NATIONAL ENGLISH

COMPETITION
(NEC)
SIMULATION TEST
School year: 2020 – 2021

Student’s name: _________________ Candidate number: ________

 SỞ GD&ĐT VĨNH PHÚC KỲ THI CHỌN ĐỘI TUYỂN HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA THPT
THPT CHUYÊN VĨNH PHÚC NĂM 2021

Môn thi: TIẾNG ANH

Thời gian thi: 180 phút (Không kể thời gian giao đề) SỐ PHÁCH
Ngày thi: 18/10/2020
Đề thi có 14 trang

• Thí sinh không được sử dụng tài liệu, kể cả từ điển.

• Giám thị không giải thích gì thêm.

I. LISTENING (50 POINTS)

HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI NGHE HIỂU
• Bài nghe gồm 4 phần; mỗi phần được nghe 2 lần, mỗi lần cách nhau 05 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 02 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. You will hear five short extracts with different people talking about adventure holidays. For
question 1 – 5, choose from the list (A – H) what each speaker did on their holiday.
A. helped to build a school
B. stayed in places for free
C. stayed in a hotel Speaker 1 1
D. stayed in an accommodation which was built using traditional Speaker 2 2
methods
E. stayed in a canal boat Speaker 3 3

F. stayed in a hard-to-reach part of a country Speaker 4 4

G. shared a room with others Speaker 5 5

H. got up every morning

Part 2. For questions 6 – 10, you will hear a radio interview with the gardening experts Jed and
Helena Stone. Listen and decide whether the following sentences are True (T), False (F) or Not
Given (NG) according to what you hear. Write your answers in the box provided.
6. Helena feels amused that she and Jed have a name people tend to remember.
7. Jed would appreciate it were he in public places without being recognised.
8. When Helena started her work on The Travel Show, she felt obliged to do it.
9. Jed was inspired to make a jewel garden by the illustrations at a talk he attended.
10. Helena agrees with Jed that the name “jewel garden” represents a way to positively combine both
past and present.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 3. You will hear an interview with a British politician. For questions 11-15 choose the answer
A, B, C or D.
11. Susan says that she particularly dislikes politicians who __________
A. pretend to feel strongly about issues. B. disguise their real beliefs.
C. are indecisive about issues. D. openly treat voters with contempt.
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12. When she had her disagreement with Martin Jones, Susan
A. decided that personal ambition was not her main motivation.
B. began to feel that she had failed as a politician.
C. felt that her point of view was not correctly understood.
D. regretted the effect it would have on her future in politics.
13. What was Susan’s attitude to involving colleagues in the controversy?
A. She realized that they were unlikely to share her point of view.
B. She was reluctant to do so because she was not sure she was right.
C. She thought that involving colleagues would make things worse.
D. She felt they should decide for themselves whether she had a point.
14. When asked whether her opinion of her colleagues has changed, Susan says that
A. their reaction has made her reluctant to get into the same position again.
B. she prefers those who criticized her to those who kept their opinions private.
C. there may come a time when she does not publicly support them on issues.
D. politicians place too much emphasis on their personal opinions of each other.
15. Susan thinks she was considered mad by some other politicians because __________
A. her behavior was out of character. B. they found her intimidating.
C. she did not conform. D. her unselfishness shamed them.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Part 4. For questions 16–25, listen to a piece of news from the BBC about technology development
in New York and fill in the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from
the recording for each answer in the spaces provided.
• The project New York Wi-fi Orchestra:
o aims at connecting various people as well as turning New York into an unparalleled, outlandish
(16)____________________.
o successful mainly due to free access to municipal wi-fi.
o inspires New York government to plan a project to provide high speed wireless connection across
the (17)____________________.
• 2015: the introduction of a new product that is capable of
o displaying advertisements.
o allowing people to (18)____________________________, find their best route, and even make
free phone call.
• The grand plan is also expected to play a role in (19)_____________________ the Big Apple producing
the gigabit network.
• The authority is also working with the (20)______________________ of specialist companies including
New York Control Group that invents the (21)____________________ used in the project.
• Despite this good news
o New Yorkers seem to be of concern regarding how good the speed and coverage will be in some
areas.
o people with less (22)____________________ might not be interested in the project.
o those that are not living within New York wouldn’t be happy.
• The new system also contributes to address the (23)____________________.
o A lot of (24)____________________ will be able to make use of a bigger data plan.
o It is hoped that the project will make New York become the most (25)___________________ city
in the world.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

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II. LEXICO – GRAMMAR (20 POINTS)
Part 1. For question 26-40, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the following
questions. Write your answer in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
26. Though Luis eagerly sought her _________, he subsequently chose not to heed that advice.
A. secretiveness B. cooperation C. understanding D. counsel
27. As a young physics instructor, Richard Feynman had discovered that he had the gift of sharing his
_________ his subject and making the excitement _________.
A. passion for/contagious B. knowledge for/inaudible
C. contempt for/praiseworthy D. propensity for/futile
28. As _____ as disintegration of the Roman Empire must have seemed, that disaster nevertheless
presented some __________ aspects.
A. momentous/formidable B. decisive/unavoidable
C. unexpected/ambiguous D. advantageous/beneficial
29. The beauty of Mount McKinley is usually cloaked: the clouds _______ the summit nine days out of ten.
A. release B. elevate C. entangle D. shroud
30. Madame C. J. Walker introduced her first hair-care product just as demand was reaching its peak; this
_________ marketing made her a millionaire.
A. opportune B. instantaneous C. intermittent D. dubious
31. A scientist should not automatically reject folkways that might at first seem silly or superstitious;
scientific qualifications are not license for _________, nor do they _________ prejudice or bias.
A. experimentation/eliminate B. arrogance/pursue
C. humility/advocate D. smugness/legitimate
32. For a long time, most doctors maintained that taking massive vitamins was relatively harmless; now,
however, some are warning that excessive dosages can be _________.
A. healthy B. expensive C. wasteful D. toxic
33. In Jamaica Kincaid's novel Lucy, the West Indian heroine ___________ her employer's world, critically
examining its assumptions and values.
A. idealizes B. avoids C. beautifies D. scrutinizes
34. The frequent name changes that the country has undergone _________ the political turbulence that
has attended its recent history.
A. argue against B. contrast with C. testify to D. jeopardize
35. Brachiopods, clamlike bivalves of prehistoric times, were one of the most _________ f orms of life on
the Earth: more than 30,000 species have been ___________ from the fossil records.
A. plentiful/subtracted B. ornate/retrieved C. multifarious/catalogued D. scarce/extracted
36. The book translated as “Denemeler’' in Turkish is still the strongest proof that shows _____ Montaigne
solved the mysteries of the modern people’s feelings.
A. just as B. so well C. how well D. even so
37. _____ ghost exists in the world. That’s your illusion.
A. No such a thing as B. No such a thing as a
C . No such thing as a D. No such thing as
38. Minh has such a terrible temper. When he got mad at us, we just let him go away and _______.
A. sent him to Coventry B. pulled the wool over his eyes
C. stewed in his own juice D. knocked him for a loop
39. In the contemporary world, many companies use software to _______ unqualified applicants.
A. issue forth B. branch out C. militate against D. weed out
40. This car is ____________ overpriced. But I buy it and hang the expense!
A. lucratively B. ergonomically C. extortionately D. amateurishly
26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

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Part 2. For question 41-45, write the correct form of each bracketed word in each sentence in the
numbered space provided in the column on the right.
Astronomers have a reputation for bringing us (41) _____ (INSPIRE) 0. receding
discoveries: new planets, exploding stars, galaxies on the edge of the known 41. __________
Universe. But now they are on the trail of most (42) _____ (BOGGLE) finding of all: 42. __________
evidence for a whole new universe beyond your own.
For millennia, philosophers have insisted that everything we see is part of
the (43) _____ (COMPASS) totality called the Universe. Since the discovery of 43. __________
cosmic expansion around a century ago, astronomers believed there must be a final
(44) _____ (FRONT), an ultimate barrier beyond which objects were (0). 44. __________
______(RECESSIVE) so fast their light would simply never reach us. According to
the latest theories of the forces that rule the cosmos, what has been regarded as
the Universe may in fact just be one of an infinite number making up something far
grander: the true universe – or Multiverse.
The theories state that our Universe is just one of the “bubble universes”
constantly budding off one another, and inflating after their own Big Bang. Each
bubble universe could be radically different from our own with its own set of
fundamental forces and types of sub-atomic particles. Even so, they may be able to
affect our Universe, with (45) _____ (DETECTION) consequences. 45. __________
III. READING (50 POINTS)
Part 1. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D that best fits in the
numbered blank. Write your answer in the corresponding boxes provided below.
RAISING AWARENESS
In cities around the world wide range of schemes is being instigated to promote environmental
awareness. ‘It’s just as easy to (46) _______ of litter properly as it is to drop it on the streets,’ says city
councilor Mike Edwards, who has (47)_______ on the government to mount a concerted campaign to deal
with the problem of litter. ‘It’s jus t a matter of encouraging people to do so as a (48)_______ of course.
Once the habit is ingrained, they won’t even (49)________ they are doing it. After all, think what we have
achieved with recyclable waste in the home. Sorting paper, glass, aluminum and plastic waste and then
depositing it in the appropriate container outside is (50)_______ a great chore any more.
46. A. dispose B. discard C. jettison D. throw
47. A. appealed B. called C. approached D. urged
48. A. principle B. system C. matter D. duty
49. A. notice B. remark C. comprehend D. appreciate
50. A. almost B. barely C. virtually D. hardly
46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
Part 2. Read the following passage and think of ONE word that best fits in the numbered blank.
Write your answer in the corresponding boxes provided below.
Every spring and fall, you can probably look up into the sky and see large flocks of birds either
coming or going. This (51) _____ of flying south for the winter and north for the summer is called migration.
Birds migrate for a number of reasons. One reason is of course to escape the (52) ______conditions of
winter. Although they have feathers, most birds are poorly (53) ______ to deal with extremely cold
temperatures. Their (54) ______ are open to the wind and snow, and do little to keep the birds warm.
Furthermore, birds often find it extremely difficult to gather enough food during the winter. By flying south
(55)______ warmer climates during winter, birds avoid the cold temperatures and food shortages that other
animals have to endure during the winter months. Another reason is mating. Many birds will only lay their
eggs in certain places and at certain times of the year. So, migration also occurs at mating times.
51. 52. 53. 54. 55.

Part 3. Read the following text and do the tasks that follow.

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 HENRY MOORE (1898-1986)
The British sculptor Henry Moore was a leading figure in the 20th-century art world
Henry Moore was born in Castleford, a small town near Leeds in the north of England. He was the
seventh child of Raymond Moore and his wife Mary Baker. He studied at Castleford Grammar School from
1909 to 1915, where his early interest in art was encouraged by his teacher Alice Gostick. After leaving
school, Moore hoped to become a sculptor, but instead, he complied with his father’s wish that he train as
a schoolteacher. He had to abandon his training in 1917 when he was sent to France to fight in the First
World War.
After the war, Moore enrolled at the Leeds School of Art, where he studied for two years. In his first
year, he spent most of his time drawing. Although he wanted to study sculpture, no teacher was appointed
until his second year. At the end of that year, he passed the sculpture examination and was awarded a
scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London. In September 1921, he moved to London and began
three years of advanced study in sculpture.
Alongside the instruction he received at the Royal College, Moore visited many of the London
museums, particularly the British Museum, which had a wide-ranging collection of ancient sculpture. During
these visits, he discovered the power and beauty of ancient Egyptian and African sculpture. As he became
increasingly interested in these ‘primitive’ forms of art, he turned away from European sculptural traditions.
After graduating, Moore spent the first six months of 1925 traveling in France. When he visited the
Trocadero Museum in Paris, he was impressed by a cast of a Mayan* sculpture of the rain spirit. It was a
male reclining figure with its knees drawn up together, and it's head at a right angle to its body. Moore
became fascinated with this stone sculpture, which he thought had power and originality that no other
stone sculpture possessed. He himself started carving a variety of subjects in stone, including a depiction
of reclining women, mother-and-child groups, and masks.
Moore’s exceptional talent soon gained recognition, and in 1926 he started work as a sculpture
instructor at the Royal College. In 1933, he became a member of a group of young artists called Unit One.
The aim of the group was to convince the English public of the merits of the emerging international
movement in modern art and architecture.
Around this time, Moore moved away from the human figure to experiment with abstract shapes.
In 1931, he held an exhibition at the Leicester Galleries in London. His work was enthusiastically welcomed
by fellow sculptors, but the reviews in the press were extremely negative and turned Moore into a notorious
figure. There were calls for his resignation from the Royal College, and the following year, when his contract
expired, he left to start a sculpture department at the Chelsea School of Art in London.
Throughout the 1930s, Moore did not show any inclination to please the British public. He became
interested in the paintings of the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, whose work inspired him to distort the
human body in a radical way. At times, he seemed to abandon the human figure altogether. The pages of
his sketchbooks from this period show his ideas for abstract sculptures that bore little resemblance to the
human form.
In 1940, during the Second World War, Moore stopped teaching at the Chelsea School and moved
to a farmhouse about 20 miles north of London. A shortage of materials forced him to focus on drawing.
He did numerous small sketches of Londoners, later turning these ideas into large colored drawings in his
studio. In 1942, he returned to Castleford to make a series of sketches of the miners who worked there.
In 1944, Harlow, a town near London, offered Moore a commission for a sculpture depicting a
family. The resulting work signifies a dramatic change in Moore’s style, away from the experimentation of
the 1930s towards a more natural and humanistic subject matter. He did dozens of studies in clay for the
sculpture, and these were cast in bronze and issued in editions of seven to nine copies each. In this way,
Moore’s work became available to collectors all over the world. The boost to his income enabled him to
take on ambitious projects and start working on the scale he felt his sculpture demanded.
Critics who had begun to think that Moore had become less revolutionary were proven wrong by
the appearance, in 1950, of the first of Moore’s series of standing figures in bronze, with their harsh and
angular pierced forms and distinct impression of menace. Moore also varied his subject matter in the 1950s
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with such works as Warrior with Shield and Falling Warrior. These were rare examples of Moore’s use of
the male figure and owe something to his visit to Greece in 1951 when he had the opportunity to study
ancient works of art.
In his final years, Moore created the Henry Moore Foundation to promote art appreciation and to
display his work. Moore was the first modern English sculptor to achieve international critical acclaim and
he is still regarded as one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century.
*Mayan: belonging to an ancient civilization that inhabited parts of current-day Mexico, Guatemala,
Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras.
For questions 56-61, do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading
Passage 1? In boxes 56-61 on your answer sheet, 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
56. On leaving school, Moore did what his father wanted him to do.
57. Moore began studying sculpture in his first term at the Leeds School of Art.
58. When Moore started at the Royal College of Art, its reputation for teaching sculpture was excellent.
59. Moore became aware of ancient sculpture as a result of visiting the London Museums.
60. The Trocadero Museum’s Mayan sculpture attracted a lot of public interest.
61. Moore thought the Mayan sculpture was similar in certain respects to other stone sculptures.
56. 57. 58. 59. 60.
61.
For questions 62-66: Complete the notes below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for
each answer. Write your answers in boxes 62-66 on your answer sheet.
MOORE’S CAREER AS AN ARTIST
1930s
● Moore’s exhibition at the Leicester Galleries is criticized by the press
● Moore is urged to offer his (62) _________ and leave the Royal College.
1940s
● Moore turns to draw because (63) _________ for sculpting are not readily available
● While visiting his hometown, Moore does some drawings of (64) _________
● Moore is employed to produce a sculpture of an (65) _________
● (66) _________ start to buy Moore’s work
● Moore’s series of bronze figures marks a further change in his style

62. 63. 64. 65.

66.
Part 4. Read this article about the early days of British TV advertising. Some paragraphs have been
removed from the article. Choose from paragraphs A–H the one which fits each gap (67–73). There
is ONE paragraph which you do not need to use.
A SHORT HISTORY OF BRITISH TV ADVERTISING
Television advertising in Britain began on 22 September, 1955, with the inaugural broadcast of ITV,
the first commercial television channel. Up to this point, the only television channel was the BBC which
operated a strict policy of no advertising. Viewers seemed happy with this arrangement, and less than
enthusiastic about the project of advertising on their screens. Most commentators gave the new ITV station
little chance of success.
67.
The early commercials were rather different from those we are familiar with today. Most noticeable
is that they were in black-and-white, but still were also much longer than today’s adverts, and they were
far more stilted. In effect, they were moving newspaper adverts. In part, this was a result of the lack of
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experience in television advertising in Britain. But, more importantly, it was because the television industry
was concerned not to appear too American—the bogey of public service broadcasting.
68.
The morning after the first commercials appeared, Bernard Levin wrote in the Manchester
Guardian: “I feel neither depraved nor uplifted by what I have seen … certainty the advertising has been
entirely innocuous. I have already forgotten the name of the toothpaste.”
69.
Other formats followed, this time in the no-man’s-land between advertisement and editorial. These
were known as time spots and advertising magazines. In time spots, the advertiser booked the station
clock and tied in his product with the time announcement. “Time to light a red-and-white” claimed one
cigarette manufacturer. Other punctual advertisers were Ever?rite watches and Aspro. The Independent
Television Authority (ITA) regarded the time spots as annoying and abolished them in December 1960.
70.
It first appeared in the spring of 1957. It relied on a believable story line, recognizable characters
and the warm personality of the landlord. Products, from the familiar to the outlandish, were skillfully woven
together each week. After the demise of the ad mag format, the same actors appeared running Jim’s stores
in a series of adverts for Daz, continuing the successful mix of popular proprietor and ‘good’ advice.
71.
The type of products advertised on television have changed over the years. In the 1950s,
advertising was dominated by the soap powder manufacturers and food advertising. In the 1960s, there
was little car advertising, due to an agreement between manufacturers. The car manufacturer Datsun
arrived from Japan in the 1970s and broke the cosy agreement between the cartel not to advertise.
72.
In the 1980s, advertising changed again. New outlets for the message arrived in the form of
Channel 4 and Breakfast television, but there were also cultural changes brought about by Thatcherism.
The possibility of advertising on the BBC replacing the licence fee was strongly suggested by the Adam
Smith Institute. Their report went on to recommend that cigarette advertising, banned in 1965, should be
reinstated. (The BBC still does not carry advertising, and the ban on tobacco advertising remains in place.)
73.
Television advertising has come a long way since 1955. Many products have disappeared from the
screens and been replaced by ones undreamt of fifty years ago. But the great adverts live on in the viewer’s
memory.
A. The 70s brought us new ads such as the Smash Martians and the Hamlet cigar adverts. Old
favourites remained on the screen, often with a new twist to liven up a familiar product: thus the popular
star of one series of ads, Katie, was sent to America with her family, letting her explain all about Oxo to
her new American friends while giving an added gloss to a familiar product.
В. The advertising magazine ran for a few more years until 1963 when it, too, met its end. Created
to encourage small advertisers who could not afford their own ad slot, they had a loose story format and
each episode featured a collection of products. The most famous was Jim’s Inn, set in a hotel with Jimmy
and Maggie Hanley as the owners.
С. The first commercial was for Gibbs SR toothpaste. It featured a tube of toothpaste, a block of
ice and a commentary about its “tingling fresh” qualities. Its style was jerky and uncertain. Typically of the
early adverts, any single frame could be used with a written caption as a newspaper advert. The first Persil
adverts were actually adapted from their familiar posters, with dancers and sailors in different shades of
white and the announcer reassuring us that “Persil washes whiter. That means cleaner.”
D. ITVs detractors claimed it would be too American, the British public would not want their
programmes interrupted by adverts and it would never be as good as the BBC. Bound up with the new
challenge to the BBC was the issue of advertising. The British, it seemed, felt that the proper place for
advertisements was in newspapers. When it came to television, nobody could have predicted the

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relationship that the viewing public would later have with their favourite TV ads. But that was still a long
way off.
E. Until the 1970s, the advertisers’ approach was very much to tell the viewer why they should use
that product. The style changed since the 1970s, with Viewers being invited to share in the lifestyles and
values of the characters using the product on screen. Whether as a result of the introduction of colour
spurring people on to new heightsof creativity, or simply because viewers were now television-literate and
demanded higher production values, adverts in the 1970s were noticeably different from what went before.
F. This emphasis on money was to change the face of advertising completely. Soon, major
corporations started to grow up around the new industry, and the type of programmes shown was dictated
by large financial concerns. Gone were, the days when the television-viewing public actually had a say in
what they watched. From this point on, we would be subjected to sponsorship by all kinds of manufacturing
and service industries. Nor were we likely to forget, with their constant reminders that “This programme is
brought to you by Smiths—the tastiest crisps money can buy.”
G. Clearly, there was a need for more effective advertising, and the presenter commercial was a
standard format which was arrived at very quickly. The presenter often a personality with whom the viewers
would be familiar from popular programmes or the theatre, would appear using the product and extolling
its virtues, perhaps with the aid of a chart or scientific demonstration. At the end, a sincere out-of-vision
announcer would recap on why that presenter had chosen the product. It was a popular, easy-to-write
format that could be produced with minimal sets and therefore was cheap to make. Even so, many of the
early presenters seemed to confuse shouting with communicating.
H. Interactive adverts started to appear in the late 1980s. The first was an advert for Mazda cars.
In this, viewers were instructed to video-record the ad and play it back frame by frame. On doing so they
were able to take part in a competition to win a Mazda car. First Direct also ran interactive adverts,
simultaneously on ITV and C4; by switching between the two channels, viewers could see either a positive
or a negative outcome to the story. Neither of these examples were truly interactive, but they did force
viewers to become more involved.
Part 5. Read the following text and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question. Write
your answer in the corresponding boxes provided below.
GEOLOGY AND LANDSCAPE
Most people consider the landscape to be unchanging, but Earth is a dynamic body, and its surface
is continually altering—slowly on the human time scale, but relatively rapidly when compared to the great
age of Earth (about 4,500 billion years). There are two principal influences that shape the terrain:
constructive processes such as uplift, which create new landscape features, and destructive forces such
as erosion, which gradually wear away exposed landforms.
Hills and mountains are often regarded as the epitome of permanence, successfully resisting the
destructive forces of nature, but in fact they tend to be relatively short-lived in geological terms. As a
general rule, the higher a mountain is, the more recently it was formed; for example, the high mountains
of the Himalayas are only about 50 million years old. Lower mountains tend to be older, and are often the
eroded relics of much higher mountain chains. About 400 million years ago, when the present-day
continents of North America and Europe were joined, the Caledonian mountain chain was the same size
as the modern Himalayas. Today, however, the relics of the Caledonian orogeny (mountain-building
period) exist as the comparatively low mountains of Greenland, the northern Appalachians in the United
States, the Scottish Highlands, and the Norwegian coastal plateau.
The Earth's crust is thought to be divided into huge, movable segments, called plates, which float
on a soft plastic layer of rock. Some mountains were formed as a result of these plates crashing into each
other and forcing up the rock at the plate margins. In this process, sedimentary rocks that originally formed
on the seabed may be folded upwards to altitudes of more than 26,000 feet. Other mountains may be
raised by earthquakes, which fracture the Earth's crust and can displace enough rock to produce block
mountains. A third type of mountain may be formed as a result of volcanic activity which occurs in regions

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of active fold mountain belts, such as in the Cascade Range of western North America. The Cascades are
made up of lavas and volcanic materials. Many of the peaks are extinct volcanoes.
Whatever the reason for mountain formation, as soon as land rises above sea level it is subjected
to destructive forces. The exposed rocks are attacked by the various weather processes and gradually
broken down into fragments, which are then carried away and later deposited as sediments. Thus, any
landscape represents only a temporary stage in the continuous battle between the forces of uplift and
those of erosion.
The weather, in its many forms, is the main agent of erosion. Rain washes away loose soil and
penetrates cracks in the rocks. Carbon dioxide in the air reacts with the rainwater, forming a weak acid
(carbonic acid) that may chemically attack the rocks. The rain seeps underground and the water may
reappear later as springs. These springs are the sources of streams and rivers, which cut through the
rocks and carry away debris from the mountains to the lowlands.
Under very cold conditions, rocks can be shattered by ice and frost. Glaciers may form in
permanently cold areas, and these slowly moving masses of ice cut out valleys, carrying with them huge
quantities of eroded rock debris. [A] In dry areas the wind is the principal agent of erosion. [B] It carries
fine particles of sand, which bombard exposed rock surfaces, thereby wearing them into yet more sand.
[C] Even living things contribute to the formation of landscapes. [D] Tree roots force their way into cracks
in rocks and. in so doing, speed their splitting. In contrast, the roots of grasses and other small plants may
help to hold loose soil fragments together, thereby helping to prevent erosion by the wind.

74. According to paragraph 1, which of the following statements is true of changes in Earth's landscape?
A. They occur more often by uplift than by erosion.
B. They occur only at special times.
C. They occur less frequently now than they once did.
D. They occur quickly in geological terms
75. The word "relatively" in the paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. unusually B. comparatively C. occasionally D. naturally
76. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the mountains of the Himalayas?
A. Their current height is not an indication of their age.
B. At present, they are much higher than the mountains of the Caledonian range.
C. They were a uniform height about 400 million years ago.
D. They are not as high as the Caledonian mountains were 400 million years ago.
77. The word "relics" in the paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
A. resemblances B. regions C. remains D. restorations
78. According to paragraph 3, one cause of mountain formation is the _______.
A. effect of climatic change on sea level
B. slowing down of volcanic activity
C. force of Earth's crustal plates hitting each other
D. replacement of sedimentary rock with volcanic rock
79. Why does the author mention Carbon dioxide in the paragraph 5?
A. To explain the origin of a chemical that can erode rocks
B. To contrast carbon dioxide with carbonic acid
C. To give an example of how rainwater penetrates soil
D. To argue for the desirability of preventing erosion
80. The word "seeps" in the paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. dries gradually B. flows slowly C. freezes quickly D. warms slightly
81. The word "them" in the paragraph 6 refers to _______.
A. cold areas B. masses of ice C. valleys D. rock debris
82. According to paragraph 6, which of the following is both a cause and result of erosion?
A. Glacial activity B. Rock debris C. Tree roots D. Sand

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83. [A], [B], [C] and [D] indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Under different climatic conditions, another type of destructive force contributes to erosion.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]
74. 75. 76. 77. 78.
79. 80. 81. 82. 83.
Part 6. The passage below consists of five paragraphs marked A, B, C, D and E. For questions 84-
95, read the passage and do the task that follows. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered space provided.
TARGETING TEENS
A. Today, we are surrounded by advertising. We see adverts on TV, on billboards, at sporting
events, in magazines and on social media. And although advertising has been around for many years in
one form or another, in recent years, we have seen a worrying trend in the aggressive targeting of younger
consumers, who tend to lack media awareness. In fact, advertisers spend more than $12 billion per year
just to reach the youth market alone. Ads aimed at teens are incredibly sophisticated. Clever slogans
coupled with striking images are part and parcel of many ads. Many ads also have catchy, upbeat music
or memorable jingles. The constant repetition of such ads means that when shopping, teens are drawn to
that specific soft drink, hamburger or sports shoe. According to Peter Logan, who works for a watchdog
agency committed to protecting the consumer, “There is a whole battery of sales techniques used by
companies to get adolescents to purchase their products.”
B. Youth advertising is aimed at creating a need. Teens often claim not to be swayed by ads, but
the truth is they may not even realise why they think something is cool. As Helen Davis, an adolescent
psychologist explains, “This type of advertising works subtly to instil insecurity about your appearance,
whether it’s body shape, skin condition or weight. You are then told a certain product can go a long way
towards correcting the problem. Teens are subjected to a constant barrage of messages suggesting which
products will enhance their appearance and help them look cool or feel confident, thereby guaranteeing
their popularity.” Celebrity endorsement of some of these products by stunning young teen icons or social
influencers on the Internet strengthens the message still further. Such ads shamelessly play on adolescent
anxieties, with the overall message being that you become the person you want to be by making the right
purchase. The fact that teenage girls in the US spend $9 billion a year on make-up and skin products alone
is testament to this.
C. Emphasizing brand names is another technique directed at young people, who are attracted to
the prestige that brands confer. According to school counsellor Andrea Haines, “As the average teenager
engages in the difficult task of carving out their identity, the issue of fitting into a peer group becomes
paramount. Brands have become badges of membership in a social group.” Marketing executives are keen
to establish brand recognition in teens, and even pre-teens, in order to win their loyalty to a product. In a
recent survey, three-year-olds could match logos to brands – McDonalds being the most recognized fast
food. Companies are increasingly exploiting digital media in their advertising campaigns to do this.
“Manufacturers can reach greater numbers of adolescent consumers by tapping into peer relationships on
social networking sites,” explains Peter Logan. “Teens don’t grasp that sharing a video or meme of a brand
they have ‘liked’ provides free advertising for the manufacturer.”
D. According to Helen Davis, psychologists specializing in teenage behaviour are often consulted
by advertising agencies targeting young people. “These experts share their knowledge of teenage
anxieties, fantasies and emotional and social needs with the advertising industry,” she explains. “It’s a
practice seen by many of my contemporaries as morally questionable.” With the help of these insights into
the teenage psyche, manufacturers are developing ever more sophisticated marketing strategies to reach
young people. Apple’s iPod ads are a case in point. They don’t ask teenagers which iPod they prefer, but
instead pose a more thought-provoking question: “Which iPod are you?” Thus they deliberately blur the
line between self-image and product.
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 E. All of this begs the question as to whether teens have their own taste or whether it is being
dictated to them. Many parents and educators feel that teens should become more savvy regarding
advertising. “Young people have to be made aware of how their preferences are being manipulated,” says
Andrea Haines. “They could be encouraged to spot product placement, for example, the Benetton shirt on
thehero in their favourite TV series or the Nike shoes in an action film, both of which register with them
almost without their realising.” Analysing their desire for a certain product could help teens see whether it
really reflects their taste or not, and whether they really need it. After all, being a discerning consumer
means not being manipulated by clever advertising into buying something you don’t really need and which
is unlikely to make you any happier.
Which section… Your answers
questions the ethics of those who advise companies? 84. ________
includes a specific figure that illustrates just how successful one marketing strategy 85. ________
is?
calls for greater media awareness among young consumers? 86. ________
mentions the ubiquity of advertising? 87. ________
explains the reason behind a typical preoccupation of teens? 88. ________
mentions the increase in ads directed at a certain sector of the population? 89. ________
gives examples of hidden advertising? 90. ________
harshly criticizes advertisers for their lack of conscience? 91. ________
mentions taking advantage of virtual communication to approach certain 92. ________
consumers?
describes how advertisers gain an understanding of the adolescent mind? 93. ________
explains why some common features of advertisements are so effective? 94. ________
mentions how young people assist advertisers without realizing it? 95. ________

IV. WRITING (60 POINTS)

Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own word to summarize it. Your summary should
be between 100 to 120 words long.
In Science, a theory is a reasonable explanation of observed events that are related. A theory often
involves an imaginary model that helps scientists picture the way an observed event could be produced.
A good example of this is found in the kinetic molecular theory, in which gases are pictured as being made
up of many small particles that are in constant motion.
After a theory has been publicized, scientists design experiments to test the theory. If observations
confirm the scientists' predictions, the theory is supported. If observations do not confirm the predictions,
the scientists must search further. There may be a fault in the experiment, or the theory may have to be
revised or rejected.
Science involves imagination and creative thinking as well as collecting information and performing
experiments. Facts by themselves are not science. As the mathematician Jules Henri Poincare said:
"Science is built with facts just as a house is built with bricks, but a collection of facts cannot be called
science any more than a pile of bricks can be called a house."
Most scientists start an investigation by finding out what other scientists have learned about a
particular problem. After known facts have been gathered, the scientist comes to the part of the
investigation that requires considerable imagination. Possible solutions to the problem are formulated.
These possible solutions are called hypotheses. In a way, any hypothesis is a leap into the unknown. It
extends the scientist's thinking beyond the known facts. The scientist plans experiments, performs
calculations, and makes observations to test hypotheses. For without hypotheses, further investigation
lacks purpose and direction. When hypotheses are confirmed, they are incorporated into theories.

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Part 2. The graph below shows the number of tourists visiting a particular Caribbean island
between 2010 and 2017.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting 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

A growing trend nowadays is that criminals are increasingly being idolized by young people. What
are the causes and implications of this trend. Give specific example(s) to support your answer.

THE END
BEST OF LUCK

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