Đề Luyện Thi Học Sinh Giỏi 6
Đề Luyện Thi Học Sinh Giỏi 6
Đề Luyện Thi Học Sinh Giỏi 6
Part 1. For questions 1-9, listen to an appeal from a charity and decide whether these statements are
True (T) or False (F). Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. Benedicto feels hitter about having to work.
2. Benedicto spends his earnings in the plantation shop.
3. All the children in Benedicto's family attend school.
4. Plantation owners employ children because they are willing and docile workers.
5. Consumers play a role in helping to tackle the exploitation of child labour.
6. Supermarkets are uninterested in improving pay and conditions for food producers.
7. When fair trade principles are applied, the need for child labour declines.
8. Fair trade practices involve raising the prices of the goods produced in safer conditions.
9. The information pack gives suggestions on how to raise money for exploited workers.
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Part 2. For questions 10-15, listen to a radio discussion about children who invent imaginary friends
and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
10. In the incident that Liz describes
A. her daughter asked her to stop the car.
B. she had to interrupt the journey twice.
C. she got angry with her daughter.
D. her daughter wanted to get out of the car.
11. What does the presenter say about the latest research into imaginary friends?
A. It contradicts other research on the subject.
B. It shows that the number of children who have them is increasing.
C. It indicates that negative attitudes towards them are wrong.
D. It focuses on the effect they have on parents.
12. How did Liz feel when her daughter had an imaginary friend?
A. always confident that it was only a temporary situation
B. occasionally worried about the friend's importance to her daughter
C. slightly confused as to how she should respond sometimes
D. highly impressed by her daughter's inventiveness
13. Karen says that one reason why children have imaginary friends is that
A. they are having serious problems with their real friends.
B. they can tell imaginary friends what to do.
C. they want something that they cannot be given.
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D. they want something that other children haven't got.
14. Karen says that the teenager who had invented a superhero is an example of
A. a very untypical teenager.
B. a problem that imaginary friends can cause.
C. something she had not expected to discover.
D. how children change as they get older.
15. According to Karen, how should parents react to imaginary friends?
A. They should pretend that they like the imaginary friend.
B. They shouldn't get involved in the child's relationship with the friend.
C. They should take action if the situation becomes annoying.
D. They shouldn't discuss the imaginary friend with their child.
Your answers
10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Part 3. For questions 16-25, listen to a talk given by a lecturer on Agriculture and Environment and
supply the blanks with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken
from the recording for each answer in the space provided.
Agriculture and Environment
• 16_____________ production = biggest problem in today's world
• Agriculture is important for jobs, exports and foreign exchange
• 'Agriculture means:
• growing crops
• raising animals
• 17________________
• 18________________
• Agriculture must be sustainable: old methods, & new, chemical methods are all unsustainable
19__________________ of biodiversity
• Biotechnology -> GM or GE —> bio-prospecting (bio-piracy) i.e. large companies steal samples of
native plants to use the 20_______________ for their own crop improvement
• 21__________________ is responsible for less food and higher prices
• Farmers need to be educated but governments also need to pay attention to 22______________ in
order to protect the environment and re-nourish the soil
• Experts from around the world could come together to form a 23______________ to observe farm
systems aiming to prevent pollution and erosion and encourage safe procedures that are also
24_________________
• Creating the project's 25________________ would be very expensive and more money would be
needed for the monitoring system but it could solve the problem of food shortages.
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II. PHONETICS (10 POINTS)
Part 1. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
26. A. considered B. rescued C. pulled D. roughed
27. A. types B. sites C. changes D. cokes
28. A. uncertain B. unbeatable C. unanimous D. undone
29. A. shield B. cement C. executive D. spill
30. A. archaic B. chaperon C. choreograph D. chasm
Part 2. Choose the word which is stressed differently from the others.
31. A. survive B. enlarge C. struggle D. occur
32. A. specify B. illustrate C. interact D. fertilize
33. A. preservative B. conventional C. reliable D. intellectual
34. A. homemade B. farmhand C. bookshop D. tradesman
35. A. testimony B. prerequisite C. aristocrat D. commentary
Your answers
26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
Part 1. For questions 36-55, 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.
36. Mrs Smith and her students are visiting the zoo.
Mike: "Can I feed the gorilla, Mrs Smith?"
Mrs Smith: "____________. The sign says 'No feeding the animals'."
A. Of course you can B. I don't think it works
C. I'm sure about that D. I'm afraid not
37. “____________ any character in Game of Thrones. Who would you choose?
“Definitely Jon Snow!”
A. Supposing you had been B. Imagine that you be
C. Say you could be D. What if you would be
38. On the battlefield ____________.
A. the tanks lay B. did the tanks lie
C. lay the tanks D. lied the tanks
39. Nuclear waste disposal is a growing problem ____________.
A. considering that no state permits radioactive material transported on its roads or to bury it inside its
borders
B. considering that no state permits neither radioactive material transported on its roads or buried inside
its borders
C. because no state permits radioactive material transported on its roads or buried inside its borders
D. because no state will permit radioactive material not only to be carried on its roads but in addition
also buried inside its borders
40. The police have expressed ____________ concern about the missing child's safety.
A. critical B. essential C. significant D. grave
41. The design is ____________ from Japanese porcelains of the fourteenth century.
A.imitated B. copied C. emulated D. faked
42. She did not tolerate press ____________ into her private life.
A. invasion B. intrusion C. infringement D. interference
43. Queen Elizabeth II’s ____________ took place in 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London.
A. empire B. colony C. throne D. coronation
44. Her punky hairstyle showed she was not one for following the ____________.
A. flock B. herd C. swarm D. group
45. Harry was offered a scholarship to study in Japan and he ____________ the opportunity with both
hands.
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A. grasped B. grabbed C. held D. passed
46. It was an extremely hostile article which cast _____________ on the conduct of the entire cabinet.
A. criticism B. aspersions C. disapproval D. abuse
47. The most important parts of your job may seem difficult now but they will become second
_____________ to you within a couple of weeks.
A. instinct B. thought C. nature D. mind
48. I know you have a good voice and have ambitions to be an opera singer but do not give up your day
_____________ yet.
A. situation B. work C. job D. place
49. Substantial members of the _____________ members ignored the union advice.
A. all and sundry B. flesh and blood
C. head and shoulders. D. rank and file
50. Searching for one man in this city is like looking for a ______________.
A. salt of the earth B. sand in the desert
C. needle in a haystack D. drop in the ocean
51. Don’t worry about Grandad getting tired on the walk – he’s as tough as old _____________.!
A. boots B. nails C. rocks D. horses
52. I adore walking around the old city of Venice – just _____________ the atmosphere!
A. heading for B. soaking up C. getting in D. pulling up
53. Our tenants have _____________ with the rent again. How can we persuade them to pay us the
money they owe?
A. fallen behind B. put up C. poured through D. slid down
54. Sorry, Sir. I wanted to let you know that I’ve _____________ the contract, so all we need now is the
client’s signature.
A. keyed into B. noted down C. drawn up D. measured up
55. I ‘ve been working a lot of overtime during the last month because we’ve been _____________
under with orders.
A. piled B. flooded C. rained D. snowed
Your answers
36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42.
43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49.
50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55.
Part 2. For questions 56-60, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the numbered space
provided.
According to the dictionary, a (56-cynicism) _______________ person believes that people are
insincere and are only interested in themselves. The word originated in the philosophical schools of
ancient Greece. Cynicism was a way of life for this unusual and (57-convention) _______________
group. It derived its name from the Greek word for 'dog' (kunos) to denote its indifference to luxury. For
this reason, their fellow Greeks considered them a (58-function) _______________ lot. The most
eminent Cynic was Diogenes. By all accounts, he was quite a(n) (59-orthodox) _______________
character who chose to live in a storage jar and took the simple way of life to (60-normal)
_______________ extremes.
Part 3. For questions 61-65, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the numbered space
provided.
61. The structure is considered to be an ___________ (odd) by many, but I quite like it.
62. Proximity to the beach was a ___________ (decide) factor in their choice of hotel.
63. Mr Mandela was the symbolic leader of the ___________ (enfranchise) black majority.
64. It was very difficult to __________ (capsule) the story of the revolution in a single one-hour
documentary.
65. Although geographically linked, the two provinces have long fought for political __________
(ascend).
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Part 4. For questions 66-75, find and correct 10 mistakes in the passage. Write them in the numbered
boxes provided.
The impact of malnutrition on children's learning is not simply that they are tired and unable to
concentrate in class although they have not eaten enough on a given day. Malnutrition in the first 1000
days - from the start of a woman's pregnancy until her child's second birthday - has a devastating impact
on children's future potential. It restricts their cognitive development, meaning they are more likely to be
sick and miss out of school, and reduces their ability to learn. This 1000-day window is a critical time
for structural brain development. Good maternal nutrition is essential: pregnant or breastfeeding mothers
who can't access to the right nutrients are more likely to have children with compromised brain
development and who suffer from poor cognitive performance. And once the child is born, nutrition
continues to play a key role in ensuring the brain development properly. But the effects of malnutrition
on a child's cognitive development and education go beyond the biology of the brain. A child's
nutritional status can impact on the experiences and stimulation that children receive. Parents sometimes
treat a malnourished boy or girl different because they are small, and this child is also more likely to
miss school and key learning opportunities due to illness.
The impact is not just on academic achievement. Malnutrition is associated with children having lower
self-esteem, self-confidence and career aspirations. Malnourished children not only face with direct
damage to their bodies and minds, but are less confident to learn and aspire to change the situation they
were born into. In the longer term, malnutrition can have a big impact on earnings when children reach
adult. The effects of malnutrition on physical stature, the ability to do physical work, and on cognitive
development, can lock children into poverty and entrench inequalities. Children who are malnourished
go on to earn 20% less as adults as the children who are well-nourished. But there is some evidence that
the difference could be even larger - one study has estimated this earning deficit for malnourished
children to 66%.
Your answers
66. 67. 68. 69. 70.
Part 1. For questions 76-85, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word and
write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Today, more people than ever are choosing to 76.____________ under the knife in order to enhance
their appearance. From cheek implants to liposuction, men and women of all ages are flocking to
surgeons who promise they can forestall the ravages of 77.____________ or make them look more
beautiful.
78.____________ subjects are as controversial as the escalating use of cosmetic surgery to reshape
perfectly functioning body parts towards some subjective aesthetic ideal. Many vehemently oppose the
whole idea, denouncing it 79.____________ an expression of society's worst impulses. Others embrace
it, citing its ability to change lives. No 80.____________ what one's stance, it cannot be denied that
cosmetic surgery (not to be confused with plastic surgery, the surgical speciality dedicated to repairing
body defects 81.____________ to birth disorders, trauma, burns and disease) is a story of continual
expansion. increased consumer demand, and growing social acceptability. What was once the province
of celebrities and the rich has trickled down the social scale and is now within the grasp of anyone with
the time and inclination. What was once kept 82.____________ wraps is now discussed openly, if not
braggingly.
The thing about beauty that makes it the perfect marketing concept is its elusiveness. 83.____________
when you have it, you're constantly at risk of losing it, or at least being jostled aside by someone with
more of it. Cosmetic surgery success is built on the powerful emotions of denial and envy, not just
vanity. It thrives on our refusal to accept the body we were 84.____________ with, and our collective
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denial of aging. It feeds our envy of those who embody nature's most powerful 85.____________
fleeting charms: youth, strength and beauty.
Your answers
76. 77. 78. 79. 80.
Part 2. For questions 86-95, read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each
gap. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
You may think that’s easy to answer: surely a good school is one which (86) _____________ good
exam results. After all, it is these results which will (87) _____________ students to get into good
universities. However, schools are about much more than exams. They are about education for all, from
the most academic to the least. A good school has three (88) _____________ ingredients: good
leadership from the head, dedicated teachers with high (89) _____________ for all students, and
students who want to be there and are willing to (90) _____________ rules and respect one another. It
isn’t easy to (91) _____________ around a failing school, but research has shown that a strong and (92)
_____________ leader is often the key to success. A good head or principal of a school will (93)
_____________ teachers and students alike, will not tolerate bullying or bad behaviour and will (94)
_____________ the respect of all. He or she will make sure teachers are encouraged and assisted in their
work, and that they receive the training they need to do their job efectively; once this is in place,
teachers are happier and more fulfilled and students (95) _____________ the benefits. Some will go on
to get brilliant academic results, others may not do so well in their exams, but provided they have
reached their potential and they have passed with acceptable grades, the school will not have failed
them.
86 A conveys B delivers C brings D gives
87 A allow B accept C admit D enable
88 A critical B acute C crucial D burning
89 A expectations B ideals C opportunities D potentials
90 A accept B understand C grasp D follow
91 A go B turn C direct D transform
92 A inspirational B moving C promising D uplifting
93 A drive B provoke C motivate D arouse
94 A control B order C command D direct
95 A earn B obtain C realise D reap
Part 3. For questions 96-108, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
Keep taking the tablets
The history of aspirin is a product of a rollercoaster ride through time, of accidental discoveries,
intuitive reasoning, and intense corporate rivalry
In the opening pages of Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug, Diarmuid Jeffreys describes
this little white pill as `one of the most amazing creations in medical drug so astonishingly versatile that
it can release headache, ease your aching limbs, lower temperature and treat some of the deadliest
human diseases’.
Its properties have been known for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptian physicians used extracts from
the willow tree as an analgesic, or pain killer. Centuries later the Greek physician Hippocrates
recommended the bark of the willow tree as a remedy for the pains of childbirth and as a fever reducer.
But it wasn't until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that salicylates found in the willow tree -
became serious scientific investigation. The race was on to identify the active ingredient and to replicate
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it synthetically. At the end of the nineteenth century a German company, Friedrich Bayer & Co,
succeeded in creating a relatively safe and very effective chemical compound, acetylsalicylic acid,
which was renamed aspirin.
The late nineteenth century was a fertile period for experimentation, partly because of the hunger among
scientists to answer some of the great scientific questions, but also because those questions were within
their means to answer. One scientist in a laboratory with some chemicals and a test tube could make
significant breakthroughs - whereas today, in order to map the human genome, for instance, one needs
an army of researchers, a bank of computers and millions and millions of dollars’.
But an understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry is not enough on its own to explain
how society innovates. In the nineteenth century, scientific advance was closely linked to the industrial
revolution. This was a period when people frequently had the means, motive, and determination to take
an idea and turn it into reality. In the case of aspirin that happened piecemeal - a series of minor, often
unrelated advances, fertilized by the century's broader economic, medical and scientific developments,
that led to one big final breakthrough.
The link between big money and pharmaceutical innovation is also a significant one. Aspirin's continued
shelf life was ensured because, for the first 70 years of its life, huge amounts of money were put into
promoting it as an ordinary everyday analgesic. In the 1970s, other analgesics, such as ibuprofen and
pharmaceutical, were entering the market, and the pharmaceutical companies then focused on
publicizing these new drugs. But just at the same time, discoveries were made regarding the beneficial
role of aspirin in preventing heart attacks, strokes, and other afflictions. Had it not been for these
findings, this pharmaceutical marvel may well have disappeared.
So the relationship between big money and drugs is an odd one. Commercial markets are necessary for
developing new products and ensuring that they remain around long enough for scientists to carry out
research on them. But the commercial markets, are just as likely to kill of certain products when
something more attractive comes along. In the case of aspirin, a potential ‘wonder drug' was around for
over 70 years without anybody investigating the way in which it achieved its effects, because they were
making more than enough money out of it as it was. If ibuprofen or paracetamol had entered the market
just a decade earlier, aspirin might then not be here today. It would be just another forgotten drug that
people hadn't bothered to explore.
None of the recent discoveries of aspirin's benefits were made by the big pharmaceutical companies;
they were made by scientists working in the public sector. ‘The reason for that is very simple and
straightforward,' Jeffreys says in his book. 'Drug companies will only pursue research that is going to
deliver financial benefits. There's no profit in aspirin anymore. It is incredibly inexpensive with tiny
profit margins and it has no patent any more, so anyone can produce it.’ In fact, there's almost a
disincentive for drug companies to further boost the drug, he argues, as it could possibly put them out of
business by stopping them from selling their more expensive brands’.
So what is the solution to a lack of commercial interest in further exploring the therapeutic benefits of
aspirin? More public money going into clinical trials, says Jeffreys. 'If I were the Department of Health,
I would say this is a very inexpensive drug. There may be a lot of other things we could do with it." We
should put a lot more money into trying to find out.”
Jeffreys' book - which not only tells the tale of a 'wonder drug' but also explores the nature of innovation
and the role of big business, public money and regulation - reminds us why such research is so
important.
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Questions 96-101: Complete each sentence with the correct ending A—H from the box below. Write
your answers in the corresponding numbered box provided.
99. The creation of a market for aspirin as a painkiller was achieved through
101. The way in which aspirin actually worked was not investigated by
Your answers
96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101.
Questions 102-106:
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the passage?
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
102. For nineteenth-century scientists, small-scale research was enough to make important discoveries.
103. The nineteenth-century industrial revolution caused a change in the focus of scientific research.
104. The development of aspirin in the nineteenth century followed a structured pattern of development.
105. In the 1970s, sales of new analgesic drugs overtook sales of aspirin.
106. Commercial companies may have both good and bad effects on the availability of pharmaceutical
products.
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Questions 107-108: Complete the summary below using the list of words below. Write your answers
in the corresponding numbered box provided.
A. useful
B. cheap
C. state
D. international
F. profitable
G. commercial
I. health officials
Your answers
102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108.
Part 4. For questions 109-118, read the following passage and choose the answer A, B, C or D that
fits best according to the text. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Ancient Angkor
In the regions of Southeast Asia dwell the remains of an era that far exceeded its time in developments
and industrialization. This ancient city, which was mysteriously deserted in the 15 th century, is known as
Angkor. Located in Cambodia, Angkor was established in 802 CE as the seat of the Khmer Empire.
Khmer was the largest continuous empire in Southeast Asia. Its main city of Angkor grew and
developed until it was abandoned in the year 1431. Many historians theorize as to why it was
abandoned, but the mystery remains.
Angkor was a city of power, industry, architecture, and cultural unity, which is why speculation
surrounds its decline. The ancient Khmer city stretched over an area of nearly 120 square miles,
comparable to present-day Los Angeles. Each successive ruler to the throne brought significant
additions that diversified the territory. One ruler is known for constructing a baray, a massive water
reservoir. Another built the imposing Angkor Wat, a temple of great proportions that survived the city’s
demise and exists today as a Buddhist temple. Along with over seventy other temples in the region,
Angkor was home to an expansive waterworks of marked ingenuity when nothing of its kind existed in
the world. The civilization was structured around the Mekong River. Intricate and sophisticated
irrigation systems were fashioned to transport water to people and fields in all parts of the city,
including those removed from the central water source. For this, the city became known as the
“Hydraulic City.” The people of Angkor were led by an extensive court system, made up of religious
and secular nobles as well as artisans, fishermen, rice farmers, soldiers, and elephant keepers. The
civilization was guarded by an army transported by elephants and ruled by shrewd and powerful kings.
Yet after 600 years of existence, an abandoned shell was all that remained.
The land, buildings, and architecture were reclaimed by the surrounding forest regions until the
19th century, when French archaeologists discovered the remains and began restoring sites in the
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great city of Angkor. Since then, theories have evolved over time relating to the death of Angkor’s
civilization. The first theory states that the city fell because of war. The last two centuries of Angkor’s
existence showed a decline in the Khmer Empire’s population and power. Ongoing wars with
neighboring Thailand had devastated the nation. In 1431, attackers from Thai nations invaded and
looted Angkor, leaving it desolate and vacant. Continuous war with Thailand culminating in a final
attack on the city could have weakened the empire and led to the city’s demise.
Another theory states that a change in religion led to the country’s downfall. The Khmer Empire had
predominately been a Hindu nation, and the people were unified in their religion. Jayavarman VII,
acclaimed as the greatest of Angkor’s kings, took the throne in 1181 CE. He instituted a change in
religion from Hinduism to Mahayana Buddhism. This action subsequently could have destroyed the
unity of the people and the overall foundation of the empire.
A) Natural disaster is another feasible possibility for the scattering of people from the Angkor region.
B) Historians say earthquakes, floods, and drastic climate changes would have been capable of
stripping Angkor of its people. C) One researcher hypothesized that the city suffered from a lack of
water due to the transition from the medieval warm period to the little ice age. Others dismiss this idea.
D)
However, a recently developed theory built on the work of French archaeologist Bernard-Philippe
Groslier may have shed the most light on Angkor’s demise. The theory suggests that the Angkorian
civilization was “defined, sustained, and ultimately overwhelmed by over-exploitation and the
environmental impacts of a complex water-management network.” Its vast waterworks proved too great
for the city to manage. Also, supplying such a massive empire with water had adverse effects on the
environment. Ecological problems included deforestation, topsoil degradation, and erosion due in part to
clearing vegetation for cropland. Thus, the city inadvertently brought about its own environmental
collapse.
With the use of aerial photography and high-resolution, ground-sensing radar, researchers were able to
support Groslier’s theory with images that complete existing topographical maps. The radar detected
surface structures as well as subtle variances in surface vegetation and soil moisture. This proved that
environmental erosion had occurred. The combined images and ground-based investigations further
revealed that Angkor was a victim of its own industrial ingenuity, a city ahead of its time and vulnerable
to its own power.
109. The author mentions the Khmer Empire in paragraph 1 in order to ________.
A. establish the size and importance of the civilization
B. explain the downfall of the main city in the empire
C. compare the nation’s size to a present-day location
D. demonstrate why people were not loyal to the city
110. The word speculation in the passage is closest meaning to________.
A. evidence B. mystery C. question D. growth
111. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is true about the waterworks built within
Angkor?
A. They transported drinking water to Angkor Wat.
B. They were a money-making venture for the city.
C. They were built to extend the water supply.
D. They irrigated fields along the sides of the river.
112. All of the following are true about the city of Angkor EXCEPT_______.
A. It was built around a water source.
B. It had an advanced road system.
C. It surpassed other cities of its time.
D. It is home to a Buddhist shrine.
113. The word its in paragraph 2 refers to_______.
A. Angkor’s B. baray’s C. waterworks’ D. home’s
114. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the bolded sentence?
Incorrect choices may change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Archaeologists built a replica of what Angkor looked like.
B. Archaeologists uncovered the overgrown city and rebuilt its sites.
C. Finding the city, workers cleared the forest and studied the architecture.
D. The city’s architecture was inspired by the forest regions nearby.
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115. What can be inferred from paragraph 4 about the people who inhabited Angkor?
A. They worshipped ruler Jayavarman VII.
B. Hinduism was central to their way of life.
C. Religion led to more violence among them.
D. They were unified regardless of national religion.
116. Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the
passage
These natural catastrophes would have likely resulted in destroyed buildings, ruined cops, and a
decreased water supply that would have forced citizens to leave.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. first square B. second square C. third square D. fourth square.
117. The word inadvertently in the passage is closest in meaning to ________.
A. purposely B. freely C. sadly D. accidentally
118. According to paragraph 7, which of the following did researchers prove about Groslier’s theory
with the use of aerial photography and advanced radar?
A. The surface soil showed evidence of dirt washing away.
B. The waterworks were filled with topsoil.
C. Vegetation was thriving where soil was deeper.
D. Soil damage was stable throughout the changes
Your answers
109. 110. 111. 112. 113.
Part 5. In the passage below, seven paragraphs have been removed. For questions 119-125, read the
passage and choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap. There is ONE extra
paragraph which you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box
provided.
119.
Such rudimentary content is also believed to be present in the first printed adverts, used by ancient Egyptians to
communicate sales messages through the use of papyrus. In contrast with the ephemeral nature of today’s
advertising, they would also carve messages of commerce into stone or on steel plates, which would remain
visible for a lifetime.
120.
Naturally, we cannot know for sure, but one would guess that the power of persuasion was present in the
spoken adverts of ancient times. You could suppose that the loudest, most colorful, most entertaining crier
garnered the most business. Although we do not experience this form of advertisement often today, sellers in
public markets in Europe and the Middle East still employ this method.
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121.
The specific message on the printing plate was ‘We buy high-quality steel rods and make fine-quality
needles to be ready for use at home in no time', and the seller also placed a rabbit logo and the name of
his shop in the center. The plate, made of copper and dating back to the Song dynasty of the 10 th-century
China, was used to print posters the dimensions of which were nearly perfect squares roughly the size of a
window frame.
122.
It was not until the rise of newspapers did advertising makes its next big leap. During this time, targeted slogans
and catchphrases became popular. The first such instance of a paid newspaper advert appeared in the French
newspaper La Presse in 1836 and what was so revolutionary about it was that the seller paid for its placement,
allowing the newspaper to charge its readers less.
123.
Known as quackery, such messages boasted cures for common ailments that went above and beyond what
traditional remedies could provide. Naturally, an unsuspecting and undereducated public was particularly
susceptible to such fabrications. Much as how quackery would be dispelled today, doctors went out of their way
to publish medical journals debunking the claims made by these adverts.
124.
In the advert, a painting of a child blowing bubbles – a work of art literally entitled Bubbles, by English artist Sir
John Everett Millais – was used as the background of a poster, with the product visible in the foreground. The
visual immediately linked the product with high – class society and it is a tactic that is undeniably still very much
used today.
125.
Along with the staggering investment is the use of a broad range of tactics to maximize impact, such as
focus groups, evocative imagery, storytelling, and seemingly boundless product placement. So
psychological is the effect that it has given rise to the belief that companies know everything about you.
Nevertheless, with such creativity poured into the field, one can still appreciate its art form and its place
in history.
A. One need look no further than failed advertising campaigns. Some went too far in their shock value,
had to be apologized for and hurt the brand more than they helped. In one example, a game
manufacturer, in order to promote the carnal violence visible in the game, held an event which
showcased an actual deceased goat.
B. For betteror worse, there was no stopping the budding advertising industry. Agencies started to
spring up and with that came campaigns. The first successful campaign was for the British soap
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manufacturer Pears. With the help of chairman Thomas James Barratt, the company successfully linked
a catchy slogan with high culture.
C. In contrast to the adverts being produced for the literate populace of this region, text was largely
absent from adverts that proliferated in the towns and cities of medieval Europe. To circumvent this
obstacle, adverts used commonly recognizable imagery such a boot for a cobbler or a diamond for a
carver to promote products and services. And still, criers remained the go-to medium for relaying the
sellers’ messages to the public.
D. Also entering the industry was the vast sums of money that companies would splash out on
campaigns. A little over one hundred American companies in 1893 spent 50,000 US dollars on
advertising campaigns. That equates to over one million US dollars today, still a fraction of what
today’s companies spend at nearly 500 billion pounds globally.
E. In this era, though, the medium with the greatest prevalence was oral. Public criers would circulate
messages in urban centers to passers-by advertising various products. There is evidence of written
adverts and for more than just selling wares. In one such advert found at the ruins of Thebes dated 1,000
BC, a man was offering a reward for a runaway slave. But oral messages were the main method of
delivery until the invention of the printing press in 1450.
F. But there was a time when an advert was a rare occurrence and its effect on society amounted to no
more than its core function; that is, to connect seller and buyer. We know that the written word began
around 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, in the Sumerian civilization that existed in modern-day
southern Iraq. The make – up of this early scrawling consisted of grain inventories, from what historians
and linguists can make of it.
G. Adverts in ancient times did contain an element of sophistication which essentially lured buyers,
albeit less obviously. On the other side of the world, in ancient China, the language of adverts contained
selling points and friendly imagery, such as in an advert to coax people into using a craftsman’s
services. This particular advertising medium is considered the oldest example of printed advertising.
H. That formula was soon copied by other publishers looking to increase their profits while expanding
their circulation. British newspapers, which had been using newspaper advertising since the 18 th century,
used adverts to promote books and newspapers themselves. The printing press had made their
production much more affordable and advertising content expanded to include medicines, in what would
prove to be the first instances of false advertising.
Your answers
119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125.
- John made___________________________________________________________________
- A lot of_____________________________________________________________________
129. When he made friends in the new place, Ron became less shy and reserved. (SHELL)
- When_______________________________________________________________________
130. When you lose someone you love, everything else seems pointless. (PALES)
-When________________________________________________________________________
Part 2. The pie charts below compare water usage in San Diego, California and the rest of the world.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
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