Kỳ thi tuyển chọn HSG English Olympic

SECTION A: LISTENING (50 points)

Part 1: Complete the table below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the listening for each answer.

Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 points)

Part 2: You will hear a recording about CTE – a brain condition. For questions 6-10, decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 points)

6. CTE is associated with the malfunction in the brain and psychiatric disorders.

7. Dr. Daniel Perl studied the effect of CTE in the brains of deceased service members.

8. CTE was the main reason for the death of many military personnel.

9. New England Journal of Medicine concluded that contact sports caused the condition of CTE.

10. Dr. Perl claimed the lasting effects of bomb blasts on human’s brains.

Part 3: You will hear a radio programme in which two people, Olivia Wilde and Michael Asimwe, are discussing the African tour company they work for. For questions 11-15, choose the answer (A, B, C, or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10pts)

11. Olivia suggests that her African tour company is different because ________.

A. its tour packages cover more of the continent

B. it provides tour packages that are relatively inexpensive

C. it caters exclusively to the luxury holiday market

D. it has a wider variety of tour itineraries

12. Basic Joy Adventures tour packages ________.

A. include only tented accommodation

B. do not offer private rooms included in the cost

C. do not include stops in large towns

D. do not provide cooking or cleaning facilities

13. Joy Adventures tour guides ________.

A. are required to carry out multiple roles

B. are assigned one specific task on each trip

C. always work alone or in pairs

D. operate on a ratio of one or two guides per client.

14. Joy Adventures tours ________.

A. take advantage of cheap local products

B. employ locals to keep costs down

C. use imported foods only if necessary

D. give financial donations to local communities

15. Michael uses the example of the company's vehicles to show ________.

A. that special equipment is necessary for travel in Africa

B. how the company's no-frills philosophy works in practice

C. that rival tours are less safe and reliable

D. the company's strong commitment to customer experience

Part 4: You will listen to a recording about 7-Eleven - a convenience store chain. For questions 16-25, complete the summary by writing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS in each gap.

Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (20 points)

• There are more than 60,000 7-Elevens across the planet.
• In Indonesia, 7-Eleven got its (16) ________ run by PT Modern International in 2009.
• It soon became a (17) ________ for locals, especially university students.
• Modern expanded the business in Jakarta with (18) ________ in 3 years.
• In 2014, 7-Eleven hit (19) ________ of around 78 million with 190 stores.
• Soon, the (20) ________ from existing and new competitors led to its lack of sales.
• The competitors’ store count absolutely (21) ________ that of 7-Eleven, with more than 10,000 Alfamarts and roughly 15,000 Indomarets in 2017.
• 7-Eleven's net sales also dropped when the ban on (22) ________ in convenience stores and mini markets took effect.
• Yet, thanks to a wider range of products and services, Alfamart and Indomaret were able to withstand the ban and even reported (23) ________.
• To cut down operation losses, Modern closed 25 (24) ________ stores in 2016, and the remainder in 2017.
• However, the company is still hoping to make the difference by finding the (25) ________.

SECTION B: LEXICO- GRAMMAR (40 points)

Part 1: For questions 26-45, choose the best option A, B, C, or D to complete the following sentences and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (20 points)

1. The rates of extreme poverty have halved in recent decades. But 1.2 million people still live ______.

A. on the breadline B. on the tenterhooks C. on the house D. on the cards

1. I personally never ______ the idea that to be attractive you have to be thin.

A. dream up B. hold back C. buy into D. fall out

1. He had a reason for doing it, but precisely ______ might probably never be known.

A. which reason was it B. what that reason was

C. which was that reason D. what reason was that

1. The rumour must be true. I heard it straight from the ______ mouth.

A. dog’s B. cat’s C. camel’s D. horse’s

1. I realized that I had made a very _____ mistake, which I would regret for a very long time.

A. harsh B. grave C. acute D. severe

1. His reasoning is based on the _____ that humans are innately good, which reflects his belief in Mencius.

A. premise B. inception C. surmise D. conjecture

1. The horses were approaching the finishing line. They were ______.

A. head and shoulders B. neck and neck C. head and tail D. ups and downs

1. He’d rather not have been trusted with that money, _____ he?

A. wouldn’t B. hadn’t C. would D. had

1. With your present ability, it will be a cold day in _____ when you can beat your brother in chess.

A. June B. Spring C. July D. Summer

1. That’s weird he didn’t agree to lend you his bike, isn’t he the type of person who would give you _____ off his back?

A. the coat B. the shoes C. the bag D. the shirt

1. Farmers ________ a protest in the city against falling grain prices.

A. are to stage B. staging C. are staged D. will be staged

1. 7: What’s all this crying ______?

A. without the aid of B. with the aid of C. in aid of D. within the aid of

1. The men turned to us, both _____ confident smiles on their faces and ready for the match.

A. smearing B. wearing C. clothing D. masking

1. I intended to petrify him by telling him there was a snake in his room but he didn't seem _____ concerned.

A. in least B. at least C. the least bit D. leastways

1. I will let the kids play in the living room so please make sure the floor will be as dry as _____ when you finish.

A. a bone B. the air C. sand D. Africa

1. Studio apartments within ______ of the subway are in great demand amongst young professionals.

A. region B. area C. reach D. extent

1. The job interview started off well but then one of the questions completely ______ me.

A. flattened B. wiped C. drafted D. floored

1. ______, there’s no place like home.

A. Be it ever so humble B. should it be humble

C. As humble as it could be D. To be humble

1. If these measures also reduce unemployment, that is ______.

A. not any good B. all to the good C. up to no good D. for good and all

1. Although the workshop I attended was interesting, I would ______ up for something more creative.

A. rather be signing B. prefer it to sign C. sooner have signed D. like having signed

1. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had time and money to ______ off to France for a week?

A. swan B. worm C. wolf D. beaver

1. James didn’t take ______ to your suggestion that she was mean with money.

A. kindly B. pleasantly C. cheerfully D. agreeably

1. Sport provides an _____ for a teenager’s feelings of aggression or frustration.

A. overflow B. exit C. outlet D. exhaust

1. I heard that tickets are around $200 each - ______ that.

A. no way am I paying B. I’m in no way paying

C. no way do I pay D. in any way I won’t pay

1. During the evening football match, the stadium was illuminated by ______.

A. flashlights B. floodlights C. highlights D. spotlights

1. Mortensen had a double ______ for going to San Francisco: to see his kids and to apply for a job.

A. cause B. basis C. motive D. goal

1. He left about two hours early, ______ caught in the traffic jam.

A. least he should be B. less he be C. though he be D. lest he be

1. This training is ________ for those who prefer a heavy body workout.

A. aimed B. offered C. intended D. targeted

1. - Were you told to clean the house?

- No, I did it of my own _____.

A. desire B. accord C. idea D. will

1. The scientists ______ the festival of Ramadan, but they were too busy with their research in the laboratory.

A. would have liked to commemorate B. would have loved to have observed

C. would prefer to have obeyed D. would sooner have celebrated

SECTION C: READING (60 points)

Part 1: For questions 66-75, read the following passage and decide which option (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap. Write your answers in corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)

They are two words you would probably think it highly unlikely to find in the same sentence - football and opera - yet, strange as it may seem, the popularity of one of opera’s best-known arias (66) ________ much to the beautiful game. Ask anyone to name an opera piece they know and Nessun dorma will invariably be one of the first that (67) ________ to mind. From the opera Turandot, it is a love song sung by an eager prince looking to woo the beautiful princess which the opera itself is named after. However, the question is, opera (68) ________ an art often seen as the exclusive domain of the upper classes, how on earth did this humble aria manage to transcend class in its appeal in (69) ________ the manner which it has done?

Well, it all started at the 1990 World Cup, hosted by Italy. The aria was performed there by Luciano Pavarotti before a huge television audience which would (70) ________ likely never have been exposed to such an operatic piece. Pavarotti’s (71) ________ proved to be well-liked, and the aria went on to become one of the best-selling classical hits of all time. Opera, it seemed, had found a most unlikely new home - (72) ________ of football fans across the world.

Indeed, Nessun dorma has remained (73) ________ popular ever since, and its connection with football was reaffirmed as recently as in 2016, when Leicester City capped a fairy-tale season by claiming (74) ________ Premiership crown. Following the success, their Italian manager invited his good friend tenor Andrea Bocelli to perform the aria as part of the fans’ celebration. I wonder: how many more unlikely opera lovers did football have a (75) ________ in creating on that memorable day?

1. A. profits B. owes C. gifts D. springs
2. A. pounce B. spring C. vault D. dive
3. A. to be B. to have been C. being D. to being
4. A. quite B. such C. fairly D. almost
5. A. therefore B. instead C. hence D. otherwise
6. A. exposition B. repetition C. execution D. rendition
7. A. in the hearts B. from the minds C. to the souls D. before the eyes
8. A. totally B. wholly C. hugely D. utterly
9. A. the B. Ø C. a D. an
10. A. limb B. hand C. finger D. glove

Part 2: For questions 76-85, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)

AN UNUSUAL UNDERWATER EXPERIENCE

Year after year, between mid-May and mid-July, thousands of thrill-seeking vacationers flock to South Africa for the ultimate in adventure expeditions: diving during the annual Sardine Run. As (76) ______ as water temperatures aren’t too high, millions of sardines migrate hundreds of miles northward along the eastern coast of South Africa to the Indian Ocean during (77) ______ eight-week period. The shoals, which can be up to nine miles long and two miles wide, understandably attract predators, which are (78) ______ most divers come to see.

Organized diving tours therefore allow participants to snorkel or scuba dive not only (79) ______ masses of sleek, silvery sardines, but also with the seals, dolphins, sharks and whales that hunt them. When sardines feel threatened, they come together in huge "bait balls" which shift and sway as they are (80) ______ stormed by the predators. According to veterans of the expeditions, this swirling underwater dance has to be seen to be (81) ______. Meanwhile, seabirds such as Cape gannets and cormorants dive (82) ______ from the sky to catch what they can in their sharp beaks.

Unfortunately, diving with the sardines is necessarily a hit-or-miss affair, (83) ______ no one can say for sure when during the two-month period conditions will be right for the migration to begin. Every year, many tourists go home disappointed since, although they have been able to take (84) ______ of some of the wonderful recreational diving South Africa has to offer, their travel dates did not (85) ______ with the elusive Sardine Run.

Part 3: For questions 86-95, read the following passage and circle the best answer to each of the following questions. Write your answers in corresponding numbered boxes provided. (15 points)

There's a bump, bump, bump coming from the greenhouse as a little brown shuttlecock bounces against the glass. It turns out to be a wren: an ominous bird, a bird of portent, augury and divination. Is it spelling out some sort of message from a world at the very edges of my imagination? Or is it just a poor bird stuck in a greenhouse?

Depending on your point of view, both could be true. Wrens have been flitting through the undergrowth of British culture ever since it began. In medieval times, a complicated system of observing the directions in which wrens flew determined the sort of luck the observer would experience. In modern times, the image of the wren remains in pictures and ceramics in many British households. Even though the early beliefs may have been watered down or even forgotten, the wren still has a perch in our consciousness and a nest in our affections. A wood without wrens is a sad, impoverished place.

This is almost certainly because there is a rich vein of folklore running through our relationships with many birds which reaches back to a time when people read the world around them differently. Where people are, necessarily, hitched more directly to natural processes for their very survival, they develop an ecological and cultural language through which the significance of other creatures is communicated. This significance is, of course, prone to cultural shifts that cause major image changes for the creatures involved. A good example of this is the red kite. During the early sixteenth century, foreign visitors to London were amazed to see red kites swooping down to take bread from the hands of children. These birds were protected and valued urban scavengers. But it was not long before they began to be seen as vermin, and as a result were soon wiped out in most areas apart from Wales. Gradually red kites began to assume a romantic personality linked to this Celtic stronghold and they have now become totemic birds of British conservation, protected again and reintroduced with a view to helping them regain their original distribution.

Our relationship with other creatures is more than cultural and goes way back to the evolution of human nature. Though the first human birdwatchers may have been acutely observant of bird behaviour because it announced approaching predators, bad weather, and the availability of food, and also offered a supernatural link to the world of their dreams, there is more to it. When we ask why birds are so important to us, we are also asking what it is to be us. Flight, song, freedom - our fascination, envy and emulation of the avian world is surely a measure of our own identity against that of the wildness of nature. Some might dismiss these feelings as vestigial attachments, useful to us in an earlier phase of our evolution, irrelevant now. But, like the appendix and wisdom teeth, they're still very much part of us and losing them is traumatic.

That is probably why, in recent years, birds have become the barometers of environmental change, indicators of ecological quality: the warning bells of environmentalism. Conservationists in Britain cite the endangering of 30 species, a figure that is depressing not only because it spells out the loss of feathered curiosities, but because it is a massive cultural loss too. These birds carry a huge amount of cultural baggage. For example, the skylark, turtle dove and lapwing signify spiritual love, romantic love and magic. Anyone who has read Shelley's poems, Shakespeare's sonnets and Robert Graves's The White Goddess will feel more than a tug of remorse at the loss of these once commonplace birds.

Yet while the loss of these birds is lamented, the loss of others which don't figure in either literature or folklore is virtually ignored. Folklore is so important. The stories, legends and rhymes which persist through time, with their obscure origins, constant revisions and reinventions, somehow have a greater living bond with their subjects than cold, scientific terms - a bond that is strengthened by the everyday language in which they are understood and communicated. This gives them a power to summon up feelings and attitudes from a consciousness buried under all the stuff of modern life.

Whether we watch wildlife films on TV or birdtables in the backyard, what we're doing and the excitement we get from what we see cannot adequately be captured by scientific reason. Birds are engaging in ways we still find hard to fathom, let alone articulate, and so the stories we tell about them seem like ways of interpreting what birds are telling us.

The wren in the greenhouse weaves an intricate knot, tying an imaginary thread between the here and now and a deep, distant history, holding the free end in its song and escaping into the future - a riddle that keeps me guessing.

86. In paragraph 2, the writer affirms that the wren

A. has been given exaggerated importance.

B. was once used as an aid to navigation.

C. has lost its significance as society has become less superstitious.

D. is still firmly established in collective memory.

87. The word 'impoverished' in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to

A. enlarged B. profound C. joyful D. barren

88. What point is the writer illustrating with the example of the red kite?

A. Most birds have symbolic and poetic associations.

B. Human and avian life are inseparably linked.

C. A society's attitude to wildlife is not fixed.

D. Wildlife can threaten human society with disease.

89. The word 'stronghold' in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to

A. deviation B. separation C. slowness D. fastness

90. The writer uses the words ‘there is more to it’ (paragraph 4) to introduce the idea that

A. birds enable us to analyse the nature of human existence.

B. birds extend our knowledge of evolution.

C. bird behaviour accurately predicts danger.

D. bird behaviour is surprisingly similar to human behaviour.

91. With the reference to ‘the appendix and wisdom teeth’ (paragraph 4), the writer is drawing attention to the fact that

A. humans and birds have some common anatomical details.

B. being separated from deep-rooted emotions can be a painful experience.

C. humans cannot explain their biological inheritance:

D. bonding with the natural world is as vital as maintaining physical health.

92. The word 'emulation' in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to

A. harmony B. competition C. support D. exchange

93. In what sense do some birds carry ‘a huge amount of cultural baggage’? (paragraph 5)

A. They are weighed down with people's false assumptions.

B. They are believed to symbolise environmental destruction.

C. They figure prominently in literature through the ages.

D. Their disappearance will herald the loss of cultural identity.

94. In paragraph 6, the writer draws a comparison between 'cold, scientific terms' and

A. obscure origins.

B. everyday language.

C. feelings and attitudes.

D. stories, legends and rhymes.

95. The writer feels that the appeal of birds is

A. difficult to express or explain.

B. heightened by detailed study.

C. understandable in a psychological context.

D. enhanced by media presentation.

Part 4: For questions 96-105, read the passage and do the following tasks. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WEALTH

What stops people from succeeding financially and having on-going prosperity in their life? The answer is generally focused around the belief that financial success is not a possibility. There are many people who have unconscious barriers that prevent them from having the wealth and abundance that they deserve.

At a conscious level, most people think they are doing everything possible to achieve their goals. However, there still might be some unwitting part of them that does not believe they can obtain success. The more that unconscious part is avoided, the more a person will be blocked in their everyday life. Another problem is that, instead of focusing on all the possible ways to get rich, many people have an obsession about what they do not have. An interesting pattern develops in which they can become angry or resentful over their situation and this in turn can limit these people in their lives more and more. Individuals would find it so much easier to get ahead in life with a peaceful state of mind, rather than an angry or resentful one.

A first step in understanding the unconscious patterning of a person’s financial situation is to explore the deeper nature of how they represent money. For example, a person with money issues may have had parents who lived in poverty, and they subsequently formed a ‘Depression Era’ mentality. An unconscious belief can develop that he or she will always have to struggle financially, because that is what their parents did. Alternatively, the person might have had a parent tell them over and over again that they will never be successful, and eventually they begin to believe it.

It is very common for children to unconsciously form limiting beliefs around money at an early age. In the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), these types of limiting beliefs are referred to as ‘imprint.’ An imprint is basically a memory that is formed at an early age, and can serve as a root for both the limiting and empowering beliefs that people form as children. Some of the beliefs that people may develop at early ages are not always healthy, and are created as a result of a traumatic or confusing experience that they have forgotten. How we unconsciously and consciously view the world in terms of money is often based on such beliefs.

A primary and fundamental psychological difference between those who do well financially and those who do not revolves around beliefs. For example, many people do not even view financial success as an option. They do not have the capability to open themselves up to all of the possibilities that are available for achieving prosperity and they will nearly always get stuck in a monthly routine, so that they are unwilling to take risks or try something different, because they are afraid that they will end up being even worse off than before.

Another issue can be that people become over-absorbed with the idea of making money and this can be extremely unhealthy. Money does not determine who you are; it’s simply a resource. There is a term all ‘affluenza,’ which has been defined as “a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” Affluenza is an unsustainable and seriously unhealthy addiction to personal and societal economic growth. It is most acute in those who inherit wealth and seem to have no purpose or direction. For those with wealth or for those who desire it more than anything, abandoning the urge for more can often be the key to being more successful, and certainly happier. Once people stop equating their self-worth with money, then the doors of possibility can swing open for them, because they are willing to try more things. Once they start feeling better about themselves, they become less fearful and can be open to trying something completely different.

So, can money make people happy? Research shows that it does up to a point, after which there are diminishing returns, so that the extremely wealthy are no happier than the comfortably well off. Rich nations are generally happier than poor ones, but the relationship is far from consistent; other factors like political stability, freedom and security also play a part. Research likewise shows that the money-happiness connection seems to be stronger for people paid hourly than those on a salary. This is presumably because salaried people can more easily compensate with career satisfaction. Money can also impair the ability to enjoy the simple things in life, which rather offsets the happiness that wealth brings.

Money can also impair people's satisfaction in their play and humanitarian works. When someone has done something out of the goodness of their heart, they can be insulted by offers of payment. Cognitive dissonance experiments show that paying people derisory amounts of money for their work results in them enjoying it less and doing it less well than if they had no pay at all. The capacity for monetary reward to undermine a person's intrinsic pleasure in work performance has been demonstrated neurologically.

In conclusion, people need to realise that their own attitudes to wealth can affect their chances of acquiring both money and happiness. As a person begins to embrace self-worth and open himself or herself up to the idea of what is possible, he or she will attract wealth and prosperity into their life. The outer world is truly a reflection of people's inner worlds. If someone feels good inside, generally it will show on the outside and they will draw positive experiences into their life.

Questions 96 - 97

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD from the text for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 96-97 on your answer sheet.

• Most people believe they do the best they can, but sometimes they don't really believe in their potential.
• If people do not face up to this lack of self-belief, they'll encounter more and more obstacles.
• People can also have an (96) ______ about their lack of possessions.
• Anger is a result, which hinders their progress as well.
• People whose parents were poor may feel they will also be poor. A (97) ______ who is always negative about a child's prospects may also be eventually believed.

Questions 98-101

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer of the text?

In boxes 98-101 on your answer sheet write:

YES (Y) if the statement agrees with the writer's views

NO (N) if the statement doesn't agree with the writer's views

NOT GIVEN (NG) if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

98. A person can develop unhelpful imprints about money when a child.

99. Those people stuck in a monthly routine are the most likely to try something different.

100. The problem of 'affluent has been in the media a lot recently.

101. ‘Affluenza’ is more common in people who have not had to work for their money.

Questions 102-105

Complete the summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the text for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 102-105 on your answer sheet.

MONEY AND HAPPINESS

(102) ________ mean people are not happier with wealth beyond a certain amount. Rich countries are happier than poor ones, but this is simplistic, due to other relevant factors. Salaried workers have been shown to be happier than wage-paid workers, maybe due to (103) ________. Rich people also sometimes do not enjoy life's simple things.

Money can also relate to how people approach doing things and (104) ________ have proved this. The complex relationship between a (105) ________ and enjoyment of work has also been proved.

Changing their attitudes to wealth can make some people happier and allow them to acquire money more easily.

D. WRITING (50 points)

Part 2: Write an essay of about 250 words on the following topic. (30 points)

In some countries, people are spending long hours at the workplace. Why does this happen? Is it a positive or negative development?

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