Kỳ kiểm tra chọn đội tuyển dự thi HSG chuyên tỉnh Quảng Nam năm 2020 - THPT Chuyên Nguyễn Bình Khiêm (có đáp án)

TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN
KỲ KIỂM TRA CHỌN ĐỘI TUYỂN DỰ THI NGUYỄN BỈNH KHIÊM
HSG CHUYÊN TỈNH QUẢNG NAM NĂM 2020 ***** ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC
Môn: TIẾNG ANH – LẦN 1
Thời gian: 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề) Ngày kiểm tra: 16/9/2020 Đề thi có 17 trang SỐ ĐIỂM
Thí sinh không được sử dụng tài liệu, kể cả từ điển.
Giám thị không giải thích gì thêm.
Họ tên thí sinh ___________________________________________. Lớp: _______
I. LISTENING (50/ 200 POINTS)
HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI NGHE HIỂU
•Bài nghe gồm 4 phần; mỗi phần được nghe 2 lần, mỗi lần cách nhau 05 giây; mở đầu và kết
thúc mỗi phần nghe có tín hiệu.
• Mở đầu và kết thúc bài nghe có tín hiệu nhạc. Thí sinh có 02 phút để hoàn chỉnh bài trước tín
hiệu nhạc kết thúc bài nghe.
• Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh (bằng tiếng Anh) đã có trong bài nghe.
Part 1: You will hear two biology students called Emma and Jack discussing an experiment they
are going to do together. For questions 1-5, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.
1. Why is Jack interested in investigating seed germination?
A. He may do a module on a related topic later on.
B. He wants to have a career in plant science.
C. He is thinking of choosing this topic for his dissertation.
D. He wants to know how a seed begins to grow.
2. Jack and Emma agree the main advantage of their present experiment is that it can be __________. A. described very easily B. planted in the same way
C. carried out inside the laboratory
D. completed in the time available
3. What do they decide to check with their tutor?
A. whether their aim is appropriate
B. whether the assignment contributes to their final grade
C. whether they are very ambitious
D. whether anyone else has chosen this topic
4. They agree that Graves’ book on seed germination is disappointing because __________.
A. it fails to cover recent advances in seed science
B. its focus is very theoretical
C. it doesn’t include references to the recent findings
D. the content is irrelevant for them
5. What does Jack say about the article on seed germination by Lee Hall? Page 1
A. The findings on seed germination after fires are surprising.
B. The diagrams of plant development are useful.
C. The illustrations aren’t very clear.
D. The analysis of seed germination statistics is thorough. Your answers: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Part 2: Listen to the VOA news and fill in each gap with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS according to what you hear.
Australian weapons developers have been inspired by the unfailing capacity of insects to spot and
zero in on food and the ability of bees to avoid colliding with each other in a (6)_______ .
Australia's Defense Science and Technology Organization has been looking at how the existing
research into insects' navigation and sight could make (7) _____ weapons more reliable and
improve their ability to hit moving targets.
Through its collaboration with several electronics companies, a new system known as 'Bioseeker' has
been developed. Project Manager Philip Henschke says the study of insects has been vital.
"A variety of insects have a unique capability to find the moving target and that's the particular (8)
______ of what we're interested in from a weapons application in defense. What we've actually
done is looked at the mathematics of how an insect sees and we've taken that mathematics and from
that we've looked at an (9)______ that will enable us to do what we call a (10) _____, a map of the movement within a scene."
This information was then analyzed in special software to create a system designed to find, track and destroy moving targets.
The Bioseeker technology is (11) _______ to undergo final testing, later this year. Its architects
believe that, if it is eventually used in battle, it will make soldiers safer by taking them further away from the enemy.
Researchers aim to produce a (12) ______-and-guidance system that could eventually be reduced to
the size of a coffee cup. Possible applications include placing the technology inside rockets used on
the Australian Army's Tiger Attack helicopters.
The Australian military is relatively small, with about 50,000 personnel. However, the defense force
has a reputation for technological innovation.
The government in Canberra has said that, by 2020, it hopes to bring into service a (13) ______ of
Super Hornet jet fighters and an (14) ______ aircraft, as well as a range of new helicopters and airborne refueling airplanes.
The Australian military is involved in peacekeeping missions in (15) ________, Sudan and the
Solomon Islands and with the US-led campaign in Afghanistan. Your answers: 6.swarm 7.airborne 8.holy grail 9.algorithm 10.bio-image generation 11.scheduled 12.low-cost 13.fleet 14.early warning 15.east timor seeker Page 2
Part 3: You will hear five short extracts in which different people are talking about trying to write
their first novel. For questions 16-20, choose from the list (A-H) what each person learnt A. be more concise
B. keep revising what you write
C. don’t put too much of yourself into the work Speaker 1 16.____D___
D. don’t do anything too experimental Speaker 2 17.____H____
E. create interest at various moments Speaker 3 18.___A____
F. don’t write if you’re not feeling inspired Speaker 4 19.___F_____
G. don’t underestimate your ability Speaker 5 20. ___E_____
H. leave some things to the reader’s imagination
Part 4: You will hear a talk given by a woman called Shona Ferguson about changes in a town called
Barford. Listen and give short answers to the questions. Write NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS
AND/OR A NUMBER taken from the recording.
21. In Shona’s opinion, why do fewer people use buses in Barford these days?
…………………………fewer bus routes…………………………………………...........................
22. What change in the road network is known to have benefited the town most?
…………………………new cycle paths…………………………………………...........................
23. What is the problem affecting shopping in the town centre?
………………few well-known chain stores…………………………………………...........................
24. What does Shona say about medical facilities in Barford?
………………no hospital……………………………………………………...........................
25. Which field is the largest number of people employed in?
……………education………………………………………………………...........................
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (30/ 200 POINTS)
Part 1: Choose the word or phrase that best completes each of the following sentences. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.(20pts)
26. Because of the unfortunate , your order was not dispatched by the date requested. A. hindrance B. oversight C. negligence D. transgression
27. Failing to submit the proposal on time was for Tom. A. a nail in the coffin B. a real kick in the pants C. a shot in the dark D. an open and shut case
28. His new yacht is certainly an_______display of his wealth. A. ostentatious B. ossified C. intuitive D. elusive
29. I don’t need any medicine. I’m as right as____. A. clouds B. rays C. rain D. a haze
30. When threatened, the opossum often______death. A. avoids B. confronts C. feigns D. withstands
31. Anna’s friend knew the casting director, so she pulled a few _________ to arrange an audition. Page 3 A. ropes B. wires C. strings D. threads
32. _________ to interfere in your affairs but I would like to give you just one piece of advice. A. It is far from clear B. Far from it for me C. Far and wide for me D. Far be it from me
33. Although a …… retina sounds very serious, the operation to repair it only took a short time. A. disconnected B. detached C. dismounted D. decentralized
34. They’re planning to their operation in North America and focus on Eastern Europe. A. wind down B. start up C. fire up D. face up
35. I will not be made the……….. for this disaster. I acted on the advice of people above me in this
company and if I go, I am taking them with me! A. loser B. sacrifice C. scapegoat D. target Your answers: 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
Part 2: For questions 36-45, complete the following passage with the words taken from the box.
You have to change the form of the words. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 pts)
BREAK NATION STUDY BANK BOTANY VARY OUT DIRECT GOVERN PRESTIGE LATE
Battle to Save the Amazon
As the Brazilian international plane (36)_______over the Amazonian rainforest, (37)_____Ghilean
Prance gazed at the dark-green canopy below: an expanse of trees almost (38)_____for 2.5 million
square miles, with more (39)______ of plant and animal life than any other place on earth.
Few (40)_____ knew more about the rainforest and its ecosystem than Prance. He had just been
appointed (41)______ of postgraduate studies at the National Amazonian Research Institute in
Manaus, the Amazonian region's capital. Before that, as research assistant at and (42) ____a curator
of the (43)_______ New York Botanical Garden, he had spent almost ten years studying the forest.
In his search for new plant specimens he was more used to travelling on foot or by boat.
But now, Brazilian (44)______ documents showing that a road had been constructed through the
Amazon basin had been discovered. On this bright November morning he was flying out with two
other course tutors and 14 botany (45)________ to make sure its impact on the surrounding habitat
was not as serious as he feared. Your answers: 36.banked 37.botanist 38.unbroken 39.varieties 40.outsiders Page 4 41.director 42.latterly 43. prestigious 44. govermental 45.students
III. READING (60/ 200 POINTS)
Part 1. Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap.
Write your answers in corresponding numbered boxes. (12 points)
Britain's Meteorological Office has (46) ______ that 2007 could be the world's hottest since records
began in 1850. It based its forecast on several (47) ______ indicators including the (48) ______ of
climate change and global warming. A factor adding to this year’s heat is the El Nino effect, a
phenomenon in which major (49) ______ in ocean temperatures increase those on land. El Nino
occurs roughly every four years in the southern hemisphere and is expected to be active again in
2007. The (50) ______ of these climatic conditions colliding this year is a rise in the average
temperature across the world of 0.54 degrees. This seemingly represents a small variation, but is one
which will certainly bring (51) ______ weather conditions to many parts of the world.
The world’s leading climate scientists (52) ______ agree that human activity is accelerating global
warming. It is a fact that the world's ten warmest years have all occurred in the last twelve years. A
United Nations (53) ______ on climate change predicted that global temperatures could rise by as
much as 5.8 degrees this century. This could have catastrophic consequences for (54) ______ areas
of the globe. The panel warned that if there were not significant cuts in greenhouse gas (55) ______
soon, especially from fossil fuels, there would be greater risks of more extreme weather. This
includes more droughts, hurricanes, bushfires, (56) ______ polar ice and coastal flooding. It now
seems it is more urgent than ever for coal and gas guzzling economies to (57) ______ consumption
and seek more efficient energies. 46. A. predicting B. prediction C. predicted D. predict 47. A. lock B. chain C. key D. security 48. A. Rate B. rating C. ration D. pro rata 49. A. flatulence
B. fluctuations C. flabbergast D. flux 50. A. offshoot B. uproar C. upside D. upshot 51. A. advocacy B. advent C. adverts D. adverse 52. A. unanimousl B. unanimity C. unaware D. unassisted y 53. A. frame B. deck C. panelist D. panel 54. A. vista B. vast C. vastness D. vacuum 55. A. emissions B. commission C. emitters D. emissaries s 56. A. shredding B. shirking C. shrinking D. shrunk 57. A. Kerb B. curb C. club D. clam Your answers: 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. Page 5 56. 57.
Part 2: For questions 58-67, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space.
Use only one word in each space. Write your answers on the separate answer sheet. (15 pts)
US federal appeals court has (58)________ Facebook’s effort to undo a class action lawsuit alleging
it illegally collected and stored (59)_________ data for millions of users without their consent using
facial recognition technology.
The 3-0 decision from the ninth US circuit court of appeals in San Francisco exposes the company to
billions of dollars in (60)_______ damages paid out to the Illinois users who brought the case.
The decision came as the social media company faces broad (61)________from American
politicians, lawmakers and regulators over its privacy practices. Last month, Facebook agreed to pay
a record $5bn fine to settle a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data privacy investigation.
“This biometric data is so sensitive that if it is (62)________, there is simply no recourse. Because
it’s not like a social security card or credit card number where you can change the number. You can’t change your face.”
Facebook said it would appeal. “We have always (63)_______ our use of face recognition
technology and that people can turn it on or off at any time,” a spokesman said.
Google had a similar lawsuit dismissed in Chicago last December. The current lawsuit began in
2015, when Illinois users accused Facebook of (64) _________ the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Facebook allegedly did this through its “tag suggestions” feature, which allowed users to recognise
their Facebook friends from previously (65) ________ photos.
Writing for the appeals court, the circuit judge, Sandra Ikuta, said the users could (66)________ as a
group, rejecting Facebook’s argument that their claims were unique and required individual lawsuits.
The court returned the case to the US district judge, James Donato, in San Francisco, who had
certified a class action in April 2018, for a possible (67)_________. Your answers: 58.rejected 59.private 60.potential 61.criticism 62.compromised 63.disclosed 64.violating 65.uploaded 66.sue 67.trial
Part 3: You are going to read an extract from a book about a trip to the country of Malawi. Seven
paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which
fits each gap (68-74). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. Mark your
answers on the separate answer sheet. (7pts)
Lake Malawi’s lost resort
Novelist Marina Lewycka reveals how getting lost in the African bush led her to find paradise by Lake Malawi Page 6
It’s easy to get off the beaten track in Malawi. In fact it can be difficult to stay on it, as we found
three years ago when we were driving up the lake road from Salima towards Nkhata Bay for a
week’s holiday, in my daughter’s old low-slung Nissan Bluebird, her boyfriend at the wheel. 68. B
It became obvious that we weren’t going to get to Nkhata Bay, and we’d have to stop somewhere
overnight. We drove to a couple of upmarket lodges, but they were closed, or full, or just didn't like
the look of us. We were directed to other, more remote places, which either didn’t exist, or were also
full; we were beginning to get worried. 69. F
After a kilometre or so, it divided into a number of less distinct ones. They were definitely not beaten
they were hardly more than faint trails. There was no light ahead - in fact, there was no light
anywhere, apart from the stars, which hung so close and bright you almost felt you could reach up
and pick them out of the sky like low-hanging fruit. 70. H
Beyond the narrow beam of our headlights, it was pitch black. All around us were prickly bushes,
their vague menacing shapes blocking out the lie of the land. Swarms of mosquitoes smelled our fear, and swooped. 71. G
Then we heard voices, coming from somewhere beyond the bushes. Two boys appeared, followed by
an older man. They greeted us, grinning. In fact, they might have been laughing at us. We didn’t
care. Greetings were exchanged. People are very polite in Malawi. 72. A
We left the car on and followed them down a series of dark winding tracks, without knowing who
they were or where they were taking us. At last we came to a small hamlet, half a dozen thatched
mud walled houses, all closed up for the night. They called, and a man emerged from one of the
houses; he was tall, and blind in one eye. We asked whether we could stay at the Maia Beach
accommodation. Apparently unsurprised by these three pale strangers who’d turned up on his
doorstep in the middle of the night, he smiled his assent. He fetched keys, and we followed him as he
set off again down a winding track through the bushes. 73. C
And there, along the shore, was a cluster of small bamboo huts. One was opened up for us. A torch
was found. A price was agreed. Bedding was brought. The mosquito nets were full of holes, but I had
a sewing kit, and the kindness of our hosts more than made up for any discomforts. 74. E
The next morning we were woken by bright sunlight, needling through the cracks in the bamboo
wall, and the sound of children's voices. I pushed open the door of our hut, and gasped at the sheer
beauty of our surroundings. We’d landed in paradise. There, just a few metres away, was a crescent Page 7
of silver sand lapped by the crystal water of the lake. A couple of palm trees waved lazy branches
against the sun. A gaggle of ragged smiling children had gathered at our door, chattering excitedly.
As I stepped outside, they fell silent for a moment, then burst into a chorus: ‘Good afternoon. Good
morning. How are you? Do you speak English? What is your name?’
A. It didn’t take many words to explain what had happened. With some careful maneuvering and
some brute force, slowly, slowly, we inched on to firmer ground. We asked for directions to the Maia
Beach resort. It transpired that it had closed down last year but someone in a nearby village had a key.
B. It was that dangerous time when the roads are swarming with villagers and their animals, and
drivers of vehicles without functioning lights or brakes career around potholes, also hurrying
homewards. For twilight is short in Malawi, and when night comes, the darkness is absolute.
C. After a while they thinned out and I could see the soft star-lit glimmer of Lake Malawi spread
before us like a wide swathe of grey silk, so still you’d never have guessed it was water, apart from a
faint ripple that wrinkled its surface when the breeze stirred.
D. We drove back slowly, seeking a turning off the road, a track towards the lake, but there was no
opening, not even a gap between the prickly bushes where the track should have been, only the same
unremitting vista of low trees, bushes and sand.
E. This place, we were told, had been created by an English couple who intended to use the proceeds
to fund a school and a health centre in the village. But few tourists had ever made it here, and no one
knew whether the couple would ever return.
F. Suddenly, out of the dusk, a crooked, hand-painted wooden sign flickered across our headlights:
‘Maia Beach Cafe Accommodation’. We let out a cheer, executed a U-turn, and set out down the
sandy track signposted towards the beach.
G. We held our breath and listened to the silence. Somewhere far away there was a sound of
drumming, and we could smell wood smoke, which suggested some kind of habitation.
H. Then, all of a sudden, our wheels hit a patch of soft sand, skidded, and sank in. Getting out to
assess the situation, we saw that three wheels were hopelessly churning up the sand; the fourth was
spinning free, perched over a sandy bluff with a four-foot drop beneath. If we slipped down there, we
would never, ever get the car out again.
Part 4: You are going to read an extract from a book about life in cities- For questions 75-81,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. (7pts)
IMAGE AND THE CITY Page 8
In the city, we are barraged with images of the people we might become. Identity is presented as
plastic, a matter of possessions and appearances; and a very large proportion of the urban landscape
is taken up by slogans, advertisements, flatly photographed images of folk heroes - the man who
turned into a sophisticated dandy overnight by drinking a particular brand of drink, the girl who
transformed herself into a femme fatale with a squirt of cheap scent. The tone of the wording of these
advertisements is usually pert and facetious, comically drowning in its own hyperbole. But the
pictures are brutally exact: they reproduce every detail of a style of life, down to the brand of
cigarette-lighter, the stone in the ring, and the economic row of books on the shelf.
Yet, if one studies a line of ads across from where one is sitting on a tube train, these images
radically conflict with each other. Swap the details about between the pictures, and they are instantly
made illegible. If the characters they represent really are heroes, then they clearly have no individual
claim to speak for society as a whole. The clean-cut and the shaggy, rakes, innocents, brutes, home-
lovers, adventurers, clowns all compete for our attention and invite emulation. As a gallery, they do
provide a glossy mirror of the aspirations of a representative city crowd; but it is exceedingly hard to
discern a single dominant style, an image of how most people would like to see themselves.
Even in the business of the mass-production of images of identity, this shift from the general to the
diverse and particular is quite recent. Consider another line of stills: the back-lit, soft-focus portraits
of the first and second generations of great movie stars. There is a degree of romantic unparticularity
in the face of each one, as if they were communal dream-projections of society at large.
Only in the specialised genres of westerns, farces and gangster movies were stars allowed to have
odd, knobby cadaverous faces. The hero as loner belonged to history or the underworld: he spoke
from the perimeter of society, reminding us of its dangerous edges.
The stars of the last decade have looked quite different. Soft-focus photography has gone, to be
replaced by a style which searches out warts and bumps, emphasises the uniqueness not the
generality of the face. Voices, too, are strenuously idiosyncratic; whines, stammers and low rumbles
are exploited as features of ‘star quality’ Instead of romantic heroes and heroines, we have a
brutalist, hard-edged style in which isolation and egotism are assumed as natural social conditions.
In the movies, as in the city, the sense of stable hierarchy has become increasingly exhausted; we no
longer live in a world where we can all share the same values, the same heroes. (It is doubtful
whether this world, so beloved of nostalgia moralists, ever existed; but lip-service was paid to
it, the pretense, at least, was kept up.) The isolate and the eccentric push towards the centre of the
stage; their fashions and mannerisms are presented as having as good a claim to the limelight and the
future as those of anyone else. In the crowd on the underground platform, one may observe a
honeycomb of fully-worked-out worlds, each private, exclusive, bearing little comparison with its
nearest neighbour. What is prized in one is despised in another. There are no clear rules about how
one is supposed to manage one’s body, dress, talk, or think.
Though there are elaborate protocols and etiquettes among particular cults and groups within the
city, they subscribe to no common standard.
For the new arrival, this disordered abundance is the city’s most evident and alarming quality. He
feels as if he has parachuted into a funfair of contradictory imperatives. There are so many people he
might become, and a suit of clothes, a make of car, a brand of cigarettes, will go some way towards
turning him into a personage even before he has discovered who that personage is. Personal identity Page 9
has always been deeply rooted in property, but hitherto the relationship has been a simple one - a
question of buying what you could afford, and leaving your wealth to announce your status. In the
modern city, there are so many things to buy, such a quantity of different kinds of status, that the
choice and its attendant anxieties have created a new pornography of taste.
The leisure pages of the Sunday newspapers, fashion magazines, TV plays, popular novels,
cookbooks, window displays all nag at the nerve of our uncertainty and snobbery. Should we like
American cars, hard-rock hamburger joints, Bauhaus chairs ...? Literature and art are promoted as
personal accessories: the paintings of Mondrian or the novels of Samuel Beckett ‘go’ with certain
styles like matching handbags. There is in the city a creeping imperialism of taste, in which more and
more commodities are made over to being mere expressions of personal identity. The piece of
furniture, the pair of shoes, the book, the film, are important not so much in themselves but for what
they communicate about their owners; and ownership is stretched to include what one likes or
believes in as well as what one can buy.
75. What does the writer say about advertisements in the first paragraph?
A. Certain kinds are considered more effective in cities than others.
B. The way in which some of them are worded is cleverer than it might appear.
C. They often depict people that most other people would not care to be like.
D. The pictures in them accurately reflect the way that some people really live.
76. The writer says that if you look at a line of advertisements on a tube train, it is clear that
A. city dwellers have very diverse ideas about what image they would like to have.
B. some images in advertisements have a general appeal that others lack.
C. city dwellers are more influenced by images on advertisements than other people are.
D. some images are intended to be representative of everyone’s aspirations.
77. What does the writer imply about portraits of old movie stars?
A. They tried to disguise the less attractive features of their subjects.
B. Most people did not think they were accurate representations of the stars in them.
C .They made people feel that their own faces were rather unattractive.
D. They reflected an era in which people felt basically safe.
78. What does the writer suggest about the stars of the last decade?
A. Some of them may be uncomfortable about the way they come across.
B. They make an effort to speak in a way that may not be pleasant on the ear.
C. They make people wonder whether they should become more selfish.
D. Most people accept that they are not typical of society as a whole.
79. The writer uses the crowd on an underground platform to exemplify his belief that
A. no single attitude to life is more common than another in a city.
B. no one in a city has strict attitudes towards the behaviour of others.
C. views of what society was like in the past are often inaccurate.
D. people in cities would like to have more in common with each other.
80. The writer implies that new arrivals in a city may
A. change the image they wish to have too frequently.
B. underestimate the importance of wealth. Page 10
C. acquire a certain image without understanding what that involves.
D. decide that status is of little importance.
81. What point does the writer make about city dwellers in the final paragraph?
A. They are unsure as to why certain things are popular with others.
B. They are aware that judgements are made about them according to what they buy.
C. They want to acquire more and more possessions.
D. They are keen to be the first to appreciate new styles. Your answers: 75.B 76.A 77.A 78.B 79.B 80.A 81.D
Part 5: Read the text and do the tasks given (19 pts) INFORMATIONNAL CASCADES
The answer to how large, grassroots social movements emerge in the apparent absence of centralized
control or public communication has intrigued theorists for decades. While it is almost certain that
the development of communication-based technology plays a continuing contributory influence upon
such movements, it is nevertheless, a phenomena which warrants interest. Mass group behaviour is
one example of what sociologists refer to as information cascades during which average individuals
in a population exhibit almost animalistic herd-like behaviour, as a result of making decisions based
on the actions of other individuals rather than relying on their own personal information. Cascades
are not constrained to the confines of social movements; they also appear in economic systems in
physical infrastructure networks and complex organizations.
Informational cascades are most accurately understood from a social perspective and are linked to
mass group or ‘herd behaviour’. University of California economists Susanne Bucholdt and Adam
Hellin put forward the original notion of cascade theory which appears to seamlessly merge herd
behaviour with the rational-choice approach in the social sciences which affirms the rationality of
individuals being sosely dependent on information received from other people. Sourcing information
can be expensive in terms of time and money, so individuals who purchase information will only
continue to do so as long as it offers greater benefits to utilising free and readily available public’
information - the opinions or behaviour of others. At such a moment in time, when every person
depends on this ‘public’ information, an informational cascade is born.
Sequential models of cascades have branched out to take into consideration the inherent correctness
of choices and so the main division is between a correct or incorrect choice. In a situation where
everybody in a cascade adopts on the grounds that adopting appears to be the singular correct choice
an ‘up cascade’ is in effect, in comparison to a ‘down cascade’ where an incorrect choice is chosen
for some logical reason. Regardless of this choice, the precursor to any cascade is the reception of a
private signal by an individual. This could be any form of private information: a television
advertisement, a newspaper column or even an informal conversation with a colleague. If the signal
in question is given more significance than other individual signals then the receiver makes a
personal choice based upon the private signal because there is no evidence of others’ prior decision
making which he or she can emulate. Theorists believe that ‘down cascades’ begin at this point
because the signal is misinterpreted. The following person is then faced with two mutually exclusive Page 11
alternatives: adopt or reject the first person’s behaviour. A majority of theorists argue that adoption,
which is more often than not the case in an ‘up cascade’, brings superior benefits than rejecting. The
next individual receives a private signal, but he/she will also benefit from public information because
they can observe what the first person has done and the accrued positive benefits. As a result, this
individual will be more inclined to adopt. At this stage there are two individuals displaying the same
behavior resulting from identical choices of adoption. Whether the next person receives a private or
public signal he or she is still statistically more inclined to adopt and more people will follow making
the same decisions based entirely on public information. No additional information is conveyed and
the probability of a cascade approaches certainty as both the precision of the signal and the number
of individuals increase. This is surprisingly also true in a down cascade where an incorrect message
has been spread and adopted without question.
Informational cascades are especially effective for the spreading of accurate and truthful information
at a relatively low cost to the producer and receiver. This is shown in advertising where high
percentages of audiences correctly adopt the message as in the ‘up’ version. Yet, these cascades can
be fuelled by inaccurate or erroneous information. Lots of people can be wrong for a long time and
as a cascade develops and intensifies the likelihood of someone not following is statistically
minimal. Examples of ‘inaccurate cascades’ include unfounded global environmental scares which
gather momentum and followers until the truth is unmasked, whereby many members backtrack and
renounce their adoption. The most damaging scenario is one in which real public policy responds to
a partial or entirely incorrect message. A case in point being the vast overestimation of the potential
of passive smoking in public places to cause lung cancer which is due to anti-smoking bans and
government health campaigns. Westminster University Professor Bill Clarke, an expert on cascade
theory and statistics, claims that if the risk were to be accurately calculated not only would people be
unconcerned about being in the vicinity of smokers but the number of smokers would actually rise by between 5.2 to 7.5%.
There are valid reasons to believe that these incorrect cascades can be reversed by free-spirited,
credible individuals but who must obtain, and act upon, correct private information and not listen to
and follow the signals they are receiving. In this sense they renounce the herd and may lead to the
destruction of the cascade altogether or, quite possibly, the birth of a new one. As simple as it
sounds, however, it seems implausible that once a cascade has started, nobody within it will want to
risk damage to their credibility by going against the herd and rejecting a common opinion or behaviour.
Complete each of the following statements (Questions 82-86) with the best ending A-G from the
box below. Write the appropriate letters A-G in boxes 82-86 on your answer sheet.
82. People demonstrate animal-like group behaviour in ____E____
83. An informational cascade emerges when everyone depends on ____C____
84. The correctness of the choice is a key factor in ____D_____ 85. Up and down cascades blend ____A_____
86. Before a cascade can begin, an individual must receive ____B_____
A. rational choice and mass group behavior B. a private signal Page 12 C. public Information D. cascade theory E. informational cascades
F. the behaviour of animals in a large group.
G. decisions made outside a cascade. Questions 87- 92 A. Down cascades B. Inaccurate cascades C. Up cascades
Write the correct A, B, or C in boxes 87-92 on your answer sheet
87. adoption is chosen by every member of the cascade because it is the best choice _C____
88. it is the most beneficial option for the individual __C___
89. the receiver of a message makes a decision based on a message he/she __A___ does not understand correctly
90. whole populations sometimes believe wrong information __B____
91. advertisements successfully persuade audiences to believe a certain message __A____
92. members of the cascade do not question the validity of their choice __B____
Questions 93-95. The list below gives possible characteristics of cascades.
Which THREE of the following characteristics of cascades are mentioned by the writer of the
text ? Write the appropriate letters A-F in boxes 93-95 on your answer sheet.
A. Cascades are confined to social movements,
B. Being reliant on information from others is entirely rational.
C. Individuals will continue to buy information.
D. The first person in a cascade cannot be influenced by other people's choices.
E. Cascades damage the credibility of their members before the cascade starts.
F. Cascades discourage members rejecting the behavior of the group. Your answers: 93.C 94.D 95.F Page 13
IV. WRITING (60/ 200 POINTS)
Part 1. Read the following passage and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary
should be about 140 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original. (15pts)
The rapid industrial development in Malaysia has created significant industrial waste pollution
problems which need immediate remedy. Industrial waste pollution has created a lot of effluent.
Much of this effluent contains toxic and hazardous waste. Management of industrial waste is a
growing concern in Malaysia. The waste if improperly segregated or disposed of can cause
dangerous results. This means that the proper management of such toxic and hazardous waste
requires discipline, vigilance and at times just common sense.
The co-disposal of toxic industrial waste together with household waste in landfill disposal sites can
cause potential release of toxic material into the environment through leaching. Therefore, the best
approach to waste management is not to produce waste, but to produce less waste or to produce
waste of reduced hazard. This goal can be promoted in several ways, such as to apply proper waste
management, to select a process that inherently produces less waste, to recycle and reuse generated
waste and to select non-hazardous and less toxic material.
In Malaysia, the control of hazardous waste is governed by the Environmental Quality Act passed in
1974. A hazardous waste is a solid, liquid or gas that could pose dangers to human health or the
environment. Under the 1989 Environmental Quality Regulations, scheduled waste is required to be
handled properly. It can be industrial, hospital and household waste. Currently, there are 107
categories of scheduled wastes, listed under these regulations. These categories of waste shall be
disposed of at prescribed premises only and be treated at prescribed premises or treatment facilities
only. They have to be treated through some microbial-based on-site processes to remove or detoxify the waste material.
Generally, the project implemented, namely 'Leachate Treatment System Using Microbial Process'
will attempt to develop new microbial processes for waste treatment. This project will look into
bioremediation of solid waste in landfill sites and the effects on groundwater and the environment.
The aims of the project are to achieve cost-effective industrial wastewater management through new
approaches, the development of appropriate microbial treatment and detoxification technologies and
identification of resident microbes. The benefits are comprehensive characterization and evaluation
of leachate generated from local landfill sites and identification of microbes.
The Leachate Treatment System Using Microbial Process' project was one of the most
comprehensive studies to be conducted on local landfill leachate, which is a significant source of
aquatic pollution yet to be properly managed. The findings are expected to provide the scientific and
technical basis for the design and operation of proper landfill leachate management systems in the future.
Meanwhile, new guidelines passed on waste disposal have proved effective. They include Page 14
recommendations and procedures for handling and disposal of chemical waste from laboratories in
such manner that will not constitute a risk to human health, safety or the environment. The guidelines
outline the type of chemical waste generated in laboratories, approaches in the minimization of
chemical waste, safety procedures in handling such waste, laboratory safety procedures and the
chemical waste disposal procedures.
To paint a brighter picture, much progress has been made in waste disposal in the country. However,
a lot more still needs to be done for us to claim that the waste disposal situation is safe for the people and the environment.
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The graph below shows the population change between 1940 and 2000 in three different counties in the US state of Oregon.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
You should write at least 150 words.
Population (in thousands) in the state of Oregon by County, 1970-2000. Page 15
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Part 3: “Some people think that children should learn to compete, but others think that
children should be taught to co-operate so that they could become more useful adults.” In about
350 words, write an essay to state some reasons for both views and express your opinion on the
issue. Use reasons and examples to support your position. (3pts)
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