I. Choose the word with the underlined part pronounced differently from that of the others (5pts)
1. A. kerosene B. tinsel C. pessimism D. mussel
2. A. considerate B. candidate C. associate D. adequate
3. A. scowl B. frown C. sprout D. dough
4. A. bombard B. discard C. mustard D. retard
5. A. intellectual B. situation C. digestion D. Greenwich
II. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other three (5pts)
6. A. mischievous B. miscellaneous C. intimacy D. veterinary
7. A. infamous B. inventory C. negligence D. congenial
8. A. impotent B. ignorant C. admirable D. affidavit
9. A. primate B. asset C. innate D. preface
10. A. monetary B. paralysis C. protagonist D. analogous
PART TWO: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR (60pts)
I. Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences (20pts)
11. You can't believe a word that woman says – she is a _____ liar.
A. dedicated B. devoted C. committed D. compulsive
12. There can be no _____ fixes or magic solutions to the problem of unemployment.
A. fast B speedy C. quick D. sudden
13. When you come down the hill, do drive slowly because it is not _____ obvious where the turning is.
A. immediately B. directly C. instantaneously D. quite
14. At her trial in 1431, Joan of Arc was accused of being in _____ with the devil.
A. cooperation B. association C. league D. conjunction
15. The flights are full at the moment, so you'll have to _____.
A. run a stroke of luck B. get a better luck
C. be down on your luck D. take pot luck
16. I heard ______ that Jack has been dropped from the basketball team.
A. in the woods B. on the grapevine C. under your feet D. on the olive branch
17. Many habitats change ________ the types of plants and animals that live there.
A. with respect to B. in respect for C. as for D. as against
18. Unfortunately some really ill animals have to be _______ by our center.
A. put down B. turned over C. passed away D. taken out
19. John first dabbled _____ buying old maps for his collection.
A. in B. on C. at D. for
20. It's a matter of urgency to put right at once but nothing suitable _____ to mind.
A. returns B. emerges C. sprouts D. springs
21. When my father was a young student, they were taught to memorize information and _____ it for exams. Thankfully, those teaching techniques have become outdated.
A. pinpoint B. dock C. regurgitate D. revise
22. He was arrested for trying to pass _____ notes at the bank.
A. counterfeit B. fake C. camouflaged D. fraudulent
23. Living in the countryside is a far cry from reading about it. It _____. You have to deal with _____ poverty and go through the bad patch.
A. is of crass stupidity/ grueling B. is no mean feat/ grinding
C. goes against the grain/ abject D. dwindles away to nothing/ extreme
24. He had his money _____ in a secure bank account.
A. hammered away at B. jabbered about
C. slaved away D. squirreled away
25. The train service has been a _____ since they introduced the new schedules.
A. shambles B. rumpus C. chaos D. fracas
26. 'The film was pretty bad, wasn't it?' – 'Yes, I think it was _____'.
A. exemplary B. excruciating C. expeditious D. explicit
27. When the forces on an object are balanced, you can say that the object is in _____.
A. collusion B. equilibrium C. collision D. incubation
28. There were a number of strong candidates for the post but Peter's experience _____ the scales in his favor.
A. weighted B. tipped C. balanced D. overturned
29. We are conscious that sleeplessness usually _____ those who are exposed to a great deal of stress, anxiety or depression.
A. betrays B. bestows C. besets D. bemoans
30. I think that the artist's cartoons are usually rather _____________ as they are intended to appeal to a mass number of audiences.
A. lowbrow B. highbrow C. dearly D. impenetrable
II. Fill in each of the numbered blanks with one suitable preposition. (10pts)
31. This soup is too hot to eat. I'll wait for it to cool _____.
32. Tim is seventeen and at the moment he doesn't care very much _____ anything except clothes.
33. Last year Ross was charged _____ a variety of crimes, including assault and car theft.
34. It's a long journey so remember to fill _____ the petrol tank before you go.
35. Luckily, the bomb which went _____ near the bank last Friday didn't kill anyone.
36. A car suddenly pulled _____ in front of me and I couldn't stop in time.
37. Luckily, the rain held _____ so we were able to play the match.
38. I don't think I'll ever rich, but you live _____ hope, don't you?
39. Mr. Deacon next door had a very serious operation. Apparently, it's a miracle he pulled_____.
40. I don't know what happened. I was just sitting at my desk and I suddenly blacked _____ for a few minutes.
III. Write the correct FORM of each bracketed word in the number space provided in the column on the right. (0) has been done as an example (10pts)
Example: 0: willingly
We are the only animal that chooses what it will look like. True, the chameleon changes color- but not (0. WILLING) ________. Unlike us, it doesn't get up in the morning and ask itself, "What shall I look like today?", but we can and do. Indeed, the (41. ANTIQUE) _________ of body decoration points to the conclusion that it is a key factor in our development as the (42. DOMINATE) _________ life-form on our planet. No human society has ever been found where some form of body decoration is not the norm.
By (43. CUSTOM) _________ their physical appearance, our ancestors distanced themselves from the rest of the animal (44. KING) _________. Within each tribe this helped them to mark out differences of role, status and (45. KIN) _________. Our ancestors developed (46. ORDINARY) _________ techniques of body decoration for (47. PRACTICE) _________ reasons. How to show where on tribe ends and another begins? How to memorably underline the (48. SIGNIFY) _________ of that moment when an individual becomes an adult member of society? (49. ARGUE) _________, without the expressive capabilities of such "body language" we would have been (50. FINITE) _________ less successful as a species.
IV. Identify 10 errors in the following passage and correct them (20pts)
Human memory, formerly believed to be rather inefficient, is really more sophisticated than that of a computer. Researchers approaching the problem from a variation of viewpoints have all concluded that there is a great deal more storing in our minds than has been generally supposed. Dr. Wilder Penfield, a Canadian neurosurgery, proved that by stimulating their brains electrically, he can elicit the total recall of specific events in his subjects' lives. Even dreams and another minor events supposedly forgotten for many years suddenly emerged in details. Although the physical basic for memory is not yet understood, one theory is how the fantastic capacity for storage in the brain is the result of an almost unlimited combination of interconnections between brain cell, stimulated by patterns of activity. Repeated references with the same information support recall. In other word, improved performance is the result of strengthening the chemical bonds in the memory.
PART THREE: READING (70pts)
I. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. (15pts)
Reports that the government is about to _____ (61) the go ahead to plans for the building of a new runway at London's Gatwick airport have angered local _____ (62) and raised fears of increased noise and exhaust pollution. The _____ (63) plans also include permission for additional night flights and will _____ (64) the compulsory purchase of farmland, _____ (65) the demolition of a number of private homes. According to sources close to the Ministry of Transport, the government is known to be concerned by the increasing _____ (66) of traffic at London Heathrow, where there are no plans for further runways in the foreseeable _____ (67) Gatwick is widely _____ (68) as a better _____ (69) for expansion than London's third airport, Stansted, which still _____ (70) from poor transport links. A spokesperson for the Keep Gatwick Quiet association, _____ (71) up of local people, accused the government of _____ (72) back on promises made before the General Election. 'We were told then that the airport authority had no _____ (73) of building another runway and we believe that the government has a duty to _____ (74) its pledges. Prominent figures in the government are also believed to be concerned at the news, although the Prime Minister, interviewed last night, is _____ (75) as saying that reports were 'misleading'. However, he would not give an assurance that plans for building a runway had definitely been rejected.
61. A. sign 62. A. inhabitants 63. A. controversial 64. A. involve 65. A. further to 66. A. sum 67. A. years 68. A. regarded 69. A. potential 70. A. affects 71. A. made 72. A. getting 73. A. desire 74. A. bear out 75. A. quoted | B. make B. dwellers B. debatable B. concern B. as well as B. size B. period B. believed B. outlook B. undergoes B. set B. falling B. intention B. count on B. known | C. give C. occupants C. notorious C. assume C. moreover C. volume C. time C. felt C. prospect C. experiences C. brought C. going C. wish C. pull off C. thought | D. approve D. residents D. doubtful D. need D. what's more D. length D. future D. held D. likelihood D. suffers D. taken D. turning D. objective D. stand by D. written |
II. Fill each gap in the passage below with ONE appropriate word. (20pts)
AN ECONOMIC PROBLEM
Inflation is not a new phenomenon, (0) ....but... one that has existed at various times in various places. In _____ (76) severest form; however, hyperinflation can destroy a nation's economy. _____ (77) happened in revolutionary France and Weimar Germany; _____ (78) bundles of notes were needed to pay for a loaf of bread. But what is inflation? Briefly, it may be defined as a continual increase in prices affecting the economy. The rate of inflation is determined _____ (79) changes in the price level, which is an average of all prices. When _____ (80) prices rise while others fall, this will not necessarily affect the price level, as inflation occurs _____ (81) if most major prices increase. The problem with inflation is that it reduces the value of purchasing power of money, as well as eroding people's savings. Wage increases which are below or equal _____ (82) the level of inflation will result in a declining or static _____ (83) of living for workers, while wage increases above the rate of inflation will merely stoke the fire for further inflation. So what can a government do to stop the process? It can increase taxes, raise interest rates, decrease the money supply, reduce government spending or set a ceiling _____ (84) price and wage rises. Why none of these is a popular measure is understandable, but if they reduce inflation _____ (85) a mild two to four percent per annum, as opposed to allowing it to rise to double-digit severe inflation, it is preferable in the long run.
Đề thi chọn học sinh giỏi cấp tỉnh môn Tiếng Anh lớp 12 Sở GD-ĐT Thanh Hóa
PART A: PHONETICS (5pts)
Question I: Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the rest in the same line. (2pts)
1. A. famous B. nervous C. favourite D. mountain
2. A. through B. enough C. rough D. tough
Question II: Find the word with the stress pattern different from that of the other three words in each question. (3pts)
3. A. passion B. encourage C. occasion D. depend
4. A. participant B. publicity C. competitive D. Individual
5. A. limitation B. documentary C. government D. interactive
PART B: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR (45pts)
Question I: Choose the most suitable word or phrase to complete each sentence. (15pts)
6. ..............1915 that the cinema really became an industry.
A. It is not until B. It was not until C. Not until D. Until in
7. I really appreciate________ to help me, but I am sure I'll be able to manage by myself.
A. you to offer B. you are offering C. your offering D. that you offer
8. My friend's uncle has been________ MP ( Member of Parliament) for five years.
A. a B. an C. the D. Ø
9. - Daisy: "What a lovely house you have!" - Mary: "............."
A. Lovely, I think so B. No problem
C. Of course not, it's not costly D. Thank you. Hope you will drop in
10. My new glasses cost me _______ the last pair I bought last month.
A. more than three times C. more three times than
B. three times as much as D. as much three times as
11. We bought some ________.
A. German lovely old glasses B. German old lovely glasses
C. lovely old German glasses D. old lovely German glasses
12. After years of neglect, there was a huge _____ program to return the city to its former glory.
A. restoration B. preservation C. conservation D. Refurbishment
13. We all have to follow the rules, and none of us is_____ the law.
A. beyond B. over C. above D. Onto
14. On the_____, optimists believe that life will be much better than it is today.
A. contrary B. contrast C. opposition D. opponent
15. You had your house decorated, .............. ?
A. hadn't you B. didn't you C. weren't you D. haven't you
16. A part – time job gives me the freedom to ............ my own interests.
A. pursue B. chase C. seek D. catch
17. The type of plant and animal life living in and around a pond depends on the soil of the pond, .............., and the pond's location.
A. what the quality of the water is B. how is the water quality
C. the quality of water D. what is the water quality
18. __________ its accuracy, laser is very useful in medicine.
A. In view of B. As a result of C. Thanks to D. Despite
19.______ for their strong fiber include flax and hemp.
A. Plants are grown B. Plants grown
C. Plants that grow D. To grow plants
20. ______ appears considerably larger at the horizon than it does overhead is merely an optical illusion.
A. What the Moon B.The Moon which
C. When the Moon D. That the Moon
