UBND TỈNH BẮC NINH ĐỀ THI CHỌN ĐỘI TUYỂN

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO DỰ THI HSG QUỐC GIA THPT NĂM 2019
Môn thi: Tiếng Anh
ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC Thời gian: 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)
Ngày thi: 04 tháng 10 năm 2018

Điểm bài thi Giám khảo 1 Giám khảo 2 Số phách

Bằng số: Họ tên: Họ tên:

Bằng chữ: Chữ ký: Chữ ký:

* Ghi chú: - Đề thi gồm 15 trang. Thí sinh làm bài trực tiếp vào đề thi.
- Thí sinh không được sử dụng từ điển. Giám thị coi thi không giải thích gì thêm.

SECTION I: LISTENING (50 points)

HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI NGHE HIỂU
 Bài nghe gồm 4 phần, mỗi phần được nghe 2 lần, mở đầu và kết thúc mỗi phần nghe có tín hiệu.
 Mở đầu và kết thúc bài nghe có tín hiệu nhạc. Thí sinh có 30 giây để kiểm tra lại bài trước khi
tín hiệu nhạc kết thúc bài nghe.
 Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh (bằng tiếng Anh) đã có trong bài nghe.

Part 1: For questions 1-5, listen to a lecture about population growth and decide whether these
statements are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F). (10 points)
1. Birth rate is the average number of children born in a year, per thousand people.
2. Fertility rate in UK was first reported to have been so high in 2008.
3. Fertility rate in the UK is higher than it was twenty years ago because a higher proportion of women
are having children.
4. 10% of women in their mid-forties do not have children nowadays.
5. Fertility rates are low partly because parents do not have time to have children.

Your answers
1. T 2. F 3. F 4. F 5. T

Part 2: For questions 6–13, listen to a piece of news about three countries with the best healthcare
and fill in the gaps using NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS OR A NUMBER for each. (16 points)
Higher quality care, with higher life expectancy and lower rates of disease are often (6)
_______paid much less_____________ by citizens in the rest of the world.
Spain was one of the top three ranking countries in the world with $ (7)
____________260_________________ roughly spent on each person. In its (8) “____single
payer_____” system, most citizens see no out-of-pocket expenses when they visit public hospitals.
Unlike Spain, only 1,6 % of (9) _____Singapore’s GDP_________________________ goes
towards healthcare costs. In addition, there is Medicare system – a (10) _____Medi-save_______,
where 9% of employee salaries are required to be deducted and set aside for personal or family care.
Both (11) ____private and public care__________________________ are used in the
autonomous territory of Hong Kong. However, private hospitals are reportedly speedy but very
expensive.
While these three countries get the most (12) _____bands for their buck____________________,
applying worldwide is difficult.
By comparison, that the United States is enormous, with a population of over 320 million makes
(13) _________single parent healthcare_________ harder to implement without serious complications.
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Part 3: For questions 14–18, listen to a radio interview in which a naval officer called Peter Martin
is talking about his own experience and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits best
according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10
points)
14. What made Peter first decide to join the navy?
A. He liked the idea of being able to travel.
B. He thought it would impress people at home.
C. He believed he could get promoted more quickly.
D. He felt he had wasted his time when he was younger.
15. What effect did Peter’s upbringing have on his suitability for the navy?
A. He found it difficult to take orders at first.
B. He was often too competitive during training sessions.
C. He experienced few problems adapting to the lifestyle.
D. He was challenged by the hard physical exercise required.
16. According to Peter, how can recent school leavers do well in the navy?
A. by accepting that their social life is of secondary importance
B. by recognizing that the navy can offer a long- term career
C. by learning to take responsibility for themselves
D. by delaying entry into the navy until they are older
17. For Peter, what is the most rewarding part of a trip back to his hometown?
A. Receiving respect from people he went to school with.
B. Experiencing a sense of pride in his achievements.
C. Relating his experiences to younger members of the community.
D. Hearing that other people have followed his example.
18. According to Peter, what advantage does a previous naval career give job seekers?
A. A sense of confidence in their own ability.
B. The discipline for later academic study.
C. The determination to succeed in their work.
D. Experience which can be transferred to other fields.

Your answers
14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

Part 4: For questions 19–25, listen to radio news about the structure used to remove Garbage Patch.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording for each answer in the spaces
provided. Write your answers in the space provided. (14 points)
19. Boyan Slat, a young inventor and entrepreneur, came up with the idea of using floating booms
_________to crowd____________________________ the trash before bringing it to shore.
20. The structure will be deeper than ever before and will be further away from land
_______________times ten_________________________ than the world's most remote oil rig.
21. Slat believes that the technology is what's required to _________scale up____________________
and remove the ocean’s plastic.
22. Since there are no coastlines, which are effective ways of catching plastic, the idea is
________________to deploy________________ a fleet of artificial coastlines.
23. Pac- Man looks like __________giant barrier__________________________, which is capable of
gathering the plastic before we take it out.
24. The structure is designed to be inherently safe for marine life so there is little likelihood that any
sea life can ________get entangled with_____________________________.
25. According to Slat, either ________doubts______________ or
_______disbeliefs________________ they have come in for recently is something justified.

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SECTION II: LEXICO-GRAMMAR (20 points)
Part 1: For question 26-40, choose the best answers (A, B, C or D) to complete each of the following
questions and write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)
26. He’d better take the doctor’s advice into consideration since he’s in ______ earnest about the
epidemic.
A. mortally B. fatally C. deadly D. gravely
27. Terry ______ into a rage when he saw that somebody had scratched the bonnet of his brand new
Jaguar.
A. flew B. rose C. ran D. went
28. Hoping to won a prize for the best costume, Tim dressed ______ with bright red suspenders and a
purple tie.
A. eminently B. virtuously C. conspicuously D. obscurely
29. Her rapport with everyone in the office ______ the kind of interpersonal skills that all the
employees appreciated.
A. prevailed B. diverged C. varied D. exemplified
30. The case for an increase in spending on education has been proved beyond the ______ of a doubt.
A. shadow B. hesitation C. suspicion D. shade
31. That old house hasn't been lived in for nearly thirty years, hence it looks so ______ .
A. decrepit B. trashed C. rotten D. derelict
32. I have been back to the doctor three times and he still hasn't ______ the reason for all the pain I
have been suffering from recently.
A. pinpointed B. indicated C. highlighted D. looked up
33. We were all in ______ of the fact that the new manager was our old friend Duncan.
A. surprise B. shock C. awe D. amazement
34. To get his proposal accepted, the Finance Manager had to ______ heavy pressure from colleagues.
A. laugh about B. fend off C. send away D. rose up
35. When several companies showed interest in buying the film rights to his novel, he knew he had
______.
A. upped the ante B. scooped the bag C. caught the fat one D. hit the jackpot
36. His opponent called him a traitor, which really ______ his patriotism.
A. cast aspersions on B. dumped asperity on C. hurled insults D. drew integrity from
37. There is a great deal of pressure in the newspaper industry; editor might work a 12-hour day with
no ______.
A. come-down B. letdown C. crackdown D. let-up
38. While backpacking in a quiet, traditional region, I came across the seemingly ______ fast food ads
typical of my hometown.
A. capricious B. elevating C. irritating D. ubiquitous
39. Little did I imagine The Amazing Race would entail long-winded journey and ups and downs
______.
A. aplenty B. inexhaustibly C. profusely D. superabundant
40. The rumor that his job was in jeopardy caused Pete to ______ with concern.
A. frown B. beam C. grimace D. howl

Your answers:
26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.
34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

Part 2: For questions 41 – 45, write the correct form of each given word in corresponding numbered
box. (5 points)
Cacti have enjoyed an (41. ENDURE) ________ popularity among gardeners spanning
several centuries. Perhaps this is due in part to their unusual appearance: more often than not, they
consist of swollen stems covered in spines. Unlike other plants, cacti can squat in their pots, apparently
in (42. SUSPEND) ________ animation, for months, showing little sign of growth and development;
then suddenly, their flowers will burst forth, dazzling observers with their gloriously vibrant colours.

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Added to this is the fact that they come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and forms, so many
gardeners, myself included, find themselves irresistibly drawn to these extraordinary plants.
You do not have to be an expert to grow cacti, and the (43. INITIATE) ________ needn’t be
concerned about cultivating them because they are among the easiest of plants to care for. Their
requirements are simple and few. Plenty of light, a little compost and occasional watering will keep
them happy and healthy. Also, their hardy constitution enables them to withstand harsh (44.
CLIMATIZE) ________ conditions in the wild. So should you neglect to water them, they are
unlikely to object. For this reason, I recommend them to the young enthusiasts who ask me about
starting their own (45. WINDOW) ________ gardens.

Your answers:
41. enduring 42. unsuspended 43. initiators
44. climate 45. window - shopping

SECTION III: READING (50 points)

Part 1: For questions 46 - 55, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 points)
FOOD FOR A FUTURE
John Wynne-Tyson was an original thinker whose best-known book ‘Food for a Future’ was
published in 1975. In this classic work, a case was (46) _____ forward for what can only be described
as a more responsible and humane attitude (47) _____ the world’s food resources. It had gradually (48)
_____ clear to Wynne-Tyson that the economics and ecology of meat production did not (49) _____
sense. What justification was there, he argued, for using seven tonnes of cereal to (50) _____ one
tonne of meat?
Even today, the book’s succinct style makes it compulsively readable (51) _____ his approach
is basically an emotional one. Wynne-Tyson goes to great lengths to back (52) _____ every statement
with considerable supporting evidence and statistical data. Thus, even (53) _____ of us who are widely
read on this subject of vegetarianism will gain fresh insights (54) _____ this book. It is generally
agreed that his most skillful achievement is the slow revelation of his main thesis (55) _____ the
arguments unfold.

Your answers:
46. put 47. towards 48. been 49. make 50. replace

51.as 52. up 53. many 54. into 55. on

Part 2: For questions 56- 66, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow (11 points)
Since the dawn of human ingenuity, people have devised ever more cunning tools to cope with work
that is dangerous, boring, onerous, or just plain nasty. That compulsion has culminated in robotics -
the science of conferring various human capabilities on machines.
A. The modern world is increasingly populated by quasi-intelligent gizmos whose presence we barely
notice but whose creeping ubiquity has removed much human drudgery. Our factories hum to the
rhythm of robot assembly arms. Our banking is done at automated teller terminals that thank us
with rote politeness for the transaction. Our subway trains are controlled by tireless robot-drivers.
Our mine shafts are dug by automated moles, and our nuclear accidents - such as those at Three
Mile Island and Chernobyl - are cleaned up by robotic muckers fit to withstand radiation. Such is
the scope of uses envisioned by Karel Capek, the Czech playwright who coined the term 'robot' in
1920 (the word 'robota' means 'forced labor' in Czech). As progress accelerates, the experimental
becomes the exploitable at record pace.
B. Other innovations promise to extend the abilities of human operators. Thanks to the incessant
miniaturization of electronics and micromechanics, there are already robot systems that can
perform some kinds of brain and bone surgery with sub millimeter accuracy - far greater precision

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 than highly skilled physicians can achieve with their hands alone. At the same time, techniques of
long-distance control will keep people even farther from hazard. In 1994 a ten-foot-tall NASA
robotic explorer called Dante, with video-camera eyes and with spiderlike legs, scrambled over the
menacing rim of an Alaskan volcano while technicians 2,000 miles away in California watched the
scene by satellite and controlled Dante's descent.
C. But if robots are to reach the next stage of labor-saving utility, they will have to operate with less
human supervision and be able to make at least a few decisions for themselves - goals that pose a
formidable challenge, 'while we know how to tell a robot to handle a specific error,' says one
expert, we can't yet give a robot enough common sense to reliably interact with a dynamic world.'
Indeed the quest for true artificial intelligence (AI) has produced very mixed results. Despite a
spasm of initial optimism in the 1960s and 1970s, when it appeared that transistor circuits and
microprocessors might be able to perform in the same way as the human brain by the 21 st century,
researchers lately have extended their forecasts by decades if not centuries.
D. What they found, in attempting to model thought, is that the human brain's roughly one hundred
billion neurons are much more talented - and human perception far more complicated - than
previously imagined. They have built robots that can recognize the misalignment of a machine
panel by a fraction of a millimeter in a controlled factory environment. But the human mind can
glimpse a rapidly changing scene and immediately disregard the 98 per cent that is irrelevant,
instantaneously focusing on the woodchuck at the side of a winding forest road or the single
suspicious face in a tumultuous crowd. The most advanced computer systems on Earth can't
approach that kind of ability, and neuroscientists still don't know quite how we do it.
E. Nonetheless, as information theorists, neuroscientists, and computer experts pool their talents, they
are finding ways to get some lifelike intelligence from robots. One method renounces the linear,
logical structure of conventional electronic circuits in favor of the messy, ad hoc arrangement of a
real brain's neurons. These 'neural networks' do not have to be programmed. They can 'teach'
themselves by a system of feedback signals that reinforce electrical pathways that produced correct
responses and, conversely, wipe out connections that produced errors. Eventually the net wires
itself into a system that can pronounce certain words or distinguish certain shapes.
F. In other areas researchers are struggling to fashion a more natural relationship between people and
robots in the expectation that some days machines will take on some tasks now done by humans in,
say, nursing homes. This is particularly important in Japan, where the percentage of elderly
citizens is rapidly increasing. So experiments at the Science University of Tokyo have created a
'face robot' - a life-size, soft plastic model of a female head with a video camera imbedded in the
left eye - as a prototype. The researchers' goal is to create robots that people feel comfortable
around. They are concentrating on the face because they believe facial expressions are the most
important way to transfer emotional messages. We read those messages by interpreting expressions
to decide whether a person is happy, frightened, angry, or nervous. Thus the Japanese robot is
designed to detect emotions in the person it is 'looking at' by sensing changes in the spatial
arrangement of the person's eyes, nose, eyebrows, and mouth. It compares those configurations
with a database of standard facial expressions and guesses the emotion. The robot then uses an
ensemble of tiny pressure pads to adjust its plastic face into an appropriate emotional response.
G. Other labs are taking a different approach, one that doesn’t try to mimic human intelligence or
emotions. Just as computer design has moved away from one central mainframe in favour of
myriad individual workstations - and single processors have been replaced by arrays of smaller
units that break a big problem into parts that are solved simultaneously - many experts are now
investigating whether swarms of semi-smart robots can generate a collective intelligence that is
greater than the sum of its parts. That’s what beehives and ant colonies do, and several teams are
betting that legions of mini-critters working together like an ant colony could be sent to explore the
climate of planets or to inspect pipes in dangerous industrial situations.

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For questions 56- 62, choose the correct heading for paragraphs A- G. There are three extra
headings that you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding space provided.

List of headings
i. Some success has resulted from observing how the brain functions.
ii. Are we expecting too much from one robot?
iii. Scientists are examining the humanistic possibilities.
iv. There are judgments that robots cannot make.
v. Has the power of robots become too great?
vi. Human skills have been heightened with the help of robotics.
vii. There are some things we prefer the brain to control.
viii. Robots have quietly infiltrated our lives.
ix. Original predictions have been revised.
x. Another approach meets the same result.
56. Paragraph A: ___viii___
57. Paragraph B: ___vi___
58. Paragraph C: __ix____
59. Paragraph D: __iv____
60. Paragraph E: __iii____
61. Paragraph F: __ii____
62. Paragraph G: ___x___

For questions 63- 66, complete the summary below with words taken from the passage. Use NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
In coping with that the number of (63) ____________ is on the rise, the Science University of Tokyo
has come up with a novel genre of robot. The prototype of the Japanese “face robot” observes humans
through a (64) ____________ which is planted in its head. It then refers to a (65) ____________ of
typical “looks” that the human face can have, to decide what emotion the person is feeling. To respond
to this expression, the robot alters its own expression using a number of (66) ____________.

Your answers:
56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61.

62. 63.elderly 64.video 65. database 66.tiny

citizens camera pressure pads

Part 3: You are going to read a newspaper article. Seven paragraphs have been removed from the
extract. For questions 67-72, choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap. There is
one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. Write your answers on the space provided. (7
points)
RAINMAKER WITH HIS HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
Critics dismissed Graeme Mather’s attempts to make clouds rain. But now recent experiments
appear to have vindicated him. Anjana Ahuya reports.
Dr Graeme Mather lived his life with his head in the clouds, as a documentary film to be shown
this week shows. Against the advice of almost everybody else in the meteorological community, the
Canadian scientist devoted his professional life to trying to make clouds rain.
67
Before Dr Mather became involved, the science of weather modification had already claimed many
reputations. The idea that clouds could be manipulated first circulated in the 1940s, and efforts
gathered pace soon after the Second World War.
68

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 However, the entire discipline fell into disrepute when commercial companies hijacked the idea,
took it around the world, and then failed to deliver on their promises. Cloud-seeding, as the process
was known, became the preserve of crackpots and charlatants.
69
Scientists theorized that if they could inject the cloud with similarly shaped crystals, these imposter
crystals would also act as frames around which droplets would clump. The cloud would then be tricked
into raining. Silver iodide, whose crystals resemble those of ice, seemed the best bet. Sadly, none of
the experiments, including Dr Mather’s, which had been going for more than five years, seemed to
work. Dr Mather was about to admit defeat when serendipity intervened.
70
Dr Mather was convinced that something that the place was spewing into the atmosphere was
encouraging the downpour. Subsequent experiments confirmed that hygroscopic salts pouring into the
sky from there were responsible. Hygroscopic salts attract water – once in the atmosphere, the particles
act as magnets around which raindrops can form.
71
He was wary; Dr Mather was known to be a smooth-talking salesman. “He was charming and
charismatic, and many scientists don’t trust that,” he says. “He was also not well-published because he
had been working in the commercial sector. Overall, he was regarded as a maverick. On that occasion,
he presented results that I was convinced were impossible. Yet the statistical evidence was
overwhelming, which I couldn’t understand.”
72
“If those findings can be reproduced there, it will be the most exciting thing to have happened in
the field for 20 years. It will be remarkable because some of the results are not scientifically
explainable.” He adds, however, that scientists must exercise caution because cloud-seeding is still
mired in controversy. He also points out that, with water being such a precious resource, success will
push the research into the political arena.
73
Dr Copper says: “With the paper mill, he saw something that other people wouldn’t have seen. I
am still uncomfortable with his idea because it throws up major puzzles in cloud physics. But if Dr
Mather was right, it will demonstrate that humans can change clouds in ways that were once thought
impossible.”
A. Dr Mather refused to be daunted by this image. After all, the principle seemed perfectly
plausible. Water droplets are swept up to the top of the clouds on updrafts, where they
become supercooled (ie, although the temperature is below freezing, the water remains
liquid). When a supercooled droplet collides with an ice crystal, it freezes on contact and
sticks. Successive collisions cause each ice crystal to accumulate more water droplets; the
crystals grow until they become too heavy to remain suspended in the atmosphere. As the
crystals fall through the cloud, they become raindrops. The ice crystals therefore act as
frames to ‘grow’ raindrops.
B. Dr Mather unfortunately will not be involved in the debate about such matters. He died
aged 63, shortly before the documentary was completed. It will ensure that this smooth-
talking maverick is given the recognition he deserves.
C. He and a colleague decided to collect a last batch of data when they flew into a tiny but
ferocious storm. That storm, Dr Mather says in the film, changed his life. Huge droplets
were spattering on the tiny plane’s windscreen. No such storm had been forecast. Back on
the ground, they discovered the storm was located directly above a paper mill.
D. A trail in Mexico has been running for two years, and the signs are promising. ‘We were
sufficiently encouraged in the first year to continue the seeding research. But the results are
preliminary, because we have only a very small sample of clouds at the moment. We need
to work over two more summers to reach a proper conclusion’.

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 E. He arranged to fly to South Africa “with the full intention of explaining what was wrong
with the experiment”. Instead, he came back convinced that Dr Mather was on to
something. He is now running two experiments, one in Arizona and one in northern
Mexico, to try to verify the South African results. The experiments use potassium chloride,
which is similar to table salt (sodium chloride) and, it is claimed, non-polluting.
F. The scientific community remained sniffy in the face of this apparent proof. Foremost
among the sceptics was Dr William Copper, of the United States National Center for
Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Dr Cooper, regarded as one of the world’s finest cloud
scientists, saw Dr Mather present his astonishing claims at a cloud physics conference in
Montreal.
G. They involved weather experts firing rockets into clouds to stop the producing hail, which
damages crops. The clouds, it was hoped, would dissolve into a harmless shower.
H. The desire to do so led him to set up a project in South Africa, which was ultimately to
convince him that it was possible. As the programme reveals, experiments around the world
appear to prove his faith was justified.
Your answers:
67.H 68. G 69. D 70. C 71. F 72. B 73. E

Part 4. For questions 74-83, read an extract from an article about Ancient Angkor and choose the
sections A-D which you think fits best according to the text. Write your answers on the space
provided. (10 points)
In the regions of Southeast Asia dwell the remains of an era that far exceeded its time in
developments and industrialization. This ancient city, which was mysteriously deserted in the 15 th
century, is known as Angkor. Located in Cambodia, Angkor was established in 802 CE as the seat of
the Khmer Empire. Khmer was the largest continuous empire in Southeast Asia. Its main city of
Angkor grew and developed until it was abandoned in the year 1431. Many historians theorize as to
why it was abandoned, but the mystery remains.
Angkor was a city of power, industry, architecture, and cultural unity, which is why speculation
surrounds its decline. The ancient Khmer city stretched over an area of nearly 120 square miles,
comparable to present-day Los Angeles. Each successive ruler to the throne brought significant
additions that diversified the territory. One ruler is known for constructing a baray, a massive water
reservoir. Another built the imposing Angkor Wat, a temple of great proportions that survived the
city’s demise and exists today as a Buddhist temple. Along with over seventy other temples in the
region, Angkor was home to an expansive waterworks of marked ingenuity when nothing of its kind
existed in the world. The civilization was structured around the Mekong River. Intricate and
sophisticated irrigation systems were fashioned to transport water to people and fields in all parts of
the city, including those removed from the central water source. For this, the city became known as the
“Hydraulic City”. The people of Angkor were led by an extensive court system, made up of religious
and secular nobles as well as artisans, fishermen, rice farmers, soldiers, and elephant keepers. The
civilization was guarded by an army transported by elephants and ruled by shrewd and powerful kings.
Yet after 600 years of existence, an abandoned shell was all that remained.
The land, buildings, and architecture were reclaimed by the surrounding forest regions until the
19th century, when French archaeologists discovered the remains and began restoring sites in the great
city of Angkor. Since then, theories have evolved over time relating to the death of Angkor’s
civilization. The first theory states that the city fell because of war. The last two centuries of Angkor’s
existence showed a decline in the Khmer Empire’s population and power. Ongoing wars with
neighboring Thailand had devastated the nation. In 1431, attackers from Thai nations invaded and
looted Angkor, leaving it desolate and vacant. Continuous war with Thailand culminating in a final
attack on the city could have weakened the empire and led to the city’s demise.
Another theory states that a change in religion led to the country’s downfall. The Khmer Empire
had predominately been a Hindu nation, and the people were unified in their religion. Jayavarman VII,
acclaimed as the greatest of Angkor’s kings, took the throne in 1181 CE. He instituted a change in

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religion from Hinduism to Mahayana Buddhism. This action subsequently could have destroyed the
unity of the people and the overall foundation of the empire.
 A) Natural disaster in another feasible possibility for the scattering of people from the Angkor
region. B) Historians say earthquakes, floods, and drastic climate changes would have been capable
of stripping Angkor of its people. C) One researcher hypothesized that the city suffered from a lack
of water due to the transition from the medieval warm period to the little ice age. Others dismiss this
idea. D)
However, a recently developed theory built on the work of French archaeologist Bernard-Philippe
Groslier may have shed the most light on Angkor’s demise. The theory suggests that the Angkorian
civilization was “defined, sustained, and ultimately overwhelmed by over-exploitation and the
environmental impacts of a complex water-management network.” Its vast waterworks proved too
great for the city to manage. Also, supplying such a massive empire with water had adverse effects on
the environment. Ecological problems included deforestation, topsoil degradation, and erosion due in
part to clearing vegetation for cropland. Thus, the city inadvertently brought about its own
environmental collapse.
With the use of aerial photography and high-resolution, ground-sensing radar, researchers were
able to support Groslier’s theory with images that complete existing topographical maps. The radar
detected surface structures as well as subtle variances in surface vegetation and soil moisture. This
proved that environmental erosion had occurred. The combined images and ground-based
investigations further revealed that Angkor was a victim of its own industrial ingenuity, a city ahead of
its time and vulnerable to its own power.
74. The author mentions the Khmer Empire in paragraph 1 in order to ________.
A. establish the size and importance of the civilization
B. explain the downfall of the main city in the empire
C. compare the nation’s size to a present-day location
D. demonstrate why people were not loyal to the city
75. The word “speculation” in the passage is closest meaning to ________.
A. evidence B. mystery C. question D. growth
76. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about the waterworks built within
Angkor?
A. They transported drinking water to Angkor Wat.
B. They were a money-making venture for the city.
C. They were built to extend the water supply.
D. They irrigated fields along the sides of the river.
77. All of the following are true about the city of Angkor EXCEPT _______.
A. It was built around a water source. B. It had an advanced road system.
C. It surpassed other cities of its time. D. It is home to a Buddhist shrine.
78. The word “its” in the passage refers to _______.
A. Angkor’s B. baray’s C. waterworks’ D. home’s
79. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence?
Incorrect choices may change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Archaeologists built a replica of what Angkor looked like.
B. Archaeologists uncovered the overgrown city and rebuilt its sites.
C. Finding the city, workers cleared the forest and studied the architecture.
D. The city’s architecture was inspired by the forest regions nearby.
80. What can be inferred from paragraph 4 about the people who inhabited Angkor?
A. They worshipped ruler Jayavarman VII.
B. Hinduism was central to their way of life.
C. Religion led to more violence among them.
D. They were unified regardless of national religion.
81. Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the
passage
These natural catastrophes would have likely resulted in destroyed buildings, ruined cops, and a
decreased water supply that would have forced citizens to leave.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. first square B. second square C. third square D. fourth square.
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82. The word “inadvertently” in the passage is closest in meaning to ________.
A. purposely B. freely C. sadly D. accidentally
83. According to paragraph 7, which of the following did researchers prove about Groslier’s theory
with the use of aerial photography and advanced radar?
A. The surface soil showed evidence of dirt washing away.
B. The waterworks were filled with topsoil.
C. Vegetation was thriving where soil was deeper.
D. Soil damage was stable throughout the changes.

Your answers:
74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83.

Part 5. You are going to read an article about various birds in Britain. For questions 84 - 95, choose
from the birds (A- D). The birds may be chosen more than once (12 points)
Winged winners and losers
Birds in Britain come under scrutiny in a massive new study, Birds Britannica. A record of the
avian community in the 21st century, it reveals a continually evolving pattern. Mark Cocker, the
principal author of the tome, selects some cases.
A. Red Kite
The red kite’s recent rise from a mere handful to several thousands is among the great stories of
modern conservation. Testimony to its flagship status is a recent Royal Society for the Protection of
Birds poll which ranked it with the golden eagle and song thrush in the nation’s list of favorite birds.
The dramatic spread has hinged on a reintroduction scheme at six sites in England and Scotland
using kites originally taken from Spain and Sweden. The English releases began in the Chilterns in
1989 and when these had achieved a healthy population, subsequent introductions were made in
Northamptonshire and Yorkshire using mainly English birds. The Scottish releases in the 1980s and
1990s have resulted in populations totaling more than 50 pairs. Altogether there are now about 3,000
kites in Britain

B. Dartford Warbler
This highly attractive bird is confined to just five Western European countries as well as the north
African littoral, and has the smallest of any of our breeding birds. It is also a highly sedentary bird and
a major cause of decline is its great susceptibility to the cold. The worst case occurred in the two
successive hard winters of 1961 and 1962 when the numbers fell from 450 pairs to just 10.
Memories of this calamitous decrease, coupled with the bird’s own tiny size and seeming delicacy,
have cemented our sense of overarching vulnerability. It is one of the best British examples where a
species’ local rarity has been assumed to equal almost constitutional weakness.
All the caution is perfectly understandable as an expression of our protective instincts towards a
much-loved bird. Yet its sits oddly with the warbler’s continuing rise and expansion to a population of
1,925 pairs by the year 2000. It has undoubtedly been helped by mild winters as well as the intensive
management and protection of England’s lowland health. Yet the Dartford Warbler’s recent history
illustrates how easy it is to underestimate the resilience of a small rare bird.

C. White-tailed Eagle
It is difficult to judge which is the more exciting conservation achievement – the reintroduction of
this magnificent bird of red kites. By wingspan and weight, this is the largest eagle on Europe and one
of the biggest of all birds in Britain. However, if the species itself is on a grand scale, the size of the
reintroduced population is tiny and the pace of increase is agonizingly slow.
The project involved a remarkable team effort by various UK environmental groups, as well as the
Norwegian conservationists who organized the capture of the donated birds. Between 1975 and 1985,
they released 82 eagles (39 males and 43 females) from a special holding area on the Inner Hebridean
island of Rhum. Eight were later recovered dead, but in 1983 came the first breeding attempt.
Two years later, a pair of white-tailed eagles produced the first British-born chick in 69 years and
every subsequent breeding season has seen a small incremental improvement. There is now an
established breeding nucleus spread between the island of Skype and Mull as well as the adjacent
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mainland, and their recent history suggests that the white-tailed eagle’s increase will continue
throughout north-west Scotland.

D. Spotted Flycatcher
Even the greatest fans of this lovely bird, with its mouse-grey upper parts and whitish breast and
belly, would have to admit that it is rather drab. They have no more than a thin, squeaky, small song.
However, spotted flys compensate with enormous character.
They are adept at catching large species such as day-flying moths, butterflies, bees and wasps,
whose stings they remove by thrashing the victim against the perch. Their specialized diet means that
they are among the latest spring migrants to return and are now in serious decline because of half a
century of pesticide use. In the past 25 years, their numbers have declined by almost 80 per cent, but
they are still sufficiently numerous (155,000 pairs) to be familiar and be often birds of large gardens,
churchyards or around farm buildings.

Of which bird are the following stated?

Statements Answer
Its population growth is a reflection of how tough it is. 84. C
There is statistical evidence to support the view that it is very a popular bird. 85. D
There was a particular period when its population plummeted. 86. B
A criticism could be made of its physical appearance. 87. D
A common perception of it has proved inaccurate. 88. B
Growth in its numbers has been much more gradual than desired. 89. C
There is reason to believe that its progress in a particular region will be maintained. 90. C
Measures taken in the running of a certain type of countryside have assisted in the 91. B
growth of its population.
Even though its population has fallen, it can frequently be seen in various particular 92. D
locations.
It excels at preying on big sized living creatures. 93. D
The public’s concern of its increasing quantity is noticeable. 94. A
A number of researchers succeeded in reintroducing it. 95. A

SECTION IV: WRITING (60 points)

Part 1. Read the following passage and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should
be about 100 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original. (15 points).
Alarming Rate of Loss of Tropical Rainforests
Adults and children are frequently confronted with statements about the alarming rate of loss of
tropical rainforests.  For example, one graphic illustration to which children might readily relate is the
estimate that rainforests are being destroyed at a rate equivalent to one thousand football fields every
forty minutes – about the duration of a normal classroom period. In the face of the frequent and often
vivid media coverage, it is likely that children will have formed ideas about rainforests – what and
where they are, why they are important, what endangers them – independent of any formal tuition. It is
also possible that some of these ideas will be mistaken. Many studies have shown that children harbour
misconceptions about ‘pure’, curriculum science. These misconceptions do not remain isolated but
become incorporated into a multifaceted, but organised, conceptual framework, making it and the
component ideas, some of which are erroneous, more robust but also accessible to modification. These
ideas may be developed by children absorbing ideas through the popular media. Sometimes this
information may be erroneous. It seems schools may not be providing an opportunity for children to
re-express their ideas and so have them tested and refined by teachers and their peers.
Despite the extensive coverage in the popular media of the destruction of rainforests, little formal
information is available about children’s ideas in this area. The aim of the present study is to start to
provide such information, to help teachers design their educational strategies to build upon correct
ideas and to displace misconceptions and to plan programmes in environmental studies in their
schools.
The study surveys children’s scientific knowledge and attitudes to rainforests. Secondary school
children were asked to complete a questionnaire containing five open-form questions. The most
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frequent responses to the first question were descriptions which are self-evident from the term
‘rainforest’. Some children described them as damp, wet or hot. The second question concerned the
geographical location of rainforests. The commonest responses were continents or countries: Africa
(given by 43% of children), South America (30%), Brazil (25%). Some children also gave more
general locations, such as being near the Equator.
Responses to question three concerned the importance of rainforests. The dominant idea, raised by
64% of the pupils, was that rainforests provide animals with habitats. Fewer students responded that
rainforests provide plant habitats, and even fewer mentioned the indigenous populations of rainforests.
More girls (70%) than boys (60%) raised the idea of the rainforest as animal habitats.

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Part 2. Graph writing (15 points)
The table illustrates the proportion of monthly household income five European countries
spend on food and drink, housing, clothing and entertainment.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Proportion of household income five European countries spend

on food and drink, housing, clothing and entertainment.

Food and
Housing Clothing Entertainment
drink
France 25% 31% 7% 13%
Germany 22% 33% 15% 19%
UK 27% 37% 11% 11%
Turkey 36% 20% 12% 10%
Spain 31% 18% 8% 15%

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Part 3. Essay writing (30 pts)
Write an essay of about 350 words on the following topic: Multi-cultural societies, in which there is a
mixture of different ethnic peoples, bring more benefits than drawbacks to a country. To what
extent do you agree or disagree?
(You may continue your writing on the back page if you need more space.)

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