SÔÛ GIAÙO DUÏC VAØ ÑAØO TAÏOKYØ THI CAÁP TÆNH CHOÏN HOÏC SINH GIOÛI LÔÙP 12 – VOØNG II LONG AN Ngaøy thi: 7-1-2009

ÑEÀ CHÍNH THÖÙC MOÂN TIEÁNG ANH Thôøi gian laøm baøi: 180 phuùt cho caû hai phaàn NGHE vaø ÑOÏC-VIEÁT

LÖU YÙ: THÍ SINH LAØM BAØI THI TREÂN PHIEÁU TRAÛ LÔØI (ANSWER SHEET), KHOÂNG LAØM BAØI TREÂN ÑEÀ THI NAØY

PHAÀN THI NGHE

I. You will hear people talking in eight different situations. You will hear each piece twice. Choose the best answer, A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on your answer sheet. (15 points)

1. The Eiffel Tower is also used for(A) advertising (B) broadcasting (C) rescuing activities (D)

sporting events

2. Tanya’s problem is that (A) she can’t do her homework (C) she doesn’t have the history

book.(B) she doesn’t understand the lessons. (D) she often falls asleep in her

history class

3. Walking (A) is good for practicing your heart.(B) is not good for your heart.(C) is not good for your heart if you walk fast. (D) is not good for the people who suffer a heart disease.

4. She says we can learn from snakes that (A) snakes change their skin annually. (C) we cannot change our skin as

snakes do. (B) some snakes are dangerous for their poison. (D) we should always

renew our ideas.

5. He is talking about (A) what we should learn to pass a test. (C) what we should do before going

to a test.(B) what we should do to pass a driving test.(D) what we should do in a

driving test.

Qua trang beân

- 2 -PHAÀN THI ÑOÏC-VIEÁT

II. Read the following text and then choose the correct answer to the questions below. (22 points)

LIGHTHOUSES

Lighthouses evolved to serve a dual purpose they helped mariners to navigate the seas and warned them of dangerous areas. Bonfires set alight on shoreline cliffs and hilltops were precursors to the lighthouses. Realizing that the higher the fire was on land, the farther offshore it was visible, seagoing communities began to build towers of wood or stone to raise the fire higher. The first known lighthouse in history and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the fabled Pharos of Alexandria, was built by the Egyptians using slave labor. Constructed over a period of twenty years, between 300 and 280 B.C. and rising

about 450 feet high, the marble structure was as tall as a 45-story skyscraper. At the top, a tended, open fire provided light, which reportedly could be seen thirty miles away at night; during the day, a column of smoke guided mariners. Pharos remained in operation for almost 1600 years, until a combination of assaults by invaders and earthquakes finally left it in total ruin by the mid-14th century.

As the centuries passed, lighthouses were adapted to their locations and constructed from local materials – at first stone or wood, and eventually concrete, steel, and cast iron, as they became available. The story of Eddystone Light, situated on a rocky shoal in a particularly dangerous section of the English Channel, provides an overview of lighthouse history. The first Eddystone Light – there were actually five of them – was a fanciful building, put into service in 1698 sporting balconies and ornamental filigree. It was the first lighthouse known to be erected on a shoal in the open sea. This first tower had to be replaced after only one winter because it had been so badly beaten by storms. A similar second tower was raised the next year, but it proved to be no match for a fierce storm that struck in 1703 and washed it away. In its place rose up the third Eddystone Light, with a round, smooth tower designed so that waves could easily wash over it. In 1759, however, the wooden lighthouse was destroyed by fire. The fourth Eddystone Light, again using the round design, was constructed of fireproof granite blocks. This Light, which first went into service in 1759, was the first tower to use quick drying cement, which became a staple building material for lighthouses. The fifth Eddystone Light was built in 1882 and is still standing today.

The original 1696 Eddystone Light also played another important role: it was the first lighthouse to have an enclosed lantern room. Until then, wood and coal fires were burned on an open platform. With an enclosed room, it became possible to produce a more controllable light by burning candles. The term “candlepower” originated in this era and is still used today as the unit of measure for light in a lighthouse. A candlepower of one, naturally enough, equals the amount of light made by a single candle. Even if a light burned coal or oil, as many of them did in the 17th and 18th centuries, the candle was still used as the measurement of brightness.

Two innovations in the late 1700s substantially upgraded the efficiency of lighthouses. The Argand lamp, invented in 1781, was an oil lamp that used a special hollow wick to produce an intensely bright flame that was steady and smoke-free. This kept the lantern chamber from filling with soot and smoke that dimmed the flame. When centered behind the Argand lamp, a parabolic reflector (a curved, bowl-shaped structure of metal) concentrated the light into a beam. The silver metal behind the tiny bulb in a flashlight is a miniature example of how a parabolic reflector works to increase the brightness of the light source. Using a combination of these innovations, a lighthouse could create a light having the brightness of several thousand candles.

The Fresnel lens, invented in 1828 and still used today, could combine and magnify numerous light rays into one single powerful beam. It enabled lighthouses to produce a light beam four times stronger than before, about 80,000 candlepower. Towards the end of the century, lamps were replaced by the electric light bulb, and today the most powerful lights emanating from lighthouses can be seen from twenty-five miles away. However, even the strongest light can be rendered useless by dense fog, heavy rain, or snow. Thus, sound was employed by lighthouses to provide an alternate signal when visibility was poor. The first foghorn, used in a lighthouse in Boston in 1719, was actually a cannon fired hourly. Other noisemaking devices were tried – gongs, bells, steam

whistles, and sirens. Foghorns became the standard, although today soundless electronic radio beacons are increasingly being used. Although most lighthouses are now automated, they remain vital to navigation, especially in the world’s stormiest waters.

1. The word navigate in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) sail (B) direct (C) conquer (D) bypass

2. According to paragraph 1, the lighthouse at Alexandria was made of (A) wood (B) slaves (C) stone (D) smoke

3. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

(A) Lighthouses, because of their construction materials, tended to fall down after a century or so.

(B) The design of and materials used in a lighthouse were determined by its setting.

(C) Lighthouses were built of metal if it was available.(D) Both natural and manufactured materials can be used to build lighthouses.

4. The word it in the passage refers to (A) a match (C) a section(B) a building (D) some decoration

5. The phrase went into service in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) joined the military (C) became government property(B) was shut down (D) began operating

6. The word staple in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) solid (B) fashionable (C) sharp (D) normal

7. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned as a feature of the Eddystone Lights?

(A) A tower made of quick-drying cement (C) A location on rocks in the open sea

(B) A Fresnel lens (D) An indoor lantern room

8. According to paragraph 4, designers in the late 1700s made lighthouses more efficient by

(A) building them higher (C) concentrating the light they produced

(B) changing to a different fuel (D) dimming their flames

9. The author mentions a flashlight in paragraph 4 in order to (A) show how bright a lighthouse beacon is(B) illustrate the effects of a parabolic reflector (C) demonstrate the advantage of using several light sources(D) explain the advantages of electric light

10. According to paragraph 5, why did lighthouses use sound to warn mariners? (A) Sometimes the flame would go out in the rain.(B) Sound travels farther than light. (C) Sometimes weather makes a light hard to see.(D) Sound seems more like a warning than light does.

11. What can be inferred from paragraph 5 about the Fresnel lens? (A) It required a flame much brighter than most lights produced.

(B) The lighthouse at Alexandria probably had a lens similar to one. (C) It was made of highly polished metal.(D) It could boost the brightness of electric lights as well as oil lamps.

III. Read the following text and then choose from the list A-J the best phrase given below to fill each of the spaces. Write one letter (A-J) in the correct box on your answer sheet. Each correct phrase may only be used once. Some of the suggested answers do not fit at all. (14 points)

ENGLISH SPELLINGEnglish was first written down in the 6th century. At that time, writers had to use the twenty-three letters of the Latin alphabet (1)........ J. Because English has sounds that do not exist in Latin, they added letters (2)........ H. This resulted in some irregular spelling. After the Norman invasion of England in 1066, French became the language spoken by the king and other people in positions of power and influence. Many French words were introduced and the spelling of many English words changed (3)........ C. The result was a rich and irregular mix of spellings.

The printing press was invented in the 15th century. Many early printers of English texts spoke other first languages, especially Dutch. They often paid little attention (4)........ G. Sometimes technical decisions were made (5)........ I. To do this, letters were taken off the ends of words and sometimes added to words. With time, people became used (6)........ B. Fixed spellings were therefore created by the printers’ decisions. Spoken English, however, was not fixed. It continued (7)........ D. It is no wonder that English spelling seems irregular. Words such as although, through and cough, for example, all have the same spelling at the end, but are pronounced differently. Words such as feet, meat and seize, on the other hand, are spelled differently but have the same sound in the middle.

A to have a great influenceB to seeing words spelled in the same way C to follow French patterns D to change, as it still does E to show the spellings F to influence the FrenchG to how English words were spelledH to represent the forty-four sounds of English I to give columns of print straight edges J to write down what they heard

Qua trang beân

- 3 -

IV. Read the article below and then decide which word A, B, C or D best fits each space. Indicate your answers on your answer sheet. (14 points)Driving from Beijing to Paris‘Every journey begins with a single step.’ We might (1)........ this proverb for the 16,000 km Beijing to Paris car rally, and say that every rally begins with a (2)........ of the wheel. From China, several hundred courageous men and women will (3)........ out for Paris in pursuit of what, for many, is likely to prove an impossible (4)........ . Everybody is prepared for the worst and expects a high drop-out (5)........ , especially on the rally’s difficult first (6)........ across central China and over the high mountain (7)........ of the Himalayas. ‘If twenty-five cars (8)........ it to Paris, we’ll be doing well,’ says Philip Young, the rally organizer.

Now planned as an annual event, the first Beijing-Paris car rally took place in 1907. It was won by Prince Borghese, an Italian adventurer, who crossed the (9)........ line just a few meters (10)........ of the only other car to complete the

race. Nowadays, not many people know about Prince Borghese, but at the time his achievement was (11)........ as comparable to that of Marco Polo, who traveled from Venice to China in the thirteenth century.

According to the rules, all the cars in the rally must be more than thirty years old, which means that the (12)........ roads and high altitude are a (13)........ test of both the cars and the drivers. A sense of adventure is essential. One driver said, ‘Our (14)........ is to have a good time, enjoy the experience and the magnificent scenery – and the adventure of a lifetime.

1. (A) adapt (B) moderate (C) improve (D)

form

2. (A) revolution (B) circle (C) rotation (D)

turn

3. (A) head (B) move (C) set (D)

try

4. (A) vision (B) fantasy (C) hope (D)

dream

5. (A) rate (B) number (C) speed (D)

frequency

6. (A) period (B) stage (C) time (D)

round

7. (A) crossings (B) passes (C) directions (D)

passages

8. (A) get (B) take (C) have (D)

make

9. (A) closing (B) final (C) ending (D)

finishing

10.

(A) forward (B) ahead (C) front (D)

advance

11.

(A) thought (B) referred (C) regarded (D)

noted

12.

(A) crude (B) undeveloped

(C) broken (D)

rough

13.

(A) firm (B) strict (C) severe (D)

grave

14.

(A) aim (B) target (C) proposal (D)

intent

Qua trang beân

- 4 -

V. Complete the following article by writing each missing word in the correct box on your answer sheet. Use only one word for each space. (15 points)Central ParkIf you have the chance to take a walk through Central Park in New York, you will get a quick tour of the wide range of cultures and people who live in the city. (1)........ One/A man speeds along on a racing bike singing (2)........ at the top of his voice, (3)........ another dances to the beat of techno music coming from a tape recorder.

Central Park, the first public park built in America, allows for just about (4)........ every/any conceivable leisure activity in a rectangle of just over one and a half square kilometers. But it may (5)........ be that its best use is for the most

entertaining sport in New York – people watching. Visitors can have (6)........ no/little better introduction to the diversity of New York than a stroll in this park.

Central Park did not always embrace (7)........ such a variety of human life. Having won a competition for the park’s design in 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux saw the place as an oasis of calm in a disorderly city. The idea (8)........ was to create a place where the upper class citizens of the city could take gentle exercise (9)........ without being disturbed. However, the park authorities never managed to enforce (10)........ a/this/that regime of order. Olmsted (11)........ had been determined to create the illusion of the countryside in the heart of New York. The fact that skyscrapers are now visible (12)........ over/above/beyond/across the tops of the park’s tallest trees (13)........ would certainly have horrified him. But this contrast between country and city landscape is (14)........ what gives the park (15)........ its very own special charm.

VI. Read the following question and then write a short essay to answer it. The essay should be of at least 300 words. ( 20 points)

HEÁT

SÔÛ GIAÙO DUÏC VAØ ÑAØO TAÏOKYØ THI CAÁP TÆNH CHOÏN HOÏC SINH GIOÛI LÔÙP 12 – VOØNG II LONG AN Ngaøy thi: 7-1-2009

ÑEÀ CHÍNH THÖÙC MOÂN TIEÁNG ANH Thôøi gian laøm baøi: 180 phuùt cho caû hai phaàn NGHE vaø ÑOÏC-VIEÁT

LÖU YÙ: THÍ SINH LAØM BAØI THI TREÂN PHIEÁU TRAÛ LÔØI (ANSWER SHEET), KHOÂNG LAØM BAØI TREÂN ÑEÀ THI NAØY

PHAÀN THI NGHE

I. You will hear people talking in eight different situations. You will hear each piece twice. Choose the best answer, A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on your answer sheet. (15 points)

1. The Eiffel Tower is also used for(A) advertising (B) broadcasting (C) rescuing activities (D)

sporting events

2. Tanya’s problem is that (A) she can’t do her homework (C) she doesn’t have the history

book.(B) she doesn’t understand the lessons. (D) she often falls asleep in her

history class

3. Walking (A) is good for practicing your heart.(B) is not good for your heart.(C) is not good for your heart if you walk fast. (D) is not good for the people who suffer a heart disease.

4. She says we can learn from snakes that (A) snakes change their skin annually. (C) we cannot change our skin as

snakes do.

What are some of the qualities of a good student? Use specific details and examples to explain your answer.

(B) some snakes are dangerous for their poison. (D) we should always renew our ideas.

5. He is talking about (A) what we should learn to pass a test. (C) what we should do before going

to a test.(B) what we should do to pass a driving test.(D) what we should do in a

driving test.

Qua trang beân

- 2 -PHAÀN THI ÑOÏC-VIEÁT

II. Read the following text and then choose the correct answer to the questions below. (22 points)

LIGHTHOUSES

Lighthouses evolved to serve a dual purpose they helped mariners to navigate the seas and warned them of dangerous areas. Bonfires set alight on shoreline cliffs and hilltops were precursors to the lighthouses. Realizing that the higher the fire was on land, the farther offshore it was visible, seagoing communities began to build towers of wood or stone to raise the fire higher. The first known lighthouse in history and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the fabled Pharos of Alexandria, was built by the Egyptians using slave labor. Constructed over a period of twenty years, between 300 and 280 B.C. and rising about 450 feet high, the marble structure was as tall as a 45-story skyscraper. At the top, a tended, open fire provided light, which reportedly could be seen thirty miles away at night; during the day, a column of smoke guided mariners. Pharos remained in operation for almost 1600 years, until a combination of assaults by invaders and earthquakes finally left it in total ruin by the mid-14th century.

As the centuries passed, lighthouses were adapted to their locations and constructed from local materials – at first stone or wood, and eventually concrete, steel, and cast iron, as they became available. The story of Eddystone Light, situated on a rocky shoal in a particularly dangerous section of the English Channel, provides an overview of lighthouse history. The first Eddystone Light – there were actually five of them – was a fanciful building, put into service in 1698 sporting balconies and ornamental filigree. It was the first lighthouse known to be erected on a shoal in the open sea. This first tower had to be replaced after only one winter because it had been so badly beaten by storms. A similar second tower was raised the next year, but it proved to be no match for a fierce storm that struck in 1703 and washed it away. In its place rose up the third Eddystone Light, with a round, smooth tower designed so that waves could easily wash over it. In 1759, however, the wooden lighthouse was destroyed by fire. The fourth Eddystone Light, again using the round design, was constructed of fireproof granite blocks. This Light, which first went into service in 1759, was the first tower to use quick drying cement, which became a staple building material for lighthouses. The fifth Eddystone Light was built in 1882 and is still standing today.

The original 1696 Eddystone Light also played another important role: it was the first lighthouse to have an enclosed lantern room. Until then, wood and coal fires were burned on an open platform. With an enclosed room, it became possible to produce a more controllable light by burning candles. The term “candlepower” originated in this era and is still used today as the unit of measure

for light in a lighthouse. A candlepower of one, naturally enough, equals the amount of light made by a single candle. Even if a light burned coal or oil, as many of them did in the 17th and 18th centuries, the candle was still used as the measurement of brightness.

Two innovations in the late 1700s substantially upgraded the efficiency of lighthouses. The Argand lamp, invented in 1781, was an oil lamp that used a special hollow wick to produce an intensely bright flame that was steady and smoke-free. This kept the lantern chamber from filling with soot and smoke that dimmed the flame. When centered behind the Argand lamp, a parabolic reflector (a curved, bowl-shaped structure of metal) concentrated the light into a beam. The silver metal behind the tiny bulb in a flashlight is a miniature example of how a parabolic reflector works to increase the brightness of the light source. Using a combination of these innovations, a lighthouse could create a light having the brightness of several thousand candles.

The Fresnel lens, invented in 1828 and still used today, could combine and magnify numerous light rays into one single powerful beam. It enabled lighthouses to produce a light beam four times stronger than before, about 80,000 candlepower. Towards the end of the century, lamps were replaced by the electric light bulb, and today the most powerful lights emanating from lighthouses can be seen from twenty-five miles away. However, even the strongest light can be rendered useless by dense fog, heavy rain, or snow. Thus, sound was employed by lighthouses to provide an alternate signal when visibility was poor. The first foghorn, used in a lighthouse in Boston in 1719, was actually a cannon fired hourly. Other noisemaking devices were tried – gongs, bells, steam whistles, and sirens. Foghorns became the standard, although today soundless electronic radio beacons are increasingly being used. Although most lighthouses are now automated, they remain vital to navigation, especially in the world’s stormiest waters.

1. The word navigate in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) sail (B) direct (C) conquer (D) bypass

2. According to paragraph 1, the lighthouse at Alexandria was made of (A) wood (B) slaves (C) stone (D) smoke

3. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

(A) Lighthouses, because of their construction materials, tended to fall down after a century or so.

(B) The design of and materials used in a lighthouse were determined by its setting.

(C) Lighthouses were built of metal if it was available.(D) Both natural and manufactured materials can be used to build lighthouses.

4. The word it in the passage refers to (A) a match (C) a section(B) a building (D) some decoration

5. The phrase went into service in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) joined the military (C) became government property(B) was shut down (D) began operating

6. The word staple in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) solid (B) fashionable (C) sharp (D) normal

7. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned as a feature of the Eddystone Lights?

(A) A tower made of quick-drying cement (C) A location on rocks in the open sea

(B) A Fresnel lens (D) An indoor lantern room

8. According to paragraph 4, designers in the late 1700s made lighthouses more efficient by

(A) building them higher (C) concentrating the light they produced

(B) changing to a different fuel (D) dimming their flames

9. The author mentions a flashlight in paragraph 4 in order to (A) show how bright a lighthouse beacon is(B) illustrate the effects of a parabolic reflector (C) demonstrate the advantage of using several light sources(D) explain the advantages of electric light

10. According to paragraph 5, why did lighthouses use sound to warn mariners? (A) Sometimes the flame would go out in the rain.(B) Sound travels farther than light. (C) Sometimes weather makes a light hard to see.(D) Sound seems more like a warning than light does.

11. What can be inferred from paragraph 5 about the Fresnel lens? (A) It required a flame much brighter than most lights produced.(B) The lighthouse at Alexandria probably had a lens similar to one. (C) It was made of highly polished metal.(D) It could boost the brightness of electric lights as well as oil lamps.

The Chaco Phenomenon

About a thousand years ago, small bands of people living in the present-day American Southwest did something no one in that region had ever done before. They converged on a 12-mile-long (15 km) canyon in the desert and built a massive complex of permanent settlements with irrigation. Lasting only a few hundred years, Chaco was the largest of these communities. Others were scattered across the Colorado Plateau. Interestingly, reasons behind the emergence and eventual abandonment of Chaco remain unclear to this day.

At its height, Chaco housed an estimated 15,000 people in eight towns and between 200-350 small villages. A series of roads connected Chaco to dozens of other villages and centers outside the canyon. The largest towns were called “great houses.” On average, they covered three acres (1.2 ha) and consisted of planned four-story complexes with up to 800 rooms as well as plazas and protective walls. Building these massive structures took many years and required wood supplied from distant forests. All of this was done without the use of the wheel or animal power. Why, after such a seemingly monumental undertaking, would the Chacoans abandon the settlements?

One theory posits that Chaco began when Mexican merchants arrived in the region seeking the precious stone, turquoise. If that was the case, then the continued existence of the network of towns and roads could be tied to this external trade in luxury goods. Copper bells and macaw feathers found at Chaco offer convincing evidence of some form of trade with Mexico. Some scholars point to certain Mexican-style architectural features, such as colonnades and rubble core walls, as evidence that some Mexicans resided at Chaco. The fact that the Chacoans did not adopt other, more common Mexican architectural elements and Mexican pottery styles, however, does not support that conclusion.

Evidence suggests that Mexican merchants moved into other turquoise-producing sites as Chaco was in decline, perhaps hastening its abandonment.

Other scholars argue that the trade theory puts too much weight on external influences. It is far from clear that the turquoise trade was so central to the Chaco economy that its disruption would lead to collapse. This second group says that the control of irrigation and of the redistribution of water offer more convincing explanations for Chaco’s rise and fall. They note how irrigation has generally been a principal force in the rise of other ancient civilizations. Scholars observe that the towns were built alongside canyons where streams from summer rains entered the main canyon and provided water for farming. According to this theory, as villages and farming plots spread outward, the Chacoans built irrigation systems to channel water to them. Subsequently, a ruling elite emerged who controlled the distribution of this water. If correct, this would suggest that the relative equality of the early settlers shifted to a hierarchy in which leaders in the main towns ruled over the outer villages. In this case, the towns with the best land and water would have the most food. In times of need, they could share their extra food with friendly villages. This theory would suggest the highest ranking leader or chief lived in the largest town complex. However, the lack of burials at that complex hints that it was occupied by a small number of permanent residents. In addition, there are neither special rooms nor extravagant burial offerings to indicate the presence of a chief or other permanent leadership figures.

The general absence of burials in the canyon has led to a third theory, that the great houses were actually ceremonial centers. Proponents argue that they were built as gathering places for peoples throughout the region. In this view, a small group of permanent residents maintained the centers and storehouses of extra food. Settlers from surrounding villages would travel to the great house on special occasions for ceremonies, after which they would return home. Trade and other forms of exchange would have also been conducted at this time. Support for this theory comes from practices of modern Pueblo people, believed to be the descendants of the Chacoans, some of whom maintain ceremonial centers where dispersed families meet during important ceremonies.

The various investigations into the rise and decline of the Chacoans offer clues as to what life may have been like in this canyon some thousand years ago. However, no single approach presents a completely convincing explanation of why the Chacoans abandoned such monumental structures.

1. According to the passage, all of the following statements about Chaco are correct EXCEPT

(A) The rise and fall of Chaco is not fully understood.(B) Chaco’s inhabitants built roads to connect Chaco to other villages.(C) Chaco was the only large community on the Colorado Plateau.(D) The towns were built without the use of the wheel or animal power.

2. According to paragraph 2, about how many people lived in Chaco at its height? (A) 250-350 (B) 800 (C) 1,000 (D) 15,000

3. According to paragraph 3, why were Mexican merchants interested in Chaco? (A) To trade for irrigation technology (C) As a source for macaw feathers

(B) To trade for pottery (D) As a source of precious stones

4. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage?

(A) The lack of certain Mexican-style objects at Chaco casts doubt on the theory that Mexicans lived there.

(B) The theory that Mexicans resided at Chaco supports the discovery of Mexican-style elements there.

(C) There is evidence that the Chacoans adopted certain Mexican architectural features but not others.

(D) The lack of architecture and pottery with Mexican features supports the theory that the Chacoans were not Mexicans.

5. The word external in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) previous (B) foreign (C) natural (D)

uncontrollable

6. According to paragraph 4, what are the irrigation systems believed to indicate? (A) How water entered the side canyons (C) The creation of complex towns(B) The rise of a class of leaders (D) How food was shared

7. The word extravagant in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) royal (B) deep (C) temporary (D) fancy

8. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 5 about the lack of burials in the canyon?

(A) People living there were buried on mesa tops.(B) Towns in the canyon had few permanent residents. (C) People were buried in rooms of the great houses.(D) Irrigation agriculture could not support a large population.

9. The word they in the passage refers to (A) special occasions (C) permanent residents (B) ceremonies (D) settlers

10. The word dispersed in the passage is closest in meaning to (A) spread throughout an area (C) relating to trade (B) having many sources (D) of native origin

11. Why does the author mention modern Pueblo people? (A) To argue that cultural traditions were exchanged as well as goods(B) To illustrate that the Chacoans still live in the region (C) To give evidence that Chaco remains an important center to this day(D) To support the claim that Chaco was primarily a ceremonial center

III. Read the following text and then choose from the list A-J the best phrase given below to fill each of the spaces. Write one letter (A-J) in the correct box on your answer sheet. Each correct phrase may only be used once. Some of the suggested answers do not fit at all. (14 points)

ENGLISH SPELLINGEnglish was first written down in the 6th century. At that time, writers had to use the twenty-three letters of the Latin alphabet (1)........ J. Because English has sounds that do not exist in Latin, they added letters (2)........ H. This resulted in some irregular spelling. After the Norman invasion of England in 1066, French became the language spoken by the king and other people in positions of power and influence. Many French words were introduced and the spelling of many English words changed (3)........ C. The result was a rich and irregular mix of spellings.

The printing press was invented in the 15th century. Many early printers of English texts spoke other first languages, especially Dutch. They often paid little attention (4)........ G. Sometimes technical decisions were made (5)........ I. To do this, letters were taken off the ends of words and sometimes added to words.

With time, people became used (6)........ B. Fixed spellings were therefore created by the printers’ decisions. Spoken English, however, was not fixed. It continued (7)........ D. It is no wonder that English spelling seems irregular. Words such as although, through and cough, for example, all have the same spelling at the end, but are pronounced differently. Words such as feet, meat and seize, on the other hand, are spelled differently but have the same sound in the middle.

A to have a great influenceB to seeing words spelled in the same way C to follow French patterns D to change, as it still does E to show the spellings F to influence the FrenchG to how English words were spelledH to represent the forty-four sounds of English I to give columns of print straight edges J to write down what they heard

THE BIRTH OF WRITINGEvidence of keeping records dates from around 30,000 years ago, but neither cutting notches in sticks nor the use of pictures could convey a great variety of meanings. Their capabilities were far too restricted for societies that were more and more dependent on detailed and complicated instructions. (1)........ E of the stage of human evolution that has become known as civilization – life based on civis, the Latin word for a dweller. With its development, people were able to extend their influence over much greater areas, and to pass on knowledge from one generation to the next. (2)........ C largely through person-to-person contact. But once population reaches a certain level of complexity, both technological and social, personal contacts are no longer enough. Complexity demands formal, lasting and widely comprehensible written communication. The development of writing enabled people to communicate without speech. (3)........ A over great distances, safe in the knowledge that they did not have to rely on a messenger’s memory. (4)........ D that could be recalled accurately years later. (5)........ F by populations in the future. ‘History’ had arrived. Once invented, the effect of writing was to stimulate the creation of yet greater social complexity. (6)........ G : law, commerce, administration, food production, manufacturing, education and literature.

A Leaders could transmit instructionsB Instructions to people have been considered necessary C Small communities are able to communicate D They could make records of objects, events and thoughts E Writing is one of the main distinguishing marks F The accumulated wisdom of civilization would be understoodG This had implications for every branch of societyH Experts have achieved great success in deciphering ancient scripts I Systems of this kind were normally used

Qua trang beân

- 3 -

IV. Read the article below and then decide which word A, B, C or D best fits each space. Indicate your answers on your answer sheet. (14 points)Driving from Beijing to Paris‘Every journey begins with a single step.’ We might (1)........ this proverb for the 16,000 km Beijing to Paris car rally, and say that every rally begins with a

(2)........ of the wheel. From China, several hundred courageous men and women will (3)........ out for Paris in pursuit of what, for many, is likely to prove an impossible (4)........ . Everybody is prepared for the worst and expects a high drop-out (5)........ , especially on the rally’s difficult first (6)........ across central China and over the high mountain (7)........ of the Himalayas. ‘If twenty-five cars (8)........ it to Paris, we’ll be doing well,’ says Philip Young, the rally organizer.

Now planned as an annual event, the first Beijing-Paris car rally took place in 1907. It was won by Prince Borghese, an Italian adventurer, who crossed the (9)........ line just a few meters (10)........ of the only other car to complete the race. Nowadays, not many people know about Prince Borghese, but at the time his achievement was (11)........ as comparable to that of Marco Polo, who traveled from Venice to China in the thirteenth century.

According to the rules, all the cars in the rally must be more than thirty years old, which means that the (12)........ roads and high altitude are a (13)........ test of both the cars and the drivers. A sense of adventure is essential. One driver said, ‘Our (14)........ is to have a good time, enjoy the experience and the magnificent scenery – and the adventure of a lifetime.

1. (A) adapt (B) moderate (C) improve (D)

form

2. (A) revolution (B) circle (C) rotation (D)

turn

3. (A) head (B) move (C) set (D)

try

4. (A) vision (B) fantasy (C) hope (D)

dream

5. (A) rate (B) number (C) speed (D)

frequency

6. (A) period (B) stage (C) time (D)

round

7. (A) crossings (B) passes (C) directions (D)

passages

8. (A) get (B) take (C) have (D)

make

9. (A) closing (B) final (C) ending (D)

finishing

10.

(A) forward (B) ahead (C) front (D)

advance

11.

(A) thought (B) referred (C) regarded (D)

noted

12.

(A) crude (B) undeveloped

(C) broken (D)

rough

13.

(A) firm (B) strict (C) severe (D)

grave

14.

(A) aim (B) target (C) proposal (D)

intent

Universal wet weekendThe weather across much of the British Isles remained settled last week, with a good (1)........ of sunshine. On Saturday, the lunchtime temperature at Bridlington on the north-east (2)........ of England was 28.2oC, which compared favourably with Alicane in southern Spain 29oC. The (3)........ of the world, however, was coping with some (4)........ conditions. A tropical storm, given the name Helen, hit Hong Kong on Saturday morning, though her presence had been (5)........ in

advance. From noon on Friday, the showers and (6)........ of rain became more and more frequent so that by midnight on Sunday, thirty-six hours (7)........ , there had been 333 mm of rainfall, not far off the (8)........ for the month of August, at 367 mm. Even on Sunday there was a (9)........ in Helen’s tail. The town centre of Shanwei, near Hong Kong, was (10)........ when 468 mm of rain fell in the sixty hours leading up to midday on Sunday, (11)........ twice the normal August rainfall. On the other (12)........ of the globe, tropical storm Gabrielle moved across the Gulf of Mexico and overnight rain (13)........ the usual rainfall for the (14)........ month. Although most of Europe enjoyed sun, the high temperatures were sufficient to set off some (15)........ showers. On Tuesday morning, a thunderstorm at Lyons in eastern France deposited 99 mm of rain in just six hours.

1. (A) extent (B) quantity (C) proportion (D)

deal

2. (A) shore (B) coast (C) sands (D)

beach

3. (A) residue (B) remnant (C) rest (D)

remains

4. (A) extreme (B) extravagant (C) excessive (D)

exaggerated

5. (A) waited (B) found (C) felt (D)

warned

6. (A) outbursts (B) outbreaks (C) outputs (D)

outlets

7. (A) after (B) plus (C) later (D)

more

8. (A) general (B) standard (C) medium (D)

average

9. (A) sting (B) prick (C) stab (D)

poke

10.

(A) drowned (B) flooded (C) immersed (D)

overflowed

11.

(A) only (B) fairly (C) hardly (D)

nearly

12.

(A) section (B) side (C) face (D)

part

13.

(A) overtook (B) exceeded (C) passed (D)

beat

14.

(A) total (B) sole (C) single (D)

whole

15.

(A) huge (B) weighty (C) heavy (D)

strong

Qua trang beân

- 4 -

V. Complete the following article by writing each missing word in the correct box on your answer sheet. Use only one word for each space. (15 points)Central ParkIf you have the chance to take a walk through Central Park in New York, you will get a quick tour of the wide range of cultures and people who live in the city. (1)........ One/A man speeds along on a racing bike singing (2)........ at the top of his voice, (3)........ another dances to the beat of techno music coming from a tape recorder.

Central Park, the first public park built in America, allows for just about (4)........ every/any conceivable leisure activity in a rectangle of just over one and a half square kilometers. But it may (5)........ be that its best use is for the most entertaining sport in New York – people watching. Visitors can have (6)........ no/little better introduction to the diversity of New York than a stroll in this park.

Central Park did not always embrace (7)........ such a variety of human life. Having won a competition for the park’s design in 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux saw the place as an oasis of calm in a disorderly city. The idea (8)........ was to create a place where the upper class citizens of the city could take gentle exercise (9)........ without being disturbed. However, the park authorities never managed to enforce (10)........ a/this/that regime of order. Olmsted (11)........ had been determined to create the illusion of the countryside in the heart of New York. The fact that skyscrapers are now visible (12)........ over/above/beyond/across the tops of the park’s tallest trees (13)........ would certainly have horrified him. But this contrast between country and city landscape is (14)........ what gives the park (15)........ its very own special charm.Blue whalesBlue whales, the world’s largest animals, have (1)........ been sighted again in British waters for the first time in (2)........ at least twenty years. Indications that a population of blue whales was inhabiting the waters west (3)........ of Scotland came for the first time from the United States Navy, (4)........ whose surveillance system picked up the songs of a lot of different whales. American zoologists subsequently identified the blue whale song among (5)........ them/others/these . Now marine biologist, Carol Booker, (6)........ has actually seen a blue whale there herself. She has no doubt about what she saw, because they have distinctive fins which are very small for (7)........ their size. She says, ‘Worldwide they were almost extinct and (8)........ it seemed they had completely vanished from the North Atlantic, so you can imagine how I felt actually seeing (9)........ one ! However, it is certainly (10)........ too soon to say if it is an indication of a population recovery.’ She goes (11)........ on to say, ‘What it does show (12)........ is the importance of this area of the ocean for whales, and (13)........ how essential it is to control pollution of the seas.’

Bigger than (14)........ any dinosaur known to man, blue whales are the largest animals ever to (15)........ have lived on earth. A blue whale is more than six metres long at birth and, (15)........ when/if fully grown, its heart is the same height as a tall man and weighs as much as a horse.

VI. Read the following question and then write a short essay to answer it. The essay should be of at least 300 words. ( 20 points)

What are some of the qualities of a good student? Use specific details and examples to explain your answer.

HEÁT