40. CONSPIRE
Send a text. Lost in the woods, wilderness, or a heavy fog? Use GPS. A
case of mistaken identity? Facebook! And who is this (41) _____ Jay 41. ENIGMA Gatsby? Just Google him.
Books can now be read on iPhones, and (42) _____ young writers in 42. OPPORTUNITY
Japan are using their cellphone keypads to write (43) ______ short novels. 43. SELL
But, at the same time, technology is making some classic narrative plot Page 3 of 14
devices obsolete. Excuses like poor connections and (44) _____, or the 44. COMMUNICATE
inability to reach someone just don’t work when even the most (45) 45. ACCESS
_____ places have wireless coverage.
It’s the same problem with movies. In Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart
would have been spared the aching uncertainty of wondering why Ingrid
Bergman had stood him up at the train station. “Why isn’t she here? We
were supposed to run away together! Let me check my messages. Maybe I can find her online …” Your answers: 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
SECTION III: READING (50 points)
Part 1: For questions 46-50, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits
each gap. Write your answers (A, B, C or D) in corresponding numbered boxes. (5 points)
Recently I went out to dinner with a friend and her new boyfriend. She had been raving for
weeks about what a kind, considerate, engaging person he was. He had truly (46) _____ her off her
feet. Within minutes of meeting him I thought 'Boy, has he got her fooled?'
At the restaurant, he curtly announced his reservation to the maitre d' without so (47) _____ as
a glimmer of courtesy. He proceeded to interrogate the waiter about the menu as if he were conducting
a criminal investigation, and then (48) _____ at the young man who brushed against him as he served
his water. Meanwhile, he was exuding charm and grace to those of us at the table whom he (49) _____
worthy of his attention and good humour. It was clear to me that he was a nice guy only when it (50) _____ his purpose.
'Little people' didn't rate. Truly kind, thoughtful and confident people do not treat others in
dramatically different ways depending on their mood or their perception of what someone can do for them. 46. A. plucked B. swept C. dragged D. hoisted 47. A. muck B. far C. great D. long 48. A. winked B. glared C. peeped D. eyed 49. A. pondered B. discriminated C. weighed D. deemed 50. A. met B. realised C. performed D. served Your answers: 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
Part 2: For questions 51 - 60, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 points) ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY
Etymology is the study of word origins. It is a subiect which seems to hold a remarkable
fascination for people, as can be seen from the numerous blogs and Internet sites dedicated (51) _____
lengthy discussions and speculations about the origin of a given word. Below are a few examples of
words that are of particular etymological interest.
According to the lexicographer, Samuel Johnson, the original meaning of this word suggests
somewhat cynically that marriage begins with the sweetness and tenderness of honey, but soon wanes
(52) _____ the moon. It still retains those connotations today in the expression honeymoon period
which refers to the first stage of a new activity - a government's first term in office, for example - when
people are prepared temporarily to ignore (53) _____ imperfections. Nowadays, in the context of
marriage, the pessimistic implications have faded and the word simply refers to a holiday taken by a newly married couple.
This word originated from Latin, where salarium, a derivative of sal- meaning 'salt', referred to
'an allowance given to soldiers to buy salt'. In former times salt was a valued commodity, over which
wars were (54) _____. It was not taken for (55) _____ as it is today. Use of the word soon broadened Page 4 of 14
out to the current meaning of 'fixed periodic payment of work done' and passed in this sense via Anglo-Norman into English.
This word describes something stylishly luxurious. In Britain it also means somebody or
something typical (56) _____ the upper classes. It first appeared in the early twentieth (57) _____ and
was widely (58) _____ to be an acronym for 'Port Out, Starboard Home', referring to the location of
the more desirable cabins on passenger ships travelling (59) _____ Britain and India. Those on the port
(left) side on the way out, and the starboard (right) on the return trip benefited from the sea breeze and
shelter from the sun. (60) _____ it provides a very neat explanation, there isn't a shred of evidence for
it. A more plausible solution is that the modern adjective, posh, is the same word as the now obsolete
noun posh, meaning 'dandy' (a man who cares a lot about his clothes) a slang term current in the late nineteenth century. Your answers: 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60.
Part 3: For questions 61-73, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. (13 points)
Museums of fine art and their public
The fact that people go to the Louvre museum in Paris to see the original painting Mona
Lisa when they can see a reproduction anywhere leads us to question some assumptions about the role
of museums of fine art in today’s world.
One of the most famous works of art in the world is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Nearly
everyone who goes to see the original will already be familiar with it from reproductions, but they
accept that fine art is more rewardingly viewed in its original form.
However, if Mona Lisa was a famous novel, few people would bother to go to a museum to
read the writer’s actual manuscript rather than a printed reproduction. This might be explained by the
fact that the novel has evolved precisely because of technological developments that made it possible
to print out huge numbers of texts, whereas oil paintings have always been produced as unique objects.
In addition, it could be argued that the practice of interpreting or ‘reading’ each medium follows
different conventions. With novels, the reader attends mainly to the meaning of words rather than the
way they are printed on the page, whereas the ‘reader’ of a painting must attend just as closely to the
material form of marks and shapes in the picture as to any ideas they may signify.
Yet it has always been possible to make very accurate facsimiles of pretty well any fine art
work. The seven surviving versions of Mona Lisa bear witness to the fact that in the 16th century,
artists seemed perfectly content to assign the reproduction of their creations to their workshop
apprentices as regular ‘bread and butter’ work. And today the task of reproducing pictures is
incomparably more simple and reliable, with reprographic techniques that allow the production of
high-quality prints made exactly to the original scale, with faithful colour values, and even with
duplication of the surface relief of the painting.
But despite an implicit recognition that the spread of good reproductions can be culturally
valuable, museums continue to promote the special status of original work. Unfortunately, this seems
to place severe limitations on the kind of experience offered to visitors.
One limitation is related to the way the museum presents its exhibits. As repositories of unique
historical objects, art museums are often called ‘treasure houses’. We are reminded of this even before
we view a collection by the presence of security guards, attendants, ropes and display cases to keep us
away from the exhibits. In many cases, the architectural style of the building further reinforces that
notion. In addition, a major collection like that of London’s National Gallery is housed in numerous
rooms, each with dozens of works, any one of which is likely to be worth more than all the average
visitor possesses. In a society that judges the personal status of the individual so much by their material
worth, it is, therefore, difficult not to be impressed by one’s own relative ‘worthlessness’ in such an environment.
Furthermore, consideration of the ‘value’ of the original work in its treasure house setting
impresses upon the viewer that, since these works were originally produced, they have been assigned a
huge monetary value by some person or institution more powerful than themselves. Evidently, nothing Page 5 of 14
the viewer thinks about the work is going to alter that value, and so today’s viewer is deterred from
trying to extend that spontaneous, immediate, self-reliant kind of reading which would originally have met the work.
The visitor may then be struck by the strangeness of seeing such diverse paintings, drawings
and sculptures brought together in an environment for which they were not originally created. This
‘displacement effect’ is further heightened by the sheer volume of exhibits. In the case of a major
collection, there are probably more works on display than we could realistically view in weeks or even months.
This is particularly distressing because time seems to be a vital factor in the appreciation of all
art forms. A fundamental difference between paintings and other art forms is that there is no prescribed
time over which a painting is viewed. By contrast, the audience encourages an opera or a play over a
specific time, which is the duration of the performance. Similarly, novels and poems are read in a
prescribed temporal sequence, whereas a picture has no clear place at which to start viewing, or at
which to finish. Thus artworks themselves encourage us to view them superficially, without
appreciating the richness of detail and labour that is involved.
Consequently, the dominant critical approach becomes that of the art historian, a specialised
academic approach devoted to ‘discovering the meaning’ of art within the cultural context of its time.
This is in perfect harmony with the museum's function, since the approach is dedicated to seeking out
and conserving ‘authentic’, original, readings of the exhibits. Again, this seems to put paid to that
spontaneous, participators criticism which can be found in abundance in criticism of classic works of
literature, but is absent from most art history.
The displays of art museums serve as a warning of what critical practices can emerge when
spontaneous criticism is suppressed. The museum public, like any other audience, experience art more
rewardingly when given the confidence to express their views. If appropriate works of fine art could be
rendered permanently accessible to the public by means of high-fidelity reproductions, as literature and
music already are, the public may feel somewhat less in awe of them. Unfortunately, that may be too
much to ask from those who seek to maintain and control the art establishment.
Questions 61 – 65: Complete the summary using the list of words A-L below. Write your answers in
the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
The value attached to original works of art
People go to art museums because they accept the value of seeing an original work of art. But
they do not go to museums to read original manuscripts of novels, perhaps because the availability of
novels has depended on (61) _____ for so long, and also because with novels, the (62) _____ are the most important thing.
However, in historical times artists such as Leonardo were happy to instruct (63) _____ to
produce copies of their work and these days new methods of reproduction allow excellent replication
of surface relief features as well as colour and (64) _____.
It is regrettable that museums still promote the superiority of original works of art, since this
may not be in the interests of the (65) _____. A. B. mass C. mechanical processes D. public institution production E. F. artist G. size H. underlying ideas paints I. basic J. readers K. picture L. assistants technology frames Your answers: 61. 62. 63. 64. 65.
Questions 66 – 69: Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided. Page 6 of 14
66. The writer mentions London’s National Gallery to illustrate ______.
A. the undesirable cost to a nation of maintaining a huge collection of art
B. the conflict that may arise in society between financial and artistic values
C. the negative effect a museum can have on visitors’ opinions of themselves
D. the need to put individual well-being above large-scale artistic schemes
67. The writer says that today, viewers may be unwilling to criticise a because ______.
A. they lack the knowledge needed to support an opinion
B. they fear it may have financial implications
C. they have no real concept of the work’s value
D. they feel their personal reaction is of no significance
68. According to the writer, the ‘displacement effect’ on the visitor is caused by ______.
A. the variety of works on display and the way they are arranged
B. the impossibility of viewing particular works of art over a long period
C. the similar nature of the paintings and the lack of great works
D. the inappropriate nature of the individual works selected for exhibition
69. The writer says that unlike other forms of art, a painting does not ______.
A. involve direct contact with an audience
B. require a specific location for a performance
C. need the involvement of other professionals
D. have a specific beginning or end Your answers: 66. 67. 68. 69. Questions 70 - 73
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the Reading Passage? In boxes 70 - 73, write YES
if the statement agrees with the views of the writer NO
if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if the statement is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
70. Art history should focus on discovering the meaning of art using a range of media.
71. The approach of art historians conflicts with that of art museums.
72. People should be encouraged to give their opinions openly on works of art.
73. Reproductions of fine art should only be sold to the public if they are of high quality. Your answers: 70. 71. 72. 73.
Part 4: For questions 74-80, read the following passage. Seven paragraphs have been removed from
the passage. Choose 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 boxes provided. (7 points) Garbage in, garbage out
Charging families for each bag of rubbish they produce seems environmentally sound and
economically sensible. It may not be.
Some rituals of modern domestic living vary little throughout the developed world. One such is the
municipal refuse collection: at regular intervals, rubbish bags or the contents of rubbish bins disappear
into the bowels of a special lorry and are carried away to the local tip. 74
Yet the cost of rubbish disposal is not zero at all. The more rubbish people throw away, the more
rubbish collectors and trucks are needed, and the more the local authorities have to pay in landfill and
tipping fees. This looks like the most basic of economic problems: if rubbish disposal is free, people will produce too much rubbish. Page 7 of 14 75
But as Don Fullerton and Thomas Kinnaman, two American economists, have found, what appears
to be the logical approach to an everyday problem has surprisingly intricate and sometimes disappointing results. 76
In a paper published last year Messrs Fullerton and Kinnaman concentrated on the effects of one
such scheme, introduced in July 1992 in Charlottesville, Virginia, a town of about 40,000 people.
Residents were charged 80 cents for each tagged bag of rubbish. This may sound like sensible use of
market forces. In fact, the authors conclude, the scheme’s benefits did not cover the cost of printing
materials, the commissions to sellers and the wages of the people running the scheme. 77
As we all know, such compacting is done better by machines at landfill sites than by individuals,-
however enthusiastically. The weight of rubbish collected (a better indicator of disposal costs than
volume) fell by a modest 14% in Charlottesville. In 25 other Virginian cities where no pricing scheme
was in place, and which were used as a rough-and-ready control group, it fell by 3.5% in any case. 78
The one bright spot in the whole experience seems to have been a 15% increase in the weight of
materials recycled, suggesting that people chose to recycle (which is free) rather than pay to have their
refuse carted away. But the fee may have little to do with the growth in recycling, as many citizens
were already participating in Charlottesville’s voluntary scheme. 79
This figure is lower than in other studies covering fewer towns, but is it so surprising? To reduce
their output of rubbish by a lot, people would have to buy less of just about everything. A tax of a few
cents on the week’s garbage seems unlikely to make much difference. 80
Should we conclude that the idea of charging households for the rubbish they produce is daft? Not
at all: free disposal after all is surely too cheap. But the effects of seemingly simple policies are often
complex. Intricate economic models are often needed to sort them out. And sometimes, the results of
this rummaging do not smell sweet.
A. Less pleasing still, some people resorted to illegal dumping rather than pay to have their
rubbish removed. This is hard to measure directly but the authors guess that illegal dumping may
account for 30-40% of the reduction in collected rubbish.
B. It would be foolish to generalise from this one situation. Economic incentives sometimes
produce unforeseen responses. To discourage this method of waste disposal, local authorities might
have to spend more on catching litterers, or raise fines.
C. If that’s the case, it seems worth considering whether other factors, such as income and
education, matter every bit as much as price. In richer towns, for example, people throw out more
rubbish than in poorer ones and they have less time for recycling.
D. In a more recent study, Messrs Fullerton and Kinnaman explore the economics of rubbish in
more detail. One conclusion from this broader study is that pricing does reduce the weight of
rubbish - but not by much. On average, a 10% increase in sticker prices cuts quantity only by 0.3%.
E. To economists, this ceremony is peculiar, because in most places it is free. Yes, households pay
for the service out of local taxes but the family that fills four bins with rubbish each week pays no
more than the elderly couple that fills one.
F. The obvious solution is to make households pay the marginal cost of disposing of their waste.
That will give them an incentive to throw out less and recycle more (assuming that local
governments provide collection points for suitable materials).
G. True, the number of bags or cans did fall sharply, by 37%. But this was largely thanks to the
‘Seattle stomp’, a frantic dance, first noticed when that distant city introduced rubbish pricing.
Rather than buy more tags, people simply crammed more garbage - about 40% more - into each
container by jumping on it if necessary.
H. Research focused on several American towns and cities which, in the past few years, have
started charging households for generating rubbish. The commonest system is to sell stickers or
tags which householders attach to rubbish bags or cans. Only bags with these labels are picked up in the weekly collection. Page 8 of 14 Your answers: 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80.
Part 5: You are going to read a newspaper article in which women talk about their attitudes toward
cars. For questions 81-95, choose from the women (A-D). When more than one answer is required,
these may be given in any order. (15 points) WOMEN DRIVERS
What do women think about the cars they drive? We talked to four women about their views. A. Megan Fields
Megan Fields lives in rural Herfordshire, just outside a small village. In recent years the bus
service in the village has improved, and there is also a good link now to the nearest town.
Consequently, she uses a car mainly to commute to her office almost forty miles away. Megan works
normal office hours, Mondays to Fridays, and this means she has to make a round trip of very nearly
eighty miles a day in the enervating rush-hour traffic. However, since the latest increases in the price
of fuel, she and her husband feel they have to think more carefully about car maintenance costs.
Megan was forced to purchase a new car only a short while ago: she was recently involved in a
collision with a lorry. It was an unequal contest, and Megan’s car was a write-off. Fortunately, nobody
was badly hurt, but Megan was shaken by the experience. She promised herself that her next car would
have more robust bodywork in case anything like that ever happens again. Since their old car had been
on its last ages anyway, she and her husband had been looking at the options available on the market
even before the crash, and they had narrowd the choice down to three or four models. Before they
made their final decision, they took a number of other factors into consideration. They wanted a car
that would be fuel-efficient and that would produce as few harmful emissions as possible. Megan left
the choice of car to her husband; she claims she is ignorant of the technical issues involved and has no
desire to learn. She stresses that she would rather be able to manage without a car at all. However,
given their circumstances, doing without a car does not appear to be a viable option. B. Vera Aziz
Vera is one of the growing numbers of people who have purchased an SUV – a sports utility
vehicle. In her view, there is something very reassuring about the height of the vehicle, which places
the driver and passengers above the majority of other road users. Though she has no statistics to back
up her opinion, she is convinced that this means she would be far better off in an accident. There is
another practical factor at work in her choice of vehicle: her SUV seats eight people quite comfortably,
and she needs this room since she regularly ferries her two daughters and their four friends to and from ballet classes.
Vera says that a car is an absolute necessity for her. Public transport in the part of survey where
she lives in woefully inadequate and there is no school bus, so when the weather is bad she has to drive
the children to their school nearby. About once a fornight she and her husband go up to London for the
day and they need the car to get them to the local train station. Otherwise, she admits, the car stays in
the garage most of their time. When asked about what influenced her choice of vehicle, she is
unequivocal: safety was the crucial point, and she imagines that this is the case for the vast majority of women. C. Sue Henderson
The new charges for drivers entering inner London, coupled with exhorbitant parking fees
throughout the capital, mean that the situation has changed for Sue. She says she would far rather take
the train to the city instead of driving in from Faversham in Kent, so these days she mostly uses the car
to stock up with groceries from the local supermarket on Friday evenings. But there has been another
more radical change in her driving habits over the past few months. Some good neighbours of hers,
who only used their cars very occasionally, were thinking of buying a new one, and Sue suggested that
instead of going to the expense and trouble this would involve, they should just use hers whenever they
wanted to. Sue says that some careful planning is required to make this arrangement work smoothly,
but it has resulted in considerable savings for everyone concerned. She also makes the point that a
scheme like this works best if people are relaxed about the car they drive and don’t insist on a
slotlessly clean high-performance model. Sue’s present car is fairly old, large and sturdy – one of the
Scandinavian models that offer their onwers a sense of security. She is rather dismissive of SUVs, Page 9 of 14
which she doesn’t consider particularly safe. This is because she read somewhere that they can roll
over quite easily. Furthermore, they are a danger to cyclists because SUV drivers tend not to notice
them. Sue also has strong opinions about the jokey stereotype of the bad woman driver, which she
regards as absolute nonsense. She is similarly dismissive of the ideas that men are natural born drivers,
claiming that statistics prove the opposite, and that men cause far more accidents than women, especially serious ones. D. Heather Adams
Four years ago Heather Adams’s husband injured his leg in an accident which left him unable
to drive. Heather herself then reluctantly took charge of the car not only driving it but also making sure
it was serviced regularly and generally looking after it. The Adams’s children are still very young, so
Heather is the only one in the family who uses the car now. In fact, she only passed her driving test
three and a half years ago, so she had little practical experience with vehicles of any until then. Their
present car is the only one she has ever driven, apart from the car at the driving school when she was
learning to drive. She says she never expected to get such enormous pleasure from sitting behind the
wheel, and believes that learning to drive gave her a sense of independence and confidence that she
lacked when she was younger. She regards a car as an essential part of her life now – public transport
in the northern city where she lives is unreliable and not convenient for her needs.
Her husband has clearly influenced her views on road safety. He believes it is important to be
able to put your foot down and accelerate away from trouble. Heather agrees and clearly relishes
driving a car with a powerful engine. For her, this would be a prime consideration if she were to buy another car.
Which woman _____ uses her car to get to work? 81. ______
uses her car mainly to make short journeys? 82. ______ 83. ______
has only had a driving licence for a few years? 84. ______
has a prejudice against a particular kind of car? 85. ______
feels safety considerations are paramount when buying a car? 86. ______
wanted a car that would have a minimal impact on the environment? 87. ______
didn’t want to be responsible for the car at first? 88. ______
acknowledges that she knows little about cars? 89. ______
uses other means of transport because of rising costs? 90. ______
drives a kind of car which is becoming increasingly popular? 91. ______ needs a large car? 92. ______ is an enthusiastic driver? 93. ______
wishes she didn’t need to rely on a car? 94. ______
dissuaded someone from buying a car? 95. ______
SECTION IV: WRITING (60 points)
Part 1: Read the following text and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should be
about 80 -100 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original. (15 points)
Why do Weight-Loss Diets Fail?
The popularity of diet crazes over the last 30 years shows that many of us think we are
overweight. It also suggests that we want to do something about it. Diet books with the latest scientific
advice become best sellers, and yet we continue to gain weight. Who’s responsible? It’s easy to blame
scientific experts, but in my view, the problem is often with us, the dieters. We can’t lose weight
because of the way we think about food.
If we cannot follow a plan every day, no diet book can help. Many dieters change from one
type of diet to another, so they never allow their bodies to get into a healthy rhythm. Others start out
strongly on a program and lose a few pounds. Then, when their weight stays the same for a few weeks,
they become discouraged and lose their self-control. If the weight doesn’t go away quickly, they give up. Page 10 of 14
But the number on the scale is not our challenge. Modern life is so fast and stressful that many
diets are ruined by “comfort eating”. When we feel down, we want a slice of cheesecake or a chocolate
brownie with ice cream to make us feel better. We use food as an escape. On the other hand, some of
us use food as a reward. If we’ve done something well, we think we “deserve it”.
We also need to pay attention to the food we eat. We should read food labels carefully and
remember that we are often misled by them. Although a food package may say “low fat”,
manufacturers sometimes replace the fat with carbonhydrates, sugar, and other fattening substances. In
addition, they may not take out much of the fat. Low-fat ice cream can have 70% of the fat or regular
ice cream, so a scoop and a half of low-fat ice cream is more fattening than one scoop of regular.
There are just a few of the reasons why our diets fail, but they all arise from our state of mind
and our ability to pay attention. The next time you reach for the cookie jar, remember: control your
mind and you can control your body! The most important factor in losing weight is in our heads.
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Part 2: Graph writing (15 points)
The graph shows Internet Usage in Taiwan by Age Group, 2010-2013. Summarise the information
by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
(You may continue your writing on the back page if you need more space.) Page 11 of 14 Who used the Internet? 60% 50% 40% Less than 15 years old 16 - 30 years old 30% 31 - 50 years old 20% 50 years old or more 10% 0% 2010 2011 2012 2013
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Part 3: Essay writing (30 points)
Write an essay of about 350 words on the following topic: “Many high school students are opting for
vocational courses rather than academic programs after graduation. Do you think this is a negative or positive development?”
(You may continue your writing on the back page if you need more space.) Page 12 of 14
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