I.

 LISTENING

• Bài nghe gồm 04 phần; mỗi phần được nghe 02 lần, mỗi phần thí sinh có 20 giây để chuẩn bị trước
khi nghe.
• Mở đầu và kết thúc bài nghe có tín hiệu nhạc.
• Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh (bằng tiếng Anh) đã có trong bài nghe.

Part 1. For questions 1-5, listen to an interview with Maria Stefanovich, co-founder of a creativity group
which organises workshops for executives and decide whether the statements are True (T) or False (F).
Write your answers in the corresponding boxes provided.
1. Corporations appreciate mask-making workshops because their employees change their approach.
2. Companies are turning to creative workshops because they have acknowledged that employees are
working too hard without enjoying it.
3. The employees at the firm 'Play' have stereotyped ideas about their jobs.
4. The companies that show most interest in creative workshops are surprising because their employees are
the ones who have to present regularly.
5. Maria mentions the traditional companies that have held workshops in order to point out the diversity of
those trying different approaches.
Part 2. For questions 6-15, listen to a talk about the first science-fiction book written by Mary Shelley.
Complete each sentence with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS. Write your answers in the
corresponding boxes provided.
6. Mary's mother was a high-profile___________and her father had very high expectations of her.
7. Her father often took her to see her mother's___________when Mary was a young child.
8. When Mary was 16, she left her father to live with a___________man who was 5 years older than her.
9. One evening, an___________prevented Mary and Shelley from getting home.
10. During the course of the evening it was suggested they should each try to come up with a___________
11. It was when Mary had a___________ that she got the idea for the Frankenstein novel.
12. Victor Frankenstein is a___________in the story.
13. The creature only becomes murderous when Victor refuses to create a___________ for him.
14. Despite the success of her novel, Mary had many___________ in her life.
15. It was ironic that Mary did not live to see___________.
Part 3. For questions 16-20, listen to an interview with Dr Lafford, a leading expert in the field of
forensic science. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS taken from the recording for each answer in
the corresponding boxes provided.
16. According to Dr Lafford, what approach helped Sherlock Holmes become a good forensic scientist?
______________________________________________
17. What do forensic scientists pay particular attention to?
______________________________________________
18. How is forensic science nowadays compared to it in the past when Dr Lafford mentions the broken
headlight?
______________________________________________
19. According to Dr Lafford, what can electron microscopes provide?
______________________________________________
20. What is forensic science valuable for reducing?
______________________________________________
Part 4. For questions 21-25, listen to an interview with Haile Gebrselassie who recently won an Olympic
gold medal. Choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) which best fits what you hear. Write your answers in
the corresponding boxes provided.
21. Runners from Ethiopia and other Rift Valley countries have an advantage because
A. Ethiopians like running for its own sake.
B. their bodies have adapted to their environment.
C. they train from an early age.
D. they were born with unusual physical attributes.
22. Runners from other countries may suffer
A. during training in the mountains.
B. due to bad circulation.
C. when they leave high altitudes.
D. due to insufficient training.
23. Haile is particularly good at distances of 10 kilometres because
A. he was obliged to run to school and back.
B. he was taught to run at school.
C. school in Asela had many long-distance athletes.
D. his running style was influenced by carrying books.
24. Altitude plays a part in producing top athletes, but another factor involved is
A. that children are encouraged to run by their parents.
B. that running is their only means of getting around.
C. the influence of the Ethiopian attitude to life.
D. the long distances between places.
25. Haile and his equipment sponsor established the Global Adidas running club because
A. they wanted to recruit more athletes in Ethiopia.
B. they wanted to see more runners in the hills.
C. they wanted to bring athletes from Asela to Addis Ababa.
D. they wanted to invest money in the sport in Ethiopia.
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1. For questions 26-40, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the following questions.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
26.The town centre is full of shops selling a ______ range of goods.
A. variant B. diverted C. various D. diverse
27. Sniffer dogs are able to locate survivors beneath the rubble with ______.
A. precision B. correctness C. meticulousness D. exactitude
28. I'm afraid we can't process your order at the moment as there's been a technical______.
A. spill B. catch C. drop D. hitch
29. Sara brought in a lot of business last month; she should ask for a pay rise while she’s still on a______.
A. run B. roll C. rush D. roam
30. I'll ______admit that the company isn't doing well, but I don't think there's any need to panic.
A. readily B. overtly C. bluntly D. explicitly
31. His testing positive for drugs did nothing to ______the notion that most world-class athletes are taking
illegal substances.
A. dispel B. dissolve C. disclose D. disband
32. This shoe repairer is so quick that he can sole and heel your shoes in a______
A. split B. jiffy C. hurry D. flicker
33. We were all on a ______-edge until the very end of the Hitchcock film.
A. razor B. cliff C. knife D. chair
34. If you don't get_____ those invitations today, they’ll never arrive on time.
A. on B. from C. by D. off
35. His friends and family left him in the _____when he went bankrupt.
A. church B. end C. lurch D. street
36. Having seen the film that won the Oscar, I was disappointed; it wasn’t all_____up to be.
A. creased B. cracked C. lined D. valued
37. Talking this matter again is just flogging a dead _____; we don’t have anything new to discuss.
A. dog B. bird C. horse D. camel
38. “Robert concluded by pointing out that we cannot increase productivity with this poor machinery.”
“_____ an apt remark!”
A. How B. So C. Wasn’t it D. Was it
39. In _____ did I knock on the huge oak door, for nobody answered.
A. vane B. mane C. vein D. vain
40. During pioneer days a lot of land in the United States was up for_____.
A. grabs B. taking C. gain D. promotion
Part 2. For questions 41-45, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the corresponding
numbered box provided.
41. The speech by the headmaster at the salutation ceremony last week (SCORE) the importance of the
education of soft skills to students.
42. Other critics claim Mr Picketty ignores (ROCK) principles of economics.
43. In America, the online retailer has run out of the 700-page (COVER), which it sells for $25.
44. Since women are still fairly exotic creatures in the C-suite, they attract (PROPORTION) publicity
when they hit problems.
45. Customers are willing to pay (HAND) for anti-aging cosmetic products.

III. READING
Part 1. For questions 46-55, fill each of the following blank with ONE suitable word. Write your answers
in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Control Your Body
Self-control of a remarkable kind is being (46)________ by doctors in Topeka, Kansas. Dr. Elmar Green
and his wife Alice, both psychologists, set (47)_____ in 1964 to discover what a person could do to change
his or her (48)________ physiological state. The method they employed is autogenic training (i.e. a process
that takes place at a conscious (49) ________). The doctors launched a two-week training programme with
33 housewives, whose first lesson was to warm their hands at (50)__ ______. With practice they mastered
an increase of up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, (51) ________ for the purpose of making cold hands warm, but
to alter the patterns of the brain.
Today this exercise has particular significance for the migraine victim, (52) ________ can learn to
control the temperature of her hands as a step in gaining voluntary relief from headache. Epileptics learn
similar controls so that they can spare (53)________ an oncoming epileptic brain pattern. The Kansas
doctors would describe a homely old thermometer as a ‘biofeedback instrument’: it feeds back biological
information to the (54)________ about herself. The whole point of ‘biofeedback’ is that it makes it possible
to know consciously what normally carries on at a sub-conscious level; i.e. heart beat, (55) ________ of
breathing.
Part 2. For questions 56-68, read the following passage and do the task that follows.
Can We Prevent The Poles From Melting?
A growing number of scientists are looking to increasingly ambitious technological fixes to halt the tide of
global warming. Marie Rowe reports.
[A] Such is our dependence on fossil fuels and such is the volume of carbon dioxide we have already
released into the atmosphere that most climate scientists agree that significant global worming is now
inevitable - the best we can hope to do is keep it at a reasonable level, and even that is going to be an uphill
task. At present, the only serious option on the table for doing this is cutting back on our carbon emissions,
but while a few countries are making major strides in this regard, the majority are having great difficulty
even stemming the rate of increase, let alone reversing it. Consequently, an increasing number of scientists
are beginning to explore the alternatives. They all fall under the banner of geoengineering - generally
defined as the intentional large-scale manipulation of the environment.
[B] Geoengineering has been shown to work, at least on a small, localised scale, for decades. May Day
parades in Moscow have taken place under clear blue skies, aircraft having deposited dry ice, silver iodide
and cement powder to disperse clouds. Many of the schemes now suggested look to do the opposite, and
reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the planet. One scheme focuses on achieving a general cooling of the
Earth and involves the concept of releasing aerosol sprays into the stratosphere above the Arctic to create
clouds of sulphur dioxide which would, in turn, lead to a global dimming. The idea is modelled on historical
volcanic explosions, such as that of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991, which led to a short-term
cooling of global temperatures by 0.50C. The aerosols could be delivered by artillery, highflying aircraft or
balloons.
[C] Instead of concentrating on global cooling, other schemes look specifically at reversing the melting at
the poles. One idea is to bolster an ice cap by spraying it with water. Using pumps to carry water from below
the sea ice, the spray would come out as snow or ice particles, producing thicker sea ice with a higher albedo
(the ratio of sunlight reflected from a surface) to reflect summer radiation. Scientists have also scrutinised
whether it is possible to block icejords in Greenland with cables which have been reinforced, preventing
icebergs from moving into the sea. Veh Albert Kallio, a Finnish scientist, says that such an idea is
impractical, because the force of the ice would ultimately snap the cables and rapidly release a large quantity
of frozen ice into the sea. However, Kallio believes that the sort of cables used in suspension bridges could
potentially be used to divert, rather than halt, the southward movement of ice from Spitsbergen. ‘It would
stop the ice moving south, an local currents would see then float northwards,’ he says.
[D] A number of geoengineering ideas are currently being examined in the Russian Arctic. These include
planting millions of birch trees: the thinking, according to Kallio, is that their white bark would increase the
amount of reflected sunlight. The loss of their leaves in winter would also enable the snow to reflect
radiation. In contrast, the native evergreen pines tend to shade the snow and absorb radiation. Using ice-
breaking vessels to deliberately break up and scatter coastal area ice in both Arctic and Antarctic waters in
their respective autumns and diverting Russian rivers to increase cold-water flow to ice-farming areas, could
also be used to slow down warming, Kahlo says. ‘You would need the wind to blow the right way, but in the
right conditions, by letting ice float free and head north, you would enhance ice growth.’
[E] But will such ideas ever be implemented? The major counter-arguments to geoengineering schemes are,
first, that they are a ‘cop-out’ that allow us to continue living the way we do, rather than reducing carbon
emissions; and, second, even if they do work, would the side-effects outweigh the advantages? Then there’s
the daunting prospect of upkeep and repair of any scheme as well as the consequences of a technical failure.
‘I think all of us agree that if we were to end geoengineering on a given day, then the planet would return to
its pre-engineered condition very rapidly, and probably within 10 to 20 years,’ says Dr Phil Rasch, chief
scientist for climate change at the US-based Pacific Northwest National laboratory. ‘That’s certainly
something to worry about. I would consider geoengineering as a strategy to employ only while we manage
the conversion to a non-fossil-fuel economy.’ ‘The risk with geoengineering projects is that you can
“overshoot”,’ says Dr Dan Lunt, from the University of Bristol. ‘You may bring global temperatures back to
pre-industrial levels, but the risk is that the poles will still be warmer than they should be and the tropics will
be cooler than before industrialisation’.
[F] The main reason why geoengineering is countenanced by the mainstream scientific community is that
most researchers have little faith in the ability of politicians to agree - and then bring in - the necessary
carbon cuts. Even leading conservation organisations believe the subject is worth exploring. As Dr Martin
Sommerkom, a climate change advisor says, ‘But human-induced climate change has brought humanity to a
position where it is important not to exclude thinking thoroughly about this topic and its possibilities despite
the potential drawbacks. If, over the coming years, the science tells us about on ever-increased climate
sensitivity of the planet - and this isn't unrealistic - then we may be best served by not having to start our
thinking from scratch.'
Questions 56-60: Which paragraph contains the following information?
56. the existence of geoengineering projects distracting from the task of changing the way we live
57. circumstances in which geoengineering has demonstrated success
58. maintenance problems associated with geoengineering projects
59. support for geoengineering being due to a lack of confidence in governments
60. more success in fighting climate change in some parts of the world than others
Questions 61-65: Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the
passage for each answer. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Geoengineering projects
A range of geoengineering ideas have been put forward, which aim either to prevent the melting of the ice
caps or to stop the general rise in global temperatures. One scheme to discourage the melting of ice and
snow involves introducing (61)______to the Arctic because of their colour. The build-up of ice could be
encouraged by dispersing ice along the coasts using special ships and changing the direction of some
(62)_____but this scheme is dependent on certain weather conditions. Another way of increasing the amount
of ice involves using (63)_____to bring water to the surface. A scheme to stop ice moving would use
(64)_____but this method is more likely to be successful in preventing the ice from travelling in one
direction rather than stopping it altogether. A suggestion for cooling global temperatures is based on what
has happened in the past after (65)______ and it involves creating clouds of gas.
Questions 66-68: Look at the following people and the list of opinions below. Match each person with the
correct opinion, A-E. Write the correct letter, A-E, in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
66. Phil Rasch
67. Dan Lunt
68. Martin Sommerkorn
List of opinions
A. The problems of geoengineering shouldn’t mean that ideas are not seriously considered.
B. Some geoengineering projects are more likely to succeed than others.
C. Geoengineering only offers a short-term solution.
D. A positive outcome of geoengineering may have a negative consequence elsewhere.
E. Most geoengineering projects aren’t clear in what they are aiming at.
Part 3. For questions 69-75, read an extract from an article on language 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.
Lang Lang, the virtuoso Chinese pianist
When Lang Lang was nine, his father told him to kill himself. Four years before, his father had
decided that his only son should become the No 1 classical pianist in China. He gave up his job as a
policeman and took his son to live in Beijing, leaving Lang Lang's mother behind, planning to get
the child into the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music.
69.
Unbelievably, when Lang Lang's father heard the news, he demanded that the boy take his own life. ‘It’s
really hard to talk about. My father went totally nuts,’ says Lang Lang quietly. ‘He said: “You shouldn't live
any more - everything is destroyed.”’ The father handed his son a bottle saying, ‘Take these pills!’ When
Lang Lang ran out on to the balcony to get away from him, his father screamed: Then jump off and die.’
70.
Now twenty-eight, Lang Lang has surpassed his father’s ambition. The musician's recitals and
concerts sell out in every major city in the world and he is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by
the Vienna and Berlin philharmonic orchestras. The pianist is now based in New York and lives a
rock-star lifestyle, but he began his career in a Beijing slum under a super-strict regime of practice
overseen by his unforgiving father, Lang Cuoren.
71.
Lang Lang’s parents are from Shenyang, an industrial city northeast of Beijing. They married at the
end of the Cultural Revolution. Lang Lang says: ‘People were starting to connect with the West, and
the piano was becoming an important instrument. My mother had always wanted to be a musician
and my father played in the air force orchestra before the budget was cut and he had to become a
policeman. My parents bought our piano before I was born - it cost half their annual salary.’
72.
Lang Lang explains: ‘My father quit his job as a policeman and off we went. My mother didn't come - she
needed to earn money for us.’ In Beijing, Lang Lang's father had to be both mother and father. Lang Lang
says: ‘He didn't like to cook or do the laundry, because my mum had always done it. We couldn’t do much,
because we only had Mum’s salary and had to pay for expensive piano lessons once a week, and if there was
a competition, twice a week. It was really hard.’ Lang Lang's father does not understand English, but in the
past, he has spoken about the way he pushed his son. He said, ‘ The way I see it is pressure always turns
into motivation. Lang Lang is well aware that if he fails to be outstanding at playing the piano, he
has nothing.’
73.
Indeed, the musician has always had as much faith in himself as his father has. But it was after Professor
Angry had told Lang Lang some home truths, that the boy’s relationship with his father hit an all-time low.
But they did not return to Shenyang afterwards. ‘For three months, I didn't touch the piano,’ says Lang
Lang. ‘We stayed in Beijing, I don't know why. Probably because having to go home would have resulted in
shame for us.’
74.
So began nineteen months of intensive practice as father and son redoubled their attempts to get
Lang Lang into the conservatory. Finally, when Lang Lang was ten, he was admitted on a full
scholarship. He and his father remained in their slum until he was fifteen, when they left for
America to continue his studies in Philadelphia.
75.
Does Lang Lang think he would have succeeded without his father? ‘Yes, absolutely,’ he says emphatically.
'Over the years I have seen so many different cultures and different ways of bringing up kids, I believe that
no matter how you train your kid, you need to give them love. Sometimes my father pushed me too much,
but he loved me.'
The missing paragraphs:
A. Then one day at school, his fellow students hectored Lang Lang into playing some Mozart. He laughs:
‘They asked me to play, and I said no, I don’t play anymore. Then they just applauded and applauded. They
gave me a score and forced me to play. I started and realized that I actually loved to play the piano. So I
went home and told my father, “Find me another teacher, I’d like to play again.”’
B. The ‘Lang Lang effect’ is credited with inspiring China’s forty million classical piano students and, in
2009, he was listed in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. His name, Lang Lang, has
even become a trademark.
C. Lang Lang says: ‘When we came to America, my father could see that the American system was much
more relaxed. At that time he said he still believed in the Chinese way. But as we met different musicians
from different countries, his opinion changed. He is fifty-eight now and his personality has totally changed,
he doesn’t push me anymore. When I turned twenty-two, he let go.’
D. However, his teacher in Beijing, nicknamed Professor Angry by Lang Lang, had other ideas. ‘Professor
Angry didn’t like me and she always gave me a hard time,’ he remembers. ‘One afternoon she said that I had
no talent, that I shouldn’t play the piano and I should go home. She basically fired me before I could even
get into the conservatory!’
E. Lang Lang explains: ‘I started lessons when I was three and a half. In the beginning I just played a little
but, when I was five, I played my first recital, and from that point my parents had high hopes for me,
especially my father.’
F. Born during China’s one-child policy, the young musician became his parents’ sole focus. When Lang
Lang was nine, his father and his piano teacher decided that he must leave Shenyang for Beijing, home of
the Central Conservatory of Music. If his father had been strict before, he soon became a lot harder.
G. ‘I got totally crazy, too,’ says Lang Lang. ‘I was beating the wall, trying to prevent myself from being a
pianist by destroying my hands. I hated everything: my father, the piano, myself. And then somehow, we
just stopped.
My father went out or I ran out - I can’t remember, but somehow we stopped. After that I didn’t want to play
piano any more. I said, “OK, fine. Let’s go home.’”
H. Lang Lang disagrees. ‘I think that attitude is wrong because there are a lot of things you can do in the
world,’ he says. ‘When I was nine, I didn't like my father. I knew he had dedicated his life to me, but I
thought it was too much. I found the pressure unnecessary because I was a workaholic from the very
beginning. I could understand if I was lazy and didn’t care, but I didn’t need that kind of push, because I
knew what I wanted.’
Part 4. For questions 76-85, read the passage and choose the best option (A, B, C or D) for each question.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Super Humans
A. Sit down with an anthropologist to talk about the nature of humans, and you are likely to hear this pearl
of wisdom: 'Well, you have to remember that 99 percent of human history was spent on the open savanna in
small bands of hunter-gatherers.' It's a classic scientific cliché, and it's true. Indeed, those millions of
ancestral years produced many of our hallmark traits — upright walking and big brains, for instance. Of
course, those useful evolutionary innovations come at a price: aching backs from our bipedal stance and
existential despair from our large, self-contemplative cerebral cortex.
B. Compounding the challenges of those trade-offs, the world we have invented is dramatically different
from the one to which our bodies and minds are adapted. Have your dinner delivered to you instead of
chasing it down on foot; log in to Facebook to interact with your nearest and dearest instead of spending
most of the day with them. But this is where the utility of the anthropologist's cliché for explaining the
human condition ends.
C. The reason for this mismatch between the setting we evolved to live in and the situations we encounter in
our modern era derives from another defining characteristic of our kind, arguably the most important one:
our impulse to push beyond the limitations evolution imposed on us by developing tools to make us faster,
smarter and longer-lived. Science is one such tool — an invention that requires us to break out of our Stone
Age seeing-is-believing mindset so that we can clearly see the next hurdle we have to overcome, be it a
pandemic flu or climate change. You could call it the ultimate expression of humanity's singular drive to
aspire to be better than we are.

D. To understand how natural selection moulded us into the unique primates we have become, let us return
to the ancestral savanna. There the sun was hotter and nutritious plant foods were scarcer. In response, our
predecessors lost their hair and their molars dwindled as they abandoned a tough vegetarian diet for one
focused in part on meat from grassland grazers. Meanwhile, the selective demands of food scarcities
sculpted our distant forebears into having a body that was extremely thrifty and good at storing calories.
Now, having inherited that same metabolism, we hunt and gather burgers as diabetes becomes a worldwide
scourge. Or consider how our immune systems evolved in a world where one hardly ever encountered
someone carrying a novel pathogen. Today, if you sneeze near someone in an airport, your rhinovirus could
be set free 12 time zones away by the next day.
E. As regards behavior, our abilities abound. We can follow extraordinarily complex scenarios of social
interaction and figure out if a social contract has been violated. And we are peerless when it comes to facial
recognition: we even have an area of the cortex in the fusiform gyrus that specializes in this activity.
F. The selective advantages of evolving a highly social brain are obvious. It paved the way for us to finetune
our capabilities for reading one another's mental states, to excel at social manipulation and to deceive and
attract mates and supporters. Among Americans, the extent of social intelligence in youth is a better
predictor of adult success in the occupational world than are academic scores. Indeed, when it comes to
social intelligence in primates, humans reign supreme. The social brain hypothesis of primate evolution is
built on the fact that across primate species the percentage of the brain devoted to the neocortex correlates
with the average size of the social group of that species. This correlation is more dramatic in humans than in
any other primate species.
G. The fact that we have created this world proves a point — namely, that it is in our nature to be
unconstrained by our nature. Science is one of the strangest, newest domains where we challenge our
hominid limits. It also tests our sense of what is the norm, what counts as better than well and it challenges
our sense of who we are. Thanks to science, human life expectancy keeps extending, our average height
increases, our intelligence test scores improve and we eventually break every world record. But when it
comes to humans becoming, on average, smarter, taller and better at athletics, there is a problem: Who cares
about the average? As individuals, we want to be better than other individuals. Our brain is invidious,
comparative and more interested in contrasts, a state that begins with sensory systems that do not normally
tell us about the quality of a stimulus but instead about the quality relative to the stimuli around it.
76. According to the writer, the anthropological cliché to explain the nature of mankind
A. needs some slight modifications
B. requires little analysis
C. should be considered paradoxical
D. is limited in scope
77. Humankind will only be able to use science to progress if
A. ethical considerations are ignored
B. we discard an outdated approach to acquiring knowledge
C. our drive to eliminate barriers continues
D. the philosophy we adopt can be widely understood
78. Our ancient ancestors lived in a world where
A. the necessity to hunt for food led to good health
B. it was vitally important to have a balanced diet
C. isolation allowed them to develop immunity from disease
D. their restricted movement protected them from illness
79. The word peerless in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to
A. friendless
B. unsurpassed
C. uncompetitive
D. flawless
80. Having a highly social brain
A. allows us to create groups with more members
B. prevents us from being misunderstood
C. causes us to be more devious
D. helps us to read other people's minds

81. The way we tend to think

A. forces us to overlook our shortcomings
B. has enhanced our understanding of sense perception
C. distorts our perception of the notion of average
D. makes us less likely to be concerned with absolutes
82. The word invidious in paragraph 7 mostly means
A. prejudiced
B. preordained
C. unfathomable
D. attitudinal
83. Which of the following square brackets [A], [B], [C], or [D] best indicates where in the paragraph the
sentence "We are no strangers to going out of bounds." can be inserted?
[A] The fact that we have created this world proves a point — namely, that it is in our nature to be
unconstrained by our nature. [B] Science is one of the strangest, newest domains where we challenge our
hominid limits. It also tests our sense of what is the norm, what counts as better than well and it challenges
our sense of who we are. [C] Thanks to science, human life expectancy keeps extending, our average height
increases, our intelligence test scores improve and we eventually break every world record. [D] But when it
comes to humans becoming, on average smarter, taller and better at athletics, there is a problem: Who cares
about the average? As individuals, we want to be better than other individuals. Our brain is invidious,
comparative and more interested in contrasts, a state that begins with sensory systems that do not normally
tell us about the quality of a stimulus but instead about the quality relative to the stimuli around it.
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]
84. It can be inferred from the passage that
A. there are no limits to human capabilities
B. we will be able to adapt to harsh environments
C. humankind's evolutionary path will not be smooth
D. our knowledge of the past is crucial to our future
85. Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
A. Social intelligence enables Americans to be both academically and professionally successful.
B. Science helps prolong human life and improve human intelligence to break all world records.
C. Our evolutionary limits can be exceeded and that's what sets us apart from other species.
D. A highly evolved social brain paved the way for humans to be able to read and distort others' thinking.
Part 5. You are going to read an extract from a book about Creole languages. For questions 86-95,
choose from the sections (A - E). The section may be chosen more than once.
A
Language in Jamaica today reflects the history of the country's interaction with a variety of cultures and
languages from many ethnic, linguistic, and social backgrounds. Aside from the Arawaks, the original
inhabitants of Jamaica, all its people were exiles or children of exiles. Over 90% of the 2.5 million people
living in Jamaica today are descendants of slaves brought from western Africa by the British. The local
Jamaican language is a reflection of a history of contact with a variety of speakers, but the official language
remains Standard English. The most influential speakers were immigrants from Africa and Europe. Kwa,
Manding, and Kru are amongst the variety of prominent African languages apparent in Jamaican history.
Early Modern English was brought to the Caribbean by sailors, soldiers, indentured servants, convicts, and
lower-class settlers in the form of regional and non-standard dialects.
B
Today the Jamaican creole language, called Jamaican Patois, falls at one extreme of the linguistic spectrum
while Standard English lies at the other end of the spectrum. The majority of the population speaks a lan-
guage which falls in between the two. At one end there is the educated model spoken by the elite, which
follows the "London Standard". At the other extreme is what linguists call "creolized" English, fragmented
English speech and syntax with African influences developed during the days of slavery. This is the speech
of the peasant or labourer with little education. In the middle of the language scale there is the inclusion of
Jamaican rhythm and intonation of words, which evolved within the country, as well as the presence of other
uniquely Jamaican traits including retention in common speech of English words now rare or poetic as well
as new formations such as alterations of existing words.

C
Jamaican history and the formation of Patois are based on the experience of exile. In the early 16th century
Spanish settlement began in Jamaica with the Arawaks as their first slave labour force. Within 100 years
very few Arawaks survived due to a deadly epidemic. The only evidence of the Arawak dialect in Jamaica
today is a few loan words, place names, foods, natural objects, and events. Xaymaca is actually an Arawak
word meaning "island of springs", which is where the name Jamaica is derived from. It is possible that the
first contact of the Arawaks and the Spinards may have led to an early pidgin or bilingualism among the first
generation of mixed blood. Throughout Spanish rule, the Arawaks had contact with Spanish colonists,
Portuguese, Amerindians brought in as slaves from other parts of the Caribbean, and West Africans. Then,
in 1655, the English attacked the Spanish colony bringing with them new influences. Arriving with the
invaders were soldiers recruited from England, Barbados, and Montserrat; settlers from Surinam, Barbados,
Bermuda, New England, and Virginia; Jews from Brazil; indentured servants from Bristol; midland and
northern lower-class English speakers; convicts from large prisons in England; Romany speakers; and a
variety of African speakers. The birth of population centers, such as Port Royal, Passage Fort, and Kingston,
served as a mixing pot of many different speakers.
D
Today linguists agree that East Indians, Spanish, and Arawaks have contributed a little vocabulary to the
Jamaican dialect, but the majority of non-English terms, grammar and phonology is African. Africans came
to acquire forms of English because of the domination of the English dialects of their plantation-owning
masters. The heyday of sugar, between 1700-1834, is the period thought to be most responsible for the
forming of Patois. At this time, increasing numbers of Africans were imported to work on the large planta-
tions. By the end of the century Africans made up a quarter of the slave population and Creole took prece-
dence over the African past. Increases in written records of Jamaican Creole were seen at the time of the
abolitionist movement from 1770 to 1838, but English continued to influence Jamaican Creole in the form
of biblical and prayer-book language.
E
The perception that English-lexicon Creole languages are a form of "bad English" still persists today in
Jamaica. Jamaican Patois continues to be considered an unacceptable official language and an informal lan-
guage not to be used for any formal purpose. Creole speakers are often compared to those speakers of
Standard English. The similarity of Creole to English has led Creole speakers to be labelled as socially and
linguistically inferior, although Jamaica Creole is increasingly showing up in newspapers once known for
their old-fashioned Standard English, on the radio, and in songs. Indeed, in the past 30 or 40 years linguists
have finally begun to recognize Creole as a language in itself.
In which section are the following mentioned? Your answers:
the reason why Jamaican Creole is looked down upon 86.
a source by which Jamaicans were exposed to English after Patois developed 87.
how most people speak in Jamaica 88.
the name of the legally recognized language of Jamaica 89.
why there are not many Arawaks in Jamaica today 90.
the part of society that speaks the London Standard of English 91.
the places where most Jamaican people live 92.
a significant development during the years when growing sugar was important 93.
African languages that were particularly important in the development of Patois 94.
the characteristics that make Jamaican Patois unique 95.
IV. WRITING
Part 2. The bar chart below gives information about the percentage of the population living in urban
areas in different parts of the world.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where
relevant. You should write about 150 words.

Part 3. Write an essay of 350 words on the following topic.

In the past, shopping was a routine domestic task. Many people nowadays regard it as a hobby. To
what extent do you think this is a positive trend?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.