Kì thi chọn đội tuyển chính thức dự thi HSG quốc gia lớp12 THPT tỉnh Hải Dương năm học 2020-2021 môn thi Tiếng Anh

UBND TỈNH HẢI DƯƠNG
KÌ THI CHỌN ĐỘI TUYỂN DỰ THI
SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA THPT NĂM HỌC 2020 - 2021 MÔN THI: TIẾNG ANH Ngày thi: 30/09/2020 ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC
Thời gian làm bài: 180 phút (Đề thi có 12 trang)
Chú ý: Thí sinh làm bài vào tờ giấy thi
Phần trắc nghiệm: Chỉ cần viết đáp án A, hoặc B, C, D
Phần tự luận: Viết đầy đủ theo yêu cầu của bài
(Thí sinh không được sử dụng bất cứ tài liệu gì.) I. LISTENING: (50 POINTS)
Hướng dẫn làm bài Nghe:
Bài Nghe gồm có 04 phần, mỗi phần thí sinh được nghe 02 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 a conversation between a university tutor and two students
of literature and decide whether these statements are True (T) or False (F). (10 points)
1. People who translate novels into their own language tend to produce a better product.
2. Misunderstanding is no longer the case if the translator is a native speaker.
3. Writers tend to produce a translation that reflects their own writing style.
4. There is a problem in the way spoken languages in Zola’s books has been translated.
5. Literary translation makes the study of literature much broader.
Part 2. Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN THEE WORDS AND/OR
NUMBER for each answer: (10 points)
6. What kind of difficulties might people experience?
____________________________________________________
7. What is the first problem that the man mentions?
____________________________________________________
8. How often do drop-in sessions take place?
____________________________________________________
9. How long do drop-in sessions usually last for?
____________________________________________________
10. Who runs the workshops on personal development?
____________________________________________________
Part 3: You will hear a radio discussion about writing a novel. For questions 11 - 15, choose
the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear. (10 points)
11. What does Louise say about Ernest Hemingway's advice to writers?
A. It is useful to a certain extent.
B. It applies only to inexperienced novelists.
C. It wasn't intended to be taken seriously.
D. I might confuse some inexperienced novelists.
12. Louise says that you need to get feedback when you
A. have not been able to write anything for some time.
B. are having difficulty organizing your ideas.
C are having contrasting feelings about what you have written.
D. have finished the book but not shown it to anyone.
13. Louise says that you should get feedback from another writer because
A. it is easy to ignore criticism from people who are not writers.
B. another writer may be kinder to you than friends and relatives.
C. it is hard to find other people who will make an effort to help you.
D. another writer will understand what your intentions are. 1
14. What does Louise regard as useful feedback?
A. a combination of general observations and detailed comments.
B. both identification of problems and suggested solutions.
C. comments focusing more on style than on content.
D. as many points about strengths as weaknesses.
15. One reaction to feedback that Louise mentions is that
A. it is justified but would require too much effort to act on.
B. it focuses on unimportant details rather than key issues.
C. it has been influenced by reading other people's novels.
D. It is not suggesting that major changes to the novel are required.
Part 4. You will hear a piece of news. For questions 16-25, listen and complete the summary
with NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS. (20 points)
Nowadays, it is possible to donate money thousands of charities round the world to help people, animals and places.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals aims to enhance (16)
____________________ in any country. More than three hundred inspectors are employed in
England and Wales to examine (17) _____________________.
The Royal National Institute of the Blind, which is Britain’s the top charity for the blind.
Over a million of people suffer from either (18) ______________________. The organization
confronts (19) _____________________ of sight loss by helping the blind lead a normal life. The
organization also works on the underlying causes of the disability to achieve its (20) _______________________.
TBG is the acronym of (21)_____________________ which aims to improve the local
environment quality. The TBG and its sister organisation, Going for Green, (22)
___________________ and have the same Chief Executive.
Mencap helps people with learning disabilities who are disadvantaged due to unfair treatment
and lack of (23)___________________. It also provides support and advice for families and (24) ______________________.
EveryChild believes that every child has the right to grow up and develop in a secure, safe,
family environment, free (25) _______________.
II. LEXICO – GRAMMAR (20 POINTS)
Part 1. Choose the best answer to each of the following questions. (15 points)
26. Our lecturer _______ the importance of taking notes A. reincarnated B. reiterated C. rehabilitated D. reciprocated
27. The contemporary dialogue for me struck a slightly _______ note. A. disembodied B. discordant C. dismissive D. disconcerting
28. Both of the jobs I’ve been offered are fantastic opportunities – I’m in such _______! A. a constituency B. a deviation C. an arrhythmia D. a quandary
29. Sharon is such a positive person – she _______ her problems, whatever they are. A. goes light on B. throws light to C. makes light of D. sheds light upon
30. After hearing news of the attack, the general made plans for an immediate _______ against the enemy. A. compilation B. retaliation C. accumulation D. incantation
31. He didn’t mean to be offensive; it was quite an _______ remark. A. innocuous B. indehiscent C. incendiary D. insidious
32. Serena is still _______ ignorant of the fact that she is about to be made redundant. A. blissfully B. decorously C. jubilantly D. ecstatically
33. He refused to ___________ on why he took such an unexpected decision. A. elaborate B. amplify C. account D. clarify
34. As he accepted the award, his voice ___________ with emotion. A. quivered B. flinched C. cringed D. winced 2
35. In the ___________ of just two days, her whole life changed. A. interval B. space C. spell D. duration
36. He was dismayed when he learnt that his job application had been ___________ out of hand. A. denied B. refused C. repelled D. rejected
37. She_________ illness so that she could have a day off work. A. pretended B. attracted C. feigned D. amassed
38. I wanted to resign, but my boss________ with me to stay. A. pleaded B. parted C. argued D. bargained
39. The police have recently ________ down on motorists who drink and drive. A. turned B. clamped C. put D. pulled
40. They’re a real ________ organisation; they’re only interested in making a profit. A. devil-may-care B. fly-by-night C. open-handed D. down-to-earth
Part 2. Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the given words. (5 points)
41. No report can convey the _________________ suffering that this war has caused. (SPEAK)
42. Mary is a really _________________ pessimist. (CURE)
43. His conduct is _______________ to a priest and people don’t go to his church. (BECOME)
44. _________________ of a former queen have been reported at Hampton Court. (APPEAR)
45. The President authorizes the ____________ use of military force to protect our citizens. (JUDGE) III. READING: (50 POINTS)
Part 1. Read the text and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each gap. (10 points) Body language
Words are the most obvious part of any conversation, yet they are only the (46)_______ of
the communication (47)_______. There have been studies of the impact of body language and
voice tone on our (48)_____ of the trustworthiness of other people. These have shown that if
words and body language (49) ________, we nearly always take the non-verbal message as the
more significant, (50) _______ our conscious attention is mostly on the words. Sometimes we
may not know why we do no trust someone; sometimes the conflict is obvious. Would you take
lessons in public (51)________ from someone who mumbled?
Clothes and appearance are also part of our body language. They make a (52)______ about
us to the outside world, whether we want them to or not. Our clothes and appearance contribute
to the impressions we make on others. (53)______ at this level is partly a matter of credibility,
something which (54)_______ at a business meeting in jeans and trainers is unlikely to (55) _______ us. 46. A. tip B. top C. peak D. summit 47. A. glacier B. iceberg C. skill D. strategy 48. A. idea B. realization C. perception D. observation 49. A. differs B. arises C. diverges D. conflicts 50. A. although B. even so C. however D. nevertheless 51. A. vocalizing B. talking C. speaking D. communicating 52. A. declaration B. conclusion C. proclamation D. statement 53. A. Rapport B. Signal C. Agreement D. Trust 54. A. showing up B. coming round C. turning in D. bringing up 55. A. buy B. gain C. take D. help
Part 2. Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. (13 points) Neuroaesthetics
An emerging discipline called neuroaesthetics is seeking to bring scientific objectivity to the
study of art, and has already given us a better understanding of many masterpieces. The blurred
imagery of Impressionist paintings seems to stimulate the brain's amygdala, for instance. Since the
amygdala plays a crucial role in our feelings, that finding might explain why many people find these pieces so moving. 3
Could the same approach also shed light on abstract twentieth-century pieces, from
Mondrian's geometrical blocks of colour, to Pollock's seemingly haphazard arrangements of
splashed paint on canvas? Sceptics believe that people claim to like such works simply because they
are famous. We certainly do have an inclination to follow the crowd. When asked to make simple
perceptual decisions such as matching a shape to its rotated image, for example, people often
choose a definitively wrong answer if they see others doing the same. It is easy to imagine that this
mentality would have even more impact on a fuzzy concept like art appreciation, where there is no right or wrong answer.
Angelina Hawley-Dolan, of Boston College, Massachusetts, responded to this debate by
asking volunteers to view pairs of paintings - either the creations of famous abstract artists or the
doodles of infants, chimps and elephants. They then had to judge which they preferred. A third of
the paintings were given no captions, while many were labelled incorrectly -volunteers might think
they were viewing a chimp's messy brushstrokes when they were actually seeing an acclaimed
masterpiece. In each set of trials, volunteers generally preferred the work of renowned artists, even
when they believed it was by an animal or a child. It seems that the viewer can sense the artist's
vision in paintings, even if they can't explain why.
Robert Pepperell, an artist based at Cardiff University, creates ambiguous works that are
neither entirely abstract nor clearly representational. In one study, Pepperell and his collaborators
asked volunteers to decide how 'powerful' they considered an artwork to be, and whether they saw
anything familiar in the piece. The longer they took to answer these questions, the more highly they
rated the piece under scrutiny, and the greater their neural activity. It would seem that the brain sees
these images as puzzles, and the harder it is to decipher the meaning, the more rewarding is the moment of recognition.
And what about artists such as Mondrian, whose paintings consist exclusively of horizontal
and vertical lines encasing blocks of colour? Mondrian's works are deceptively simple, but eye-
tracking studies confirm that they are meticulously composed, and that simply rotating a piece
radically changes the way we view it. With the originals, volunteers' eyes tended to stay longer on
certain places in the image, but with the altered versions, they would flit across a piece more
rapidly. As a result, the volunteers considered the altered versions less pleasurable when they later rated the work.
In a similar study, Oshin Vartanian of Toronto University asked volunteers to compare
original paintings with ones which he had altered by moving objects around within the frame. He
found that almost everyone preferred the original, whether it was a Van Gogh still life or an abstract
by Miro. Vartanian also found that changing the composition of the paintings reduced activation in
those brain areas linked with meaning and interpretation.
In another experiment, Alex Forsythe of the University of Liverpool analysed the visual
intricacy of different pieces of art, and her results suggest that many artists use a key level of detail
to please the brain. Too little and the work is boring, but too much results in a kind of 'perceptual
overload', according to Forsythe. What's more, appealing pieces both abstract and representational,
show signs of 'fractals' - repeated motifs recurring in different scales, fractals are common
throughout nature, for example in the shapes of mountain peaks or the branches of trees. It is
possible that our visual system, which evolved in the great outdoors, finds it easier to process such patterns.
It is also intriguing that the brain appears to process movement when we see a handwritten
letter, as if we are replaying the writer's moment of creation. This has led some to wonder whether
Pollock's works feel so dynamic because the brain reconstructs the energetic actions the artist used
as he painted. This may be down to our brain's 'mirror neurons', which are known to mimic others'
actions. The hypothesis will need to be thoroughly tested, however. It might even be the case that
we could use neuroaesthetic studies to understand the longevity of some pieces of artwork. While
the fashions of the time might shape what is currently popular, works that are best adapted to our
visual system may be the most likely to linger once the trends of previous generations have been forgotten.
It's still early days for the field of neuroaesthetics - and these studies are probably only a
taste of what is to come. It would, however, be foolish to reduce art appreciation to a set of 4
scientific laws. We shouldn't underestimate the importance of the style of a particular artist, their
place in history and the artistic environment of their time. Abstract art offers both a challenge and
the freedom to play with different interpretations. In some ways, it's not so different to science,
where we are constantly looking for systems and decoding meaning so that we can view and
appreciate the world in a new way.
Questions 56 - 60: Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D
56. In the second paragraph, the writer refers to a shape- matching test in order to illustrate
A. the subjective nature of art appreciation.
B. the reliance of modern art on abstract forms.
C. our tendency to be influenced by the opinions of others.
D. a common problem encountered when processing visual data.
57. Angelina Hawley-Dolan’s findings indicate that people
A. mostly favour works of art which they know well.
B. hold fixed ideas about what makes a good work of art.
C. are often misled by their initial expectations of a work of art.
D. have the ability to perceive the intention behind works of art.
58. Results of studies involving Robert Pepperell’s pieces suggest that people
A. can appreciate a painting without fully understanding it.
B. find it satisfying to work out what a painting represents.
C. vary widely in the time they spend looking at paintings.
D. generally prefer representational art to abstract art.
59. What do the experiments described in the fifth paragraph suggest about the paintings of Mondrian?
A. They are more carefully put together than they appear.
B. They can be interpreted in a number of different ways.
C. They challenge our assumptions about shape and colour.
D. They are easier to appreciate than many other abstract works.
60. What would be the most appropriate subtitle for the article?
A. Some scientific insights into how the brain responds to abstract art
B. Recent studies focusing on the neural activity of abstract artists
C. A comparison of the neurological bases of abstract and representational art
D. How brain research has altered public opinion about abstract art
Questions 61 – 63: Complete the summary using the list of words, A-H, below.
A. interpretation B. complexity C. emotions D. movements E. skill F. layout G. concern H. images Art and the Brain
The discipline of neuroaesthetics aims to bring scientific objectivity to the study of art.
Neurological studies of the brain, for example, demonstrate the impact which Impressionist
paintings have on our (61)._________ . Alex Forsythe of the University of Liverpool believes
many artists give their works the precise degree of (62)._________ which most appeals to the
viewer’s brain. She also observes that pleasing works of art often contain certain repeated
(63)._________ which occur frequently in the natural world.
Questions 64 - 68 Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage? 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 there is no information on this
64. Forsythe’s findings contradicted previous beliefs on the function of ‘fractals’ in art.
65. Certain ideas regarding the link between ‘mirror neurons’ and art appreciation require further verification.
66. People’s taste in paintings depends entirely on the current artistic trends of the period.
67. Scientists should seek to define the precise rules which govern people’s reactions to works of art. 5
68. Art appreciation should always involve taking into consideration the cultural context in which an artist worked.
Part 3. You are going to read an extract from a novel. Seven paragraphs have been removed
from the extract. Choose from paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap (69 - 75). There is
one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. (7 points) Home to Ayemenem
Things began to fall into a pattern. Drunken violence followed by post-drunken badgering. When
the bouts of violence began to include the children, and the war with Pakistan began, Ammu left her
husband and returned, unwelcomed, to her parents in Ayemenem. To everything she had fled from
only a few years ago. Except that now she had two young children. And no more dreams. 69. _________
It was as though the window through which their father had disappeared had been left open for
anyone to walk in and he welcomed. The twins seemed like a pair of small bewildered frogs
engrossed in each other's company, lolloping arm in arm down a highway full of hurtling traffic.
Entirely oblivious of what trucks can do to frogs. 70. __________
For herself, however, she knew that there would be no more chances. There was only Ayemenem
now. A front verandah and a back verandah. A hot river and a pickle factory. And in the
background the constant, high, whining mewl of local disapproval. 71. _________
When she looked at herself in her wedding photographs, Ammu felt that the woman that looked
back at her was someone else. A foolish jewelled bride. Her silk sunset-coloured sari shot with
gold. Rings on every finger. White dots of sandelwood paste over her arched eyebrows. 72. _________
She went to the village goldsmith and had her heavy wedding ring melted down and made into a
thin bangle with snakeheads that she put away for Rahel. Ammu knew that weddings were not
something that could be avoided altogether. At least not practically speaking. But for the rest of her
life she advocated small weddings in ordinary clothes. It made them less ghoulish. 73. _________
It was as though Ammu had temporarily set aside the morality of motherhood and divorcehood.
Even her walk changed from the safe mother-walk to a wilder sort of walk. She wore flowers in her
hair and carried magic secrets in her eyes. She spoke to no-one. She spent hours on the riverbank
with her little plastic radio shaped like a tangerine. She smoked cigarettes and had midnight swims. 74. _________
On the days that the radio played Ammu's songs, everyone was a little wary of her. They sensed
somehow that she lived in the penumbral shadows between two worlds, just beyond the grasp of
their power. That a woman that they had already damned now had little left to lose, and could,
therefore, be dangerous. So on the days the radio played Ammu's songs, people avoided her, made
little loops around her , because everybody agreed it was best to just let her be. 75. _________
On that skyblue December day, her shoulders in her sleeveless sari blouse shone as though they
had been polished with a high-wax shoulder polish. Sometimes she was the most beautiful woman
that Estha and Rahel had ever seen. And sometimes she wasn't.
A. And yet, at other times she had deep appealing dimples when she smiled. She had a delicate,
chiselled face, black eyebrows like a soaring seagull's wings, a small straight nose and
luminous nutbrown skin. Her wild, curly hair would escape in wisps in the wind.
B. Ammu watched over her brood fiercely. Her watchfulness stretched her, made her taut and tense.
She was quick to reprimand her children but even quicker to take offence on their behalf. 6
C. It was this fierce pride that kept Ammu together in the early months. She had already earned the
disapproval of many family friends but she had decided - for the sake of the children - that she
would avoid confrontation. They had to be protected from those who sought to snip and snarl.
D. Ammu quickly learned to recognise and despise the ugly face of sympathy too. Old female
relations with incipient beards and several wobbling chins made overnight trips to Ayemenem
to commiserate with her about the divorce. They squeezed her knee and gloated. She fought off the urge to slap them.
E. Ammu's mouth would twist into a small bitter smile at the memory - not of the actual event itself
so much as the fact that she had permitted herself to be so painstakingly decorated before being
led to the gallows. It seemed so absurd. So futile. Like polishing firewood.
F. Ammu loved her children (of course) but their wide-eyed vulnerability, and their willingness to
love people who didn't really love them, exasperated her and sometimes made her want to hurt
them - just as an education, a protection.
G. What was it that gave Ammu this unsafe edge? This air of unpredictability. It was what she had
battling inside her, An unmixable mix. The infinite tenderness of motherhood and the reckless
rage of a suicide bomber. It was this that grew inside her, following her return.
H. Occasionally, when Ammu listened to songs that she loved on the radio, something stirred inside
her. A liquid ache spread under her skin, and she walked out into the world determined to find it
a better, happier place. On days like this there was something restless and untamed about her.
Part 4. Read the passage and answer the questions. (10 points)
The Rise of Teotihuacán
The city of Teotihuacán, which lay about 50 kilometers northeast of modern-day Mexico
City, began its growth by 200 –100 B.C. At its height, between about A.D. 150 and 700, it probably
had a population of more than 125,000 people and covered at least 20 square kilometers. It had over
2,000 apartment complexes, a great market, a large number of industrial workshops, an
administrative center, a number of massive religious edifices, and a regular grid pattern of streets
and buildings. Clearly, much planning and central control were involved in the expansion and
ordering of this great metropolis. Moreover, the city had economic and perhaps religious contacts
with most parts of Mesoamerica (modern Central America and Mexico).
How did this tremendous development take place, and why did it happen in the Teotihuacán
Valley? Among the main factors are Teotihuacán's geographic location on a natural trade route to
the south and east of the Valley of Mexico, the obsidian-1 resources in the Teotihuacán Valley
itself, and the valley's potential for extensive irrigation. The exact role of other factors is much more
difficult to pinpoint —for instance, Teotihuacán's religious significance as a shrine, the historical
situation in and around the Valley of Mexico toward the end of the first millennium B.C., the
ingenuity and foresightedness of Teotihuacán's elite, and, finally, the impact of natural disasters,
such as the volcanic eruptions of the late first millennium B.C.
This last factor is at least circumstantially implicated in Teotihuacán's rise. Prior to 200
B.C., a number of relatively small centers coexisted in and near the Valley of Mexico. Around this
time, the largest of these centers, Cuicuilco, was seriously affected by a volcanic eruption, with
much of its agricultural land covered by lava. With Cuicuilco eliminated as a potential rival, any
one of a number of relatively modest towns might have emerged as a leading economic and political
power in Central Mexico. The archaeological evidence clearly indicates, though, that Teotihuacán
was the center that did arise as the predominant force in the area by the first century A.D.
It seems likely that Teotihuacán's natural resources—along with the city elite's ability to
recognize their potential — gave the city a competitive edge over its neighbors. The valley, like
many other places in Mexican and Guatemalan highlands, was rich in obsidian. The hard volcanic
stone was a resource that had been in great demand for many years, at least since the rise of the
Olmecs (a people who flourished between 1200 and 400 B.C.), and it apparently had a secure
market. Moreover, recent research on obsidian tools found at Olmec sites has shown that some of 7
the obsidian obtained by the Olmecs originated near Teotihuacán. Teotihuacán obsidian must have
been recognized as a valuable commodity for many centuries before the great city arose.
Long-distance trade in obsidian probably gave the elite residents of Teotihuacán access to a
wide variety of exotic goods, as well as a relatively prosperous life. Such success may have
attracted immigrants to Teotihuacán. In addition, Teotihuacán's elite may have consciously
attempted to attract new inhabitants. It is also probable that as early as 200 B.C. Teotihuacán may
have achieved some religious significance and its shrine (or shrines) may have served as an
additional population magnet. Finally, the growing population was probably fed by increasing the
number and size of irrigated fields.
The picture of Teotihuacán that emerges is a classic picture of positive feedback among
obsidian mining and working, trade, population growth, irrigation, and religious tourism. The
thriving obsidian operation, for example, would necessitate more miners, additional manufacturers
of obsidian tools, and additional traders to carry the goods to new markets. All this led to increased
wealth, which in turn would attract more immigrants to Teotihuacán. The growing power of the
elite, who controlled the economy, would give them the means to physically coerce people to move
to Teotihuacán and serve as additions to the labor force. More irrigation works would have to be
built to feed the growing population, and this resulted in more power and wealth for the elite.
1- obsidian: a type of volcanic glasslike rock used for manufacturing tools and ceremonial objects
76. In paragraph 1, each of the following is mentioned as a feature of the city of Teotihuacán
between A.D. 150 and 700 EXCEPT: A. regularly arranged streets
B. several administrative centers spread across the city
C. many manufacturing workshops D. apartment complexes
77. The word "ingenuity" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to: A. ambition B. sincerity C. faith D. cleverness
78. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2 as a main factor in the development of Teotihuacán?
A. The presence of obsidian in the Teotihuacán Valley
B. The potential for extensive irrigation of Teotihuacán Valley lands
C. A long period of volcanic inactivity in the Teotihuacán Valley
D. Teotihuacán's location on a natural trade route
79. What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about Cuicuilco prior to 200 B.C.?
A. It was a fairly small city until that date.
B. It was located outside the Valley of Mexico.
C. It emerged rapidly as an economical and political center.
D. Its economy relied heavily on agriculture.
80. Which of the following allowed Teotihuacán to have "a competitive edge over its neighbors"?
A. A well-exploited and readily available commodity
B. The presence of a highly stable elite class
C. Knowledge derived directly from the Olmecs about the art of toolmaking
D. Scarce natural resources in nearby areas such as those located in what are now the
Guatemalan and Mexican highlands
81. According to paragraph 4, what has recent research on obsidian tools found at Olmecs sites shown?
A. Obsidian's value was understood only when Teotihuacán became an important city.
B. The residents of Teotihuacán were sophisticated toolmakers.
C. The residents of Teotihuacán traded obsidian with the Olmecs as early as 400 B.C.
D. Some of the obsidian used by the Olmecs came from the area around Teotihuacán.
82. Select the TWO answer choices that are mentioned in paragraph 5 as being features of
Teotihuacán that may have attracted immigrants to the city. To receive credit, you must select TWO answers.
A. The prosperity of the elite
B. Plenty of available housing
C. Opportunities for well-paid agricultural employment
D. The presence of one or more religious shrines
83. In paragraph 6, the author discusses "The thriving obsidian operation," in order to: 8
A. explain why manufacturing was the main industry of Teotihuacán
B. give an example of an industry that took very little time to develop in Teotihuacán
C. illustrate how several factors influenced each other to make Teotihuacán a powerful and wealthy city
D. explain how a successful industry can be a source of wealth and a source of conflict at the same time
84. In paragraph 1 of the passage, there is a missing sentence. The paragraph is repeated below
and shows four letters (A, B, C, and D) that indicate where the following sentence could be added.
In fact, artifacts and pottery from Teotihuacán have been discovered in sites as faraway as
the Mayan lowlands, the Guatemalan highlands, northern Mexico, and the Gulf Coast of Mexico.
Where would the sentence best fit?
The city of Teotihuacán, which lay about 50 kilometers northeast of modern-day Mexico City,
began its growth by 200 –100 B.C. At its height, between about A.D. 150 and 700, it probably had a
population of more than 125,000 people and covered at least 20 square kilometers. (A) It had over
2,000 apartment complexes, a great market, a large number of industrial workshops, an
administrative center, a number of massive religious edifices, and a regular grid pattern of streets
and buildings. (B) Clearly, much planning and central control were involved in the expansion and
ordering of this great metropolis. (C) Moreover, the city had economic and perhaps religious
contacts with most parts of Mesoamerica (modern Central America and Mexico). (D) A. Option A B. Option B C. Option C D. Option D
85. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below.
Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important
ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas
that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage.
A. The number and sophistication of the architectural, administrative, commercial, and religious
features of Teotihuacán indicate the existence of centralized planning and control.
B. Teotihuacán may have developed its own specific local religion as a result of the cultural
advances made possible by the city's great prosperity.
C. Several factors may account for Teotihuacán's extraordinary development, including its
location, rich natural resources, irrigation potential, intelligent elite, and the misfortune of rival communities.
D. As a result of its large number of religious shrines, by the first century A.D., Teotihuacán
became the most influential religious center in all of Mesoamerica.
E. In many important areas, from the obsidian industry to religious tourism, Teotihuacán's
success and prosperity typified the classic positive feedback cycle.
F. Although many immigrants settled in Teotihuacán between A.D. 150 and 700, the increasing
threat of coerced labor discouraged further settlement and limited Teotihuacán's population growth.
Part 5. You are going to read the transcript of a series of interviews with ordinary people
conducted for the Have your say feature of a daily newspaper. For questions 86-95, choose
from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once. Write your answer in the space provided. (10 points)
Which person gives each of these opinions about the economic crisis?
1. A culture of trying to look for people to blame for our problems is what caused the crisis in the first place.
2. People feel helpless to change the situation and this is reflected in their lack of interest in the political system.
3. It was glaringly obvious that the bottom would fall out of the housing market, not just to experts but to everyone. 9
4. Some form of civil disturbance or protest by ordinary members of the public is likely if the economic crisis continues.
5. It is very unfair that the people in finance who caused our economic problems continue to be
well-rewarded for their work while ordinary hard-working people suffer.
6. Political parties should not receive funds from private sources but should instead be entirely state-funded.
7. The highest earners should be required to pay more tax in order to generate more revenue for the government.
8. The fact that some politicians tried to defraud the state by claiming more expenses than they were
due is evidence that corruption is widespread in our society.
9. There is very little difference in terms of policies between all of the main political parties today.
10. We should stop trying to vilify bankers and take a more positive and proactive approach to
speed up the economic recovery.
Have your say ... on the Economic Crisis A. Robert
I find it infuriating to reflect on the fact that bankers, at least the ones at the top, continue to be paid
huge sums of money every year and receive massive bonuses despite the fact that they are largely
responsible for the poor state of health of the economy, and let's not forget, the toughest and longest
recession since the l930s. I mean, where is the justice in that? While ordinary decent folk are losing
their jobs and struggling to put food on the table as a result of problems that are no fault of their
own, the very problem-makers themselves continue to earn big bucks. I wouldn't be surprised if
there was an increase in civil unrest in the coming months and years, especially if the economic
crisis continues to hit ordinary people hard. After all, if no one is going to look after their interests,
they will have to start looking after their own - don't be surprised to see protest marches in the near
future, and where there are large groups of unhappy people gathered together, there s always a
danger that the situation will descend into chaos. I would never condone violence, but I think that
the more desperate people get, the more I can empathise with why they might resort to it. If you are
a man who has been unemployed for over a year, and who has to look on helplessly as his family
disintegrates right before his very eyes, it must be awful - these people need help. B. Barbara
The solution to our problems is very simple and I blame the political system for it not having
happened already. Politicians, you see, are totally reliant on rich business people to bankroll their
efforts to get elected. Now, ask yourself this, why on earth would a businessperson donate money to
a politician out of the goodness of their heart? I mean, are we really so naive as to believe that that
can actually happen. Well, just in case, let me put you straight - it can't and it doesn't. The only
reason businesspeople give money to politicians is in return for favours when they get into power.
And that's the problem. We have a situation where the government doesn't have trough money to
cover spending. The logical thing to do then would be to increase taxes to generate more, and
obviously this obligation to pay extra tax should fall on those who earn re most - ah, but this is
where we get into problem territory. You can't really expect politicians to vote to increase the tax
rate of those who support them financially. To do so would be risk angering their backers and losing
their support, putting the very careers of the politicians themselves in jeopardy. Politicians clearly
have a vested interest in maintaining low tax rates for the wealthy. The only way we are ever going
to create a situation where this is not so is if we ban all private donations to political parties and
fund them instead with money from the state's coffers. In the long run, it will work out less
expensive - just think of all the money that would be saved as a result of there being less corruption
- we might finally have politicians who focused on doing what's best for country rather than on
trying to prolong their political careers by doing favours for their 'buddies'. 10 C. Ned
It is not just the economy that is in crisis; it is the whole of society. The extent to which we have
lost hope is, I think, reflected in voter apathy. Every time there is an election now, the number of
people who turn out to vote is less and less. Surely this is a sign that people feel totally
disenfranchised - powerless to make a difference. But, more importantly, it is an indictment of our
politicians and the extent to which they have failed us. The people no longer see a point in voting as
it won't make any real difference either way. Besides, nowadays, all the main parties have centrist
policies; the whole political system might just as well join together into one big party and then we
wouldn't even have to hold elections anymore. People often complain about the bankers and how
they acted corruptly, and that this was the main cause of the economic crisis we are in today. Okay,
fine; the bankers were definitely at fault, but they hardly have a monopoly on corruption. I mean,
think about the expenses scandal from a couple of years ago - politicians were trying to claim huge
sums of money they weren't entitled to; let's not kid ourselves; the whole system from the top down
is corrupt, not just the bankers. They are just being made a scapegoat. D. Mary
I think, today, that we live in a very cynical world. Everyone is very quick to point the finger of
blame for our economic woes on anyone but themselves - the easy targets usually; the politicians,
the bankers and so on. It is so easy to criticise other people and wash your hands of responsibility
for what is happening. But that is what got us into this mess in the first place - people not taking
responsibility for their actions. The way I see it, it is about time that we all started to take a little bit
of responsibility and instead of blaming the rest of the world for our problems, perhaps we should
start by looking at ourselves. Okay, so the bankers did wrong; they were careless with money, but
so were we. Who put a gun to your head and made you buy a house that was so overpriced it was
obvious there was going to be a dramatic downward correction? Is it the bank's fault or your own
that you are in negative equity now? Now, just because you 1 made a mistake with your money
doesn't mean you are some kind of monster - and the same goes for the bankers... Let's stop trying
to find scapegoats and instead try to work together to pull ourselves out of this crisis. We do not
need the cynicism of naysayers, we need people to think positively and try to make good things
happen to get this recovery underway. I for one am done with the blame game. IV. WRITING: (60 POINTS)
Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary
should be about 100 - 110 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original. (15 points)
The way in which information is taught can vary greatly across cultures and time periods.
Entering a British primary school classroom from the early 1900s, for example, one gains a sense of
austerity, discipline, and a rigid way of teaching. Desks are typically seated apart from one another,
with straight-backed wooden chairs that face directly to the teacher and the chalkboard. In the
present day, British classrooms look very different. Desks are often grouped together so that
students face each other rather than the teacher, and a large floor area is typically set aside for the
class to come together for group discussion and learning.
Traditionally, it was felt that teachers should be in firm control of the learning process, and that
the teacher’s task was to prepare and present material for students to understand. Within this
approach, the relationship students have with their teachers is not considered important, nor is the
relationship students have with each other in the classroom. A student’s participation in class is
likely to be minimal, aside from asking questions directed at the teacher, or responding to questions
that the teacher has directed at the student. This style encourages students to develop respect for
positions of power as a source of control and discipline. It is frequently described as the “formal
authority” model of teaching.
A less rigid form of teacher-centred education is the “demonstrator” model. This maintains the
formal authority model’s notion of the teacher as a “flashlight” who illuminates the material for his 11
or her class to learn, but emphasises a more individualized approach to form. The demonstrator acts
as both a role model and a guide, demonstrating skills and processes and then helping students
develop and apply these independently. Instructors who are drawn to the demonstrator style are
generally confident that their own way of performing a task represents a good base model, but they
are sensitive to differing learning styles and expect to provide students with help on an individual basis.
Many education researchers argue for student-centred learning instead, and suggest that the
learning process is more successful when students are in control. Within the student-centred
paradigm, the “delegator” style is popular. The delegator teacher maintains general authority, but
they delegate much of the responsibility for learning to the class as a way for students to become
independent thinkers who take pride in their own work. Students are often encouraged to work on
their own or in groups, and if the delegator style is implemented successfully, they will build not
only a working knowledge of course specific topics, but also self-discipline and the ability to co-
ordinate group work and interpersonal roles.
Part 2. Chart description (15 points)
The charts below show the growth in the population in some of the world’s largest cities.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant. You should write 150-180 words.
Part 3. Essay writing. Write about 300-350 words (30 points)
Some people believe that it is a good idea for parents to put constant pressure on their kids to
do well, others think otherwise, claiming that such pressure from parents is detrimental to their
children’s development. Discuss both views and give your opinion. === THE END ===
Họ và tên thí sinh:……………………….………………. Số báo danh:……………………
Họ và tên giám thị 1:……………..……..………………. Chữ ký:………………………….
Họ và tên giám thị 2:……………………………………. Chữ ký:…………………………. 12