Bộ đề thi thử kỳ thi Tốt nghiệp THPT Quốc gia môn Tiếng Anh (Kèm đáp án)

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1. SỞ GIÁO DỤC ĐÀO TẠO BÀI THI THỬ KỲ THI TỐT NGHIỆP TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC NĂM HỌC 2017- 2018 (Đề gồm có 04 trang) MÔN TIẾNG ANH ~ MÃ ĐỀ 001 5 Thời gian: 60 phút - không tính thời gian giao đề Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions. Question 1:A. machineB. confine C. engineD. entail Question 2:A. developB. envelope C. telescopeD. antelope Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 03 to 07. CHANGING MANNERS Many Americans believe that manners have gotten worse and official figures confirm this. In a recent survey, nearly 70% said that people are (3) than they were 20 or 30 years ago. This is true of both large and small towns, although 74% of (4) living in cities said that people have become ruder, compared with 67% in rural areas. However, few people believe that they have bad manners themselves! For example, only 8% in the questionnaire (5) they have ever used their cell phones in public in a loud or annoying way. Many people (6) new technology for our changing manners. Computers, MP3 players, and cell phones take us away from face-to-face contact, as well as being very annoying in public places. "All of these things result in a world with more stress, more chances for people to be rude to each other," said Peter Post, an instructor on business manners. But what can we do about it? Some people would like to see a rail car (7) for cell phone users so that the rest of us can travel in peace and quiet. In fact, one train company, Amtrak, has banned cell phones in one car of some trains, which is called a "Quiet Car". Question 3:A. ruderB. olderC. wiserD. smarter Question 4:A. thoseB. themC. theyD. ones Question 5:A. confessB. admitC. acceptD. agree Question 6:A. reproachB. reprimandC. commandD. blame Question 7:A. foundedB. preparedC. reservedD. suited Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 08 to 14. COMEDIANS What drives moderately intelligent persons to put themselves up for acceptance or disparagement? In short, what sort of individual wants to be a comedian? When we hear the very word, what does the label suggest? Other professions, callings and occupations attract separate and distinct types of practitioner. Some stereotypes are so familiar as to be cheaply laughable examples from the world of travesty, among them absent-minded professors, venal lawyers, gloomy detectives and cynical reporters. But what corny characteristics do we attribute to comedians? To a man or woman, are they generally parsimonious, vulgar, shallow, arrogant, introspective, hysterically insecure, smug, autocratic, amoral, and selfish? Read their superficial stories in the tabloids and so they would appear. Rather than look at the complete image, perhaps we need to explore the initial motives behind a choice of career. Consider first those who prefer a sort of anonymity in life, the ones who’d rather wear a uniform. The psychological make-up of individuals who actively seek to resign their individuality is apparent among those who surrender to the discipline of a military life. The emotional and intellectual course taken by those who are drawn to anonymity is easily observed but not easily deflected. They want to be told what to do and then be required to do it over and over again in the safety of a routine, often behind the disguises of a number of livery. If their egos ache with the need for recognition and praise, it’s a pain that must be contained, frustrated or satisfied within the rut they occupy. The mere idea of standing up in front of an audience and demanding attention is abhorrent. Nor will we find our comics among the doormats and dormice, the meek. There’s precious little comedy in the lives of quiet hobbyists, bashful scholars, hermits, anchorites and recluses, the discreet and the modest, ones who deliberately select a position of obscurity and seclusion. Abiding quietly in this stratum of society, somewhere well below public attention level, there is humour, yes, since humour can endure in the least favourable circumstances, persisting like lichen in Antarctica. And jokes. Many lesserknown comedy writers compose their material in the secret corners of an unassuming existence. I know of two, both content to be minor figures in the civil service, who send in topical jokes to radio and TV shows on condition that their real names are not revealed. In both cases I've noticed that their comic invention, though clever, is based upon wordplay, puns and similar equivoques, never an aggressive comic observation of life. Just as there may be a certain sterility in the self-effacement of a humble life, so it seems feasible that the selection process of what’s funny is emasculated before it even commences. If you have no ginger and snap in your daily round, with little familiarity with strong emotions, it seems likely that your sense of fun will be limited by timidity to a simple juggling with language.
2. If the comedian’s genesis is unlikely to be founded in social submission, it’s also improbable among the top echelons of our civilisation. Once again, humour can be found among the majestic. Nobles and royals, statesmen and lawmakers, have their wits. Jokes and jokers circulate at the loftiest level of every advanced nation, but being high-born seems to carry no compulsion to make the hoi polloi laugh. Some of our rulers do make us laugh but that’s not what they’re paid to do. And, so with the constricted comedy of those who live a constricted life, that which amuses them may lack the common touch. Having eliminated the parts of society unlikely to breed funnymen, it’s to the middle ranks of humanity, beneath the exalted and above the invisible, that we must look to see where comics come from and why. And are they, like nurses and nuns, called to their vocation? As the mountain calls to the mountaineer and the pentameter to the poet, does the need of the mirthless masses summon forth funsters, ready to administer relief as their sole raison d’etre? We’ve often heard it said that someone’s a ‘born comedian’ but will it do for all of them or even most of them? Perhaps we like to think of our greatest jesters as we do our greatest painters and composers, preferring to believe that their gifts are inescapably driven to expression. But in our exploration of the comedy mind, hopefully finding some such, we are sure to find some quite otherwise. [Source: PROFICIENCY TESTBUILDER 4th Edition, Macmillan, 2013] Question 8: In the fourth paragraph, the writer criticises the kind of comedy he describes for its lack of A. spirit.B. originality.C. sophistication.D. coherence. Question 9: What does the writer wonder in the last paragraph? A. whether comedians can be considered great in the way that other people in the arts can B. whether people’s expectations of comedians are too high C. whether comedians realise how significant they are in the lives of ordinary people D. whether it is inevitable that some people will become comedians Question 10: What does the writer imply about comedians in the first paragraph? A. People in certain other professions generally have a better image than them. B. It is harder to generalise about them than about people in other professions. C. They often cannot understand why people make negative judgements of them. D. It is possible that they are seen as possessing only negative characteristics. Question 11: The writer says that people at the top of society A. are unaware of how ridiculous they appear to others. B. would not be capable of becoming comedians even if they wanted to. C. take themselves too seriously to wish to amuse anybody. D. have contempt for the humour of those at lower levels of society. Question 12: Which word/phrase can be a substitution for “the hoi polloi”? A. the elieteB. the mass mediaC. ordinary peopleD. the showbitz Question 13: The writer says in the third paragraph that shy people A. fear that what they find humorous would not amuse others. B. are capable of being more humorous than they realise. C. may be able to write humorous material but could not perform it. D. do not get the recognition they deserve even if they are good at comedy. Question 14: What does the writer say about people who wear uniforms? A. The desires they have are never met when they are at work. B. They are more aware of their inadequacies than others may think. C. They criticise performers for craving attention. D. It is unusual for them to break their normal patterns of thought. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Question 15: It's not my cup of tea. A. the kind of thing I like.B. my field of study C. my responsibiltity.D. my best choice. Question 16: He looked at her aghast. A. shocked and worriedB. amazedC. frightenedD. surprised Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions. Question 17:A. seizureB. heifer C. sheilaD. receive Question 18:A. apostropheB. rhyme C. recipeD. psyche Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best completes each of the following exchanges. Question 19: ~ A: “ ” ~ B: “She must be vexed and forlorn, I’m sure.” A. No one was invited to her farewell party.
3. B. What would she say if he came back to her? C. How did Jenny feel when they broke up? D. Guess what? I saw Annetta driving a new Audi to class. Question 20: ~ A: “I’'m really excited about my holiday.” ~ B: “ ” A. I’'m not surprised. Have a safe trip!B. Who with, may I ask? C. You haven’'t had one for years. Take this for free.D. No wonder. It’s a long way to travel. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Question 21: "Can I try out your new bicycle?" ~ "Be my guest." A. Sorry, you can't.B. You're kidding.C. Never mindD. No problem. Question 22: They managed to surmount all objections to their plans. A. give inB. yield toC. give upD. lose Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions. Question 23: Ocean currents have an enormous affect on life on this planet. A. OceanB. on lifeC. enormous affectD. have Question 24: Petroleum is composed of a complex mix of hydrogen and carbon. A. PetroleumB. andC. composed ofD. mix Question 25: A vast quantity of radioactive material is made when a hydrogen bomb explode. A. A vast quantityB. explodeC. materialD. is Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 26 to 33. SO MUCH TO SAVE The idea of preserving biological diversity gives most people a warm feeling inside. But what, exactly, is diversity? And which kind is most worth preserving? It may be anathema to save-the-lot environmentalists who hate setting such priorities, but academics are starting to cook up answers. Andrew Solow, a mathematician at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and his colleagues argue that in the eyes of conservation, all species should not be equal. Even more controversially, they suggest that preserving the rarest is not always the best approach. Their measure of diversity is the amount of evolutionary distance between species. They reckon that if choices must be made, then the number of times that cousins are removed from one another should be one of the criteria. This makes sense from both.a practical and an aesthetic point of view. Close relatives have many genes in common. If those genes might be medically or agriculturally valuable, saving one is nearly as good as saving both. And different forms are more interesting to admire and study than lots of things that look the same. Dr Solow's group illustrates its thesis with an example. Six species of crane are at some risk of extinction. Breeding in captivity might save them. But suppose there were only enough money to protect three. Which ones should be picked? The genetic distances between 14 species of cranes, including the six at risk, have already been established using a technique known as DNA hybridisation. The group estimated how likely it was that each of these 14 species would become extinct in the next 50 years. Unendangered species were assigned a 10% chance of meeting the Darwinian reaper-man; the most vulnerable, a 90% chance. Captive breeding was assumed to reduce an otherwise endangered species' risk to the 10% level of the safest. Dr Solow's computer permed all possible combinations of three from six and came to the conclusion that protecting the Siberian, white-naped and black-necked cranes gave the smallest likely loss of biological diversity over the next five decades. The other three had close relatives in little need of protection. Even if they became extinct, most of their genes would be saved. Building on the work of this group, Martin Weitzman, of Harvard University, argues that conservation policy needs to take account not only of some firm measure of the genetic relationships of species to each other and their likelihood of survival, but also the costs of preserving them. Where species are equally important in genetic terms, and - an important and improbable precondition - where the protection of one species can be assuted at the expense of another, he argues for making safe species safer, rather than endangered species less endangered. In practice, it is difficult to choose between species. Most of those at risk - especially plants, the group most likely to yield useful medicines - are under threat because their habitats are in trouble, not because they are being shot, or plucked, to extinction. Nor can conservationists choose among the millions of species that theory predicts must exist, but that have not yet been classified by the biologists assigned to that tedious task. This is not necessarily cause for despair. At the moment, the usual way to save the genes in these creatures is to find the bits of the world with the largest number of species and try to protect them from the bulldozers. What economists require from biologists are more sophisticated ways to estimate the diversity of groups of organisms that happen to live together, as well as those which are related to each other. With clearer goals established, economic theory can then tell environmentalists where to go. [from The Economist]
4. Question 26: Dr Solow believes that A. very rare species can't be savedB. all very rare species should be saved C. all species should be savedD. only some species are worth saving Question 27: Dr Solow's work depended on A. the premise that all cranes should be protectedB. previous biological research C. the cost of preserving cranesD. the premise that not all species are the same Question 28: Three of the six species of endangered cranes A. were less interesting to admire than othersB. could be allowed to become extinct C. were so rare they couldn't be savedD. shouldn't be protected Question 29: Dr Weitzman believes that if two species are equally important genetically we should protect A. the one that is more attractiveB. them both C. the less endangered oneD. the rarer one Question 30: Endangered species of cranes can be saved by A. stopping hunters from killing themB. protecting their habitats C. encouraging them to mate with their cousinsD. keeping them in zoos or wildlife parks Question 31: Most species are endangered because A. biologists haven't classified themB. they are hunted or picked C. we don't care enough about themD. the places they live in are being destroyed Question 32: Dr Weitzman's ideas A. confirm Dr Solow'sB. contradict Dr Solow's C. disregard Dr Solow'sD. take Dr Solow's ideas one step further Question 33: According to the writer what has to be done first is for A. biologists to instruct economistsB. biologists to classiry undiscovered species C. developers to stop destroying habitatsD. economists to instruct biologists Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions. Question 34: ‘You and Terry seem to be good mates.’ ~ ‘Well, I him all my life.’ A. have knownB. knowC. have been knowingD. knew Question 35: ‘Will Rebecca help with the Christmas party?’ ~ ‘Well, other years so I’m sure she will this year, too.’ A. she was helpingB. she’s helpedC. she’d helpedD. she’s been helping Question 36: Ella is of sitting still for two minutes together. A. unwillingB. disableC. unableD. incapable Question 37: ‘Are flights with this company often delayed?’ ~ ‘No, they on schedule.’ A. usually leftB. have usually leftC. are usually leavingD. usually leave Question 38: Sarah blushes,easily she is always getting blamed for things she hasn’t done. A. this meansB. that meansC. which meansD. what means Question 39: I wish I had someone of my own age I could trust. A. in whomB. in whichC. with whomD. which Question 40: Alana halfway to the shops when she realized she’d left her purse at home. A. was gettingB. had gotC. had been gettingD. has got Question 41: The depletion of the rain forests has to a decline in the number of species there. A. resultedB. attributedC. gotD. led Question 42: Shining her torch, Maria could just a shadowy figure crouched behind a tree. A. draw outB. work outC. make outD. put out Question 43: With a sigh, Paul himself that he was visiting the city for the very last time. A. remindedB. reminiscedC. rememberedD. recalled Question 44: The results of the experiment were studied with interest by the scientists. A. sharpB. keenC. firmD. utter Question 45: I don’t get on with my brother but I’m extremely of my sisters. A. affectionatB. closeC. attachedD. fond Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions. Question 46: It was only when we arrived in Kenya that we saw hippos and giraffes. A. When we arrived in Kenya we only saw hippos and giraffes. B. We arrived in Kenya only when we saw hippos and giraffes. C. We only arrived in Kenya when we saw hippos and giraffes. D. Only when we arrived in Kenya did we see hippos and giraffes. Question 47: I’d hardly unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang.
5. A. Had I hardly unpacked in my hotel room, my phone rang. B. I was unpacking in my hotel hard when my phone rang. C. Hardly had I unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. D. It was hard for me to unpack in my hotel when my phone rang. Question 48: The local people are in no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. A. In no way are the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. B. The local people have no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. C. It no use to blame the local people for the destruction of the forest. D. There is no way for the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions. Question 49: Tam Vy loved travelling in Europe very much. She decided not to go to France because of her fears of terrorism. A. Tam Vy would have gone to France if she hadn‘t been scared of terrorism so much because Europe was her favourite travel spot. B. As France had become a high-risk terrorism spot, Tam Vy, who normally loved Europe, was afraid to go there. C. Although Tam Vy liked touring Europe ever since the threat of terrorism started, she hadn‘t been to France. D. Even though Tam Vy liked touring Europe very much, she was afraid of the terrorism in France, so she chose not to go there. Question 50: Mum regretted not having planted a garden this year. She felt bad when buying vegetables at the supermarket. A. If Mum had planted a garden this year, she wouldn‘t have had to buy her vegetables from the supermarket. B. When she realized that the vegetables at the supermarket were so bad, Mum decided to grow her own from then on. C. Feeling sorry that she hadn‘t planted a garden this year, Mum did not feel good about purchasing vegetables from the supermarket. D. The garden that Mum had not planted, which she regretted not doing, would have produced better vegetables than the ones she got at the supermarket. The End
6. SỞ GIÁO DỤC ĐÀO TẠO BÀI THI THỬ KỲ THI TỐT NGHIỆP TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC NĂM HỌC 2017- 2018 (Đề gồm có 04 trang) MÔN TIẾNG ANH ~ MÃ ĐỀ 002 Thời gian: 60 phút - không tính thời gian giao đề Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 01 to 05. CHANGING MANNERS Many Americans believe that manners have gotten worse and official figures confirm this. In a recent survey, nearly 70% said that people are (1) than they were 20 or 30 years ago. This is true of both large and small towns, although 74% of (2) living in cities said that people have become ruder, compared with 67% in rural areas. However, few people believe that they have bad manners themselves! For example, only 8% in the questionnaire (3) they have ever used their cell phones in public in a loud or annoying way. Many people (4) new technology for our changing manners. Computers, MP3 players, and cell phones take us away from face-to-face contact, as well as being very annoying in public places. "All of these things result in a world with more stress, more chances for people to be rude to each other," said Peter Post, an instructor on business manners. But what can we do about it? Some people would like to see a rail car (5) for cell phone users so that the rest of us can travel in peace and quiet. In fact, one train company, Amtrak, has banned cell phones in one car of some trains, which is called a "Quiet Car". Question 1:A. smarterB. olderC. ruderD. wiser Question 2:A. onesB. theyC. thoseD. them Question 3:A. confessB. admitC. acceptD. agree Question 4:A. reproachB. reprimandC. commandD. blame Question 5:A. foundedB. suitedC. reservedD. prepared Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions. Question 6:A. rhymeB. recipe C. psycheD. apostrophe Question 7:A. heiferB. seizure C. sheilaD. receive Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions. Question 8: ‘Will Rebecca help with the Christmas party?’ ~ ‘Well, other years so I’m sure she will this year, too.’ A. she’s been helpingB. she’d helpedC. she was helpingD. she’s helped Question 9: Ella is of sitting still for two minutes together. A. unableB. incapableC. disableD. unwilling Question 10: Shining her torch, Maria could just a shadowy figure crouched behind a tree. A. put outB. work outC. make outD. draw out Question 11: ‘Are flights with this company often delayed?’ ~ ‘No, they on schedule.’ A. usually leaveB. have usually leftC. usually leftD. are usually leaving Question 12: With a sigh, Paul himself that he was visiting the city for the very last time. A. recalledB. rememberedC. reminiscedD. reminded Question 13: Sarah blushes,easily she is always getting blamed for things she hasn’t done. A. this meansB. which meansC. that meansD. what means Question 14: ‘You and Terry seem to be good mates.’ ~ ‘Well, I him all my life.’ A. knowB. have been knowingC. have knownD. knew Question 15: The results of the experiment were studied with interest by the scientists. A. sharpB. keenC. firmD. utter Question 16: I wish I had someone of my own age I could trust. A. whichB. with whomC. in whomD. in which Question 17: The depletion of the rain forests has to a decline in the number of species there. A. gotB. resultedC. attributedD. led Question 18: I don’t get on with my brother but I’m extremely of my sisters. A. closeB. attachedC. fondD. affectionat Question 19: Alana halfway to the shops when she realized she’d left her purse at home. A. was gettingB. had been gettingC. has gotD. had got Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions. Question 20: Petroleum is composed of a complex mix of hydrogen and carbon. A. mixB. composed ofC. andD. Petroleum Question 21: Ocean currents have an enormous affect on life on this planet.
7. A. OceanB. on lifeC. enormous affectD. have Question 22: A vast quantity of radioactive material is made when a hydrogen bomb explode. A. materialB. explodeC. isD. A vast quantity Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Question 23: They managed to surmount all objections to their plans. A. loseB. give inC. yield toD. give up Question 24: "Can I try out your new bicycle?" ~ "Be my guest." A. You're kidding.B. No problem.C. Sorry, you can't.D. Never mind Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best completes each of the following exchanges. Question 25: ~ A: “ ” ~ B: “She must be vexed and forlorn, I’m sure.” A. No one was invited to her farewell party. B. What would she say if he came back to her? C. Guess what? I saw Annetta driving a new Audi to class. D. How did Jenny feel when they broke up? Question 26: ~ A: “I’'m really excited about my holiday.” ~ B: “ ” A. No wonder. It’s a long way to travel.B. Who with, may I ask? C. I’'m not surprised. Have a safe trip!D. You haven’'t had one for years. Take this for free. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions. Question 27:A. confineB. machine C. entailD. engine Question 28:A. telescopeB. envelope C. developD. antelope Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 29 to 35. COMEDIANS What drives moderately intelligent persons to put themselves up for acceptance or disparagement? In short, what sort of individual wants to be a comedian? When we hear the very word, what does the label suggest? Other professions, callings and occupations attract separate and distinct types of practitioner. Some stereotypes are so familiar as to be cheaply laughable examples from the world of travesty, among them absent-minded professors, venal lawyers, gloomy detectives and cynical reporters. But what corny characteristics do we attribute to comedians? To a man or woman, are they generally parsimonious, vulgar, shallow, arrogant, introspective, hysterically insecure, smug, autocratic, amoral, and selfish? Read their superficial stories in the tabloids and so they would appear. Rather than look at the complete image, perhaps we need to explore the initial motives behind a choice of career. Consider first those who prefer a sort of anonymity in life, the ones who’d rather wear a uniform. The psychological make-up of individuals who actively seek to resign their individuality is apparent among those who surrender to the discipline of a military life. The emotional and intellectual course taken by those who are drawn to anonymity is easily observed but not easily deflected. They want to be told what to do and then be required to do it over and over again in the safety of a routine, often behind the disguises of a number of livery. If their egos ache with the need for recognition and praise, it’s a pain that must be contained, frustrated or satisfied within the rut they occupy. The mere idea of standing up in front of an audience and demanding attention is abhorrent. Nor will we find our comics among the doormats and dormice, the meek. There’s precious little comedy in the lives of quiet hobbyists, bashful scholars, hermits, anchorites and recluses, the discreet and the modest, ones who deliberately select a position of obscurity and seclusion. Abiding quietly in this stratum of society, somewhere well below public attention level, there is humour, yes, since humour can endure in the least favourable circumstances, persisting like lichen in Antarctica. And jokes. Many lesserknown comedy writers compose their material in the secret corners of an unassuming existence. I know of two, both content to be minor figures in the civil service, who send in topical jokes to radio and TV shows on condition that their real names are not revealed. In both cases I've noticed that their comic invention, though clever, is based upon wordplay, puns and similar equivoques, never an aggressive comic observation of life. Just as there may be a certain sterility in the self-effacement of a humble life, so it seems feasible that the selection process of what’s funny is emasculated before it even commences. If you have no ginger and snap in your daily round, with little familiarity with strong emotions, it seems likely that your sense of fun will be limited by timidity to a simple juggling with language. If the comedian’s genesis is unlikely to be founded in social submission, it’s also improbable among the top echelons of our civilisation. Once again, humour can be found among the majestic. Nobles and royals, statesmen and lawmakers, have their wits. Jokes and jokers circulate at the loftiest level of every advanced nation, but being high-born seems to carry no
8. compulsion to make the hoi polloi laugh. Some of our rulers do make us laugh but that’s not what they’re paid to do. And, so with the constricted comedy of those who live a constricted life, that which amuses them may lack the common touch. Having eliminated the parts of society unlikely to breed funnymen, it’s to the middle ranks of humanity, beneath the exalted and above the invisible, that we must look to see where comics come from and why. And are they, like nurses and nuns, called to their vocation? As the mountain calls to the mountaineer and the pentameter to the poet, does the need of the mirthless masses summon forth funsters, ready to administer relief as their sole raison d’etre? We’ve often heard it said that someone’s a ‘born comedian’ but will it do for all of them or even most of them? Perhaps we like to think of our greatest jesters as we do our greatest painters and composers, preferring to believe that their gifts are inescapably driven to expression. But in our exploration of the comedy mind, hopefully finding some such, we are sure to find some quite otherwise. [Source: PROFICIENCY TESTBUILDER 4th Edition, Macmillan, 2013] Question 29: What does the writer imply about comedians in the first paragraph? A. It is possible that they are seen as possessing only negative characteristics. B. It is harder to generalise about them than about people in other professions. C. People in certain other professions generally have a better image than them. D. They often cannot understand why people make negative judgements of them. Question 30: What does the writer say about people who wear uniforms? A. They criticise performers for craving attention. B. It is unusual for them to break their normal patterns of thought. C. The desires they have are never met when they are at work. D. They are more aware of their inadequacies than others may think. Question 31: The writer says in the third paragraph that shy people A. are capable of being more humorous than they realise. B. fear that what they find humorous would not amuse others. C. do not get the recognition they deserve even if they are good at comedy. D. may be able to write humorous material but could not perform it. Question 32: The writer says that people at the top of society A. would not be capable of becoming comedians even if they wanted to. B. take themselves too seriously to wish to amuse anybody. C. are unaware of how ridiculous they appear to others. D. have contempt for the humour of those at lower levels of society. Question 33: In the fourth paragraph, the writer criticises the kind of comedy he describes for its lack of A. coherence.B. originality.C. sophistication.D. spirit. Question 34: What does the writer wonder in the last paragraph? A. whether it is inevitable that some people will become comedians B. whether people’s expectations of comedians are too high C. whether comedians can be considered great in the way that other people in the arts can D. whether comedians realise how significant they are in the lives of ordinary people Question 35: Which word/phrase can be a substitution for “the hoi polloi”? A. ordinary peopleB. the showbitzC. the mass mediaD. the eliete Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 43. SO MUCH TO SAVE The idea of preserving biological diversity gives most people a warm feeling inside. But what, exactly, is diversity? And which kind is most worth preserving? It may be anathema to save-the-lot environmentalists who hate setting such priorities, but academics are starting to cook up answers. Andrew Solow, a mathematician at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and his colleagues argue that in the eyes of conservation, all species should not be equal. Even more controversially, they suggest that preserving the rarest is not always the best approach. Their measure of diversity is the amount of evolutionary distance between species. They reckon that if choices must be made, then the number of times that cousins are removed from one another should be one of the criteria. This makes sense from both.a practical and an aesthetic point of view. Close relatives have many genes in common. If those genes might be medically or agriculturally valuable, saving one is nearly as good as saving both. And different forms are more interesting to admire and study than lots of things that look the same. Dr Solow's group illustrates its thesis with an example. Six species of crane are at some risk of extinction. Breeding in captivity might save them. But suppose there were only enough money to protect three. Which ones should be picked? The genetic distances between 14 species of cranes, including the six at risk, have already been established using
9. a technique known as DNA hybridisation. The group estimated how likely it was that each of these 14 species would become extinct in the next 50 years. Unendangered species were assigned a 10% chance of meeting the Darwinian reaper-man; the most vulnerable, a 90% chance. Captive breeding was assumed to reduce an otherwise endangered species' risk to the 10% level of the safest. Dr Solow's computer permed all possible combinations of three from six and came to the conclusion that protecting the Siberian, white-naped and black-necked cranes gave the smallest likely loss of biological diversity over the next five decades. The other three had close relatives in little need of protection. Even if they became extinct, most of their genes would be saved. Building on the work of this group, Martin Weitzman, of Harvard University, argues that conservation policy needs to take account not only of some firm measure of the genetic relationships of species to each other and their likelihood of survival, but also the costs of preserving them. Where species are equally important in genetic terms, and - an important and improbable precondition - where the protection of one species can be assuted at the expense of another, he argues for making safe species safer, rather than endangered species less endangered. In practice, it is difficult to choose between species. Most of those at risk - especially plants, the group most likely to yield useful medicines - are under threat because their habitats are in trouble, not because they are being shot, or plucked, to extinction. Nor can conservationists choose among the millions of species that theory predicts must exist, but that have not yet been classified by the biologists assigned to that tedious task. This is not necessarily cause for despair. At the moment, the usual way to save the genes in these creatures is to find the bits of the world with the largest number of species and try to protect them from the bulldozers. What economists require from biologists are more sophisticated ways to estimate the diversity of groups of organisms that happen to live together, as well as those which are related to each other. With clearer goals established, economic theory can then tell environmentalists where to go. [from The Economist] Question 36: Dr Solow believes that A. very rare species can't be savedB. all species should be saved C. all very rare species should be savedD. only some species are worth saving Question 37: Most species are endangered because A. the places they live in are being destroyedB. we don't care enough about them C. they are hunted or pickedD. biologists haven't classified them Question 38: Dr Weitzman's ideas A. disregard Dr Solow'sB. confirm Dr Solow's C. take Dr Solow's ideas one step furtherD. contradict Dr Solow's Question 39: Endangered species of cranes can be saved by A. encouraging them to mate with their cousinsB. keeping them in zoos or wildlife parks C. stopping hunters from killing themD. protecting their habitats Question 40: Dr Weitzman believes that if two species are equally important genetically we should protect A. the rarer oneB. the less endangered one C. the one that is more attractiveD. them both Question 41: Dr Solow's work depended on A. the premise that all cranes should be protectedB. previous biological research C. the cost of preserving cranesD. the premise that not all species are the same Question 42: According to the writer what has to be done first is for A. biologists to classiry undiscovered speciesB. developers to stop destroying habitats C. economists to instruct biologistsD. biologists to instruct economists Question 43: Three of the six species of endangered cranes A. shouldn't be protectedB. could be allowed to become extinct C. were less interesting to admire than othersD. were so rare they couldn't be saved Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Question 44: He looked at her aghast. A. shocked and worried B. frightenedC. amazedD. surprised Question 45: It's not my cup of tea. A. my field of studyB. my best choice. C. my responsibiltity.D. the kind of thing I like. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions. Question 46: I’d hardly unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. A. I was unpacking in my hotel hard when my phone rang. B. It was hard for me to unpack in my hotel when my phone rang.
10. C. Hardly had I unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. D. Had I hardly unpacked in my hotel room, my phone rang. Question 47: The local people are in no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. A. In no way are the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. B. The local people have no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. C. It no use to blame the local people for the destruction of the forest. D. There is no way for the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. Question 48: It was only when we arrived in Kenya that we saw hippos and giraffes. A. When we arrived in Kenya we only saw hippos and giraffes. B. Only when we arrived in Kenya did we see hippos and giraffes. C. We arrived in Kenya only when we saw hippos and giraffes. D. We only arrived in Kenya when we saw hippos and giraffes. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions. Question 49: Mum regretted not having planted a garden this year. She felt bad when buying vegetables at the supermarket. A. The garden that Mum had not planted, which she regretted not doing, would have produced better vegetables than the ones she got at the supermarket. B. When she realized that the vegetables at the supermarket were so bad, Mum decided to grow her own from then on. C. If Mum had planted a garden this year, she wouldn‘t have had to buy her vegetables from the supermarket. D. Feeling sorry that she hadn‘t planted a garden this year, Mum did not feel good about purchasing vegetables from the supermarket. Question 50: Tam Vy loved travelling in Europe very much. She decided not to go to France because of her fears of terrorism. A. Tam Vy would have gone to France if she hadn‘t been scared of terrorism so much because Europe was her favourite travel spot. B. Even though Tam Vy liked touring Europe very much, she was afraid of the terrorism in France, so she chose not to go there. C. As France had become a high-risk terrorism spot, Tam Vy, who normally loved Europe, was afraid to go there. D. Although Tam Vy liked touring Europe ever since the threat of terrorism started, she hadn‘t been to France. The End
11. SỞ GIÁO DỤC ĐÀO TẠO BÀI THI THỬ KỲ THI TỐT NGHIỆP TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC NĂM HỌC 2017- 2018 (Đề gồm có 04 trang) MÔN TIẾNG ANH ~ MÃ ĐỀ 003 Thời gian: 60 phút - không tính thời gian giao đề Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions. Question 1:A. machineB. engine C. entailD. confine Question 2:A. envelopeB. develop C. antelopeD. telescope Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions. Question 3:A. receiveB. seizure C. heiferD. sheila Question 4:A. psycheB. recipe C. apostropheD. rhyme Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions. Question 5: Sarah blushes,easily she is always getting blamed for things she hasn’t done. A. that meansB. this meansC. what meansD. which means Question 6: Shining her torch, Maria could just a shadowy figure crouched behind a tree. A. put outB. draw outC. work outD. make out Question 7: ‘You and Terry seem to be good mates.’ ~ ‘Well, I him all my life.’ A. have knownB. knewC. knowD. have been knowing Question 8: ‘Will Rebecca help with the Christmas party?’ ~ ‘Well, other years so I’m sure she will this year, too.’ A. she’s been helpingB. she’d helpedC. she was helpingD. she’s helped Question 9: ‘Are flights with this company often delayed?’ ~ ‘No, they on schedule.’ A. usually leftB. usually leaveC. are usually leavingD. have usually left Question 10: I wish I had someone of my own age I could trust. A. whichB. with whomC. in whomD. in which Question 11: The results of the experiment were studied with interest by the scientists. A. firmB. sharpC. utterD. keen Question 12: With a sigh, Paul himself that he was visiting the city for the very last time. A. remindedB. reminiscedC. recalledD. remembered Question 13: The depletion of the rain forests has to a decline in the number of species there. A. gotB. attributedC. ledD. resulted Question 14: I don’t get on with my brother but I’m extremely of my sisters. A. closeB. attachedC. fondD. affectionat Question 15: Ella is of sitting still for two minutes together. A. incapableB. unwillingC. unableD. disable Question 16: Alana halfway to the shops when she realized she’d left her purse at home. A. has gotB. had been gettingC. was gettingD. had got Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions. Question 17: Tam Vy loved travelling in Europe very much. She decided not to go to France because of her fears of terrorism. A. Even though Tam Vy liked touring Europe very much, she was afraid of the terrorism in France, so she chose not to go there. B. Although Tam Vy liked touring Europe ever since the threat of terrorism started, she hadn‘t been to France. C. Tam Vy would have gone to France if she hadn‘t been scared of terrorism so much because Europe was her favourite travel spot. D. As France had become a high-risk terrorism spot, Tam Vy, who normally loved Europe, was afraid to go there. Question 18: Mum regretted not having planted a garden this year. She felt bad when buying vegetables at the supermarket. A. If Mum had planted a garden this year, she wouldn‘t have had to buy her vegetables from the supermarket. B. When she realized that the vegetables at the supermarket were so bad, Mum decided to grow her own from then on. C. Feeling sorry that she hadn‘t planted a garden this year, Mum did not feel good about purchasing vegetables from the supermarket. D. The garden that Mum had not planted, which she regretted not doing, would have produced better vegetables than the ones she got at the supermarket. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
12. Question 19: "Can I try out your new bicycle?" ~ "Be my guest." A. Never mindB. No problem.C. Sorry, you can't.D. You're kidding. Question 20: They managed to surmount all objections to their plans. A. give upB. yield toC. give inD. lose Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions. Question 21: Petroleum is composed of a complex mix of hydrogen and carbon. A. andB. composed ofC. mixD. Petroleum Question 22: A vast quantity of radioactive material is made when a hydrogen bomb explode. A. isB. explodeC. A vast quantityD. material Question 23: Ocean currents have an enormous affect on life on this planet. A. on lifeB. OceanC. enormous affectD. have Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 24 to 30. COMEDIANS What drives moderately intelligent persons to put themselves up for acceptance or disparagement? In short, what sort of individual wants to be a comedian? When we hear the very word, what does the label suggest? Other professions, callings and occupations attract separate and distinct types of practitioner. Some stereotypes are so familiar as to be cheaply laughable examples from the world of travesty, among them absent-minded professors, venal lawyers, gloomy detectives and cynical reporters. But what corny characteristics do we attribute to comedians? To a man or woman, are they generally parsimonious, vulgar, shallow, arrogant, introspective, hysterically insecure, smug, autocratic, amoral, and selfish? Read their superficial stories in the tabloids and so they would appear. Rather than look at the complete image, perhaps we need to explore the initial motives behind a choice of career. Consider first those who prefer a sort of anonymity in life, the ones who’d rather wear a uniform. The psychological make-up of individuals who actively seek to resign their individuality is apparent among those who surrender to the discipline of a military life. The emotional and intellectual course taken by those who are drawn to anonymity is easily observed but not easily deflected. They want to be told what to do and then be required to do it over and over again in the safety of a routine, often behind the disguises of a number of livery. If their egos ache with the need for recognition and praise, it’s a pain that must be contained, frustrated or satisfied within the rut they occupy. The mere idea of standing up in front of an audience and demanding attention is abhorrent. Nor will we find our comics among the doormats and dormice, the meek. There’s precious little comedy in the lives of quiet hobbyists, bashful scholars, hermits, anchorites and recluses, the discreet and the modest, ones who deliberately select a position of obscurity and seclusion. Abiding quietly in this stratum of society, somewhere well below public attention level, there is humour, yes, since humour can endure in the least favourable circumstances, persisting like lichen in Antarctica. And jokes. Many lesserknown comedy writers compose their material in the secret corners of an unassuming existence. I know of two, both content to be minor figures in the civil service, who send in topical jokes to radio and TV shows on condition that their real names are not revealed. In both cases I've noticed that their comic invention, though clever, is based upon wordplay, puns and similar equivoques, never an aggressive comic observation of life. Just as there may be a certain sterility in the self-effacement of a humble life, so it seems feasible that the selection process of what’s funny is emasculated before it even commences. If you have no ginger and snap in your daily round, with little familiarity with strong emotions, it seems likely that your sense of fun will be limited by timidity to a simple juggling with language. If the comedian’s genesis is unlikely to be founded in social submission, it’s also improbable among the top echelons of our civilisation. Once again, humour can be found among the majestic. Nobles and royals, statesmen and lawmakers, have their wits. Jokes and jokers circulate at the loftiest level of every advanced nation, but being high-born seems to carry no compulsion to make the hoi polloi laugh. Some of our rulers do make us laugh but that’s not what they’re paid to do. And, so with the constricted comedy of those who live a constricted life, that which amuses them may lack the common touch. Having eliminated the parts of society unlikely to breed funnymen, it’s to the middle ranks of humanity, beneath the exalted and above the invisible, that we must look to see where comics come from and why. And are they, like nurses and nuns, called to their vocation? As the mountain calls to the mountaineer and the pentameter to the poet, does the need of the mirthless masses summon forth funsters, ready to administer relief as their sole raison d’etre? We’ve often heard it said that someone’s a ‘born comedian’ but will it do for all of them or even most of them? Perhaps we like to think of our greatest jesters as we do our greatest painters and composers, preferring to believe that their gifts are inescapably driven to expression. But in our exploration of the comedy mind, hopefully finding some such, we are sure to find some quite otherwise. [Source: PROFICIENCY TESTBUILDER 4th Edition, Macmillan, 2013] Question 24: What does the writer imply about comedians in the first paragraph? A. It is harder to generalise about them than about people in other professions.
13. B. They often cannot understand why people make negative judgements of them. C. It is possible that they are seen as possessing only negative characteristics. D. People in certain other professions generally have a better image than them. Question 25: The writer says that people at the top of society A. have contempt for the humour of those at lower levels of society. B. are unaware of how ridiculous they appear to others. C. would not be capable of becoming comedians even if they wanted to. D. take themselves too seriously to wish to amuse anybody. Question 26: Which word/phrase can be a substitution for “the hoi polloi”? A. the mass mediaB. the elieteC. the showbitzD. ordinary people Question 27: In the fourth paragraph, the writer criticises the kind of comedy he describes for its lack of A. coherence.B. sophistication.C. originality.D. spirit. Question 28: The writer says in the third paragraph that shy people A. fear that what they find humorous would not amuse others. B. may be able to write humorous material but could not perform it. C. are capable of being more humorous than they realise. D. do not get the recognition they deserve even if they are good at comedy. Question 29: What does the writer wonder in the last paragraph? A. whether comedians can be considered great in the way that other people in the arts can B. whether it is inevitable that some people will become comedians C. whether people’s expectations of comedians are too high D. whether comedians realise how significant they are in the lives of ordinary people Question 30: What does the writer say about people who wear uniforms? A. It is unusual for them to break their normal patterns of thought. B. The desires they have are never met when they are at work. C. They are more aware of their inadequacies than others may think. D. They criticise performers for craving attention. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best completes each of the following exchanges. Question 31: ~ A: “ ” ~ B: “She must be vexed and forlorn, I’m sure.” A. What would she say if he came back to her? B. How did Jenny feel when they broke up? C. No one was invited to her farewell party. D. Guess what? I saw Annetta driving a new Audi to class. Question 32: ~ A: “I’'m really excited about my holiday.” ~ B: “ ” A. No wonder. It’s a long way to travel.B. Who with, may I ask? C. I’'m not surprised. Have a safe trip!D. You haven’'t had one for years. Take this for free. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 33 to 40. SO MUCH TO SAVE The idea of preserving biological diversity gives most people a warm feeling inside. But what, exactly, is diversity? And which kind is most worth preserving? It may be anathema to save-the-lot environmentalists who hate setting such priorities, but academics are starting to cook up answers. Andrew Solow, a mathematician at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and his colleagues argue that in the eyes of conservation, all species should not be equal. Even more controversially, they suggest that preserving the rarest is not always the best approach. Their measure of diversity is the amount of evolutionary distance between species. They reckon that if choices must be made, then the number of times that cousins are removed from one another should be one of the criteria. This makes sense from both.a practical and an aesthetic point of view. Close relatives have many genes in common. If those genes might be medically or agriculturally valuable, saving one is nearly as good as saving both. And different forms are more interesting to admire and study than lots of things that look the same. Dr Solow's group illustrates its thesis with an example. Six species of crane are at some risk of extinction. Breeding in captivity might save them. But suppose there were only enough money to protect three. Which ones should be picked? The genetic distances between 14 species of cranes, including the six at risk, have already been established using a technique known as DNA hybridisation. The group estimated how likely it was that each of these 14 species would become extinct in the next 50 years. Unendangered species were assigned a 10% chance of meeting the Darwinian reaper-man; the most vulnerable, a 90% chance. Captive breeding was assumed to reduce an otherwise endangered species' risk to the 10% level of the safest. Dr Solow's computer permed all possible combinations of three from six and came to the conclusion that
14. protecting the Siberian, white-naped and black-necked cranes gave the smallest likely loss of biological diversity over the next five decades. The other three had close relatives in little need of protection. Even if they became extinct, most of their genes would be saved. Building on the work of this group, Martin Weitzman, of Harvard University, argues that conservation policy needs to take account not only of some firm measure of the genetic relationships of species to each other and their likelihood of survival, but also the costs of preserving them. Where species are equally important in genetic terms, and - an important and improbable precondition - where the protection of one species can be assuted at the expense of another, he argues for making safe species safer, rather than endangered species less endangered. In practice, it is difficult to choose between species. Most of those at risk - especially plants, the group most likely to yield useful medicines - are under threat because their habitats are in trouble, not because they are being shot, or plucked, to extinction. Nor can conservationists choose among the millions of species that theory predicts must exist, but that have not yet been classified by the biologists assigned to that tedious task. This is not necessarily cause for despair. At the moment, the usual way to save the genes in these creatures is to find the bits of the world with the largest number of species and try to protect them from the bulldozers. What economists require from biologists are more sophisticated ways to estimate the diversity of groups of organisms that happen to live together, as well as those which are related to each other. With clearer goals established, economic theory can then tell environmentalists where to go. [from The Economist] Question 33: Endangered species of cranes can be saved by A. stopping hunters from killing themB. encouraging them to mate with their cousins C. keeping them in zoos or wildlife parksD. protecting their habitats Question 34: Most species are endangered because A. they are hunted or pickedB. we don't care enough about them C. biologists haven't classified themD. the places they live in are being destroyed Question 35: Three of the six species of endangered cranes A. shouldn't be protectedB. were so rare they couldn't be saved C. were less interesting to admire than othersD. could be allowed to become extinct Question 36: Dr Solow believes that A. all very rare species should be savedB. all species should be saved C. very rare species can't be savedD. only some species are worth saving Question 37: Dr Weitzman's ideas A. take Dr Solow's ideas one step furtherB. contradict Dr Solow's C. disregard Dr Solow'sD. confirm Dr Solow's Question 38: Dr Solow's work depended on A. previous biological researchB. the cost of preserving cranes C. the premise that all cranes should be protectedD. the premise that not all species are the same Question 39: Dr Weitzman believes that if two species are equally important genetically we should protect A. them bothB. the less endangered one C. the one that is more attractiveD. the rarer one Question 40: According to the writer what has to be done first is for A. developers to stop destroying habitatsB. biologists to instruct economists C. biologists to classiry undiscovered speciesD. economists to instruct biologists Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Question 41: It's not my cup of tea. A. my best choice.B. my field of study C. my responsibiltity.D. the kind of thing I like. Question 42: He looked at her aghast. A. amazedB. shocked and worriedC. frightenedD. surprised Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions. Question 43: It was only when we arrived in Kenya that we saw hippos and giraffes. A. Only when we arrived in Kenya did we see hippos and giraffes. B. When we arrived in Kenya we only saw hippos and giraffes. C. We only arrived in Kenya when we saw hippos and giraffes. D. We arrived in Kenya only when we saw hippos and giraffes. Question 44: The local people are in no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. A. In no way are the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest.
15. B. The local people have no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. C. There is no way for the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. D. It no use to blame the local people for the destruction of the forest. Question 45: I’d hardly unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. A. It was hard for me to unpack in my hotel when my phone rang. B. Hardly had I unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. C. Had I hardly unpacked in my hotel room, my phone rang. D. I was unpacking in my hotel hard when my phone rang. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 46 to 50. CHANGING MANNERS Many Americans believe that manners have gotten worse and official figures confirm this. In a recent survey, nearly 70% said that people are (46) than they were 20 or 30 years ago. This is true of both large and small towns, although 74% of (47) living in cities said that people have become ruder, compared with 67% in rural areas. However, few people believe that they have bad manners themselves! For example, only 8% in the questionnaire (48) they have ever used their cell phones in public in a loud or annoying way. Many people (49) new technology for our changing manners. Computers, MP3 players, and cell phones take us away from face-to-face contact, as well as being very annoying in public places. "All of these things result in a world with more stress, more chances for people to be rude to each other," said Peter Post, an instructor on business manners. But what can we do about it? Some people would like to see a rail car (50) for cell phone users so that the rest of us can travel in peace and quiet. In fact, one train company, Amtrak, has banned cell phones in one car of some trains, which is called a "Quiet Car". Question 46:A. olderB. smarterC. wiserD. ruder Question 47:A. thoseB. onesC. theyD. them Question 48:A. agreeB. confessC. acceptD. admit Question 49:A. blameB. reprimandC. reproachD. command Question 50:A. suitedB. reservedC. preparedD. founded The End
16. SỞ GIÁO DỤC ĐÀO TẠO BÀI THI THỬ KỲ THI TỐT NGHIỆP TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC NĂM HỌC 2017- 2018 (Đề gồm có 04 trang) MÔN TIẾNG ANH ~ MÃ ĐỀ 004 Thời gian: 60 phút - không tính thời gian giao đề Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 01 to 07. COMEDIANS What drives moderately intelligent persons to put themselves up for acceptance or disparagement? In short, what sort of individual wants to be a comedian? When we hear the very word, what does the label suggest? Other professions, callings and occupations attract separate and distinct types of practitioner. Some stereotypes are so familiar as to be cheaply laughable examples from the world of travesty, among them absent-minded professors, venal lawyers, gloomy detectives and cynical reporters. But what corny characteristics do we attribute to comedians? To a man or woman, are they generally parsimonious, vulgar, shallow, arrogant, introspective, hysterically insecure, smug, autocratic, amoral, and selfish? Read their superficial stories in the tabloids and so they would appear. Rather than look at the complete image, perhaps we need to explore the initial motives behind a choice of career. Consider first those who prefer a sort of anonymity in life, the ones who’d rather wear a uniform. The psychological make-up of individuals who actively seek to resign their individuality is apparent among those who surrender to the discipline of a military life. The emotional and intellectual course taken by those who are drawn to anonymity is easily observed but not easily deflected. They want to be told what to do and then be required to do it over and over again in the safety of a routine, often behind the disguises of a number of livery. If their egos ache with the need for recognition and praise, it’s a pain that must be contained, frustrated or satisfied within the rut they occupy. The mere idea of standing up in front of an audience and demanding attention is abhorrent. Nor will we find our comics among the doormats and dormice, the meek. There’s precious little comedy in the lives of quiet hobbyists, bashful scholars, hermits, anchorites and recluses, the discreet and the modest, ones who deliberately select a position of obscurity and seclusion. Abiding quietly in this stratum of society, somewhere well below public attention level, there is humour, yes, since humour can endure in the least favourable circumstances, persisting like lichen in Antarctica. And jokes. Many lesserknown comedy writers compose their material in the secret corners of an unassuming existence. I know of two, both content to be minor figures in the civil service, who send in topical jokes to radio and TV shows on condition that their real names are not revealed. In both cases I've noticed that their comic invention, though clever, is based upon wordplay, puns and similar equivoques, never an aggressive comic observation of life. Just as there may be a certain sterility in the self-effacement of a humble life, so it seems feasible that the selection process of what’s funny is emasculated before it even commences. If you have no ginger and snap in your daily round, with little familiarity with strong emotions, it seems likely that your sense of fun will be limited by timidity to a simple juggling with language. If the comedian’s genesis is unlikely to be founded in social submission, it’s also improbable among the top echelons of our civilisation. Once again, humour can be found among the majestic. Nobles and royals, statesmen and lawmakers, have their wits. Jokes and jokers circulate at the loftiest level of every advanced nation, but being high-born seems to carry no compulsion to make the hoi polloi laugh. Some of our rulers do make us laugh but that’s not what they’re paid to do. And, so with the constricted comedy of those who live a constricted life, that which amuses them may lack the common touch. Having eliminated the parts of society unlikely to breed funnymen, it’s to the middle ranks of humanity, beneath the exalted and above the invisible, that we must look to see where comics come from and why. And are they, like nurses and nuns, called to their vocation? As the mountain calls to the mountaineer and the pentameter to the poet, does the need of the mirthless masses summon forth funsters, ready to administer relief as their sole raison d’etre? We’ve often heard it said that someone’s a ‘born comedian’ but will it do for all of them or even most of them? Perhaps we like to think of our greatest jesters as we do our greatest painters and composers, preferring to believe that their gifts are inescapably driven to expression. But in our exploration of the comedy mind, hopefully finding some such, we are sure to find some quite otherwise. [Source: PROFICIENCY TESTBUILDER 4th Edition, Macmillan, 2013] Question 1: What does the writer imply about comedians in the first paragraph? A. They often cannot understand why people make negative judgements of them. B. It is possible that they are seen as possessing only negative characteristics. C. People in certain other professions generally have a better image than them. D. It is harder to generalise about them than about people in other professions. Question 2: What does the writer wonder in the last paragraph? A. whether comedians can be considered great in the way that other people in the arts can B. whether comedians realise how significant they are in the lives of ordinary people C. whether it is inevitable that some people will become comedians D. whether people’s expectations of comedians are too high
17. Question 3: The writer says that people at the top of society A. are unaware of how ridiculous they appear to others. B. have contempt for the humour of those at lower levels of society. C. take themselves too seriously to wish to amuse anybody. D. would not be capable of becoming comedians even if they wanted to. Question 4: In the fourth paragraph, the writer criticises the kind of comedy he describes for its lack of A. sophistication.B. originality.C. coherence.D. spirit. Question 5: Which word/phrase can be a substitution for “the hoi polloi”? A. ordinary peopleB. the showbitzC. the elieteD. the mass media Question 6: The writer says in the third paragraph that shy people A. may be able to write humorous material but could not perform it. B. are capable of being more humorous than they realise. C. do not get the recognition they deserve even if they are good at comedy. D. fear that what they find humorous would not amuse others. Question 7: What does the writer say about people who wear uniforms? A. They criticise performers for craving attention. B. They are more aware of their inadequacies than others may think. C. The desires they have are never met when they are at work. D. It is unusual for them to break their normal patterns of thought. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on 12 00. CHANGING MANNERS Many Americans believe that manners have gotten worse and official figures confirm this. In a recent survey, nearly 70% said that people are (8) than they were 20 or 30 years ago. This is true of both large and small towns, although 74% of (9) living in cities said that people have become ruder, compared with 67% in rural areas. However, few people believe that they have bad manners themselves! For example, only 8% in the questionnaire (10) they have ever used their cell phones in public in a loud or annoying way. Many people (11) new technology for our changing manners. Computers, MP3 players, and cell phones take us away from face-to-face contact, as well as being very annoying in public places. "All of these things result in a world with more stress, more chances for people to be rude to each other," said Peter Post, an instructor on business manners. But what can we do about it? Some people would like to see a rail car (12) for cell phone users so that the rest of us can travel in peace and quiet. In fact, one train company, Amtrak, has banned cell phones in one car of some trains, which is called a "Quiet Car". Question 8:A. ruderB. olderC. wiserD. smarter Question 9:A. thoseB. onesC. theyD. them Question 10:A. acceptB. agreeC. confessD. admit Question 11:A. blameB. commandC. reprimandD. reproach Question 12:A. reservedB. foundedC. preparedD. suited Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions. Question 13: ‘Will Rebecca help with the Christmas party?’ ~ ‘Well, other years so I’m sure she will this year, too.’ A. she’s helpedB. she’d helpedC. she was helpingD. she’s been helping Question 14: The depletion of the rain forests has to a decline in the number of species there. A. gotB. ledC. attributedD. resulted Question 15: ‘Are flights with this company often delayed?’ ~ ‘No, they on schedule.’ A. have usually leftB. are usually leavingC. usually leftD. usually leave Question 16: Sarah blushes,easily she is always getting blamed for things she hasn’t done. A. that meansB. this meansC. what meansD. which means Question 17: Alana halfway to the shops when she realized she’d left her purse at home. A. was gettingB. had gotC. has gotD. had been getting Question 18: ‘You and Terry seem to be good mates.’ ~ ‘Well, I him all my life.’ A. knewB. knowC. have been knowingD. have known Question 19: I don’t get on with my brother but I’m extremely of my sisters. A. closeB. fondC. affectionatD. attached Question 20: With a sigh, Paul himself that he was visiting the city for the very last time. A. rememberedB. reminiscedC. recalledD. reminded Question 21: I wish I had someone of my own age I could trust. A. with whomB. in whichC. in whomD. which Question 22: Shining her torch, Maria could just a shadowy figure crouched behind a tree.
18. A. put outB. work outC. draw outD. make out Question 23: Ella is of sitting still for two minutes together. A. disableB. unableC. unwillingD. incapable Question 24: The results of the experiment were studied with interest by the scientists. A. keenB. sharpC. utterD. firm Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions. Question 25:A. sheilaB. seizure C. receiveD. heifer Question 26:A. rhymeB. apostrophe C. psycheD. recipe Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 27 to 34. SO MUCH TO SAVE The idea of preserving biological diversity gives most people a warm feeling inside. But what, exactly, is diversity? And which kind is most worth preserving? It may be anathema to save-the-lot environmentalists who hate setting such priorities, but academics are starting to cook up answers. Andrew Solow, a mathematician at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and his colleagues argue that in the eyes of conservation, all species should not be equal. Even more controversially, they suggest that preserving the rarest is not always the best approach. Their measure of diversity is the amount of evolutionary distance between species. They reckon that if choices must be made, then the number of times that cousins are removed from one another should be one of the criteria. This makes sense from both.a practical and an aesthetic point of view. Close relatives have many genes in common. If those genes might be medically or agriculturally valuable, saving one is nearly as good as saving both. And different forms are more interesting to admire and study than lots of things that look the same. Dr Solow's group illustrates its thesis with an example. Six species of crane are at some risk of extinction. Breeding in captivity might save them. But suppose there were only enough money to protect three. Which ones should be picked? The genetic distances between 14 species of cranes, including the six at risk, have already been established using a technique known as DNA hybridisation. The group estimated how likely it was that each of these 14 species would become extinct in the next 50 years. Unendangered species were assigned a 10% chance of meeting the Darwinian reaper-man; the most vulnerable, a 90% chance. Captive breeding was assumed to reduce an otherwise endangered species' risk to the 10% level of the safest. Dr Solow's computer permed all possible combinations of three from six and came to the conclusion that protecting the Siberian, white-naped and black-necked cranes gave the smallest likely loss of biological diversity over the next five decades. The other three had close relatives in little need of protection. Even if they became extinct, most of their genes would be saved. Building on the work of this group, Martin Weitzman, of Harvard University, argues that conservation policy needs to take account not only of some firm measure of the genetic relationships of species to each other and their likelihood of survival, but also the costs of preserving them. Where species are equally important in genetic terms, and - an important and improbable precondition - where the protection of one species can be assuted at the expense of another, he argues for making safe species safer, rather than endangered species less endangered. In practice, it is difficult to choose between species. Most of those at risk - especially plants, the group most likely to yield useful medicines - are under threat because their habitats are in trouble, not because they are being shot, or plucked, to extinction. Nor can conservationists choose among the millions of species that theory predicts must exist, but that have not yet been classified by the biologists assigned to that tedious task. This is not necessarily cause for despair. At the moment, the usual way to save the genes in these creatures is to find the bits of the world with the largest number of species and try to protect them from the bulldozers. What economists require from biologists are more sophisticated ways to estimate the diversity of groups of organisms that happen to live together, as well as those which are related to each other. With clearer goals established, economic theory can then tell environmentalists where to go. [from The Economist] Question 27: Dr Solow believes that A. all very rare species should be savedB. only some species are worth saving C. all species should be savedD. very rare species can't be saved Question 28: Three of the six species of endangered cranes A. shouldn't be protectedB. could be allowed to become extinct C. were less interesting to admire than othersD. were so rare they couldn't be saved Question 29: According to the writer what has to be done first is for A. economists to instruct biologistsB. developers to stop destroying habitats C. biologists to instruct economistsD. biologists to classiry undiscovered species Question 30: Dr Weitzman's ideas A. confirm Dr Solow'sB. disregard Dr Solow's
19. C. contradict Dr Solow'sD. take Dr Solow's ideas one step further Question 31: Dr Weitzman believes that if two species are equally important genetically we should protect A. the one that is more attractiveB. the less endangered one C. the rarer oneD. them both Question 32: Most species are endangered because A. the places they live in are being destroyedB. biologists haven't classified them C. we don't care enough about themD. they are hunted or picked Question 33: Dr Solow's work depended on A. the premise that all cranes should be protectedB. the premise that not all species are the same C. the cost of preserving cranesD. previous biological research Question 34: Endangered species of cranes can be saved by A. stopping hunters from killing themB. keeping them in zoos or wildlife parks C. encouraging them to mate with their cousinsD. protecting their habitats Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best completes each of the following exchanges. Question 35: ~ A: “I’'m really excited about my holiday.” ~ B: “ ” A. You haven’'t had one for years. Take this for free.B. I’'m not surprised. Have a safe trip! C. No wonder. It’s a long way to travel.D. Who with, may I ask? Question 36: ~ A: “ ” ~ B: “She must be vexed and forlorn, I’m sure.” A. Guess what? I saw Annetta driving a new Audi to class. B. What would she say if he came back to her? C. How did Jenny feel when they broke up? D. No one was invited to her farewell party. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Question 37: He looked at her aghast. A. amazedB. frightenedC. surprisedD. shocked and worried Question 38: It's not my cup of tea. A. my field of studyB. the kind of thing I like. C. my responsibiltity.D. my best choice. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions. Question 39: It was only when we arrived in Kenya that we saw hippos and giraffes. A. Only when we arrived in Kenya did we see hippos and giraffes. B. When we arrived in Kenya we only saw hippos and giraffes. C. We only arrived in Kenya when we saw hippos and giraffes. D. We arrived in Kenya only when we saw hippos and giraffes. Question 40: The local people are in no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. A. In no way are the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. B. There is no way for the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. C. The local people have no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. D. It no use to blame the local people for the destruction of the forest. Question 41: I’d hardly unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. A. Had I hardly unpacked in my hotel room, my phone rang. B. Hardly had I unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. C. I was unpacking in my hotel hard when my phone rang. D. It was hard for me to unpack in my hotel when my phone rang. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions. Question 42:A. machineB. engineC. entailD. confine Question 43:A. envelopeB. developC. telescopeD. antelope Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions. Question 44: A vast quantity of radioactive material is made when a hydrogen bomb explode. A. A vast quantityB. materialC. isD. explode Question 45: Ocean currents have an enormous affect on life on this planet. A. OceanB. haveC. on lifeD. enormous affect
20. Question 46: Petroleum is composed of a complex mix of hydrogen and carbon. A. andB. mixC. PetroleumD. composed of Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Question 47: They managed to surmount all objections to their plans. A. yield toB. give inC. give upD. lose Question 48: "Can I try out your new bicycle?" ~ "Be my guest." A. No problem.B. Sorry, you can't.C. You're kidding.D. Never mind Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions. Question 49: Tam Vy loved travelling in Europe very much. She decided not to go to France because of her fears of terrorism. A. As France had become a high-risk terrorism spot, Tam Vy, who normally loved Europe, was afraid to go there. B. Although Tam Vy liked touring Europe ever since the threat of terrorism started, she hadn‘t been to France. C. Tam Vy would have gone to France if she hadn‘t been scared of terrorism so much because Europe was her favourite travel spot. D. Even though Tam Vy liked touring Europe very much, she was afraid of the terrorism in France, so she chose not to go there. Question 50: Mum regretted not having planted a garden this year. She felt bad when buying vegetables at the supermarket. A. When she realized that the vegetables at the supermarket were so bad, Mum decided to grow her own from then on. B. If Mum had planted a garden this year, she wouldn‘t have had to buy her vegetables from the supermarket. C. The garden that Mum had not planted, which she regretted not doing, would have produced better vegetables than the ones she got at the supermarket. D. Feeling sorry that she hadn‘t planted a garden this year, Mum did not feel good about purchasing vegetables from the supermarket. The End
21. SỞ GIÁO DỤC ĐÀO TẠO BÀI THI THỬ KỲ THI TỐT NGHIỆP TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC NĂM HỌC 2017- 2018 (Đề gồm có 04 trang) MÔN TIẾNG ANH ~ MÃ ĐỀ 005 Thời gian: 60 phút - không tính thời gian giao đề Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions. Question 1: I wish I had someone of my own age I could trust. A. whichB. in whichC. in whomD. with whom Question 2: Alana halfway to the shops when she realized she’d left her purse at home. A. has gotB. was gettingC. had gotD. had been getting Question 3: I don’t get on with my brother but I’m extremely of my sisters. A. closeB. affectionatC. fondD. attached Question 4: Ella is of sitting still for two minutes together. A. unableB. unwillingC. incapableD. disable Question 5: Sarah blushes,easily she is always getting blamed for things she hasn’t done. A. that meansB. what meansC. which meansD. this means Question 6: With a sigh, Paul himself that he was visiting the city for the very last time. A. remindedB. rememberedC. reminiscedD. recalled Question 7: ‘Are flights with this company often delayed?’ ~ ‘No, they on schedule.’ A. usually leaveB. usually leftC. are usually leavingD. have usually left Question 8: The results of the experiment were studied with interest by the scientists. A. utterB. firmC. keenD. sharp Question 9: Shining her torch, Maria could just a shadowy figure crouched behind a tree. A. put outB. work outC. draw outD. make out Question 10: The depletion of the rain forests has to a decline in the number of species there. A. ledB. resultedC. attributedD. got Question 11: ‘Will Rebecca help with the Christmas party?’ ~ ‘Well, other years so I’m sure she will this year, too.’ A. she’s helpedB. she was helpingC. she’s been helpingD. she’d helped Question 12: ‘You and Terry seem to be good mates.’ ~ ‘Well, I him all my life.’ A. have been knowingB. knowC. knewD. have known Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions. Question 13: Mum regretted not having planted a garden this year. She felt bad when buying vegetables at the supermarket. A. If Mum had planted a garden this year, she wouldn‘t have had to buy her vegetables from the supermarket. B. Feeling sorry that she hadn‘t planted a garden this year, Mum did not feel good about purchasing vegetables from the supermarket. C. When she realized that the vegetables at the supermarket were so bad, Mum decided to grow her own from then on. D. The garden that Mum had not planted, which she regretted not doing, would have produced better vegetables than the ones she got at the supermarket. Question 14: Tam Vy loved travelling in Europe very much. She decided not to go to France because of her fears of terrorism. A. Tam Vy would have gone to France if she hadn‘t been scared of terrorism so much because Europe was her favourite travel spot. B. Although Tam Vy liked touring Europe ever since the threat of terrorism started, she hadn‘t been to France. C. As France had become a high-risk terrorism spot, Tam Vy, who normally loved Europe, was afraid to go there. D. Even though Tam Vy liked touring Europe very much, she was afraid of the terrorism in France, so she chose not to go there. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions. Question 15: Ocean currents have an enormous affect on life on this planet. A. on lifeB. enormous affectC. haveD. Ocean Question 16: Petroleum is composed of a complex mix of hydrogen and carbon. A. composed ofB. PetroleumC. andD. mix Question 17: A vast quantity of radioactive material is made when a hydrogen bomb explode. A. A vast quantityB. materialC. explodeD. is Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.
22. Question 18: The local people are in no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. A. In no way are the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. B. It no use to blame the local people for the destruction of the forest. C. There is no way for the local people to blame for the destruction of the forest. D. The local people have no way to blame for the destruction of the forest. Question 19: I’d hardly unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. A. Had I hardly unpacked in my hotel room, my phone rang. B. It was hard for me to unpack in my hotel when my phone rang. C. Hardly had I unpacked in my hotel room when my phone rang. D. I was unpacking in my hotel hard when my phone rang. Question 20: It was only when we arrived in Kenya that we saw hippos and giraffes. A. We only arrived in Kenya when we saw hippos and giraffes. B. Only when we arrived in Kenya did we see hippos and giraffes. C. When we arrived in Kenya we only saw hippos and giraffes. D. We arrived in Kenya only when we saw hippos and giraffes. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Question 21: "Can I try out your new bicycle?" ~ "Be my guest." A. No problem.B. Sorry, you can't.C. You're kidding.D. Never mind Question 22: They managed to surmount all objections to their plans. A. give upB. loseC. yield toD. give in Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best completes each of the following exchanges. Question 23: ~ A: “I’'m really excited about my holiday.” ~ B: “ ” A. You haven’'t had one for years. Take this for free.B. No wonder. It’s a long way to travel. C. I’'m not surprised. Have a safe trip!D. Who with, may I ask? Question 24: ~ A: “ ” ~ B: “She must be vexed and forlorn, I’m sure.” A. What would she say if he came back to her? B. How did Jenny feel when they broke up? C. Guess what? I saw Annetta driving a new Audi to class. D. No one was invited to her farewell party. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 25 to 32. SO MUCH TO SAVE The idea of preserving biological diversity gives most people a warm feeling inside. But what, exactly, is diversity? And which kind is most worth preserving? It may be anathema to save-the-lot environmentalists who hate setting such priorities, but academics are starting to cook up answers. Andrew Solow, a mathematician at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and his colleagues argue that in the eyes of conservation, all species should not be equal. Even more controversially, they suggest that preserving the rarest is not always the best approach. Their measure of diversity is the amount of evolutionary distance between species. They reckon that if choices must be made, then the number of times that cousins are removed from one another should be one of the criteria. This makes sense from both.a practical and an aesthetic point of view. Close relatives have many genes in common. If those genes might be medically or agriculturally valuable, saving one is nearly as good as saving both. And different forms are more interesting to admire and study than lots of things that look the same. Dr Solow's group illustrates its thesis with an example. Six species of crane are at some risk of extinction. Breeding in captivity might save them. But suppose there were only enough money to protect three. Which ones should be picked? The genetic distances between 14 species of cranes, including the six at risk, have already been established using a technique known as DNA hybridisation. The group estimated how likely it was that each of these 14 species would become extinct in the next 50 years. Unendangered species were assigned a 10% chance of meeting the Darwinian reaper-man; the most vulnerable, a 90% chance. Captive breeding was assumed to reduce an otherwise endangered species' risk to the 10% level of the safest. Dr Solow's computer permed all possible combinations of three from six and came to the conclusion that protecting the Siberian, white-naped and black-necked cranes gave the smallest likely loss of biological diversity over the next five decades. The other three had close relatives in little need of protection. Even if they became extinct, most of their genes would be saved. Building on the work of this group, Martin Weitzman, of Harvard University, argues that conservation policy needs to take account not only of some firm measure of the genetic relationships of species to each other and their likelihood of survival, but also the costs of preserving them. Where species are equally important in genetic terms, and - an important and
23. improbable precondition - where the protection of one species can be assuted at the expense of another, he argues for making safe species safer, rather than endangered species less endangered. In practice, it is difficult to choose between species. Most of those at risk - especially plants, the group most likely to yield useful medicines - are under threat because their habitats are in trouble, not because they are being shot, or plucked, to extinction. Nor can conservationists choose among the millions of species that theory predicts must exist, but that have not yet been classified by the biologists assigned to that tedious task. This is not necessarily cause for despair. At the moment, the usual way to save the genes in these creatures is to find the bits of the world with the largest number of species and try to protect them from the bulldozers. What economists require from biologists are more sophisticated ways to estimate the diversity of groups of organisms that happen to live together, as well as those which are related to each other. With clearer goals established, economic theory can then tell environmentalists where to go. [from The Economist] Question 25: Dr Weitzman believes that if two species are equally important genetically we should protect A. them bothB. the less endangered one C. the rarer oneD. the one that is more attractive Question 26: Dr Solow believes that A. very rare species can't be savedB. only some species are worth saving C. all very rare species should be savedD. all species should be saved Question 27: Most species are endangered because A. we don't care enough about themB. they are hunted or picked C. the places they live in are being destroyedD. biologists haven't classified them Question 28: Dr Solow's work depended on A. the premise that all cranes should be protectedB. the cost of preserving cranes C. the premise that not all species are the sameD. previous biological research Question 29: Dr Weitzman's ideas A. disregard Dr Solow'sB. take Dr Solow's ideas one step further C. confirm Dr Solow'sD. contradict Dr Solow's Question 30: According to the writer what has to be done first is for A. biologists to instruct economistsB. developers to stop destroying habitats C. economists to instruct biologistsD. biologists to classiry undiscovered species Question 31: Endangered species of cranes can be saved by A. keeping them in zoos or wildlife parksB. stopping hunters from killing them C. encouraging them to mate with their cousinsD. protecting their habitats Question 32: Three of the six species of endangered cranes A. could be allowed to become extinctB. were so rare they couldn't be saved C. shouldn't be protectedD. were less interesting to admire than others Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 33 to 39. COMEDIANS What drives moderately intelligent persons to put themselves up for acceptance or disparagement? In short, what sort of individual wants to be a comedian? When we hear the very word, what does the label suggest? Other professions, callings and occupations attract separate and distinct types of practitioner. Some stereotypes are so familiar as to be cheaply laughable examples from the world of travesty, among them absent-minded professors, venal lawyers, gloomy detectives and cynical reporters. But what corny characteristics do we attribute to comedians? To a man or woman, are they generally parsimonious, vulgar, shallow, arrogant, introspective, hysterically insecure, smug, autocratic, amoral, and selfish? Read their superficial stories in the tabloids and so they would appear. Rather than look at the complete image, perhaps we need to explore the initial motives behind a choice of career. Consider first those who prefer a sort of anonymity in life, the ones who’d rather wear a uniform. The psychological make-up of individuals who actively seek to resign their individuality is apparent among those who surrender to the discipline of a military life. The emotional and intellectual course taken by those who are drawn to anonymity is easily observed but not easily deflected. They want to be told what to do and then be required to do it over and over again in the safety of a routine, often behind the disguises of a number of livery. If their egos ache with the need for recognition and praise, it’s a pain that must be contained, frustrated or satisfied within the rut they occupy. The mere idea of standing up in front of an audience and demanding attention is abhorrent. Nor will we find our comics among the doormats and dormice, the meek. There’s precious little comedy in the lives of quiet hobbyists, bashful scholars, hermits, anchorites and recluses, the discreet and the modest, ones who deliberately select a position of obscurity and seclusion. Abiding quietly in this stratum of society, somewhere well below public attention level, there is humour, yes, since humour can endure in the least favourable circumstances, persisting like lichen in
24. Antarctica. And jokes. Many lesserknown comedy writers compose their material in the secret corners of an unassuming existence. I know of two, both content to be minor figures in the civil service, who send in topical jokes to radio and TV shows on condition that their real names are not revealed. In both cases I've noticed that their comic invention, though clever, is based upon wordplay, puns and similar equivoques, never an aggressive comic observation of life. Just as there may be a certain sterility in the self-effacement of a humble life, so it seems feasible that the selection process of what’s funny is emasculated before it even commences. If you have no ginger and snap in your daily round, with little familiarity with strong emotions, it seems likely that your sense of fun will be limited by timidity to a simple juggling with language. If the comedian’s genesis is unlikely to be founded in social submission, it’s also improbable among the top echelons of our civilisation. Once again, humour can be found among the majestic. Nobles and royals, statesmen and lawmakers, have their wits. Jokes and jokers circulate at the loftiest level of every advanced nation, but being high-born seems to carry no compulsion to make the hoi polloi laugh. Some of our rulers do make us laugh but that’s not what they’re paid to do. And, so with the constricted comedy of those who live a constricted life, that which amuses them may lack the common touch. Having eliminated the parts of society unlikely to breed funnymen, it’s to the middle ranks of humanity, beneath the exalted and above the invisible, that we must look to see where comics come from and why. And are they, like nurses and nuns, called to their vocation? As the mountain calls to the mountaineer and the pentameter to the poet, does the need of the mirthless masses summon forth funsters, ready to administer relief as their sole raison d’etre? We’ve often heard it said that someone’s a ‘born comedian’ but will it do for all of them or even most of them? Perhaps we like to think of our greatest jesters as we do our greatest painters and composers, preferring to believe that their gifts are inescapably driven to expression. But in our exploration of the comedy mind, hopefully finding some such, we are sure to find some quite otherwise. [Source: PROFICIENCY TESTBUILDER 4th Edition, Macmillan, 2013] Question 33: The writer says that people at the top of society A. are unaware of how ridiculous they appear to others. B. would not be capable of becoming comedians even if they wanted to. C. take themselves too seriously to wish to amuse anybody. D. have contempt for the humour of those at lower levels of society. Question 34: What does the writer imply about comedians in the first paragraph? A. They often cannot understand why people make negative judgements of them. B. It is harder to generalise about them than about people in other professions. C. It is possible that they are seen as possessing only negative characteristics. D. People in certain other professions generally have a better image than them. Question 35: Which word/phrase can be a substitution for “the hoi polloi”? A. the showbitzB. ordinary peopleC. the mass mediaD. the eliete Question 36: In the fourth paragraph, the writer criticises the kind of comedy he describes for its lack of A. coherence.B. spirit.C. originality.D. sophistication. Question 37: The writer says in the third paragraph that shy people A. do not get the recognition they deserve even if they are good at comedy. B. fear that what they find humorous would not amuse others. C. may be able to write humorous material but could not perform it. D. are capable of being more humorous than they realise. Question 38: What does the writer say about people who wear uniforms? A. It is unusual for them to break their normal patterns of thought. B. They are more aware of their inadequacies than others may think. C. They criticise performers for craving attention. D. The desires they have are never met when they are at work. Question 39: What does the writer wonder in the last paragraph? A. whether comedians realise how significant they are in the lives of ordinary people B. whether comedians can be considered great in the way that other people in the arts can C. whether people’s expectations of comedians are too high D. whether it is inevitable that some people will become comedians Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 40 to 44. CHANGING MANNERS Many Americans believe that manners have gotten worse and official figures confirm this. In a recent survey, nearly 70% said that people are (40) than they were 20 or 30 years ago. This is true of both large and small towns, although 74% of (41) living in cities said that people have become ruder, compared with 67% in rural areas. However, few people believe that they have bad manners themselves! For example, only 8% in the questionnaire (42) they have ever used their cell