HỘI CÁC TRƯỜNG CHUYÊN

VÙNG DUYÊN HẢI & ĐỒNG BẰNG BẮC BỘ ĐỀ THI MÔN: TIẾNG ANH
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN LÊ QUÝ ĐÔN KHỐI 11 - LẦN THỨ XIII
ĐIỆN BIÊN NĂM 2022

ĐỀ THI ĐỀ XUẤT Thời gian làm bài: 180 phút

(Đề thi gồm 24 trang)

A. LISTENING (50 points)

HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI NGHE HIỂU
 Bài nghe gồm 4 phần, mỗi phần được nghe 2 lần, mỗi lần cách nhau 15 giây, mở
đầu và kết thúc mỗi phần nghe có tín hiệu.
 Mở đầu và kết thúc bài nghe có tín hiệu nhạc. Thí sinh có 3 phút để hoàn chỉnh
bài trước tín hiệu nhạc kết thúc bài nghe.
 Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh (bằng tiếng Anh) đã có trong bài nghe.
Part 1. For questions 1-5, listen to a report about how European countries are
dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and decide whether these statements are
True or False. (10 points)
Statements T/ F
1. Under the full lockdown in Italy, all grocery stores must be shut down.
2. There is a ban on entry for people from Austria into Italy.
3. Angela Merkel warned that Coronavirus could infect up to 17% of
Germany's population.
4. Public gatherings still take place in the UK.
5. According to the professor, although the UK is taking more drastic
measures than Italy, its effectiveness is open to question.

Part 2. You’ll hear an interview with physicist teacher, Kieran Shaw, who has taken
his students to a Science Fair. For questions 6-10, write answers in the space
provided. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each question or sentence.
(10 points)
6. What does Kieran criticize about the previous Science Fair?
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___________________________________________
7. Kieran says the fall in the nulmber of participants at some science fairs might be
caused by a belief that science fairs are _____________________________.
8. Which does Kieran believe is a problem among his students?
___________________________________________
9. Kieran says the most important factor in choosing a topic is whether it is likely to
_________________________________________ throughout the project.
10. According to Kieran, what mistake do some students make during their
presentations?
__________________________________________
Part 3. You will hear part of a discussion between two well-known business people,
Sam Boland and Jimmy Glynn, and a radio current affairs show host about a recent
newspaper article on the subject of jobless graduates. For questions 11-15, choose
the correct answer A, B, C, or D which fits best according to what you hear. (10
points)
11. What does Jimmy say about the qualifications graduate jobseekers have?
A. they help them avoid having to take “survival jobs”
B. few graduates are sufficiently qualified for the jobs available
C. few degrees teach skills relevant in the workplace
D. they are not really an advantage in the present job market
12. Why is Sam wary of employing graduates in his own company?
A. their superior performance can lead to workplace hostility
B. they can have a damaging effect on the chemistry of their team
C. he prefers to hire unskilled workers and invest in training
D. they only accept positions above lesser-skilled employees
13. In what respect have things changed since the speakers were job-seeking
graduates?
A. jobseekers used not to lie about their qualifications
B. jobseekers used to pretend they had better qualifications
C. jobseekers used to be far fresher and more enthusiastic
D. jobseekers used not to mind dumbing down their CVs

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14. Why does Jimmy have some sympathy for graduates?
A. he admires their sense of entitlement
B. they were too young to understand what they voted for
C. they have accumulated huge debts at college
D. they are victims of other people’s incompetence
15. Jimmy believes that college-goers of the future should
A. not rule out the Arts and Humanities.
B. work for foreign in preference to local firms.
C. choose their course of study carefully
D. be selective about where they study
Part 4. For questions 16-25, listen to a talk about CRISPR technology and supply
the blanks with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
or NUMBERS taken from the recording for each answer in the space provided.
Back in 2006, bacteria used in the (16) _____________ was found to possess
CRISPR, a tool that acts as a pair of (17) _____________ and thus defends them
against deadly viruses. Application of CRISPR may improve our lives in three ways: -
CRISPR application in Agriculture has resulted in crop yields that are more nutritious
and possess higher (18) ______________, as can be seen in China’s new breed of rice
that produces (19) _______________ more grains. - CRISPR-based treatments can
cure genetic disorders like (20) ______________ and cystic fibrosis. By fixing (21)
________________, CRISPR helps to alleviate the burden of genetic diseases. -
CRISPR can also be used to eradicate infections. Using the technology called (22)
______________, scientists have engineered (23) ______________ that are unaffected
by malaria-carrying parasites and can pass this resistance on to their offspring.
Numerous questions have been raised about the ethical issues of CRISPR, as to who
can use it as a (24) ______________, and how to ensure equitable access. The birth of
CRISPR babies has necessitated a comprehensive (25) _______________ on
modifying human embryos until its long-term effects are better understood.
B. LEXICOLOGY AND GRAMMAR (30 points)
Part 1: Choose the best answer to each of the following questions. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes (20 pts)

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1. The choreographer ________ his fingers in time to the music so that the dancers
could pick up the tempo.
A. clenched B. snapped C. nudged D. beckoned
2. The shop wasn’t making much of a profit so in order to attract more customers, the
owner ________ some of the prices.
A. shelled out B. sold out C. marked down D. stocked up
3. Dr. Walker has spent her entire career studying the impact of poaching on
_________ animals like the tiger.
A. ground B. terrestrial C. worldly D. landmass
4. Closure of schools took place _________ falling numbers of pupils.
A. in the context of B. with regard to
C. with a concern for D. in consideration of
5. I decided to lend my brother some money to _________ until he could find himself
a job.
A. pull him over B. tide him over C. get him by D. put him up
6. The football club decided to _______ the team with a couple of world-class players.
A. beef up B. butter up C. dredge up D. drum up
7. Unions accept free accommodation and travel, yet they would scream _______
murder if the same was received by politicians.
A. red B. blue C. yellow D. black
8. Professional sports have become so competitive that all athletes know, no matter
how good they are, that one day they will ________.
A. paddle their own canoe C. take the wind out of their sails
B. blow their own trumpet D. meet their match
9. That he was using unscrupulous research methods only came out because his
assistant ______ on him to the press.
A. ratted B. hounded C. fished D. bugged
10. I’m hoping that this work experience will stand me in _______in my future career.
A. good grounding B. good stead C. fine precedent D. stable footing
11. Most people feel a slight _______of nostalgia as they think back on their school
days.

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A. feeling B. surge C. pang D. chain
12. The cost of a new house in the UK has become _______high over the last few
years.
A. totally B. astronomically C. blatantly D. utterly
13. The entire staff was thrown off _______when the news of the takeover was
announced.
A. composure B. disarray C. stable D. balance
14. The matter has been left in _______until the legal ramifications have been
explored.
A. recess B. suspension C. abeyance D. criticism
15. I didn’t want to make a decision ____, so I said I’d like to think about it.
A. in one go B. there and then C. at a stroke D. on and off
16. Now that I’ve lost my job, I think we are lucky we don’t have children yet. We
______ to raise them on Joe’s salary alone.
A. won’t be able B. aren’t able C. wouldn’t be able D. weren’t able
17. - Lam: "It's a pity she had to pull out of the competition." - Hung: "Yes, especially
since she ______ such excellent progress."
A. is making B. made C. had been making D. has been making
18. Her hair ______ in a bun, the bride looks superficially attractive.
A. styling B. styled C. was styled D. has been styled
19. This project is _______ for an introductory-level class.
A. too much really hard B. much too really hard
C. really much too hard D. really hard too much
20. My sister says she spent the last month looking for a job, but she didn’t get any
replies to the CVs she sent. She ______________.
A. couldn’t try hard B. can’t try hard enough
C. couldn’t have been trying hard D. could have had tried hard
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

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Part 2: Give the correct form of the words in brackets in each of the following
sentences. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes (10 points)
Example:
0. She couldn’t go on holiday with Jonathan; they had too much emotional ______
(BAG).
Answer: 0. baggage
1. Known for power, speed, and ______, the goshawk has short wings and a long tail,
enabling them to dodge branches in pursuit of prey. (MANEUVER)
2. This room was much smaller, though the ceiling was quite as high; it gave the
______ sense of being stuck at the bottom of a deep well. (PHOBIA)
3. She ______ the things we need to buy – sugar, tea, and sandwiches. (NUMBER)
4. This book is ______. You can find information about the varieties of plants around
the world here. (EMBRACE)
5. Her bare feet arch elegantly, and the ankle bracelets she wears ______ her graceful
movements. (ACCENT)
6. The remnants of an ancient penguin that stood as tall as a grown man have been
found ______ in rock on a beach in New Zealand. (CASE)
7. He was a modest and ______ man who never gave the impression that he knew all
the answers. (ASSUME)
8. Many in the working class tend to be ______ towards authority figures and those in
superior class positions. (DEFER)
9. With the great achievement of U23 Vietnam team, many international newspapers
wrote ______ praising our heroes. (COMIC)
10. Having made that morally terrible mistake, the kidnapper is now _______.
(CONSCIENCE)
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

C. READING (60pts)
Part 1: For questions 1–10, read the following passages and decide which answer
(A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. Write your answers (A, B, C, or D) in
corresponding numbered boxes. (15pts)
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 In the north-west corner of the island paradise Isla Perlita, nestling in the
shadow of Mount Machu, lies the sleepy village of San Lorenzo. Off the beaten
(1)______, there is nothing out of the ordinary about this quaint little village –
nothing, that is apart from the magnificent five - (2)______ Bay Hotel. The Bay, as it
is known locally, is a recent development catering for (3)______ travellers who enjoy
luxury holiday-making. Famous throughout the island for the outstanding quality of its
accommodation and the excellence of its cuisine, the Bay (4)______ 30 guest suites,
each with a charm and character of its own. Each suite looks (5)______ Falmer
Beach, commanding breathtaking views of the four miles of white sand, which gently
shelves into the (6)______ clear waters of the Crepuscan Sea. At the heart of the Bay
Hotel is personal, efficient and unobtrusive service. (7)______ staff anticipate your
every need in an atmosphere of quiet professionalism and genuine friendliness.
(8)______, the Bay Hotel is a place to get (9)______ from the stresses of everyday
life, and whether it is (10)______ away the hours soaking up the sun or taking
advantage of the wide range of recreational activities that the hotel has on offer, you
can be sure that a holiday at the Bay truly is the holiday of a lifetime.
1. A. path B. track C. road D. way
2. A. starred B. stars C. star D. starring
3. A. disconcerting B. discerning C. Distinctive D. discriminated.
4. A. announces B. claims C. asserts D. boast
5. A. back on B. onto C. Into D. down
6. A. crystal B. sky C. diamond D. pearl
7. A. Preoccupied B. Attentive C. Concentrated D. Undivided
8. A. All over B. For all C. Above all D. All along
9. A. out B. over C. Off D. away
10. A. whiling B. wearing C. wending D. winding
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

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Part 2: Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D)
according to the text. Write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the corresponding
numbered boxes (10pts).
Super memorisers
There are people in this world who are innately possessed of an ability to remember
things with quite an extraordinary degree of detail and exactness. These super
memorisers, as they are known, typically possess a brain naturally and distinctively
wired to maximize its memorizing potential. They are gifted such that they require no
particular training or effort to sharpen their memories; they remember things just as
effortlessly as most people forget them. Few of us are born with such gifts, sadly, but
there is much cause for optimism yet for those looking to improve their brain’s
performance tangibly in this area; a fact which Boris Konrad is testament to.
Konrad is a champion memoriser who, in winning gold in the German Memory
Championships one year recognized and recalled the names of 195 people in just
fifteen minutes. [■] His powers of recollection, then, are as admirable as they are
undisputed, but Konrad is self-trained and started out with a recall capacity that was
unremarkable. [■] Instead, he spent years developing memory strategies and
employing those strategies to improve in the area through practice and dedication. [■]
He, then, is a living proof that the average Joe with a gift for forgetfulness can
reinvent himself in the area. [■]However, his example is as much a reminder of the
extent of devotion that is required to reach this level as it is of the possibilities if one is
prepared to put in the effort, and there are not many people prepared to expend a
similar level of effort to this end, which is what really makes Konrad unique.
That said, whilst you may not become a super memoriser overnight, new research
suggests that it is possible to tangibly improve your memory in a relatively short space
of time by devoting roughly half an hour of your every day to the process. It is
necessary to learn and employ memorizing strategies such as the Memory Palace
technique Konrad uses, though, to yield such results; otherwise, you might be as well
be doing something else. In one recent study, for example, participants spent one
month training their memories in the aforementioned technique for 30 minutes every
day, which more than doubled their ability to remember list of information after just

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40 days. More impressively, recall performance remained high whether or not training
continued at the end of one month, which suggests after rewiring of the brain can be
permanent.
Even innately gifted memorisers use such mnemonic techniques to enhance their
recall ability, and, of the recall methods which exist, the methods of loci, which has
already been referred to here as the Memory Palace method, is the most prevalent one
adopted as revealed by a recent study of 35 memory champions. Indeed, at a more
rudimentary level, this method has been employed by orators and others required to
remember long strings of interconnected information for some time, and it actually
dates back to Ancient Greece, where it was first conceived of, remaining prevalent
right through to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It is only a new method then,
today, in the sense that the skill had been lost as such to most people for a very long
time. Indeed, many of today’s super memorisers employed it intuitively rather than in
a conscious effort to enhance their recall powers.
Participants in the study was separated into three distinct groups, with one group
receiving no memory training whatsoever and making no notable recall gains during
the process. The second group dedicated time and effort to upping their recall
capacity, but employed an everyday technique. However, those using the Memory
Palate technique more than doubled their initial recall capacity by the process’s end.
What’s more, their brain functions actually changed and their brain patterns began to
bear more of a likeness to those of innate super memorisers, leading researchers to
speculate that a total rewire might well be possible over time, such that a normal
individual’s recall capacity could match that of any memory champion. The
conclusion, therefore, was that memory is not necessarily an innately bestowed gift
you either are possessed of or not. Most of us have the potential to hone and expand
our memories very meaningfully indeed.
1. According to the first paragraph, people with marvelous power of retention usually
A. undergo rigorous practice to become that way.
B. demonstrate brain functions resembling anyone else.
C. throw in little effort to commit things to memory.
D. be tangibly more intelligent than other people.

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2. Why are Konrad’s achievements mentioned in paragraph two?
A. To underline the excellence of inborn super memorisers
B. To demonstrate the disparity between laymen and super memorisers
C. To prove that almost every individual can make a significant enhancement in
their retention powers
D. To show how even innate super memorisers have to exert themselves
3. What does the writer mean in the phrase ‘you might as well be doing something
else’ in paragraph three?
A. It is futile to invest time in improving recall capacity.
B. People should concentrate on their strengths.
C. The Memory Palace technique is not universally suitable.
D. Progress is only visible if you train in the right way.
4. What did the study mentioned in the third paragraph conclude?
A. The implication of moderate brain exercises can be enduring.
B. The maintenance of a decent recall capacity requires continuous training.
C. Your recall ability can more than double within one month.
D. Progress is only noticeable with at least 30 minutes spent on brain training.
5. What do we learn about the method of loci?
A. It is superior to the Memory Palace method.
B. Most skillful memorisers purposefully adopt it.
C. It has evolved from methods first employed in Ancient Greece.
D. It has been widely used among super memorisers.
6. What did the results of the study mentioned in the final paragraph reveal?
A. How the brains of super memorisers function is inimitable.
B. The application of appropriate technique exerts a tremendous influence on the
brain.
C. Memory training is futile unless employing a confirmed technique.
D. Most super memorisers are not talented at memorizing at birth.
7. The word "mnemonic techniques” in paragraph 4 mostly means
A. gimmicks used to improve brain functions.
B. endowed talents of super memorisers.

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 C. tips specifically designed to aid the process of retaining information.
D. skills adopted by super memorisers to avoid absent-mindedness.
8. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be
added to the passage.
Indeed, after just 30 seconds, examination, he is able to retain the order of an
entire deck of cards.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. First square
B. Second square
C. Third square
D. Fourth square
9. The word "orators” in paragraph 4 mostly means
A. language experts
B. body language experts
C. oral students
D. proficient speakers
10. The paragraph following the passage would most probably discuss
A. further research into the workings of brains of super memorisers.
B. the defeat of a normal person over a super memoriser in terms of recalling
capacity.
C. potential ways to expand our power of retention.
D. the popularity of memory palace technique.
Your answers
1 2. 3. 4. 5.
6 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 3. For questions 1-13, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
(13pts)
Bismarck: A master of political and diplomatic juggling?
A. Otto Von Bismarck’s rise up the political ladder was swift and relentless. Having
entered parliament in 1847, he always harboured lofty ambitions, chief among them

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perhaps being the reunification of Germany into one strong, centrally controlled state,
though his own personal thirst for power was arguably even stronger. On becoming
Prussian Chancellor, he set about fulfilling his ambitions and in doing so proved
himself to be a diplomat of some considerable skill. Victory in the Austro-Prussian
war effectively ended Austria as a factor in German affairs. His political and military
juggling was taken a step further when he orchestrated a situation where France
declared war on Germany in 1870, making the French seem responsible for a conflict
he had always intended to create. And following another swift military triumph, this
time over the French, the German empire was proclaimed in January 1871.
B. In little more than nine years, Bismarck realised his lifelong ambition, steering
Germany to reunification. And by defeating Austria and France in quick succession,
he also created a power vacuum on mainland Europe, which he was determined to
fulfill himself. This was another opportunity for Bismarck to demonstrate his political
and diplomatic cunning. He set about creating a dictatorial Germany in which he, as
head of the Prussian parliament, would automatically become chancellor of the
German empire. He drafted a new German constitution to suit his own purposes and,
despite maintaining a veneer of democracy, the German parliament was effectively
powerless to oppose him. Provinces that were slow to support him were enticed with
bribes and before long the German empire was his to command.
C. It is a testament to his political skill that Bismarck achieved so much so quickly. At
this point in his colourful political career, he did appear, for all intents and purposes, a
master of political and diplomatic juggling. But challenges lay ahead and Bismarck’s
next target was the Catholic church, which he deemed too powerful and a threat to his
political dominance. He proceeded to enact a series of laws that seriously eroded the
power of the church. However, his plans backfired and Bismarck was forced to make a
political U-turn. Though here again, he somehow managed to save face. The damage
to his reputation was limited and indeed by the late 1870s, he had even managed to
win over the church whose support he now needed.
D. Bismarck viewed the growing popularity of the Socialist Democratic Party as a
serious threat. He bided his time and used the attempted assassination of the Kaiser as
an excuse to attack the socialists in 1878, blaming them for the attempt on the Kaiser’s

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life. He immediately arrested the leaders, banned party meetings, and suppressed
socialist newspapers. But despite his efforts to destroy the socialist movement, its
popularity had trebled by 1890. Just as his interventions with the church had not gone
as planned, Bismarck once again failed to achieve his objective; though, to his credit,
he held on to power.
E. His domestic position was relatively secure after 1871, Bismarck devoted a lot of
his time to foreign policy. Having used war to unite Germany and make her great,
Bismarck now believed that his ambitions were best served by peace. His plan to
isolate a hostile France would require all his considerable diplomatic skills. The
Dreikaiserbund agreement of 1873 between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia
was a first step towards doing just that. The Balkan crisis, a conflict involving Russia
and Austria-Hungary, severely tested his diplomatic credentials, but his answer was to
offer himself as an ‘honest broker’ to help resolve the dispute. The subsequent
Congress of Berlin which he hosted was an outstanding success and only served to
reinforce Bismarck’s reputation as a shrewd diplomat. Bismarck’s foreign policy
would continue in this vein throughout his reign as Chancellor. He built up strategic
alliances with the big powers, Russia, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, in the hope that he
could keep his main threats, France and Britain, isolated.
F. In truth, Bismarck’s reign as chancellor of the German empire does seem to
confirm him as a shrewd and wily diplomat and politician, one whose objectives were
broadly achieved. Does this mean his so-called juggling was a success? Perhaps, but
Bismarck left a less than perfect legacy. He created a Germany in which the Kaiser
had the ultimate say in domestic affairs and enjoyed far too much power should he
choose to wield it. This meant that the future of the empire largely depended on the
strength and character of just one man, the Kaiser. A weak Kaiser would be disastrous
for the country’s welfare, and so it would soon prove. In the final analysts, Bismarck
put Germany back on the map again as a great power during his reign, but we should
not forget that he created the political situation that would be the downfall of his
country in the end. His political and diplomatic juggling, therefore, simply cannot be
considered a total success.
Questions 1-6

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Reading passage has six paragraphs A-F.
Choose the correct heading, i - ix, from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i-ix in the boxes 1-6.
i The pace at which Bismarck advanced his ambitions
ii Separating church and state
iii A change of mind
iv Unexpected ramifications of socialist threat
v Unremitting efforts to create a virtual dictatorship
vi External objectives and activities
vii Abortive attempts to curb a movement
viii Political power on the wane
ix A critical analysis
1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph D
5. Paragraph E
6. Paragraph F
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Questions 7-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading
Passage?
In boxes 7-13, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
7. Germany defeated France and Austria successively to claim the dominant position
in Europe.
8. The Congress of Berlin was a great personal success for Bismarck.
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9. After Bismarck enacted laws to weaken the Catholic Church, he was forced to
change his policy and made a church an ally.
10. The Socialist Democratic Party took power from Bismarck in 1890.
11. Bismarck’s foreign policy was to wage war with all countries that posed a military
threat.
12. Bismarck considered his reign as German chancellor a failure.
13. It can be concluded that Bismarck was not actually a master of political juggling.
Your answers
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Part 4. In the passage below, seven paragraphs have been removed. For questions 1-
7, 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. (7pts)
Blind to Change
How much of the world around you do you really see? You only take in tiny pieces of
information at a time and that can have unnerving consequences, says Laura Spinney.
Imagine you’re walking across a college campus when an unknown man asks you for
directions. While you’re talking, two men pass between you carrying a door. After an
irritating minute of interruption you carry on describing the route. When you’ve
finished you are informed that you’ve just taken part in a psychology experiment, and
asked if you noticed any changes after the two men passed with the door. “No”, you
reply uneasily. The unknown man then explains that the man who approached you
initially walked off behind the door, leaving this man in his place. You are stunned;
the two men are dressed differently and have different voices and haircuts.
1

Rather than logging every detail of the visual scene, we are actually highly selective
about what we take in. Our impression of seeing everything is just that – an
impression. In fact we extract a few details and rely on memory, or perhaps even our
imagination, for the rest.

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 2

Yet in 1991, the controversial claim was made that our brains hold only a few salient
details about the world - and that this is the reason we are able to function at all. We
don’t store elaborate pictures in short-term memory, because it isn’t necessary and
would take up valuable computing power.
\
3

Just a year later, at a conference on perception in Vancouver, it was reported that

people shown computer-generated pictures of natural scenes were blind to changes
that were made during an eye movement. In a typical laboratory demonstration of this
you might be shown a picture on a computer screen of, say, a couple dining on a
terrace.

It’s an unnerving experience. But to some extent, such “change blindness” is artificial
because the change is masked in some way. In real life, there tends to be a visible
movement that signals the change. But not always. For instance, we have all had the
experience of not noticing a traffic signal change because we had briefly looked away.
5

For instance, an experiment was done at Harvard in which people were shown a
videotape of a basketball game and asked to count the passes made by one or other
team. After about 45 seconds a man dressed in a gorilla suit walked slowly across the
scene, passing between the players. Although he was visible for five seconds, an
amazing 40 per cent of the viewers failed to notice him.

Such lapses raise important questions about vision. For instance, how can we reconcile
these gross lapses with our subjective experience of having continuous access to a rich
visual scene? One researcher has actually shown that imagining a scene activates parts

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of the visual cortex in the same way as seeing it. He says that this supports the idea
that we take in just what information we consider important at the time, and fill in the
gaps where the details are less important. The illusion that we see “everything” is
partly a result of filling in the gaps using memory. Such memories can be created
based on beliefs and expectations.
7

This particular idea has not been generally accepted. Yet most researchers in the field
do agree that of all the myriad visual details of any scene that we could record, we
take only what is relevant to us at the time. This leads us to the uncomfortable
realization that, for all our subjective experience of a rich visual world, it may, in fact,
be impossible to tell what is real and what is imagined.

A. Now imagine that the task absorbing their attention had been driving a car, and the
distraction had been a pedestrian crossing their path. According to some estimates,
nearly half of all motor-vehicle accidents in the US can be attributed to driver error,
including momentary loss of attention. It is more than just academic interest that has
made both forms of cognitive error hot research topics.

B. The image would disappear, to be replaced for a fraction of a second by a blank

screen, before reappearing significantly altered - by the raising of a railing in the
background, perhaps. Many people search the screen for up to a minute before they
see the change. A few never spot it.

C. In contrast, other researchers argue that we can get the impression of visual
richness without holding any of that richness in our heads. For instance, the “grand
illusion” theory argues that we held no picture of the visual world in our brains at all.
Instead, we refer back to the external visual world as different aspects become
important. The illusion arises from the fact that as soon as you ask yourself “Am I
seeing this or that?” you turn your attention to it and see it.

D. It sounds impossible, but when this test was carried out, a full 50 per cent of those
who took part failed to notice the substitution. The subjects had succumbed to what is

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called change blindness. Taken with a glut of recent experimental results, this
phenomenon suggests we see far less than we think we do.

E. The relationships between attention, awareness and vision have yet to be clarified.
Because we have a less than complete picture of the world at any one time, there is the
potential for distortion and error. How that complete picture could be objectively
established is controversial, but there is one obvious way forward.

F. This flies in the face of what vision researchers have long believed: that seeing
really means making pictures in the brain. According to this theory, by building
detailed internal representations of the world, and comparing them over time, we
would be able to pick out anything that changed.

G. And there’s a related phenomenon called inattentional blindness, that doesn’t need
any experimental visual trick at all: if you are not paying attention to some feature of a
scene, you won’t see it.

H. Rather, we log what has changed and assume the rest has stayed the same. Of
course: this is bound to mean that we miss a few details. Experimenters had already
shown that we may ignore items in the visual field if they appear not to be significant -
a repeated word or line on a page of text for instance. But nobody realized quite how
little we really do “see”.
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Part 5. The passage below consists of four sections marked A, B, C and D. For
questions 1-10, read the passage and do the task that follows. Write your answers
(A, B, C or D) in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (15pts)
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Our reporter spent a night camping out inside a zoo in Australia
A. Scanning the breakfast menu, I found myself swiftly losing my appetite: on offer
were beetle larvae, maggots and frozen mice. Fortunately, spending the night at
Sydney’s Taronga Zoo needn’t involve sampling the animals’ meals, though it does
entail getting extremely close to all manner of creatures. The Roar and Snore

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programme, curiously little known in Australia let alone overseas, allows you to spend
a night camping in the heart of the zoo, long after the crowds of day trippers have
dispersed. And if your experience of zoos is creatures slumped motionless in their
enclosures, or skulking in their dens, then let me assure you that at dusk, the place
comes alive and echoes with the din of hundreds of creatures making their presence
known. A ferryboat dropped me off at the foot of the zoo, which sprawls across a
steeply sloping swathe of bushland across the bay from the city. Guides, Steve and
Nikki, awaited with bright, enthusiastic smiles. Ten of us had signed up and, in no
time at all, we were busily erecting tents on a rectangle of grass outside the zoo’s
education centre. An adjacent area of gum trees was inhabited by kangaroos, wallabies
and an alarmingly inquisitive emu – our first animal encounter.
B. After a quick briefing, we set off into the gathering gloom. Steve unlocked a huge
metal gate that then clanged ominously behind us. We were in, though not without
some trepidation – what had we let ourselves in for? It was just us, a handful of
security staff and 2,000 furred and feathered inmates. A gibbon let out a haunting,
liquid whoop and wild possums frolicked noisily through the eucalyptus trees above
us, their dark silhouettes framed against a full moon. The skyscrapers of the city centre
twinkled in the distance as a pair of zebras scuffled in a cloud of dust; farther along, a
giant Kodiak bear lumbered menacingly around a large, rock-strewn enclosure. An
awesome spectacle in the gloom, but the buzz that evoked was soon surpassed when a
pair of snow leopards came within a few feet of us as they paced around the rocky
ledges of their cage.
C. Not all the animals at Taronga are behind bars. Semi-tame African guinea fowl
nest in the gum trees and a water buffalo let out a surprisingly cow-like moo, whilst a
group of macaws screeched as we climbed back up to the education centre. It gets
chilly after dusk, but Steve had left nothing to chance and a warming barbecue was
already sizzling with sausages and chicken kebabs. Meanwhile, Nikki brought out
some animals that are used to being handled: first a diamond python called Little
Spots and then a koala. Even the Australians in the group were enthralled as Nikki
showed us the pad of hardened skin that enables the species to sit for hours at a time in

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the crook of a tree. As she explained, the gum trees they eat contain only four percent
protein, so they have little energy to do much else.
D. After a bitterly cold night under canvas, it was a relief to be woken at dawn for
breakfast. As the sun rose and bathed the zoo in a soft, orange light, we fed carrots to
the zoo’s small herd of giraffes. One of them, Hope, is blind, and sought out the
carrots, with her long, slobbering blue tongue. ‘If you touch it, you’ll notice it feels
rough, like a cat’s,’ said her keeper. As Hope wrapped hers around my outstretched
finger, it felt more like sandpaper. As the sun’s rays warmed our chilled bodies, we
were taken on a behind-the-scenes tour, down a corridor with doors leading to each
enclosure, and notices reminding keepers of the animals’ diet and welfare
requirements. In a scrubbed kitchen, the inmates’ food is prepared. Here another
cheery keeper, Kristy, showed me the grey-coloured gloop that is fed to small
marsupials. ‘Have a taste,’ she said. I hesitated, then dipped in my finger. It was
delicious, like honey yoghurt. We were at the end of our visit and the zoo was again
admitting the public. Within an hour it seemed as though every four-year-old in
Sydney was careering around the place, letting out squeals of excitement – a sharp
contrast to the peaceful, privileged glimpse we’d been given.
In which section does the writer
1.......... mention a noise that made him feel slightly uneasy?
2.......... acknowledge the forethought of one of his hosts?
3.......... allude to the cleanliness of a section of the zoo?
4.......... suggest that most visitors don’t see the animals at their best?
5.......... imply that the activity he attended would benefit from wider publicity?
6.......... admit to an initial reluctance to take up a suggestion?
7.......... give us an impression of the scale and extent of the whole site?
8.......... describe a physical sensation that more than lived up to expectations?
9.......... report on one way in which the well-being of the animals is ensured?
10.......... mention a thrilling encounter with one particular species?
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
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D. WRITING (60 pts)
Part 1: Summary (15pts) Read the following extract and use your own words to
summarize it. Your summary should be between 100 and 120 words long:
Plants play a very important role in our surroundings. Trees provide us with
fresh air, shade in summers, food, and other benefits without which we cannot even
think of living.
One of the most principal organs of a tree is a leaf. The leaves are the organs
for photosynthesis - a process when carbon dioxide is turned into oxygen. The
structures of leaves are adapted for efficient photosynthesis.
Most leaves are broad and so have a large surface area allowing them to absorb
more light. Also, they are thin, which means a short distance for carbon dioxide to
diffuse in and oxygen to diffuse out easily. The blade is the broad, flat part of the leaf.
Photosynthesis occurs in the blade, which has many green food-making cells.
If you look closer at leaves, you will notice networks of thin threads. Those networks
are called veins: they support the structure of the leaf and transport substances to and
from the cells in the leaf. The main vein of a leaf, running down the centre of the leaf,
is called midrib.
The area of some plants that connects the plant's stem and leaf is called
the petiole. The petiole is the pipeline through which the products of photosynthesis
are moved from individual leaves to the rest of a plant and through which necessary
chemicals and nutrients from other parts of the plant are brought to individual leave.
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Part 2. Chart description (15pts). The table shows data about underground railway
system in six major cities with date opened, kilometres of route and passenger
number per year in millions.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, making
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Kilometers of Passengers per year

City Date opened
route (in millions)
London 1863 394 775
Paris 1900 199 1191
Tokyo 1927 155 1928
Washington DC 1976 126 144
Kyoto 1981 11 45
Los Angeles 2001 28 50

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Part 3: Write an essay of about 350 words to express your opinion on the following
issue (30 pts)
Online education is becoming more and more popular. Some people claim
that e-learning has so many benefits that it will replace face-to-face education soon.
Others say that traditional education is irreplaceable.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
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