Đề thi lập đội đội tuyển dự thi chọn học sinh giỏi quốc gia THPT năm 2019 môn Tiếng Anh 12 tỉnh Đắk Lắk", có thể tải xuống dưới dạng file PDF tại website Tài liệu diệu kỳ. Việc sử dụng tài liệu này sẽ giúp cho các bạn học sinh chuyên Anh lớp 12 có thêm tài liệu tham khảo và bồi dưỡng kỹ năng, đặc biệt là khi chuẩn bị cho đội tuyển HSG Tiếng Anh 12 tham gia chọn học sinh giỏi quốc gia.
Chương trình ôn luyện đội tuyển được bám sát cấu trúc và chuẩn hóa, giúp cho các bạn học sinh nâng cao khả năng sử dụng ngôn ngữ, phát triển kỹ năng đọc hiểu, viết và nghe nói.
Trích dẫn nội dung "Đề thi lập đội đội tuyển dự thi chọn học sinh giỏi quốc gia THPT năm 2019 môn Tiếng Anh 12 tỉnh Đắk Lắk":
SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TỈNH ĐẮK LẮK ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC (Đề thi gồm có 13 trang) KỲ THI LẬP CÁC ĐỘI TUYỂN DỰ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA THPT NĂM 2019 MÔN: TIẾNG ANH 12-THPT (ĐỌC HIỂU-VIẾT) Thời gian làm bài: 150 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề) Ngày thi: 25/9/2018 (Thí sinh làm bài ngay trên đề thi này) Họ và tên học sinh: SỐ BÁO DANH Sinh ngày: GIÁM THỊ 1 (Họ tên và chữ ký) Học tại trường: Thi tại Hội đồng thi: Phòng thi số: Nơi sinh: GIÁM THỊ 2 (Họ tên và chữ ký) SỐ PHÁCH SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO TỈNH ĐẮK LẮK ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC (Đề thi gồm có 13 trang) KỲ THI LẬP CÁC ĐỘI TUYỂN DỰ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA THPT NĂM 2019 MÔN: TIẾNG ANH 12-THPT (ĐỌC HIỂU-VIẾT) Thời gian làm bài: 150 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề) Ngày thi: 25/9/2018 (Thí sinh làm bài ngay trên đề thi này) CHỮ KÝ CỦA 2 GIÁM KHẢO ĐIỂM THỊ BẰNG SỐ BẢNG CHỮ SỐ PHÁCH I. LEXICO - GRAMMAR (20pts) Part 1. For questions 1-15, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the following questions and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. 1. Nobody wanted to tell Richard he wasn't invited, but I drew the short A. straw 2. We B. stick C. pole on the beach now if we hadn't missed the plane. A. might have lain B. could be lying C. would lie 3. They are thinking of bringing A. on 4. Was it always an A. urge 5. My jeans A. reduced B. up so I had to do it. D. rod D. would have lain a law to make cyclists wear helmets. C. in of yours to play for France? B. adoration C. anticipation in the wash and they're too small for me now. B. deteriorated C. shrank C. tramp 6. A person who has drunk too much alcohol would A. stagger 7. I am B. swagger my brother is. A. nowhere like ambitious as C. nothing as ambitious. 8. It's very important that we A. be it notified D. round D. aspiration D. diminished D. prowl B. nothing near as ambitious as D. nowhere near as ambitious as as soon as there's any change in the patient's condition. B. be notified C. were notified 9. With over 500 hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s, this is the B. satisfactory C. optimum these excuses any longer! I demand to see the A. exquisite 10. I won't A. put up with B. put off again 11. My uncle pulled a few A. ropes B. strings 12. smoothly. C. put up for D. being notified hits collection. D. ultimate manager. D. put off with and got me a job in the company where he works. C. threads D. chords with about fifteen times its weight in air, does gasoline allow the carburetor to run A. Only when mixed B. It is mixed 13. Jack: "This medicine tastes horrible!" Jill: "_________, it will cure your cough." A. Be that as it may C. How much horrible is it
14. It was getting A. utterly C. When mixed D. To mix it B. Come what may D. Whatever it tastes C. totally D. fairly dark, so we decided to head for home. B. absolutely Page 1 of 13 pages 15. The local authorities need to A. hit Your answers: 1. 6. 11. 2. 7. 12. B. force 3. 8. 13. down on illegal parking, in my opinion. C move D. crack 4. 9. 14. 5. 10. 15. Part 2. For questions 16-20, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the numbered space provided in the column on the right. (0) has been done as an example. A MODERN ITALIAN ARTIST Your answers: Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor whose (0. ORIGIN) paintings, which were characterized by 0. original asymmetry of composition, (16. LONG) of figure, and simple 16. but monumental use of line, are among the most important of the 20th century. They have also gained popularities for the entirely personal atmosphere with which they are invested: a kind of mute (17. RELATE) 17. between the artist and sitter that implicates the spectator in a truly remarkable way. After suffering from serious illnesses as a child, he was forced to give up conventional education, and it was then that he began to study painting. After his studies in Italy, Modigliani left for Paris. There, he was overwhelmed by the painting of Paul Cezanne, which exerted an (18. QUESTION) influence on the earliest 18. phase of his work. Furthermore, his extensive study of African sculpture made a profound impression on his painting style. Modigliani was not a professional portraitist in the strict sense of the word. His paintings are almost always portraits of relatives, (19. PERSON) of the 19. Parisian literary scene of his times and the contemporary artistic world, along with many portraits of (20. IDENTIFY)
II. READING (70 pts) persons. 20. Part 1. For questions 21 - 30, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. DANGERS OF TECHNOLOGY Much has been heard recently about possible health hazards, including memory loss and brain tumours, from the use of mobile phones. With the possible half a billion mobile phones in (21) throughout the world, in Britain today, one person in four owns one, (22) worrying enough, even if, so far, no concrete evidence has come to (23) is One study by Dr. Alan Preece and his team at Bristol University has shown, however, in a report in the International Journal of Radiation Biology, that tests on volunteers demonstrated no effect on their short-term memory or attention span. Subjects (24) exposed to microwave radiation for up to thirty minutes, but the one noticeable effect was positive (25) negative; the subject reacted more rapidly in one test (26) explanation of this is that following the transmissions, a warming of the blood led to increased bloodflow. than a visual choice. One For the experiment, places were chosen where the signal was good and the microwave dose light, and then where the signal was poor and the dose (27) higher. The subjects were Page 2 of 13 pages tested for recall and mental alertness (28) exposure to microwaves characteristic of analogue phones, digital phones or no phones at all, without knowing (29) they were exposed to. It is, of course, early days yet and the sample may not be larged (30) from. More research needs to be done. to generalise Your answers: 21. 26. 22. 27. 23. 28. 24. 29. 25. 30. Part 2. For questions 31-41, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. THE BENEFITS OF BEING BILINGUAL A. According to the latest figures, the majority of the world's population is now bilingual or multilingual, having grown up speaking two or more languages. In the past, such children were considered to be at a disadvantage compared with their monolingual peers. Over the past few decades, however, technological advances have allowed researchers to look more deeply at how bilingualism interacts with and changes the cognitive and neurological systems, thereby identifying several clear benefits of being bilingual. B. Research shows that when a bilingual person uses one language, the other is active at the same time. When we hear a word, we don't hear the entire word all at once: the sounds arrive in sequential order. Long before the word is finished, the brain's language system begins to guess what that word might be. If you hear 'can', you will likely activate words like "candy' and 'candle' as well, at least during the earlier stages of word recognition. For bilingual people, this activation is not limited to a single language; auditory input activates corresponding words. regardless of the language to which they belong. Some of the most compelling evidence for this phenomenon, called 'language co-activation', comes from studying eye movements. A Russian- English bilingual asked to 'pick up a marker' from a set of objects would look more at a stamp than someone who doesn't know Russian, because the Russian word for 'stamp', marka, sounds like the English word he or she heard, 'marker'. In cases like this, language co-activation occurs because what the listener hears could map onto words in either language. C. Having to deal with this persistent linguistic competition can result in difficulties, however. For instance, knowing more than one language can cause speakers to name pictures more slowly, and can increase 'tip-of-the-tongue states', when you can almost, but not quite, bring a word to mind. As a result, the constant juggling of two languages creates a need to control how much a person accesses a language at any given time. For this reason, bilingual people often perform better on tasks that require conflict management. In the classic Stroop Task, people see a word and are asked to name the color of the word's font. When the color and the word match (i., the word 'red' printed in red), people correctly name the color more quickly than when the color and the word don't match (i., the word 'red' printed in blue).
This occurs because the word itself ('red') and its font color (blue) conflict. Bilingual people often excel at tasks such as this, which tap into the ability to ignore competing perceptual information and focus on the relevant aspects of the input. Bilinguals are also better at switching between two tasks; for example, when bilinguals have to switch from categorizing objects by color (red or green) to categorizing them by shape (circle or triangle), they do so more quickly than monolingual people, reflecting better cognitive control when having to make rapid changes of strategy. D. It also seems that the neurological roots of the bilingual advantage extend to brain areas more traditionally associated with sensory processing. When monolingual and bilingual adolescents listen to simple speech sounds without any intervening background noise, they show highly Page 3 of 13 pages similar brain stem responses. When researchers play the same sound to both groups in the presence of background noise, however, the bilingual listeners' neural response is considerably larger, reflecting better encoding of the sound's fundamental frequency, a feature of sound closely related to pitch perception. E. Such improvements in cognitive and sensory processing may help a bilingual person to process information in the environment, and help explain why bilingual adults acquire a third language better than monolingual adults master a second language. This advantage may be rooted in the skill of focusing on information about the new language while reducing interference from the languages they already know. F.
Research also indicates that bilingual experience may help to keep the cognitive mechanisms sharp by recruiting alternate brain networks to compensate for those that become damaged during aging. Older bilinguals enjoy improved memory relative to monolingual people, which can lead to real-world health benefits. In a study of over 200 patients with Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative brain disease, bilingual patients reported showing initial symptoms of the disease an average of five years later than monolingual patients. In a follow-up study, researchers compared the brains of bilingual and monolingual patients matched on the severity of Alzheimer's symptoms. Surprisingly, the bilinguals' brains had more physical signs of disease than their monolingual counterparts, even though their outward behavior and abilities were the same. If the brain is an engine, bilingualism may help it to go farther on the same amount of fuel. G. Furthermore, the benefits associated with bilingual experience seem to start very early. In one study, researchers taught seven-month-old babies growing up in monolingual or bilingual homes that when they heard a tinkling sound, a puppet appeared on one side of a screen. Halfway through the study, the puppet began appearing on the opposite side of the screen. In order to get a reward, the infants had to adjust the rule they'd learned; only the bilingual babies were able to successfully learn the new rule. This suggests that for very young children, as well as for older people, navigating a multilingual environment imparts advantages that transfer far beyond language. Questions 31-35: There are seven paragraphs marked A-G in the passage. In which paragraph is the following mentioned? Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. 31. an example of how bilingual and monolingual people's brains respond differently to a certain type of non-verbal auditory input 32. a demonstration of how a bilingual upbringing has benefits even before we learn to speak 33. a description of the process by which people identify words that they hear 34. reference to some negative consequences of being bilingual 35. recent changes in attitudes towards bilingualism Your answers: 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. - Questions 36 41: Complete the table below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. Observing the (36) Test Findings of Russian- Bilingual people engage both languages English bilingual people when asked to select simultaneously: a mechanism known as (37) certain objects Page 4 of 13 pages A test called the (38) naming colours focusing on Bilingual people are more able to handle tasks involving a skill called (39) A test involving (40) between tasks When changing strategies, bilingual people have superior (41) Your answers: 36. 39. 37. 40. 38. 41. Part 3. In the passage below, seven paragraphs have been removed from the passage. For questions 42 - 48, read the following passage and choose from paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap. There is ONE extra paragraph which you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. ONLINE LITERARY CRITICISM FOR ALL (Do-it-yourself literary criticism: more than just harmless fun?) From the outset, the idea of open access to the Internet was one of its guiding principles. In theory, anyone could publish a manifesto or broadcast a music channel on the Internet. In practice, however, a certain amount of technical know-how was required, at least in the early years. 42 -
Amazon's egalitarian approach to book reviews - namely, that anyone could say what they liked about anything and award it up to five stars looked, on the face of it, like a brilliant idea. Each book had its own page on Amazon's site, and whenever a reader submitted a new review, it appeared automatically. 43 Other online bookstores which also operated as large bricks-and-mortar bookshop chains. provided similar features. But as the largest player, with over 80% of the online market, Amazon initially had the most customers, attracted by far the greatest number of reviews and, accordingly, encountered the most funny business. 44 Single-word reviews, for instance, or personal attacks on the author, were not allowed. Nor were reviews that contained obscenities, gave away the ending, or referred to other reviews. Ultimately, however, the reviewers were anonymous (they were not required to give the real names) and offending reviews were removed only if Amazon checkers noticed them. So there was plenty of scope for mischief. 45 Authors were, in fact, provided with their own way to hold forth; by clicking on a link marked 'I am the Author, and I wish to comment on my book.' Most authors who used this feature posted jolly messages expressing their desire that browsers would buy, and enjoy the book in question. A few even gave their e-mail addresses, thus inviting readers to communicate directly. Yet authors who posted messages knew that while Amazon did vet them, it did not check that they really came from the author. 46 Page 5 of 13 pages Still, the fur really began to fly as a result of postings from readers, not writers. When James McElroy's We've Got Spirit, which documented a year in the life of a small-town cheerleading team, was published, it was well received by the mainstream press. But many of the people mentioned in it felt betrayed, and the book's page on Amazon was an obvious outlet for their anger. Dozens of highly critical reviews were submitted only to vanish a few days later. 47 - This meant that the best place to post a silly review was on a page devoted to a less well-known book. The Story about Ping, a classic children's work that tells the story of a duck called Ping, was the inspiration for much geek humor, because 'ping' also happened to be the name of a software utility used to measure the degree of congestion on the Internet. One lengthy review constructed an elaborate analogy between the book's plot and the architecture of the Internet, and concluded that the book provided a 'good high-level overview' of basic networking concepts. 48 The writer George Orwell once complained that 'reviewing too many books involved constantly inventing reactions towards books about which one has no spontaneous feelings whatever'. All the more reason, then, to regard the democratization of the process as a good thing. The missing paragraphs: A. Despite this episode, as far as Amazon was concerned, the fact that so many people were prepared to invest so much time reading and writing reviews was simply good for business. As reader's reviews were supposed to be a 'forum to talk about a book' rather than a chat room, a particularly close eye was kept on bestselling books, to ensure that all reviews played by the rules. B. One result was that some authors decided in future to extend their communication with their readership, by
posting a taster of their next novel - or even serializing it. Though at that point, they realized they wanted to receive something more tangible than a review in return. C. However, there was at least one field, previously restricted to the few, that was genuinely opened up to the masses. By visiting the pages of Amazon.com, the first popular online. bookshop, anyone was able to try their hand at literary criticism. D. For this critical free-for-all lent itself to subversion of various subtle and not-so subtle kinds. Thousands of reviews were submitted each day - Amazon would not say exactly how many so it was impractical to vet them all. Instead, a team of editors scoured the site, checking that reviews conformed to the company's guidelines. E. Such silliness was, however, the exception rather than the rule. The striking thing about the vast majority of reader reviews at Amazon.com was how seriously their contributors took them. And overall the reviews collectively provided a remarkably accurate indication of whether or not a particular set of goods was worth buying. F. An exception to this was made in the case of big names. A little-known writer submitted an author's comment, purporting to be from John Updike, in which he admitted to being a "talented but ultimately over-hyped middlebrow author". Unsurprisingly, it was deemed a fake and was removed. G. For example, there was nothing to stop writers giving their own books glowing reviews. One writer, Lev Grossman, was so mortified by the bad reviews that readers gave his first novel ('infantile trash', 'puerile pap') that he submitted several anonymous ones of his own ('hilarious', Page 6 of 13 pages 'fabulous') to redress the balance. His ruse succeeded until he wrote an article detailing his deception. The fake reviews were promptly removed. H. This meant that Amazon got to fill its pages with free reviews, and potential buyers of a book could see what other readers thought of it, for better or worse, rather than reading just the blurb from the publisher and the views of professional critics. Your answers: 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. Part 4. For questions 49-58, read an extract from an article and choose the answer A, B, C or D which you think fits best according to the text. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. CHARLES DARWIN AND THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION [1] Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution is known as one of the most important and controversial scientific theories ever published. Darwin was an English scientist in the 19th century best known for his book "On the Origin of Species." In his book, Darwin postulated different species shared characteristics of common ancestors, that they branched off from common ancestors as they evolved, and that new traits and characteristics were a result of natural selection. The theory is based on the assumptions that life developed from non-life and progressed and evolved in an indirect manner. Therefore, the Theory of Evolution, while controversial, has shaped and influenced the modern scientific world's thinking on the development of life itself. Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in England. Although initially entering into medicine, Darwin chose to pursue his interest in natural science and embarked on a five-year journey aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, a British sloop belonging to the Royal Navy. Because of his experience aboard the Beagle, he laid the foundation for his Theory of Evolution while also establishing himself within the scientific community. Specifically, Darwin's keen observation of the fossils and wildlife he saw during his time on the Beagle served as the basis for the cornerstone of his theory: natural selection. [2] Natural selection contributes to the basis of Darwin's Theory of Evolution. One of the core tenets of Darwin's theory is that more offspring are always produced for a species than can possibly survive. Yet, no two offspring are perfectly alike. As a result, through random mutation and genetic drift, over time offspring develop new traits and characteristics. Over time beneficial traits and characteristics that promote survival will be kept in the gene pool while those that harm survival will be selected against. Therefore, this natural selection ensures that a species gradually improves itself over an extended duration of time. On the other hand, as a species continues to 'improve' itself, it branches out to create entirely new species that are no longer capable of reproducing together. [3] Through natural selection, organisms could branch off of each other and evolve to the point where they no longer belong to the same species. Consequently, simple organisms evolve into more complex and different organisms as species break away from one another. Natural selection parallels selective breeding employed by humans on domesticated animals for centuries.
Namely, horse breeders will ensure that horses with particular characteristics, such as speed and endurance, are allowed to produce offspring while horses that do not share those above-average traits will not. Therefore, over several generations, the new offspring will already be pre-disposed towards being excellent racing horses. [4] Darwin's theory is that 'selective breeding' occurs in nature as 'natural selection' is the engine behind evolution. Thus, the theory provides an excellent basis for understanding how organisms change over time. Nevertheless, it is just a theory and elusively difficult to prove. One Page 7 of 13 pages of the major holes in Darwin's theory revolves around "irreducibly complex systems." An irreducibly complex system is known as a system where many different parts must all operate together. As a result, in the absence of one, the system as a whole collapses. Consequently, as modern technology improves, science can identify these "irreducibly complex systems" even at microscopic levels. These complex systems, if so inter-reliant, would be resistant to Darwin's supposition of how evolution occurs. As Darwin himself admitted, "To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivance for adjusting the focus for different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I free confess, absurd in the highest degree". [5] In conclusion, "On the Origin of Species" is known as one of the most consequential books ever published. Darwin's Theory of Evolution remains, to this day, at lightning rod for controversy. The theory can be observed repeatedly, but never proven, and there are a plethora of instances that cast doubt on the processes of natural selection and evolution. Darwin's conclusions were a result of keen observation and training as a naturalist. Despite the controversy that swirls around his theory, Darwin remains one of the most influential scientists and naturalists ever born due to his Theory of Evolution. 49. According to paragraph 1, where did Charles Darwin begin to observe and formulate the basis for his Theory of Evolution? A. Medical School. B. Observing Horse Breeders C. England D. Aboard the H.M.S. Beagle 50. Which sentence is most similar to the following sentence from paragraph 1? The theory is based on the assumptions that life developed from non-life and progressed and evolved in an indirect manner. A. The Theory of Evolution is founded on evidence that non-organic compounds are the basis of life, developed in an unguided way. B. Based on certain assumptions, we can prove that evolution occurs in all living and non-living entities. C. According to Darwin, if we assume that life at its origin was created from non-organic compounds and developed in an unguided manner, his theory holds true. D. Due to the controversy, it is hard to make assumptions about the Theory of Evolution. 51. According to paragraph 2, what are the causes for species developing new traits and characteristics? A. medicine and longevity C. mutation and genetic drift B. survival and selection D. tenets and theory 52. According to paragraph 3, what is natural selection most comparable to as a process? A. branching trees C. irreducibly complex systems B. selective breeding D. the human eye 53. What is the purpose of paragraph 3 in the passage? A. To show the simple-to-complex nature of natural selection in context B. To create doubt as to the validity of the theory C. To contrast with the ideas presented in paragraph 2 D. To segue into the main point presented in paragraph 4 54. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 4 as a viewpoint to state that natural selection is difficult to prove EXCEPT A. the belief that the complexity of the human eye could have been formed by natural selection seems highly unlikely B. the presence of irreducibly complex system contradicts how evolution occurs Page 8 of 13 pages C. modern technology has been used to prove that irreducibly complex systems exists D. selective breeding is the major hole in the theory of natural selection 55. Which of the following square brackets [A], [B], [C], or [D] best indicates where in the passage the sentence "The five-year voyage proved to be a major turning point in his life." can be inserted? [A] Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in England. [B] Although initially entering into medicine, Darwin chose to pursue his interest in natural science and embarked on a five-year journey aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, a British sloop belonging to the Royal Navy. [C] Because of his experience aboard the Beagle, he laid the foundation for his Theory of Evolution while also establishing himself within the scientific community. [D]. A. [A] B. [B] 56. The word 'those' in paragraph 2 refers to A. gene pool C. natural selection C. [C] B. survival D. [D] D. traits and characteristics 57. In paragraph 4, what was the author's purpose of including a quote that the belief that the complexity of the human eye could have been formed by natural selection seems highly unlikely?
A. To provide evidence that irreducibly complex systems exists B. To prove that the natural selection contradicts the basis of Darwin's Theory of Evolution C. To support that the natural selection contributes to the basis of Darwin's Theory of Evolution D. To support the claim that natural selection is just a theory and difficult to prove 58. An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. And three other choices express the most important ideas in the passage to complete the summary. Choose ONE choice that does not belong to the summary. Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution was a revolutionary idea that described how natural selection influences the evolution of species. A. Natural selection explains how species change gradually over time. B. The Theory of Evolution describes how species 'branch out' from a common ancestor C. Creationists strongly object to the premise of the Theory of Evolution D. Both Darwin and "On the Origin of Species" are among the most influential things to happen. to naturalist science. Your answers: 49. 54. 50. 55. 51. 56. 52. 57. 53. 58. Part 5. Read an article containing reviews of crime novels and do the task that follows. CHILLING READS TO LOOK OUT FOR Some recommendations from the latest batch of crime novels A. Zouache may not be the obvious heroine for a crime novel, but November sees her debut in Fidelis Morgan's wonderful Restoration thriller Unnatural Fire. From debtor to private eye, this Countess is an aristocrat, fleeing for her life through the streets of 17th-century London. Featuring a colourful cast of misfits and brilliantly researched period detail, Unnatural Fire has a base in the mysterious science of alchemy, and will appeal to adherents of both crime and historical fiction. B. Minette Walters is one of the most acclaimed writers in British crime fiction whose books like The Sculptress have made successful transitions to our TV screens. Preoccupied with developing strong plots and characterization rather than with crime itself, she has created some disturbing Page 9 of 13 pages and innovative psychological narratives. The Shape of Snakes is set in the winter of 1978. Once again Walters uses her narrative skills to lead the reader astray (there is a clever use of correspondence between characters), before resolving the mystery in her latest intricately plotted bestseller which is full of suspense. Once again she shows why she is such a star of British crime fiction. C. Elizabeth Woodcraft's feisty barrister heroine in Good Bad Woman, Frankie, is a diehard Motown music fan. As the title suggests, despite her job on the right side of the law, she ends on the wrong side - arrested for murder. No favorite of the police who are happy to see her up go down in order to prove her innocence she must solve the case, one that involves an old friend and some uncomfortable truths a bit too close to home. Good Bad Woman is an enthralling, fast- paced contemporary thriller that presents a great new heroine to the genre. - D. Black Dog is Stephen Booth's hugely accomplished debut, now published in paperback. It follows the mysterious disappearance of teenager Laura Vernon in the Peak District. Ben Cooper, a young Detective Constable, has known the villagers all his life, but his instinctive feelings about the case are called into question by the arrival of Diane Fry, a ruthlessly ambitious detective from another division. As the investigation twists and turns, Ben and Diane discover that to understand the present, they must also understand the past and, in a world where none of the suspects is entirely innocent, misery and suffering can be the only outcome. - E. Andrew Roth's deservedly celebrated Roth Trilogy has drawn to a close with the paperback publication of the third book, The Office, set in a 1950s cathedral city. Janet Byfield has everything that Wendy Appleyard lacks: she's beautiful, she has a handsome husband, and an adorable little daughter, Rosie. At first it seems to Wendy as though nothing can touch the Byfields' perfect existence, but old sins gradually come back to haunt the present, and new sins are bred in their place.
The shadows seep through the neighborhood and only Wendy, the outsider looking in, is able to glimpse the truth. But can she grasp its twisted logic in time to prevent a tragedy whose roots lie buried deep in the past? F. And finally, Reginald Hill has a brilliant new Dalziel and Pascoe novel, Dialogues, released in the spring. The uncanny resemblance between stories entered for a local newspaper competition and the circumstances of two sudden disappearances attracts the attention of Mid-Yorkshire Police. Superintendent Andy Dalziel realizes they may have a dangerous criminal on their hands one the media are soon calling the Wordman. There are enough clues around to weave a tapestry, but it's not clear who's playing with whom. Is it the Wordman versus the police, or the criminal versus his victims? And just how far will the games go? For questions 59 70, choose from the reviews (AF). Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. The reviews may be chosen more than once. In which review are the following mentioned? characters whose ideal world seems totally secure a gripping book which introduces an impressive main character a character whose intuition is challenged the disturbing similarity between reality and fiction within a novel an original and provocative line in storytelling the main character having a personal connection which brings disturbing revelations the interweaving of current lives and previous acts of wickedness Your answers 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. Page 10 of 13 pages a deliberately misleading use of the written word a rather unexpected choice of central character an abundant amount of inconclusive information about a case a character seeing through complexity in an attempt to avert disaster 66. 67. 68. 69. the characters' involvement in a crime inevitably leading to a painful conclusion 70. III. WRITING (60 pts) Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should be between 100 and 120 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original. The means of transportation has changed and improved over many centuries. Long ago, during the times of the kings and knights, animals such as horses, buffaloes and camels were used by man for transportation purposes. These animals no doubt did save man from traveling by foot, they took a long time to complete the journeys, especially when transporting goods. In 1825, George Stephenson's opening of the first railway marked a significant progress in the history of transportation. Railways were in popular demand because they could carry more people and loads. More importantly, they ran faster than animals. Railways improved the communication networks and hence, imports and exports of goods and people traveling out of their towns or even countries to work were made possible. Unfortunately, since the invention of motor vehicles, the popularity of railways has declined. Motor vehicles were first invented in the eighteenth century. These vehicles were preferred by many people as they do not run on tracks and hence do not have fixed routes. Travelers can then plan their own routes to suit their convenience. This is especially so when the destinations are places like small towns or remote areas. In these places, few or even none of the trains ever reach them; so traveling by the motor vehicle would solve this problem. Over many years of modifications, the motor vehicle is now one of the most commonly used means of transportation. Today, we travel in cars, taxis, buses, lorries or vans almost every day. Another form of transportation is by water. It may be the slowest but definitely the cheapest form of bulk transportation. Though over the centuries of
innovations, water transportation has improved from the ancient wind dependent yachts to the modern motor driven ships, journeys by water are still characterized by the dangers and unpredictability of meeting natural disasters like the storms. The evolution of world transportation has reached its pinnacle with the invention of airplanes.. Transportation by planes is the easiest and fastest. Planes gliding smoothly in the air, are not obstructed by seas, hills, buildings and so on. Though convenient, this means of transport is the most expensive. Despite the popular demand, the transportation network of the planes is still not a balanced and complete one till today. Developed countries tend to make use of air transportation more frequently than the less developed ones as they do more exporting and importing of goods and also have more people traveling to and fro their countries. Hence, the networks in these developed countries are denser. Your answer: Page 11 of 13 pages
Part 2. The table below gives information about Favorite Pastimes in different countries. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. You should write about 150 words. From 30-50 years old TV Sport Reading Hobbies Music Beach Sleep Canada 60 22 15 40 3 0 2 France 30 20 4 1 England 30 21 4 / 20 Australia 65 30 15 45 5 30 4 Korea 22 21 60 45 2 2 4 China 15 25 60 50 0 5 5 USA 60 23 15 42 23 30 2 Japan / / 62 / 1 / Your answer: Page 12 of 13 pages Part 3. Write an essay of 350 words on the following topic: Completing university education is thought by some to be the best way to get a good job. On the other hand, other people think that getting experience and developing soft skills are more important. Present argumentation to highlight your opinion on this matter. Give reasons and specific examples to support your opinion(s). Your answer: THE END ==== Page 13 of 13 pages
