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Đề Chính Thức: Sở Giáo Dục Và Đào Tạo Hà Tĩnh Kỳ Thi Chọn Học Sinh Giỏi Tỉnh Lớp 12 Thpt NĂM HỌC 2022-2023

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SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO KỲ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI TỈNH LỚP 12 THPT

HÀ TĨNH NĂM HỌC 2022-2023


Môn thi: TIẾNG ANH
ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC
Thời gian làm bài: 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)
(Đề thi có 12 trang)

 Thí sinh không sử dụng bất kể tài liệu nào, kể cả từ điển.


 Thí sinh làm bài trực tiếp vào đề thi, ghi câu trả lời vào các chổ trống hoặc các ô cho sẵn.
 Riêng phần trắc nghiệm thí sinh chỉ ghi đáp án A, B, C hoặc D.
 Giám thị không giải thích gì thêm.
Điểm của toàn bài thi Giám khảo Số phách
(Bằng số) (Bằng chữ) (Ký và ghi rõ họ tên) (Do Trưởng ban chấm thi ghi)
Giám khảo 1:

Giám khảo 2:

I. LISTENING
Part 1. You are going to hear a talk which gives information about the congestion charging scheme.
While you listen, complete the notes below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER for each answer.
When it applies
Monday-Friday, from 7 a.m until (1) _______ p.m.
How much it costs
standard: £8
payment after 10 p.m.: (2) £ _______
after midnight: (3) __________
How to pay
by telephone
by (4) _________
on the Internet
at one of (5) _________ Pay Points in the zone

Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Part 2: Listen to a lecture about population growth. For questions 1 – 5, decide whether these
statements are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F).
1. Birth rate is the average number of children born in a year, per thousand people.
2. Fertility rate in UK was first reported to have been so high in 2008.
3. Fertility rate in the UK is higher than it was twenty years ago because a higher proportion of women
are having children.
4. 25% of women in their mid-forties do not have children nowadays.
5. Fertility rates are low partly because parents do not have time to have children.
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1
Part 3: You will hear an interview with someone who has started a magazine for children. For
questions 1-5, choose the best answer(A, B, or C). You will hear the recording twice.
1. When talking about her job as a primary school teacher, Kate emphasizes_________
A. how much effort the job required.
B. how good she was as a teacher.
C. how difficult the children could be.
2. Kate decided to start her own magazine for children_________
A. because both children and parents suggested the idea.
B. when she was working in publishing for children.
C. after considering what was available for children.
3. What does Kate say about enthusiasm?
A. Children respond positively to it.
B. Children cannot maintain it for long.
C. Children experience it more than adults.
4. Kate says that the age range for the magazine_________
A. may change to some extent in the future.
B. may not be exactly what it is stated to be.
C. has been decided after asking parents.
5. Kate says that one of her aims for the magazine is to_________
A. include subjects that children don’t normally read about.
B. create an interest in subjects some children consider boring.
C. encourage children to choose what they want as a career.
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Part 4: You will hear a part of an interview with a man called Ewan Richardson , who is trying to
persuade people to use less paper. For questions 1-10, complete the sentences with NO MORE
THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each gap. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes.
1. Every year, the average UK citizen uses about _________________________ of paper.
2. Most of the world’s paper comes from very_________________________ forests.
3. The production of paper causes terrible _________________________ in some places.
4. The destruction of the forests is a much bigger cause of global warming than
________________________.
5. Ewan says that there are already paper recycling bins in many_________________________.
6. You can use less paper by avoiding unnecessary _________________________when you are studying
or working.
7. You can often reuse_________________________ that you have received.
8. To receive less junk mail, don’t ask for_________________________ when you buy something.
9. Stop receiving any magazines you don’t always read, or_________________________ them with
others.
10. Most_________________________ published in Britain are now printed on recycled paper.

Your answers:
1. 3. 5. 7. 9.
2. 4. 6. 8. 10.

II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1 : Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence. Write your answers
A, B, C or D in the numbered boxes.
1. In one year’s time, she ________ in this company for 15 years.
A. will be working B. has worked C. will have worked D. will work

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2. I’m incredibly sorry that I broke your valuable vase; is there anything that I can do to ____ amends?
A. have B. take C. do D. make
3. I don’t believe there’s a ________ of evidence that could be held against him.
A. grain B. shred C. strain D. drop
4. Most armies around the world use satellite technology to ________ orders.
A. emit B. impart C. release D. relay
5. I think that it is important for him to be financially independent ________?
A. isn’t it B. is it C. doesn’t he D. do I
6. Tom is talking to John in a café.
Tom: You should never have shouted at your mother! John: “________”.
A. Famous last words B. Well, you live and learn
C. It’s a small word D. You can’t win them all
7. Although she had been told quite ________ to pull herself together, she simply couldn’t stop crying.
A. rigidly B. sternly C. unrelentingly D. unsympathetically
8. ________ the government fall, the stock market will crash.
A. Provided B. In case C. Had D. Should
9. After several hours on the road they became ________ to the fact that they would never reach the
hotel by nightfall.
A. dejected B. resigned C. depressed D. disillusioned
10. Richard, my neighbour, ________ in World War II.
A. says to fight B. says to have fought
C. is said to fight D. is said to have fought
11. I was sitting on the bus when I heard this odd ________ of conversation.
A. lumps B. air C. snatch D. stab
12. The clinic experienced an ________ of support from the community when they were threatened
with closure.
A. outpouring B. outbreak C. overflowing D. outbursting
13. We were ________ of our lives when the lightening struck the trees beside us.
A. out of thin air B. over the edge C. under a cloud D. within an inch
14. Tara and I had a lot of arguments last year, but it’s all water under the ________ now.
A. boat B. canoe C. bridge D. harbour
15. The weather here can be compared with ________.
A. one in Laos B. that in Laos C. Laos D. those of Laos
16. Jack’s commitment to work waxed and ________ throughout the year.
A. waned B. wept C. faxed D. waved
17. I think the new underground railway is a ________ elephant. The city already has a very efficient
bus and tram system.
A. blue B. brown C. black D. white
18. ________ invisible to the unaided eye, ultraviolet light can be detected in a number of ways.
A. Although is B. Despite C. Even though it D. Although
19. Don’t call Pam just now. Something has gone wrong with the computer; she’s ________ because
she can’t get the data she needs.
A. in a stew B. out of a rut C. in the swim D. under the sink
20. For ________ of anything better to do, I watched television for a while.
A. need B. absence C. want D. shortage
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

3
Part 2: Complete the following sentences with one preposition/particle for each blank. Write your
answers in the numbered boxes.
1. We all have to follow the rules, and none of us is _______ the law.
2. She spent twenty years studying the history of London. She knows it _______ out.
3. The teacher has obliged Robert to take ______ the offensive remarks he made to Julia.
4. You have to set the advantages of the scheme _______ the disadvantages.
5. Mr. Deacon next door had a very serious operation. Apparently it’s a miracle he pulled _______ .
6. We have been really busy, but things are starting to slacken _______ now.
7. Sally is a lawyer _______ profession, but she’s pretty good writer, too.
8. It is said that Isaac Newton worked _______ the law of gravity after he’d been hit on the head by an
apple!
9. I’m trying to arrange an interview with the editor but it’s difficult to pin him _______ to an exact
time.
10. If a joke or funny story has you _______ stitches, it makes you laugh uncontrollably.
Your answers:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 3: Write the correct FORM of each bracketed word in the numbered boxes below.
The wild animals we love most
(1)_______(PRESENT) of wild animals, such as elephants, tigers and pandas, are everywhere in
movies, books and toy stores. But research suggests that this (2)_______ (POPULAR) may have a (3)
_______(PROBLEM) effect on public (4)_______(PERCEIVE) of how much at risk these animals are
in nature, in a survey carried out by French ecologists, people were asked which animals they
considered most (5)______(CHARISMA). The top ten were: lions, elephants, giraffes, leopards,
pandas, cheetahs, polar bears, wolves and gorillas. (6)______ (IRONY), the biggest fans of these
animals knew very little about their (7)_______(SURVIVE) prospects – the sad truth being that many
of them face possible extinction in the coming decades.
The researchers suggest that the (8)______(WIDE) presence of these animals in popular culture
makes people think their populations in the wild are strong, and this may lead to (9)
________(COMPLACENT). One of the researchers has said that ‘companies using giraffes, cheetahs
or polar bears for marketing may be contributing (10)_______(INTENTION) to the false idea that
animal populations in the wild are secure and not in need of conservation.
Your answers:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 4: Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Write your answers in the numbered boxes.
1. Scientists warn of the impending extinction of many species of plants and animals.
A. imminent B. irrefutable C. formidable D. absolute
2. Reading a good mystery only whets my appetite for more books by the same author.
A. waits B. cajoles C. sharpens D. resolves
3. Their opposition to slavery is borne out in Richard Poplin’s studies of eighteenth-century racism.
A. created B. confirmed C. imagined D. bewildered
Your answers:
1. 2. 3.

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Part 5: Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Write your answers in the numbered boxes.
1. Teachers are still getting used to the latest upheaval in the education system.
A. alternation B. stagnation C. oscillation D. innovation
2. The novel’s complex, imaginative style does not lend itself to translation.
A. inapplicable B. untamable C. unsuitable D. inconvinceible
3. Nancy and her boss worked so well together. She concurred with him about the new direction the
company was taking.
A. disagreed B. agreed C. surrendered D. confessed
Your answers:
1. 2. 3.
Part 6: Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each
of the following questions. Write your answers in the numbered boxes.
1. His career i n the elicited drug trade ended with the police raid this morning.
A B C D
2. There's evidence to suggest that child abuse is not just a recent phenomena.
A B C D
3. His claim to be an important and unjustly neglectful painter is sheer self-deception - he's no good at all.
A B C D
4. A dolphin locates underwater objects in its path by doing a series of clicking and whistling sounds.
A B C D
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4
III. READING
Part 1: Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap.
Write your answer in the numbered boxes.
SHADES OF MEANING
When we decide to choose a colour for anything-whether it’s a T-shirt or a cover for a mobile
phone – our brains have to work really hard. In order for us to (1)______ a choice that feels right, the
brain has to (2)_____ various bits of information.
There are various (3) _____ which make each of us like or dislike certain colours. Firstly, our
brains consider past associations. These are completely (4) ______ and are a result of our individual
experiences. Particular colours call to (5)_____ certain memories which may be connected to a place, a
person or an experience. For example, we may associate red with the (6) ______ of a fire or a favourite
childhood sweater. Blue and green may (7) _____us of holidays and peaceful weekends in the country.
Secondly, there is evidence to show that different colours affects our nervous system in different
ways. Red can actually (8)_______ the level of adrenaline in our body. This is why enegetic people are
drawn to red and also why sports cars are (9)_______this colour. On the other hand, blues and greens
are passive colours which have a relaxing (10) ______ on the nervous system and attract people who
comepletly at ease.
1. A. make B. keep C. set D. do
2. A. run B. manufature C. process D. produce
3. A. aspects B. factors C. ways D. methods
4. A. hidden B. private C. secret D. personal
5. A. feeling B. heart C. thought D. mind
6. A. warmth B. temperature C. heater D. burning
7. A. recall B. remind C. remember D. regret
8. A. lift B. rise C. raise D. hold
9. A. traditionally B. knowingly C. fashionably D. recognisably
10. A. message B. result C. effect D. note
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
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Part 2: Fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in
the corresponding numbered boxes.
The World Cup
Lionel Messi and Argentina are three games away (1)_______ winning the World Cup, but
against the Netherlands they will face their toughest test of the tournament so (2)_______. Friday’s
quarterfinal at the Lusail Stadium is a compelling match-up, not least (3)_______ of the World Cup
history between the two teams. They (4)_______ met in the semifinals eight years ago – a goalless
game that Argentina ultimately won on penalties – and prior to that have contested two (5)_______
knockout games: a quarterfinal in 1998 – best remembered for Dennis Bergkamp’s sensational
winning goal – and the final in 1978 when Argentina (6)_______ the World Cup for the first time.
Several key protagonists remain from the 2014 encounter. For the Netherlands, Louis van Gaal has
returned (7)______ manager and veteran Daley Blind is still a key part of the national team, while
Messi remains Argentina’s talisman and most potent attacking threat. (8)________ of the spotlight, as
ever, will be on the 35-year-old Messi, (9)_______ has been central to Argentina’s best moments of
the tournament until now. Belal Ahmed has traveled to Doha, Qatar, to watch Lionel Messi play for
the first time. Fans around the world flock to watch Lionel Messi play at Qatar 2022. With three goals
– including a superb strike against Mexico (10)_______ a well-worked move against Australia – and
one assist from four games, Messi is the heartbeat of this Argentina team, even in the twilight of his
career.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 3: Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) for each question.
Write your answers in the numbered boxes.
‘If you’ve finished your exams and have absolutely no idea what to do next, you’re not alone’,
says Sheridan Hughes, an occupational psychologist at Career Analysts, a career counseling service.
‘At 18, it can be very difficult to know what you want to do because you don’t really know what
you’re interested in.’ Careers guidance, adds Alexis Halliam, one of her colleagues, is generally poor
and ‘people can end up in the wrong job and stay there for years because they’re good at something
without actually enjoying it’.
To discover what people are good at, and more fundamentally, what they will enjoy doing,
Career Analysts give their clients a battery of personality profile questionnaires and psychometric
tests. An in-depth interview follows, in which the test results are discussed and different career paths
and options are explored with the aid of an occupational psychologist. Career Analysts offers guidance
to everyone, from teenagers to retirees looking for a new focus in life. The service sounded just what I
need. Dividing my time as I do between teaching and freelance journalism, I definitely need advice
about consolidating my career. Being too ancient for Career Analysts’ students career option guidance
and not, unfortunately, at the executive level yet, I opted for the career management package. This is
aimed at people who are established in their jobs and who either want a change or some advice about
planning the next step in their careers.
Having filled in a multitude of personality indicator questionnaires at home, I then spent a rather
gruelling morning being aptitude-tested at Career Analysts’ offices. The tests consisted of logical
seasoning followed by verbal, mechanical and spatial aptitude papers. Logical seasoning required me
to pick out the next shape in a sequence of triangles, squares and oblongs. I tried my best but knew that
it was really a lost cause. I fared rather better when it came to verbal aptitude – finding the odd one out
in a series of words couldn’t be simpler. My complacency was short-lived, however, when I was
confronted with images of levers and pulleys for the mechanical aptitude papers. My mind went blank.
I had no idea what would happen to wheel X when string Y was pulled.
At home, filling questionnaires, I had been asked to give my instinctive reaction ( not an over-
considered one) to statements like: ‘It bothers me if people think I’m being odd or unconventional’ or
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‘I like to do my planning alone without interruptions from others. I was asked to agree or disagree on
scale of one to five with ‘I often take on impossible odd’, or ‘ it is impossible for me to believe that the
chance or luck plays an important role in my life’. I was told to indicate how important I consider
status to be in a job, and how important money and material benefits.
The questions attempt to construct a picture of the complete individual. Using aptitude tests
alongside personality profiling, occupational psychologists will, the theory goes, be able to guide a
client towards a rewarding, fulfilling career. Some questions are as straightforward as indicating
whether or not you would enjoy a particular job. Designing aircraft runways? Preparing legal
documents? Playing a musical instrument? Every career going makes an appearance and as I was
shown later, the responses tend to form a coherent pattern.
Having completed my personality and aptitude tests, I sat down with Sheridan Hughes, who
asked me fairly searching personal and professional questions. What do my parents and siblings do for
a living? Why had I chosen to do an English degree? ‘I need to get a picture of you as a person and
how you’ve come to be who you are’, she explained. ‘What we do works because it’s a mixture of
science and counseling. We use objective psychometric measures to discover our clients’ natural
strengths and abilities and then we talk to them about what they want from life’.
There were no real surprises in my own test results, nor in the interview that followed it. ‘We’re
interested in patterns’, Mrs. Hughes explained’, and the pattern for you is strongly verbal and
communicative’. This was putting it rather kindly. I had come out as average on the verbal skills test
and below average in logic, numerical, perceptual and mechanical seasoning. My spatial visualization
was so bad it was almost off scale. ‘A career in cartography, navigation, tiling or architecture would
not be playing to your strengths’, she said delicately.
Mrs. Hughes encouraged me to expand the writing side of my career and gave me honest,
practical suggestions as to how I could go about it. ‘Widen the scopes of your articles’, she said. ‘You
could develop an interest in medical and psychological fields. ‘These latter, she said, would sit
comfortably with an interest in human behaviour indicated on my personality – profiling
questionnaires. She suggested that I consider writing e-learning content for online courses, an avenue
that would never occurred to me.
1. What does this passage mainly discuss?
A. Finding our client’s natural strengths and abilities B. What are the best questionnaires for jobs
C. What are the most popular jobs D. Finding the career that fits your personality
2. Which of the following is mentioned in the first paragraph?
A. People accepting inappropriate advice B. People underestimating their own abilities
C. People being unwilling to take risks D. People constantly changing their minds
3. What does the writer say about Career Analysts in the second paragraph?
A. It is about to offer a service for people at executive level.
B. She was initially doubtful that it could be useful to her.
C. Only one of its services was relevant to her.
D. The range of services it offers is unique.
4. The word "multitude" in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A. rarity B. paucity C. dearth D. host
5. What does the writer say about the statements on the questionnaires?
A. One of them focused on her attitude situation only.
B. One of them focused on her attitude to risks.
C. She found some of them rather strange.
D. She thought about them for longer than she was supposed to.
6. In the fifth paragraph, the word "straightforward" is closest in meaning to ______.
A. simple B. skeptical C. objective D. dominated
7. The writer says that the idea behind the questionnaires is that_____.
A. they will encourage people to have new ideas about possible careers.
B. people will find some of the questions quite hard to answer.
C. they will give me a more accurate picture of people than the aptitude tests.
D. the answers to them and the aptitude tests will provide all the necessary information.
8. The word "they" in paragraph 6 refers to ______.
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A. measures B. strengths C. clients D. abilities
9. Some of the questions Sheridan Hughes asked concerned the writer’s_______.
A. progress through life B. opinions of the tests and questionnaires
C. main regrets D. relationships with family members
10. The advice Mrs. Hughes gave to the writer included the suggestion that she should_______.
A. concentrate only on writing and not on any other kind of work.
B. increase the number of subjects she writes about.
C. think about taking a course on writing.
D. do something she had previously considered unappealing.
Your answers:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 4: Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) for each question.
Write your answer in the numbered boxes.
Mutual harm
A. In forests and fields all over the world, plants are engaged in a deadly chemical war to suppress
other plants and create conditions for their own success. But what if we could learn the secrets of these
plants and use them for our own purposes? Would it be possible to use their strategies and weapons to
help us improve agriculture by preventing weeds from germinating and encouraging growth in crops?
This possibility is leading agricultural researchers to explore the effects plants have on other plants
with the aim of applying their findings to farming.
B. The phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more chemicals that influence the growth,
survival and reproduction of other organisms is called allelopathy. These chemicals are a subset of
chemicals produced by organisms called secondary metabolites. A plant's primary metabolites are
associated with growth and development. Allelochemicals, however, are part of a plant's defence
system and have a secondary function in the life of the organism. The term allelopathy comes from the
Greek: allelo and pathy meaning 'mutual harm'. The term was first used by the Austrian scientist Hans
Molisch in 1937, but people have been noting the negative effects that one plant can have on another
for a long time. In 300 BC, the Greek philosopher Theophrastus noticed that pigweed had a negative
effect on alfalfa plants. In China, around the first century AD, the author of Shennong Ben Cao Jing
described 267 plants that have the ability to kill pests.
C. Allelopathy can be observed in many aspects of plant ecology. It can affect where certain species
of plants grow, the fertility of competitor plants, the natural change of plant communities over time,
which plant species are able to dominate a particular area, and the diversity of plants in an area. Plants
can release allelopathic chemicals in several ways: their roots can release chemicals directly into the
soil, and their bark and leaves can release chemicals into the soil as they rot. Initially, scientists were
interested in the negative effects of allelopathic chemicals. Observations of the phenomenon included
poor growth of some forest trees, damage to crops, changes in vegetation patterns and, interestingly,
the occurrence of weed-free areas. It was also realised that some species could have beneficial effects
on agricultural crop plants and the possible application of allelopathy became the subject of research.
D. Today research is focused on the effects of weeds on crops, the effects of crops on weeds, and how
certain crops affect other crops. Agricultural scientists are exploring the use of allelochemicals to
regulate growth and to act as natural herbicides, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture by using
these natural chemicals as an alternative to man-made chemicals. For example, a small fast-growing
tree found in Central America, sometimes called the 'miracle tree', contains a poison that slows the
growth of other trees but does not affect its own seeds. Chemicals produced by this tree have been
shown to improve the production of rice. Similarly, box elder - another tree - stimulates the growth of
bluestem grass, which is a tall prairie grass found in the mid-western United States. Many weeds may
use allelopathy to become ecologically successful; a study in China found that 25 out of 33 highly
poisonous weeds had significant allelopathic properties.
E. There may be at least three applications of allelopathy to agriculture. Firstly, the allelopathic
8
properties of wild or cultivated plants may be bred into crop plants through genetic modification or
traditional breeding methods to improve the release of desired allelochemicals and thus improve crop
yield. Secondly, a plant with strong allelopathic properties could be used to control weeds by planting
it in rotation with an agricultural crop and then leaving it to rot and become part of the soil in order to
inhibit the growth of weeds. Finally, naturally occurring allelopathic chemicals could be used in
combination with man-made chemicals. Boosting the efficiency of man-made herbicides could lead to
a reduction in the amount of herbicides used in agriculture, which is better for the environment.
F. Despite the promising uses of allelopathic chemicals, agricultural scientists are still cautious.
Firstly, allelopathic chemicals may break down and disappear in the soil more easily than artificial
chemicals. Secondly, allelopathic chemicals may be harmful to plants other than weeds. Thirdly,
allelopathic chemicals could persist in the soil for a long time and may affect crops grown in the same
field as the allelopathic plants at a later date. Because the effects of allelopathic chemicals are not yet
fully known, agricultural scientists will need to continue to study the biological war between plants.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-F from the list of headings below. Write the
correct number, i-ix in the numbered boxes.
List of Headings
i. What are metabolites?
ii. The negative effects of allelopathy
iii. Biological warfare in the plant world
iv. Why we cannot use allelopathic chemicals at present
v. What is allelopathy?
vi. The reasons why plants compete with other plants
vii. The effects of allelopathy and realisation of its possible uses
viii. How could we use allelopathic chemicals in farming?
ix. Specific examples of allelopathic plants
Example Answer
Paragraph A iii
1. Paragraph B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E
5. Paragraph F
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Questions 6-10: Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from
the passage for each answer. Write your answer in the numbered boxes.
Scientists can see three potential uses of allelopathic chemicals in farming. Firstly, the ability to
produce allelopathic chemicals could be (6) ______ into agricultural crops; secondly, allelopathic
plants could be planted in rotation with the (7) ______; finally, naturally produced chemicals could be
combined with (8) ______ herbicides. However, agriculturalists are still (9)______ as allelopathic
plants may have negative effects on plants which are not the intended target and the chemicals could
remain in the ground for a(n) (10) ______, even after the plants themselves have died.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 5: You are going to read an article about yoga, For questions 1-10, choose from the sections (A
- D). The sections may be chosen more than once. Write your answers in the numbered boxes.
The rise of yoga
Yoga has become a big business in certain parts of the world. Australian journalist Maggie Curran
reports on her own experiences of ancient discipline.

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A. A decade ago, I was commissioned to interview an up-and-coming yoga entrepreneur whose
particular brand of yoga involved 26 poses in a humid, heated room with mirrors and carpets. When I
visited the man’s studio and caught the stench and the robotic instructions from a mic’d-up teacher, I
thought: ‘This will never take off’, I had been doing a relatively gentle form of yoga for several years,
but had never managed to get beyond beginners’ level. I had come to assume that was all I was capable
of, but somehow had never stopped completely. Halfway through the interview, the yoga businessman
looked at me and said: ‘You’re overweight. You should join my classes. It would transform your life’
‘What? was all I could splutter in response to this breach in interview etiquette. For years after that
interview, I would walk past that man’s expanding chain of studios and think: ‘How could someone
like that become so successful?’ At the same time, I wondered if he’d had a point – was it possible to
completely change your body shape by doing his yoga? And should this even be an aspiration?
B. These days, yoga has morphed from being an exercise you might do once a week in a gym to a way
of life, and a physical and spiritual ideal to aspire to. About 40 million people are estimated to practise
yoga in the US and the global yoga market is worth over $80bn. It’s not just the studios; yoga mats and
clothing have become must-have items in certain places. In my area of Sydney, upmarket yogis have
colonised the high street. Most people seem to have stopped wearing proper clothes. Unless you are
around the bus stops in time for the morning commute, you see people dressed almost exclusively in
exercise gear – yoga pants, vest top and hoodies, flip-flops in the summer, trainers in winter. Rich
targets for satirists, these ‘devotees’ cycle around the neighborhood, with rolled-up yoga mats on their
backs, in search of organic fruit and vegetables. Ludicrous as they are in some ways, though, it would
be dishonest not to disclose that I once secretly yearned to be one of them and to have what they had.
C. In many respects, yoga is the perfect pastime for our age – the meditative elements give us the
opportunity to find peace and stillness in a time of increasingly hectic and crowded information, the
instructional bits give us moral lessons, while the stretchy, bendy, sweaty physical stuff is a great way
of countering hours a day spent hunched over a computer. Early last year, putting to the back of my
mind and any qualms I had about the ethics of how a 5,000-year-old spiritual discipline has been
turned into a profit-making machine, I left my old class and joined an intensive programme to become
‘a modern yogi’. This meant attending classes six times a week, meditating daily, keeping a journal
and taking part in weekly meetings that are part tutorial on mindfulness and part group therapy. I stuck
with it and found things started to shift. My body felt looser, more pliable. Physically it was tough, and
it took a month to really get my fitness level moving, but gradually I was able to keep up with the most
athletic classes and my skin and hair seemed to glow.
D. I then started thinking about what I was doing – about the nature of yoga and how so many people
pour energy into their bodies when perhaps they should be trying to pour energy into the people and
politics around them. Self-care is great – but what if there’s no energy left to care about anyone else? I
wrote in my journal, I went to the Monday night tutorials, I meditated, I drank juices, I did all the right
things to become a modern yogi. I was on the way to joining the ranks of the chilled-out people. I saw
everyday around me. I was almost there before I started wondering – is this really what I wanted to be?
The answer was, of course, no, I kept at it for about two months before the narcissism of the whole
enterprise got to me. There were other things, it turned out, that I had to do.
In which section does the writer
Your answers
1 express unease about the inward-looking nature of yoga?
2 describe being surprised by certain behaviour?
3 refer to a sense of envy?
4 mention suppressing concerns about the commercial exploitation of
yoga?
5 provide an explanation for giving up yoga?
6 mention accepting her own perceived limitations?
7 acknowledge the benefits that yoga brought her?
8 indicate an aspect of yoga that can be seen as humorous?
9 mention being proved wrong?
10 offer an explanation for yoga’s growing appeal?
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IV. WRITING
Part 1 : Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same
as the sentence before it.
1. It’s almost nine months since I stopped subscribing to that magazine.
→ I cancelled ___________________________________________________________.
2. As I get older, I want to spend more time with my family members.
→ The older ____________________________________________________________.
3. David didn’t celebrate until he received the offer of promotion in writing.
→ Not until David _______________________________________________________.
4. If you peel some potatoes it will get us started.
→ You can set ___________________________________________________________.
5. You’ll get the maximum punishment when they find out what you’ve done.
→ They’ll throw __________________________________________________________.
Part 2: Use the word given in brackets and make any necessary additions to write a new sentence in
such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence. Do NOT change the
form of the given word. You must use between three and six words, including the word given. (0)
has been done as an example.
0. Jane regretted speaking so rudely to the old lady (more)
→ Jane ________ wishes she had spoken more ______ politely to the old lady.
1. More and more tourists are visiting the ancient towns in the mountains. (GROWTH)
→ There____________________________tourists visiting the ancient towns in the mountains.
2. There is a rumour that the company lost over $20 million during the price war. (SUSTAINED)
→ The company is rumoured ____________________ over $20 million during the price war.
3. I enjoyed being the boss of a small company. (FISH)
→ I enjoy being a _____________________________________________________________.
4. There is no way that young man can achieve success in this test. (BOUND)
→ The young man ____________________________________________________in this test.
5. When threatened, chameleons do not move a muscle. (STATUE)
→ Chameleons stay ______________________________________________when threatened.
Part 3: Write an essay of about 250 words on the following topic:
Some believe that younger family members should be legally responsible for supporting older
family members when they become physically, mentally and financially unable to look after
themselves.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
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