Đề thi chọn học sinh giỏi lớp 12 THPT môn Tiếng Anh - Năm học 2014-2015 - Sở GD&ĐT Ninh Bình (Đề 2) (Có đáp án)

 it bought Next. Apple was in bad shape then. Jobs helped turn it into one of the most valuable companies in the world today.
Steve Wozniak, speaking on CNN, talked about his longtime friend as a "great leader" and a "marketing(7) ."
President Obama said that Steve Jobs made computers personal, and that he put the Internet in our (8) . Obama said that he made the information (9) accessible and fun."
Steve Jobs (10) down as Apple's chief executive in August because of his health.
Your answers: 
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II. Part 2: Listen to a recording and answer the following questions. 
Questions 11 – 15. Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR NUMBERS for each answer.
11. According to Mr. Singh, on which thing do many people make superficial observations?
12. According to Mr. Singh, how do cultures change?
13. How many children does Mr. Singh have?
14. According to Mr. Singh, what are young Indians not concerned about?
15. According to Mr. Singh, what great advantage do young Indians have?
Your answers: 
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Questions 16 – 20. Complete the following sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap.
16. According to Mr. Singh, the biggest problem for young Indians is that their parents  them too much at school.
17.  is becoming more widely available to people in India.
18. Mr. Singh believes that the best way to be successful is to be . 
19. Mr. Singh believes that Western methods plus the  are an excellent mix.
20. Mr. Singh says his generation could only dream, but the new one can , too.
Your answers: 
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III. Part 3: Listen to a recording and circle the correct answer (A, B, C or D). 
21. Onions have .sizes, shapes, colors and flavors.
	A. the same	B. few	C. only one	D. a variety of 
22. Onions’ life cycle is two years long but they are usually picked ..
	A. when they are two years old	
	B. in the first two months	
	C. a year before their maximum age
	D. when they are old	
23. In different climates, onions need .length of daylight to develop bulbs.
	A. the same	B. different	C. no	D. a lot of
24. According to Barbara Fick, sets make onions grow in a . time.
	A. longer	B. fixed	C. medium	D. shorter
25. We can .onion for months.
	A. grow	B. keep	C. sell	D. stuff
26. It is .to make sure that the leaves are dry and nice.
	A. possible	 	B. impossible	 	C. not easy	 	D. very difficult
27. After dried in the sun for a day or so, the onions are brought out of direct sun for ..
	A. ten days	 	B. a month	 	C. over three weeks 	D. over a fortnight
28. The sheet will help the bulbs.
	A. to be heated	B. not to be dry	C. not to be heated 	D. to be clean
29. The bulbs.
	A. shouldn't be turned over for a while	B. should be turned over for a while
	C. keep the same position all the time	D. don’t need turning over
30. According to Editors at the National Gardening Association, the fact that we can keep onions well or not.
	A. doesn’t depend how well they are cured
	B. depends on how well they are cured
	C. depends on how long they are
	D. doesn't depend on how they are processed
Your answers: 
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PART B: LEXICO – GRAMMAR. (6,0 points)
I. Choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) to complete each of the sentences: (1,0 point)
1. After the meeting, the staff went back to their . offices. 
	A. prospective 	B. respective 	C. respected 	D. perspective
2. This man is so arrogant that he is completely .to all criticism. 
	A. impervious 	B. unaware 	C. regardless 	D. unconscious
3. Well, I’m sorry, that’s all I can offer you. .. 
	A. Take it or forget it	B. Get it or forget it	
	C. Take it or leave it	D. Leave it or take it
4. His English was roughly . with my Greek, so communication was rather difficult!
	A. level	B. on a par	C. equal	D. in tune 
5. Although the Moon appears., it reflects on average only 7 percent of the light that falls on it. 
	A. bright to the eye	B. brightly to the eye 	
	C. bright in the eye	D. brightly in the eye
6. He’s on his own now – he’ll have to .his own canoe!
	A. row	B. steer	C. paddle	D. ride 
7. In the last century, it was widely . that Indian fakirs were capable of superhuman feasts. 
	A. held	B. grasped	C. kept	D. shaken
8. We may win, we may lose – it’s just the .of the draw!
	A. strike	B. odds	C. chance	D. luck
9. Claims for compensation could . run into billions of pounds.
	A. far	B. much	C. well	D. most
10. He’ll never be able to come .with his failure to win the tournament.
	A. down	B. round	C. to terms 	D. up 
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II. Fill in the blanks with suitable preposition(s) or adverb(s). (1,0 point)
1. Once he has signed the agreement, he won't be able to back .the scheme.
2. That chair is not very strong. Do you think it is .your weight?
3. I wish you wouldn’t fly .me like that every time I make a mistake. 
4. The unforeseen expense on the new house ate.my savings but it was worth it.
5. We’ll have to organize a union meeting if we want to head .a strike.
6. Violence flared . and a lot of people were injured.
7. The changes were phased . gradually so that everyone could get used to them.
8. Many frozen foods are deficient.vitamins.
9. They say that there is an exception .every rule.
10. Breaking his leg a second time put Peter’s football career . jeopardy.
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III. Give the correct form of the words in brackets. (2,0 points) 
	The advances made by humans have made us the (1. DOMINATE) species on our planet. However, several eminent scientists are concerned that we have become too successful, that our way of life is putting an (2. PRECEDE) strain on the Earth's ecosystems and threatening our future as a species. We are confronting environmental problems that are more taxing than ever before, some of them seemingly (3. SOLVE). Many of the Earth's crises are (4. PERSIST) and inexorably linked. Pollution is an obvious example of this affecting our air, water and soil.
	The air is polluted by emissions produced by cars and industry. Through acid rain and greenhouse gases these same exhaust fumes can have a devastating impact on our climate. Climate change is (5. ARGUE) the greatest environmental challenge facing our planet with increased storms, floods, drought and species losses predicted. This will inevitably have a negative impact on (6. DIVERSIFY) and thus our ecosystem.
	The soil is contaminated by factories and power stations which can leave heavy metals in the soil. Other human activities such as the (7. DEVELOP) of land and the clearing of trees also take their toll on the quality of our soil; deforestation has been shown to cause soil erosion. Certain farming practices can also pollute the land though the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. This contamination in turn affects our rivers and waterways and damages life there. The chemicals enter our food chain, moving from fish to mammals to us. Our crops are also grown on land that is far from (8. SPOIL). Affected species include the polar bear, so not even the Arctic is immune. 
Reducing waste and clearing up pollution costs money. Yet it is our quest for wealth that generates so much of the refuse. There is an urgent need to find a way of life that is less damaging to the Earth. This is not easy, but it is vital, because pollution is (9. PERVADE) and often life-(10. THREAT).
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IV. The passage below contains TEN mistakes. Underline them and write the correct forms in the numbered boxes. (2,0 points)
	Crime prevention is as crucially in the workplace as it is in the home or neighborhood. Reducing crime is as much a part of good management as prompt delivery, good staff relations, and other acceptable management functions. Losses from shops through shoplifting are extremely high, and ultimately, those losses are payment for by all of us in high prices. There are many opportunities for shopkeepers themselves to reduce shoplifting. As with all type of crime, prevention is better than cure. The best deterrent is the present of staff properly trained in how to identify potential shoplifters. There are also many secure devices now available. Video camera surveillance is a popular system, even with quite small retailers. In clothes shopping, magnetic tag marking systems that set off an alarm if they are taken out of the shop have proved their worthless. However, there are many simpler measures that retailers should consider. Better lighting and ceiling-hung mirrors can help staff to watch all parts of the display area. Similarly, simply arrangement shelves and display units to allow clear fields of visible is a good deterrent. 
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PART C: READING COMPREHENSION. (4,0 points)
I. Read the passage and fill in each numbered blank with ONE suitable word. (1,0 point)
Education was not formally integrated into the Europe Union policy portfolio until the 1993 Maastricht Treaty, although the first Community legislation with an impact on the education sector was adopted as long ago as the 1960s. These early laws (1) . with mutual recognition of qualifications. Achieving recognition by one member state of a qualification obtained in another was an important pre-condition for implementing the free movement of workers.
	Citizens of EU countries who are students now enjoy the same rights of (2) . to higher education in all member states (3) . they do in their home country, (4) . that they have the relevant qualifications for entry. Growing numbers of student exchange activities have been developed, of (5) . the oldest and most famous is the 1987 Erasmus program. (6) . recognizing course credits, Erasmus allows university students to study for one year in a different member state. A separate program, Leonardo, gives young school leavers, students and graduates the (7) . to receive vocational training.
	Few EU initiatives enjoy (8) . wholehearted and widespread political support as these higher education programs. They key issue for future initiatives is to build on this success (9) . being overambitious. (10) ., these programs are becoming increasingly expensive, and this is now the primary focus of concern.
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II. Read the article about the British press. Five extracts have been removed from the text. Put an extract from A-F in the correct gap 1-5 to complete the text. There is one extract you're not going to need. (1 point)
	Newspapers have existed in Britain since 1621. But for over 300 years they were written and read by only a tiny minority. (1) . The Daily Mail, which is still running today, was the mother of the modern tabloid, and the beginning of a whole new subculture in the British press. Today more than twice as many tabloids are sold than the so-called 'quality press' titles such as The Times or The Guardian.
	Originally, the word tabloid referred to the size and format. Tabloid papers were smaller and handier than normal newspapers, known as broadsheets. But today, for most people, the word tabloid has nothing to do with shape and size. What makes a tabloid a tabloid is content, and above all, style. The tabloids follow a special formula: they report the news, sure, but only certain kinds. (2) . Scandals, murders and disasters all are described in detail, but the details of political and economic life just don't appear. Tabloids dedicate most of their pages to stories about celebrities. (3) . However, the tabloids are not simply an irritation for celebrities; they are also a vehicle for self-promotion, a means of gaining popularity.
	Though they have millions of devoted readers, tabloids are also widely criticised in Britain. They are accused of being sensationalist, hypocritical, in bad taste, and of having no ethical standards in their reporting methods. (4) . Their 'research' methods are totally unethical. They will tap people's phones, follow them on holiday, and even break into their houses in order to get a story. (5) . As a consequence of this attitude, many people believe that it was the tabloids, and the paparazzi, which caused the tragic death of Princess Diana.
	So why on earth does Britain, which has access to the best press agencies and the highest journalistic standards, consume tabloids like chocolate? Maybe the reason is that we have enough news on the television, the radio and in the quality newspapers. Tabloids are not actually about news at all; tabloids are just about gossip. And we all know that when it comes to gossip, what matters is not what is true or what is kind, but what is entertaining and what is funny. The more in bad taste a story is, the funnier it seems. And bad taste is what the British tabloids have made into an art.
A. When criticised for their actions, the tabloids state that the public has a right to know about 
 anything and everything, but celebrities have no rights to privacy at all.
B. You won't find anything on changes in the stock market, but you can be sure to read if the prime 
 minister's wife has a lover.
C. But the content is only half the story. The real key to the tabloid newspaper is the style.
D. When, in 1896, a new newspaper was produced in large numbers and at such low prices that 
 ordinary people could buy it on every street corner, it was an instant success.
E. And it's enough to take a quick glance through a tabloid to see that many of these accusations are 
 justified.
F. This involves photographing them in embarrassing situations, gossiping about their private lives 
 and generally making them look a bit silly.
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III. Read the text and complete the summary of the writer’s opinion on a classical education. Use ONE word only from the text to complete each blank space. You must use each word once only. (2,0 points)
	Classical and modern
	In the United Kingdom at university level, the decline in the study of Latin and Greek, the classics, has been reversed. As a result of renewed interest in reading classical literature and history, more and more students are enrolling on classical studies courses. The purists may deplore this development - 'it is yet another example of the 'dumping down' of tertiary education with students studying classical literature and history in English rather than the original languages'. And, I must admit, they do have a point. But the situation is surely not as dire as the ultimate demise of classics as an intellectual discipline. 
	A classical education is a boon and should be encouraged. But, before looking at the advantages of studying the classics, which appear, incidentally, more indirect and less tangible than other disciplines, let us examine the criticisms that are often leveled against studying Latin and Greek. 
	The decline in the teaching of classics 
	The 60s with their trendy ideas in education are blamed for the steady decline in studying the classics. But the rot had set in much earlier, when Latin and Greek were no longer required for university entrance. With the introduction of the National Curriculum in secondary schools came the biggest blow. Schools came under pressure to devote more time to core subjects like English, mathematics, the sciences, history and geography. This left scant room for the more 'peripheral' subject areas like the classics. There was a further squeeze with the rush into teaching IT and computing skills. As schools could no longer choose what they wanted to teach, so subjects like the classics were further marginalized. Take Latin as an example. In 1997, 11,694 pupils took Latin GCSE, while, in 1988, the number was 17,000. Comprehensive schools now supply 40% fewer Latin candidates, whereas grammar schools have seen a 20% decline. Latin candidates from Independent schools have fallen by only 5%. As a consequence, classics has been relegated to the 'better' grammar or comprehensive schools, and the minor and great public schools. Only one third of Latin GCSE entries come from the state sector. It can, therefore, be of no surprise to anyone when the pursuit of a classical education is severely criticised as elitist. 
	Tainted by this misconception, the classics are then further damned as being irrelevant in the modern world. Having been pushed into such a tight comer, it is difficult to fight free. A classical education is so unlike, say, business studies or accountancy where young people can go directly into a profession and find a job easily. For classicists, this is not an option. Other than teaching, there is no particular professional direction after leaving university. And, with the pressure in the present climate to have a job, it is less easy than previously for young people to resist the pressure from the world outside academia, and from their families, to study something else that will make them money. The relevancy argument is a hard nut to crack. 
	The pertinence of a classical education 
	Latin and Greek have been damned as dead languages that offer us nothing. The response to this criticism is, in fact, straightforward. Most European languages are a development of the classical continuation. And so having even a rudimentary knowledge prepares pupils for understanding other modern European languages. As for pertinence in the modem world, learning Latin and Greek are highly relevant. The study of these languages, develops analytical skills that have to a large extent, been lost. They teach discipline and thinking and open up the whole of Western civilization just as the discovery of the classical world did during the Renaissance.
	Latin has also been called food for the brain. It gives students a grounding in the allusions in much of European literature and thought. Modern writers do not use these allusions themselves, first, because they do not know them, and, second, because their audience does not know them either. Sadly, most people no longer have the ability to interpret the allusions in art and the same has happened with the classics vis-à-vis literature. 
	The danger to Western and world culture is great if the classical tradition is lost. The spiral of decline is not just restricted to the United Kingdom. Other European countries face the same loss to their heritage. If we abandon the classics, we will not be able to interpret our past and to know where we have come from. A common refrain in modem society is the lack of thinking ability among even the best graduates. They enter work, perhaps as bright as any of their predecessors. But without the necessary skills they run around trying to reinvent the wheel. As Ecclesiastes says: nihil novum sub sole est. 
	But help is at hand. Concerned by the fact that fewer and fewer teenagers have access to a range of foreign languages, the government is harnessing the power of the Internet to introduce a distance-learning programme, where pupils will study Latin and other minority languages at their own pace. Initially piloted in 60 schools from autumn 2000, the internet-based courses will enable pupils to access advice from specialists by e-mail.
	Summary
	Latin and Greek are known as the classic. The writer considers a classical education to be a (1) .. He believes that, in secondary school, the teaching of classics has been (2) . by the introduction of the National Curriculum. This has further led to the studying of the classics being attacked as (3) .. In addition, studying Latin and Greek, is wrongly (4) . as being (5) ., because classicists have no specific (6) . route to follow. As young people are pressured to make money, the writer feels that the relevancy (8) . is difficult to counter.
In spite of the criticisms leveled at a classical education, the writer feels that learning Latin and Greek is of high (9) ..