Kì thi chọn đội tuyển chính thức dự thi HSG quốc gia lớp 12 THPT Vĩnh Long năm học 2018-2019 môn thi Tiếng Anh
Kì thi chọn đội tuyển chính thức dự thi HSG quốc gia lớp 12 THPT Vĩnh Long năm học 2018-2019 môn thi Tiếng Anh giúp các bạn học sinh sắp tham gia các kì thi Tiếng Anh tham khảo, học tập và ôn tập kiến thức, bài tập và đạt kết quả cao trong kỳ thi sắp tới. Mời bạn đọc đón xem!
Môn: Đề thi chọn học sinh giỏi Tiếng Anh lớp 12 THPT & đội tuyển dự thi học sinh giỏi Quốc gia THPT
Trường: Đề thi chọn HSG Tiếng Anh từ lớp 9 đến lớp 12 cấp trường, quận/ huyện, tỉnh/ thành phố
Thông tin:
Tác giả:
Thông tin :
Môn:
Đề thi chọn học sinh giỏi Tiếng Anh lớp 12 THPT & đội tuyển dự thi học sinh giỏi Quốc gia THPT
Trường:
Đề thi chọn HSG Tiếng Anh từ lớp 9 đến lớp 12 cấp trường, quận/ huyện, tỉnh/ thành phố
Tác giả:
Tài liệu liên quan:
Preview text:
Điểm bài thi đã quy đổi
Họ, tên và chữ ký giám khảo Bằng số Bằng chữ
GK1: ………………………………………………………… ……………………… SỐ PHÁCH
GK2: …………………………………………………………
I. LISTENING (50 points)
Part 1: Listen to a piece of news and supply the blanks with the missing information. For questions
1–6, write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording for each answer. Write your
answers in the numbered boxes provided.
NIKE USING NFL PROTEST PLAYER IN AD CAMPAIGN
The sportswear maker Nike has announced it will use American football player Colin Kaepernick in its 30th
anniversary advertising campaign. Mr Kaepernick (1) _____ in 2016 when kneeling down on one knee instead of
standing for the national anthem as a protest against (2) _____ and social issues. Kaepernick’s actions, which
started a trend of other players “taking the knee” in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, caused heated
debate. In September 2017, President Donald Trump tweeted that NFL players who failed to stand up for the
national anthem should be either (3) _____.
Nike will use a (4) _____ of Kaepernick’s face with the caption: “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing
everything.” The company, which supplies the uniforms for all the NFL’s 32 teams and is a corporate sponsor of
the NFL, knows it will receive a (5) _____ for using Mr Kaepernick in its ads. However, it said: “We believe Colin
is one of the most inspirational athletes of this generation, who has (6) _____ the power of sport to help move
the world forward.” Yahoo Sports said: “It’s an interesting decision for Nike. No other athlete produces the same
emotional response as Kaepernick.” Many on social media applauded Nike for its decision. One person tweeted:
“Time to throw away all my Nike crap.” Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Part 2: Listen to five different people talking about communication in the digital world and match
the ideas to the speakers. For questions 7–11, write A–H in the numbered boxes provided. LIVING ONLINE 7. Speaker 1
A. Has recently learned about some of the negative effects of excessive online. 8. Speaker 2
B. Is suffering from the fear of missing out. 9. Speaker 3
C. Has witnessed great changes in the way we communicate over recent years. 10. Speaker 4
D. Thinks that the amount of time teens spend online is alarming. 11. Speaker 5
E. Is quite happy for any photos of themselves to be posted online.
F. Thinks limiting teenagers’ access to technology is unfair.
G. Wishes people would talk more in person.
H. Enjoys being able to contact all friends with the same message at once. Your answers: 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Part 3: You will hear an interview with Jack Brown, the creator of the very popular cartoon
character, Arthur. For questions 12–16, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D. Write your answers
in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
12. Jack is bemused by his character’s popularity because _____.
A. he never thought Arthur would be attractive to adults
B. aardvarks aren’t particularly lovable
C. Arthur has drawn so many families closer together
D. Arthur is rather old
13. According to Jack, Arthur’s character _____.
A. came to him as he was reading to his child
B. developed slowly over a period of time
C. was meant to cheer up his recuperating son
D. was meant to mirror an actual person
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14. According to Jack, Arthur _____.
A. made him wealthy when he first appeared
B. has appeared in children’s theatre
C. is still important in his son’s life
D. was so popular that he continued creating stories
15. Jack says he stopped touring when _____.
A. a book was written about Arthur
B. he met Carol Greenwold after a TV broadcast
C. Arthur happened to be discovered
D. he was asked to appear on a TV programme
16. The Arthur cartoon series seems to have _____.
A. enjoyed incredible success from the outset
B. exhausted its possibilities
C. not done very well in a popularity poll
D. been used as a vehicle for advertising goods Your answers: 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Part 4: You will hear part of a radio programme about the arts. For questions 17–25, write NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording for each answer in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Some people might describe the home as a (17) _____.
Visitors to the Gallery Ezra can buy (18) _____ by Johnny Morris and friends.
Johnny’s flatmate said that he should have a (19) _____.
Phoebe Tate and Gareth Harris have their gallery the name (20) _____.
Phoebe was formerly an (21) _____.
Phoebe and Gareth have been forced to display notices with (22) ‘_____’ on them.
Visitors to Norman and Valerie cinema sit in seats that are covered in (23) _____.
Some of their cinema’s equipment is in what used to be the (24) _____.
The Illingworths have called their cinema (25) _____. Your answers: 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (20 points)
Part 1: For questions 26–39, choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to each of the following
questions and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
26. The hotel’s description in the brochure was _____ in the extreme and we were left utterly disappointed on arrival. A. fallacious B. pretentious C. perplexing D. erratic
27. The book _____ to a number of interesting research studies which I would really like to find out more about. A. hints B. cites C. declares D. alludes
28. I’m afraid we got our _____ crossed – I thought my husband would be picking up the children and he thought I was doing it. A. minds B. purposes C. wires D. fingers
29. The country has few natural resources and its economy has been _____ for some time now. A. diseased B. unwell C. sickening D. ailing
30. Although the twins look identical, they have widely _____ opinions on almost every topic under the sun. A. divergent B. dissimilar C. distinct D. distinguished
31. I’d like to _____ my argument with an anecdote whose significance will soon become apparent. A. announce B. predict C. herald D. preface
32. I’m hoping that this work experience will stand me in _____ in my future career.
A. good grounding B. good stead
C. fine precedent
D. stable footing
33. I felt an _____ with the writer from his descriptions of a world that seemed to have a great deal in common with my own. A. affection B. adherence
C. acknowledgement D. affinity
34. It’s as if that silly argument we had has driven a _____ between us and we’ve lost all our old closeness. A. ledge B. beam C. wedge D. plank
35. Serena is still _____ ignorant of the fact that she is about to be made redundant. A. blissful y B. jubilantly
C. ecstatically D. delightedly
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36. Two months after the main parties in the coalition had fallen out, leading to the collapse of the government,
the leaders met in an attempt to heal the _____. A. abyss B. rift C. dispute D. trench
37. I found the information for the project in the encyclopedia but I couldn’t give _____ and verse on it. A. chapter B. unit C. poem D. extract
38. I for one am not sorry. He should have _____ than to lend them money. A. thought more B. been better C. known more D. known better
39. She awoke with an _____ sense of foreboding which she could find no reason for. A. intangible B. intensive C. indelible
D. intelligible 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 bracketed word in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided. (0) has been done as an example. THE DESIRE TO KNOW
Curiosity goes back to the dawn of human (0) _____ (EXIST). This irrepressible desire to know is not a
characteristic of inanimate objects. Nor does it seem to be (40) _____ (ATTRIBUTE) to some form of living
organisms which, for that very reason, we can scarcely bring ourselves to consider alive. A tree, for example,
does not display recognizable curiosity, not does a sponge, or even an oyster. If chance events bring them
poison, predators or parasites, they die as (41) _____ (CEREMONY) as they lived.
Early in the scheme of life, independent motion was developed by some organisms. It meant an (42) _____
(ORDINARY) advance in their control of the environment. A moving organism no longer waited in stolid (43)
_____ (RIGID) for food to come its way, but went out after it. The individual that hesitated in the (44) _____
(ZEAL) search for food, or that was overly conservative in its investigation, starved.
As organisms grew more complex, more messages or greater variety were received from and about the
surrounding environment. At the same time, the nervous system, the living instrument that interprets and stores
the data collected by the sense organs, became (45) _____ (INCREASE) complex.
Your answers: 0. existence 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. III. READING (50 points)
Part 1. For questions 46–57, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space.
Use ONLY ONE WORD in each space. There is an example at the beginning (0). Write your answers
in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. IQ TESTS
Psychologists have (0) _____ been interested in (46) _____ we judge intelligence in strangers. Now scientists
have designed tests that try to discover which cues help people to judge IQ accurately, and which cause them to
get (47) _____ wrong. High school pupils were videotaped answering thought-provoking questions and the
videos were (48) _____ shown to groups of “judges” who were asked to assess the students’ physical type and
monitor a variety of behavioural cues. Next the judges were asked to rate the students’ intelligence. At the same
time, each student was (49) _____ required to sit a standard IQ test.
Certain cues matched the (50) _____ of the IQ tests more closely than others. (51) _____ speaking quickly,
using a lot of words or displaying ease (52) _____ understanding caused the judges to rate the students’
intelligence highly, and was reflected in the IQ tests, (53) _____ cues seemed to give the judges an entirely false
impression of intelligence (54) _____ measured by the IQ test. (55) _____ the cues that led judges to assess
students as dull were factors (56) _____ as using halting speech or slang. Cues that led judges to view students
as bright included talking loudly and using proper English. (57) _____ of these traits correlated with measured IQ, however.
Your answers: 0. long 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57.
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Part 2. Read the passage and do the tasks follow.
THE CREATION OF LASTING MEMORIES
Many studies of the brain processes underlying the creation of memory consolidation (lasting memories) have
involved giving various human and animal subjects treatment, while training them to perform a task. These have
contributed greatly to our understanding.
In pioneering studies using goldfish, Bernard Agranoff found that protein synthesis inhibitors injected after
training caused the goldfish to forget what they had learned. In other experiments, he administered protein
synthesis inhibitors immediately before the fish were trained. The remarkable finding was that the fish learned
the task completely normally, but forgot it within a few hours – that is, the protein synthesis inhibitors blocked
memory consolidation, but did not influence short-term memory.
There is now extensive evidence that short-term memory is spared by many kinds of treatments, including
electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), that block memory consolidation. On the other hand, and equally importantly,
neuroscientist Ivan Izquierdo found that many drug treatments can block short-term memory without blocking
memory consolidation. Contrary to the hypothesis put forward by Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb, in 1949,
long-term memory does not require short-term memory, and vice versa.
Such findings suggest that our experiences create parallel, and possibly independent stages of memory, each with
a different life span. All of this evidence from clinical and experimental studies strongly indicates that the brain
handles recent and remote memory in different ways; but why does it do that?
We obviously need to have memory that is created rapidly: reacting to an ever and rapidly changing environment
requires that. For example, most current building codes require that the heights of all steps in a staircase be
equal. After taking a couple of steps, up or down, we implicitly remember the heights of the steps and assume
that the others will be the same. If they are not the same, we are very likely to trip and fall. Lack of this kind of
rapidly created implicit memory would be bad for us and for insurance companies, but perhaps good for lawyers.
It would be of little value to us if we remembered the heights of the steps only after a delay of many hours, when
the memory becomes consolidated.
The hypothesis that lasting memory consolidates slowly over time is supported primarily by clinical and
experimental evidence that the formation of long-term memory is influenced by treatments and disorders
affecting brain functioning. There are also other kinds of evidence indicating more directly that the memories
consolidate over time after learning. Avi Kami and Dov Sagi reported that the performance of human subjects
trained in a visual skill did not improve until eight hours after the training was completed, and that improvement
was even greater the following day. Furthermore, the skill was retained for several years.
Studies using human brain imaging to study changes in neural activity induced by learning have also reported
that the changes continue to develop for hours after learning. In an innovative study using functional imaging of
the brain, Reza Shadmehr and Henry Holcomb examined brain activity in several brain regions shortly after
human subjects was trained in a motor learning task requiring arm and hand movements. They found that while
the performance of the subjects remained stable for several hours after completion of the training, their brain
activity did not; different regions of the brain were predominantly active at different times over of period of
several hours after the training. The activity shifted from the prefrontal cortex to two areas known to be involved
in controlling movements, the motor cortex and cerebellar cortex. Consolidation of the motor skill appeared to
involve activation of different neural systems that increased the stability of the brain processes underlying the skill.
There is also evidence that learning-induced changes in the activity of neurons in the cerebral cortex continue to
increase for many days after the training. In an extensive series of studies using rats with electrodes implanted in
the auditory cortex, Norman Weinberger reported that, after a tone of specific frequency was paired a few times
with footshock, neurons in the rats’ auditory cortex responded more to that specific tone and less to other tones
of other frequencies. Even more interestingly, the selectivity of the neurons’ response to the specific tone used in
training continued to increase for several days after the training was terminated.
It is not intuitively obvious why our lasting memories consolidate slowly. Certainly, one can wonder why we have
a form of memory that we have to rely on for many hours, days or a lifetime, that is so susceptible to disruption
shortly after it is initiated. Perhaps the brain system that consolidates long-term memory over time was a late
development in vertebrate evolution. Moreover, maybe we consolidate memories slowly because our mammalian
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brains are large and enormously complex. We can readily reject these ideas. All species of animals studied to date
have both short and long-term memory; and all are susceptible to retrograde amnesia. Like humans, birds, bees,
and molluscs, as well as fish and rats, make long-term memory slowly. Consolidation of memory clearly emerged
early in evolution, and was conserved.
Although there seems to be no compelling reason to conclude that a biological system such as a brain could not
quickly make a lasting memory, the fact is that animal brains do not. Thus, memory consolidation must serve
some very important adaptive function or functions. There is considerable evidence suggesting that the slow
consolidation is adaptive because it enables neurobiological processes occurring shortly after learning to influence
the strength of memory for experiences. The extensive evidence that memory can be enhanced, as well as
impaired, by treatments administered shortly after training, provides intriguing support for this hypothesis.
Questions 58–62: Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
58. Experiments by Bernard Agranoff described in the reading passage involved _____.
A. injecting goldfish at different stages of the experiments
B. training goldfish to do different types of task
C. using different types of treatment on goldfish
D. comparing the performance of different goldfish on certain tasks
59. Most findings from recent studies suggest that _____.
A. drug treatments do not normally affect short-term memories
B. long-term memories build upon short-term memories
C. short and long-term memories are formed by separate processes
D. ECT treatment affects both short-and long-term memories
60. In the fifth paragraph, what does the writer want to show by the example of staircases?
A. Prompt memory formation underlies the performance of everyday tasks.
B. Routine tasks can be carried out unconsciously.
C. Physical accidents can impair the function of memory.
D. Complex information such as regulations cannot be retained by the memory.
61. Observations about memory by Kami and Sagi _____.
A. cast doubt on existing hypotheses
B. related only to short-term memory
C. were based on tasks involving hearing
D. confirmed other experimental findings
62. What did the experiment by Shadmehr and Holcomb show?
A. Different areas of the brain were activated by different tasks.
B. Activity in the brain gradually moved from one area to other areas.
C. Subjects continued to get better at a task after training has finished.
D. Treatment given to subjects improved their performance on a task. Your answers: 58. 59. 60. 61. 62.
Questions 63–67: Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the Reading? In
the corresponding numbered boxes provided, write: YES (Y)
if the statement agrees with the views of the writer NO (N)
if the statement contradicts the views of the writer NOT GIVEN (NG)
if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
63. The training which Kami and Sagi’s subjects were given was repeated over several days.
64. The rats in Weinberger’s studies learned to associate a certain sound with a specific experience.
65. The results of Weinberger’s studies indicated that the strength of the rats’ learned associations increases with time.
66. It is easy to see the evolutionary advantage of the way lasting memories in humans are created.
67. Long-term memories in humans are more stable than in many other species. Your answers: 63. 64. 65. 66. 67.
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Questions 68–71: Complete the summary using the list of words, A–I, below. Write your answers in
the numbered boxes provided.
A. early B. easy C. large D. late E. lengthy F. new G. recently H. small I. quick LONG-TERM MEMORY
Various researchers have examined the way lasting memories are formed. Laboratory experiments usually involve
teaching subjects to do something (68) ______, and treating them with mild electric shocks or drugs. Other
studies monitor behaviour after a learning experience, or use sophisticated equipment to observe brain activity.
The results are generally consistent: they show that lasting memories are the result of a (69) _____ and complex biological process.
The fact that humans share this trait with other species, including animals with (70) _____ brains, suggests that
it developed (71) _____ in our evolutionary history. Your answers: 68. 69. 70. 71.
Part 3. You are going to read an extract from a book about an architect. For questions 72–78,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Write your answers
in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
The first impression created by Tadao Ando’s architecture is that of its materiality. His powerful concrete walls set
a limit. Beyond this point there is no passage but that which is opened by his will. A second impression of Tadao
Ando’s architecture is its tactility. Hard walls seem soft to the touch. They exclude then enclose, admitting light,
wind and the passing visitor, who leaves behind the disorder of everyday existence to be sheltered in a realm of
stillness. A third impression of Tadao Ando’s architecture is its emptiness. Within, only light and space surround the visitor.
Enso, the mysterious circles drawn by Zen Buddhist monks in a single stroke, symbolise emptiness, oneness, and
the moment of enlightenment. The circle and other rigorous geometric forms are the vocabulary of Ando, related
as much to Western architecture as to any Eastern thought. He cites the Pantheon in Rome as an influence on his
work; proof that simple shapes fashioned with a mastery of light and materials can create a transcendent space.
He speaks also of the ‘Prisons’ in Piranesi’s Carceri d’invenzioni whose ‘dynamic verticality’ contrasts with the
horizontal emphasis of much traditional Japanese architecture, which is ‘non-geometric and irregular’ by nature.
Tadao Ando has said that a goal of his work is to bring together these apparently divergent ideas of space in a
‘unified transcendent architecture’. What Ando seeks, and what he finds in his best work, is the simplicity of
perfection, a faultless circle drawn by a steady hand in a single stroke.
Winner of the 1992 Carlsberg prize, the 1995 Pritzker prize, the 1996 Praemium Imperiale, and the 2002 Kyoto
prize, Tadao Ando is today at the height of his career, called on to build major buildings from Fort Worth to
Naoshima in the Inland Sea of Japan. Looking out from the hilltop annex of the Naoshima Museum of
Contemporary Art toward the framed view of cone-shaped islands, feeling the gentle breeze on a sunny day, one
feels as close to architectural perfection as possible. A great deal of the meaning of Tadao Ando’s work can be
captured in those fleeting instants when nature’s presence ebbs and flows past his concrete walls.
Born in Osaka in 1941, Tadao Ando is unusual in that he was self-educated as an architect, largely through
travels in the United States, Europe, and Africa (1962–1969). He founded Tadao Ando Architect & Associates in
Osaka in 1969. When asked how he came to be interested in architecture, he replied, ‘As it happens work was
carried on where I lived when I was 15, and I got to know some of the carpenters. About the same time, in a
used bookstore, I saw a book on the complete work of Le Corbusier. I recopied some of his drawings, and I
would say that that is how I began to be interested in architecture.’
Although the influence on Ando of Le Corbusier and others such as Louis Kahnis often cited, it is interesting to
note that the first project that brought him public attention, the so-called Azuma House (Row House, Sumiyoshi,
Osaka, 1975–76) is already very much a personal creation. On a small site (57.3 square metres) inserted into a
row of narrow houses, the simple concrete facade and equally unadorned doorway stand out without breaking
the rhythm of the street. Old wood houses that formerly lined the street have given way to a hodgepodge of
generally undistinguished modern residences. Although this residential area of Osaka is somewhat less chaotic in
appearance than many other parts of a metropolis with a population density of 11,793 persons per square
kilometre (1995), there is a marked contrast between this concrete slab and its environment. Stepping through
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the door, the visitor need no longer be conscious of the outside world. The house is divided into three equal
sections – a living room and kitchen below, and two bedrooms above, separated by an external courtyard, and
the stairway up to the second floor. Access to the bathroom on the ground floor from the bedrooms requires the
resident to pass through the courtyard. This fact surprises Western visitors but seems to be of little concern to
the Japanese, who, as Ando says, ‘are used to living with the rhythms of nature.’ As for its limited dimensions,
with total floor space of 64.7 square metres, the Sumiyoshi Row House exceeds the average size of an Osaka
dwelling (estimated at 61 square metres in 1993). Despite its rigorously geometric design, this house, with its
unusual facade and open central courtyard, is closely related both to local architecture and to Japanese traditions.
By excluding the chaotic environment and admitting nature, Ando also developed what would become one of the
central themes in his work in this house, which won a prize from the Japanese Architectural Association.
72. What does the writer mean by the ‘materiality’ of Ando’s buildings?
A. the limits set by his concrete walls
B. the sense of control reflected in the solid walls
C. the type of building materials he employs
D. the passages that penetrate their concrete walls
73. Why does the writer mention Enso?
A. to illustrate how Ando’s work is influenced by geometric shapes
B. to emphasise the simple perfection of the circle in architecture
C. because it is a word Ando often uses to talk about architecture
D. because it contributes to the beauty of buildings like the Pantheon
74. Ando’s aim in creating a ‘unified transcendent architecture’ is _____.
A. to create a fashion in the use of geometric shapes in architecture
B. to emulate the work of Piranesi
C. to break free from the irregular nature of traditional Japanese architecture
D. to create a harmonious marriage of conflicting principles in architecture
75. What does the writer imply is ‘architectural perfection’?
A. the contrast created between a building and the natural environment around it
B. the use of nature to transcend the structure of a building
C. buildings which acknowledge and welcome the presence of nature
D. buildings which go beyond the usual limits of architecture
76. Ando’s interest in architecture was stimulated _____.
A. by his travels abroad
B. by a second-hand book
C. when he got involved in construction work
D. when some carpenters re-built his home
77. The Azuma House _____.
A. contrasts with the old wood houses lining the rest of the street
B. is easily distinguished yet blends into its surroundings
C. is limited in space by Japanese standards
D. bears the mark of Le Corbusier’s influence on the architect
78. We can infer from the text that the writer particularly admires _____.
A. the use of contrasting shapes in Ando’s designs
B. the mastery Ando has over his choice of materials
C. the lighting effects that Ando is able to create in his buildings
D. the sense of peace and harmony in Ando’s buildings Your answers: 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78.
Part 4. You are going to read a magazine article about mobile phones. Seven paragraphs have been
removed from the extract. Choose from paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap (79–85). There
is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided. MOBILE MISGIVINGS
It’s getting hard to be anonymous. To do anything, you have to prove who you are. Want to buy something or
draw some cash? That’s a wodge of credit cards to lug around, and a plethora of four-digit PINs to remember.
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Even before stepping out of the front door, you’ve got to find your driving licence or rail pass, perhaps even your passport. 79.
Inside every digital mobile phone is a SIM card. SIM stands for Subscriber Information Module, and the chip
embedded in the SIM card is what makes the mobile yours. For now, the SIM just identifies you to the phone
system, and maybe holds details of your favourite phone numbers. In future it could identify you to everyone who
needs to know who you are and would enable you to carry out transactions which require a form of identification. 80.
The Finnish government is looking at using SIM’s in place of a national identity card – and eventually a passport.
Under this plan, the SIM will become a person’s legal proof of identity. And there’s no reason why it couldn’t
unlock your health records, social security details and other personal information. One click and a hospital would
know exactly who it’s dealing with. 81.
People can lose or mislay their phones, and they are a tempting target for thieves, who can easily dispose of
them on the black market. That’s bad enough when there’s only a large phone bill at stake. When your phone
becomes the key to your identity, secrets and cash, you’ll want to make sure it stays safely locked up, even if
only the gadget itself falls into the wrong hands. “Having something that contains all this information would be
extremely rash,” says Roger Needham, managing director of Microsoft’s British research laboratory in Cambridge.
“People will simply find it unacceptable.” 82.
The beauty of this system is that the identifier would act as one half of what’s called a public key encryption
system. The identifier, kept safe inside the phone, acts as a key, known to no one else. To read a message locked
with this private key requires a second, public key, which can be freely distributed. 83.
An increasing number of countries are passing laws to give private keys the same legal force as signatures. This
has unleashed a flood of encryption systems, and the problem now is to get governments and companies to
agree on a standard. “It needs to be simple, secure and transparent,” says Mika Nieminen, head of mobile
commerce company More Magic Software, in Helsinki. “We have the maths to show that it is secure. The only
problem now is making it global.” 84.
The private key is protected by a PIN, and the card will shut itself off if wrong numbers are keyed in three times.
To switch it back on, the owner must take it to a police station with another form of ID. If a card is stolen, the
police will cancel it permanently. Either way, information on the card stays safe. 85.
Pearson thinks consumers, too, will learn to trust a chip with their identity, not least because it will make life so
much easier. A private key will do away with hard-to-remember log-in codes and passwords for websites, as well
as all those credit cards and PINs. “People already give up their privacy quite happily just to get access to a
website,” he says. “As long as they get something out of it.” The missing paragraphs:
A. But for these dreams to become reality, there’ll have to be a revolution in public attitudes. People will have to
let go of their apprehensions about e-commerce and learn to trust their mobiles; “Cultivating that trust is a
very difficult thing to do and takes a lot of time,” says Ian Pearson, resident futurologist at British Telecom.
B. Your credit history could be accessed by your bank manager with your agreement, which would negate the
need for you to visit the bank. The manager could communicate with you through your mobile phone and
either give you advice over the phone or invite you to the bank for a face-to-face consultation. This has
already been piloted in Britain and has received a positive reception.
C. The solution, according to experts in the field, is to share precious information on secure servers accessible
via a WAP connection on the web. The SIM would only store a personal identifier – a long string of digits that
would unlock the servers and give access to the information they hold. To use the identifier, the phone’s
owner would have to punch in a PIN.
D. “Even in its embryonic form, FINEID gives people a secure way to access sensitive information,” says Vatka.
“And when you get it in a mobile phone you’re not even tied to a terminal,” he says. Many believe that
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identity theft will be inevitable no matter how careful safeguards are. But since it is already taking place and
this system is more secure, businesses will probably be keen to adopt it.
E. In a few years, this plastic and paper baggage could be history. A single chip hidden in your cellphone will be
all you need – a little treasure that holds your complete identity. But beware! Lose your phone, and your
identity and money go with it. The big question is whether people will be willing to trust so much to a sliver of silicon.
F. You might use this set-up to send a request to a bank using its public key to see the details of your account,
which it would decrypt using its private key. The bank would then send you the requested information
encrypted with your public key, which only your private key could decrypt. Thus both messages would be secure.
G. To pay for a meal, say, you will use the phone to transfer money through the phone network to a restaurant’s
computer. There will be no payment slip to sign because your SIM will do it for you. Likewise, when you
board a plane you won’t have to wait in line for a boarding pass and seat number.
H. “The Finnish government has taken the initiative with a national standard that companies can use free of
charge,” says Vesa Vatka of the Finnish Population Register Centre in Helsinki. “At the moment this system –
called FINEID – uses a smart card and a card reader attached to a computer, but the plan is to integrate to a SIM,” says Vatka. Your answers: 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85.
Part 5. You are going to read an extract from an article about the Greek philosopher Socrates. For
questions 86–95, choose from the sections (A–E). The sections may be chosen more than once.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. SEEKING SOCRATES
It may be more than 2,400 years since his death, but the Greek philosopher can still teach us a thing or two
about leading “the good life”. Bettany Hughes digs deeper.
A. Sharing breakfast with an award-winning author in an Edinburgh hotel a few years back, the conversation
came round to what I was writing next. ‘A book on Socrates,’ I mumbled through my muesli. ‘Socrates!’ he
exclaimed. ‘What a brilliant doughnut subject. Really rich and succulent with a great hole in the middle where
the central character should be.’ I felt my smile fade because, of course, he was right. Socrates, the Greek
philosopher, might be one of the most famous thinkers of all time, but, as far as we know, he wrote not a
single word down. Born in Athens in 469BC, condemned to death by a democratic Athenian court in 399BC,
Socrates philosophized freely for close on half a century. Then he was found guilty of corrupting the young
and of disrespecting the city’s traditional gods. His punishment? Lethal hemlock poison in a small prison cel .
We don’t have Socrates’ personal archive; and we don’t even know where he was buried. So, for many, he
has come to seem aloof and nebulous – a daunting intellectual figure – always just out of reach.
B. But that is a crying shame. Put simply, we think the way we do because Socrates thought the way he did. His
famous aphorism, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’, is a central tenet for modern times. His
philosophies – 24 centuries old – are also remarkably relevant today. Socrates was acutely aware of the
dangers of excess and overindulgence. He berated his peers for a selfish pursuit of material gain. He
questioned the value of going to fight under an ideological banner of ‘democracy’. What is the point of city
walls, warships and glittering statues, he asked, if we are not happy? The pursuit of happiness is one of the
political pillars of the West. We are entering what has been described as ‘an age of empathy’. So Socrates’
forensic, practical investigation of how to lead ‘the good life’ is more illuminating, more necessary than ever.
C. Rather than being some kind of remote, tunic-clad beardy who wandered around classical columns, Socrates
was a man of the streets. The philosopher tore through Athens like a tornado, drinking, partying, sweating in
the gym as hard as, if not harder than the next man. For him, philosophy was essential to human life. His
mission: to find the best way to live on earth. As Cicero, the Roman author, perceptively put it: ‘Socrates
brought philosophy down from the skies.’ And so to try to put him back on to the streets he loved and where
his philosophy belonged, I have spent 10 years investigating the eastern Mediterranean landscape to find
clues of his life and the ‘Golden Age of Athens’. Using the latest archaeology, newly discovered historical
sources, and the accounts of his key followers, Plato and Xenophon, I have endeavoured to create a Socrates-
shaped space, in the glittering city of 500BC Athens – ready for the philosopher to inhabit.
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D. The street jargon used to describe the Athens of Socrates’ day gives us a sense of its character. His
hometown was known as ‘sleek’, ‘oily’, ‘violet-crowned’, ‘busybody’ Athens. Lead curse tablets left in drains,
scribbled down by those in the world’s first true democracy, show that however progressive fifth-century
Athenians were, their radical political experiment – allowing the demos (the people) to have kratos (power)
did not do away with personal rivalries and grudges. Far from it. In fact, in the city where every full citizen
was a potent politician, backbiting and cliquery came to take on epic proportions. By the time of his death,
Socrates was caught up in this crossfire.
E. His life story is a reminder that the word ‘democracy’ is not a magic wand. It does not automatically vaporize
all ills. This was Socrates’ beef, too – a society can only be good not because of the powerful words it bandies
around, but thanks to the moral backbone of each and every individual within it. But Athenians became
greedy, they overreached themselves, and lived to see their city walls torn down by their Spartan enemies,
and their radical democracy democratically voted out of existence. The city state needed someone to blame.
High-profile, maddening, eccentric, freethinking, free-speaking Socrates was a good target. Socrates seems to
me to be democracy’s scapegoat. He was condemned because, in fragile times, anxious political masses want
certainties – not the eternal questions that Socrates asked of the world around him.
In which section are the following mentioned?
86. relationships between people in Socrates’ time
87. the continuing importance of Socrates’ beliefs
88. the writer’s theory concerning what happened to Socrates
89. why little is known about Socrates as a man
90. how the writer set about getting information relevant to Socrates
91. the difference between common perceptions of Socrates and what he was really like
92. an aim that Socrates was critical of
93. the realization that finding out about Socrates was a difficult task
94. how well known Socrates was during his time
95. an issue that Socrates considered in great detail Your answers: 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. IV. WRITING (60 points)
Part 1: Write a summary of NO MORE THAN 130 WORDS based on the passage given. Credit will be
given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original meaning.
The sea turtles, especially the leatherbacks, are undoubtedly one of nature’s most amazing creatures. They roam
the warm seas of the world throughout their life and come ashore only to lay eggs. Malaysia with its long sandy
shorelines has been destined as one of their breeding grounds. Unfortunately, the number of leatherback turtles
landing on the beaches has been declining over the years. According to the WWF estimates, about 2000
leatherbacks arrived on Malaysian beaches in 1970. In 1989, only between 30 and 60 leatherbacks were found.
The drastic drop within such a short span is certainly a great cause for concern. Where have they gone to? Are
they avoiding the beaches of Malaysia? Whatever it is, the message is disturbingly clear – they may become an
extinct species soon, that is, if no concerted effort is taken to check the decline now.
The belief that the declining landings of turtles in Malaysia is the result of increasing landings in others parts of
the world is a fallacy. This is because the scenario is the same in other countries known to have been visited by
the turtles. What has caused the species to dwindle at such a rapid rate? There are many reasons but an obvious
one is none other than man’s greed. As we know, turtles are killed for their meat. In the days before
refrigeration, turtles had been a source of fresh food for the sailing ships. Today, turtle soup is a favorite dish
among the Asians. Their shells have become coveted items for decorations and jewelry. Their eggs which are
meant to be hatched into young turtles, are instead harvested and eaten. When deep sea fishing nets
inadvertently trap the turtles, fisherman often kill the turtles instead of cutting their nets to release them.
Pollution of the sea has also reduced the number of turtles. Many are choked to death by the plastic bags that
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they mistake for jelly fish. It appears that the turtles are no longer safe in the sea where they spend most of their lives.
Neither are they safe when the females come ashore to lay eggs. In fact this is the time when they are
particularly vulnerable as their movements are slow on land. The nesting places for these turtles have also been
greatly reduced. As more and more beaches are taken over for tourism with the construction of hotels, chalets
and condominiums, the breeding grounds are reduced in the process. The intrusion of tourists into these places
make it difficult for the turtles to lay their eggs. They have to look elsewhere to places that are still quiet and
undisturbed to lay their eggs. Unfortunately these ideal places are few to come by now. Too much development
has taken place even along the coastline in most countries.
Perhaps all is not lost yet. Sincere efforts are being taken to check the decline. In Malaysia, it is heartening to
note that concrete steps have been taken to protect the turtles that come ashore to lay eggs. The indiscriminate
collection of turtles eggs on the beaches is no more allowed. Turtle sanctuaries have been set up in Rantau
Abang in Terengganu. The eggs collected by designated officials are sent to hatcheries in the sanctuaries. In this
way, the loss of eggs and the rate of mortality among the baby turtles are reduced. In other words, more baby
turtles are now able to return to sea and grow into adulthood.
In an effort to discourage the public from eating turtle eggs a Turtle Enactment Act has been introduced to
prohibit the sale of leatherback eggs. The WWF has also launched the ‘Save the Turtle Campaign’ to create an
awareness among the public to help save the endangered species. In this way, the consumption of turtle eggs
and perhaps turtle meat will be discouraged, thus putting a stop to the illegal sale of eggs and trapping of turtles.
Let us hope that it is not too late to save these fascinating creatures from becoming extinct.
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The charts below show the results of a survey about what people of different age groups say makes them most happy.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
What makes people most happy? people under 30 people over 30
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Part 3: Write an essay of 350 words on the following topic:
Investment in education is the wisest one.
To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.
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