Doan Hong Anh-Bien Hoa Gifted High School

ENGLISH PRACTICE 2
Part 1. Choose the word/phrase that best completes each sentence.
1. I’m .............. to listen to your pathetic excuses,” She said.
A. sick and tired B. having enough C.in no mood D. sick to death
2. Of all the entries received, his was............... out for special praise.
A. isolated B. brought C. opted D. singled
3. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony. ................. in,” said a disembodied voice from the kitchen.
A. Plough B. Burrow C. Fork D. Dig
4. There’s nothing like a cup of tea to............... your thirst.
A. draw B. quench C. safe D. work up
5. It was ........... by chance that we managed to find her.
A. sheerly B. purely C. plainly D. highly
6. I wish you would stop sitting on the............... and decide whose side you’re on.
A. fence B. crossroads C. wall D. middle
7. Within minutes the building was............. in flames.
A. engulfed B. engrossed C. engaged D. entangled
8. “How did you know that he was lying?” – “It was just a ............... feeling.”
A. faint B. gut C. slight D. vain
9. The price of bread has just doubled, but with ............inflation what can you expect?
A. rampant B. steadfast C. profuse D. staunch
10. She’s a bit down in the ............at the moment – her husband has just lost his job.
A. world B. dumps C. heart D. bottom
Part 2. There are 5 errors in the passage. Underline them and correct them in the space provided.
Simply being bilingual does not qualify anyone to interpreting. Interpreting does not merely a
mechanical process of converting one sentence in language A into the same sentence in language B.
Rather, it is a complex art in that thoughts and idioms which have multiple meanings must quickly be
transformed in such a way that the message is clearly and accurately expressed to the listener.
There are two kinds of interpreters, simultaneous and consecutive, each requires separate talents. The
former, sitting in an isolated booth, usually at a large multilingual conference, speaks to listeners wearing
headphones, interpreting that a foreign language speaker says as he says it- actually a sentence
afterwards. Consecutive interpreters are the one most international negotiators use. They are mainly
employed for smaller meetings without sound booths, headphones, and other high-tech gears.
1…………………………………………….
2…………………………………………….
3…………………………………………….
4…………………………………………….
5…………………………………………….
Part 3. Fill in each blank with one preposition.
1. Identity cards should be done ............. ................., everybody has a passport anyway.
2. In Poland unofficial strikes brought...................the unpopular Gomulka regime.
3. We’re rather short of people to organize the trip, so do you think you could take................?
4. .................principle, there is nothing that a human can do that a machine might not be able to do
one day.
5. We have been really busy, but things are starting to slacken............now.
Part 4. Provide the correct form of the words in the brackets.
BOOK PUBLICISTS
The courteous smile of an author selling books signing copies or chatting on television shows can
be (1. DECEIVE)............................. . Behind the scenes of the book tour that has become as much a part
of the modern bestseller as print and paper, the writer may be a (2. CONTEND)......................for a
Golden Dartboard Award.
This is the Oscar for authors (3. ALLEGE)..........................behaving badly, an informal award
nominated by the weary, sometimes (4. TRAUMA).........................., publicists who travel from city to
city garnering publicity and sales. They call themselves “ (5. BABY)...........................” and “wet nurses”
as they tend to the fragile egos and (6. CONVENTION).................................demands of authors freed
from their word processors.
 Doan Hong Anh-Bien Hoa Gifted High School
Among the most feared (7. ASSIGN)...........................for the publicists are the feminist writer who is
remembered for yelling at her publicists in public and in (8. COLOUR)...........................language, and
the thriller writer whose publicists report that they have instructions from his publisher to speak only
when spoken to. One (9. SURVIVE)...........................of a tour with him, who nominated him for a
Golden Dartboard, says: “He treats us all as his inferiors.” However, publicists on his most recent tour say
that he was an absolute (10. ENJOY)...............................to work with.
Part 5. Read the following passage and decide which answer best fits each gap.
FREE INSPIRATION
Anybody with a real desire to write, plus an average vocabulary and enthusiasm, can be taught to write
saleable short stories. Short story writing is not easy money, but it can be a delightful and remunerate
hobby. And the beauty of it is that (1) ……………is all around us.
I know several writers who make notes not only of scenes and surroundings, but of conversations.
That does not mean that when they dine with the doctor, they lift his every word for the next story in which a
(2) …………..character appears. It does not mean that they (3) ………..a notebook furtively under their
soup-plate or scribble frantically behind their newspaper in a train. What it does mean is that their ears are
open and their eyes are (4) …………..for the apt phrase and the perfect setting, for the brilliant repartee
and the characteristic (5) ……………
You can sometimes be with a person for hours of uneventful conversation, and then suddenly he
will say something or make a gesture which will immediately (6) ……………in your mind a mental
comment such as “Nobody else would do that”, or “Funny, that habit of his!”
It is those individual phrases, those (7) …………..gestures, those quaint bursts of speech or action,
that make character. Thus it is that there are countless occasions when you can observe, and (of wise) later make a note of,
valuable material. Perhaps a hostess handles a tactless guest admirably; you hear a telling phrase in a sermon, (8) …………..a
motor accident and see for yourself the (9) …………..of the shaken
drivers, hear a business argument in a train.
(10) …………….the points down!
1. a. aspiration b. inspiration c. satisfaction d. story-line
2. a. clerical b. healing c. medical d. medicinal
3. a. cram b. jam c. stuff d. slip
4. a. bright b. alert c. active d. peering
5. a. activity b. gesture c. sign d. scenario
6. a. illicit b. produce c. rouse d. spring
7. a. observant b. partial c. distinctive d. distinguished
8. a. witness b. scrutinize c. sight d. attend
9. a. activities b. sayings c. feelings d. reactions
10. a. copy b. set c. record d. jot
Part 6. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in
each gap.
FOOD FOR A FUTURE
Jon Wynne-Tyson was an original thinker whose best-known book ‚Food for a Future‘ was
published in 1975, In this classic work, a case was(1) ………………forward for (2) ……………can only
be described as a more responsible and humane attitude towards the world’s food resources. It had gradually
become clear to Wynne-Tyson that the economics and ecology of meat production did not make sense. What
justification was (3) ……………, he argued, for using seven tones of cereal to produce one tone of
meat?
Even today, the book's succinct style makes it compulsively readable. (4) ………….his approach is
basically an emotional one, Wynne-Tyson goes to great lengths to back (5) …………..every statement with
considerable supporting evidence and statistical data. Thus, even those of us who are widely read (6)
……………the subject of vegetarianism will gain fresh insights from this book. It is generally agreed that
his most skilful achievement is the slow revelation of his main thesis (7) ……………the arguments unfold.
The book concludes that a move away from an animal-based diet to one which is based on plant sources is
inevitable in the long-term, in view of the fact that there is no sound nutritional, medical or social justification
for meat eating.(8) ………….of whether you agree with (9) …………..a conclusion or not, the
book certainly makes (10) ……………..fascinating read.
Part 7. Read the following passage and choose the answer that best fits.
RIGHT-HAND DOMINANCE
 Doan Hong Anh-Bien Hoa Gifted High School
Humans are disproportionately right-handed. Scientists have not been able to agree over the exact
percentages of right versus left-handers because there is no accepted standard for identifying which hand
is dominant. For example, some people who write or throw with their right hands may perform other tasks
with their left hands or may kick a ball with their left foot. Absent an objective measure, therefore, the
range of estimates is wide. Right-handers are said to make up 85% to 95% of all people and left-handers
5%-15%, while the remaining tiny percentage are ambidextrous, so they can use both hands with equal
ability.
Perhaps the most unusual fact about right-hand dominance is how little we know about its causes.
Several theories have been proposed. Some evidence exists that the phenomenon is genetic, but genetics
cannot agree on the process by which handedness may be passed on by inheritance. Social and cultural
forces can also cause a preference for one hand, as when teachers or parents force a naturally left-handed
child to use their right hand. And it has been observed by anthropologist that left-handedness tends to be
less common in restrictive societies and more common in permissive ones. But no consensus has been
reached on how that could occur.
The most credible explanations center on functions inside the brain. It has been shown that the
brain’s two hemispheres control the opposite side of the body. It has been suggested that the nerves in the
brain cross over at neck level to the other side of the body so that the right half of the brain governs the
left side of the body while the left half governs the right side. Scientists believe that the left half of the
brain evolved in such a way as to predominate over the right half. As a result, the right side of the body is
controlled by the more influential left hemisphere, causing the right side to be more adept at physical
tasks. But when a person is born with a dominant right hemisphere, that person will be left-handed. Some
researchers have argued that some left-handedness may have a pathological origin, having been caused by
brain trauma during birth.
A theory grounded in evolution is the “warrior and his shield theory”. This theory explains that
right-handedness evolved over time to be dominant because a right-handed warrior would hold his shield
in his left hand to protect his heart and to leave his right hand to free to hold a weapon. A left-handed
warrior, in contrast, would hold his weapon in his left hand and his shield in his right, leaving his heart
exposed. Thus a right-handed warrior, with his heart protected against enemy attacks, was more likely to
survive. By the process of natural selection, the trait for right-handedness became favored over that for
left-handedness.
Another theory focuses on the naturally asymmetrical arrangement of the human body. Such
asymmetry is evidenced by the observable facts that the right side of the face is slightly different from the
left, that one leg is stronger or longer than the other, and that one foot is larger than the other one. Right-
handedness, the theory proposes, is just another example of this natural asymmetry.
(A) A consequence of right-hand dominance is that most common consumer products are geared
to right-handers only, leaving left-handers to struggle to adapt to designs not made with them in mind. (B)
Some of these include scissors, doorknobs, locks, screwdrivers, automobile fixtures, refrigerators, can
openers, clothes buttons, and fasteners, and musical instruments. (C) The result of this design bias can be
more than mere inconvenience. (D) Some left-handed soldiers shooting rifles designed for right-handers
have sustained eye hand head injuries from ejected shell casings.
Hand dominance does not seem to occur in non-human animal species. While some individual
animals can be seen developing a preference for one hand or the other, there is no evidence that this
preference is common to the species as a whole, as it is in humans. Some scientists claim to have
observed such dominance in animals but only in controlled settings, such as a zoo or laboratory, and only
when the animals are performing manual tasks that do not mirror how they use their hands in the wild.
1. The word “absent” in the passage is closest in meaning to______.
a. using b. resisting c. lacking d. substituting
2. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is a possible cause of left-hand dominance?

a. the dominance of the brain’s left hemisphere b. the natural weakness of a human’s right side
c. a child’s choice upon reaching school age d. brain trauma in birth
3. The word “adept” in the passage is closest in meaning to______.
a. speedy b. skilled c. careful d. accustomed
4. According to paragraph 4, which of the following are true about the “warrior and his shield theory”?
a. a left-handed warrior is favored by natural selection.
b. a right-handed warrior holds his weapon in his left hand.
 Doan Hong Anh-Bien Hoa Gifted High School
c. a left-handed warrior holds his weapon in his right hand.
d. a left-handed warrior leaves his heart unprotected.
5. The word “that” in the passage refers to______.
a. warrior b. heart c. process of natural selection d. trait
6. According to paragraph 6, left-handers would have trouble handling all of the following EXCEPT:
a. refrigerators b. violins c. pencils d. shirt buttons
7. The word “asymmetrical” in the passage is closest in meaning to______.
a. deformed b. imbalanced c. geometrical d. variable
8. Look at the four letters (A) (B) (C) (D) that indicate where the following sentence could be added
to the passage.

a. (A) b. (B) c. (C) d. (D)

9. Why does the author mention “eye and head injuries” suffered by some left-handed soldiers
shooting their rifles?
a. to illustrate the “warrior and his shield theory”
b. to give an example of the problems faced by left-handers
c. to argue that soldiers should wear head protection
d. to contrast rifle design with the design of common consumer products
10. According to the last paragraph, which of the following is true about hand dominance in animals?
a. it is the same as in humans.
b. it is observed only in the wild.
c. animals in controlled settings adopt the hand dominance of their handlers.
d. it has been observed only with manual tasks.
Part 8. Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below. Write the
correct number i-x in boxes.
A History of Fingerprinting
A To detectives, the answers lie at the end of our fingers. Fingerprinting offers an accurate and
infallible means of personal identification. The ability to identify a person from a mere fingerprint is
a powerful tool in the fight against crime. It is the most commonly used forensic evidence, often
outperforming other methods of identification. These days, older methods of ink fingerprinting,
which could take weeks, have given way to newer, faster techniques like fingerprint laser scanning,
but the principles stay the same. No matter which way you collect fingerprint evidence, every single
person’s print is unique. So, what makes our fingerprints different from our neighbour’s?
B A good place to start is to understand what fingerprints are and how they are created. A fingerprint is
the arrangement of skin ridges and furrows on the tips of the fingers. This ridged skin develops fully
during foetal development, as the skin cells grow in the mother’s womb. These ridges are arranged
into patterns and remain the same throughout the course of a person’s life. Other visible human
characteristics, like weight and height, change over time whereas fingerprints do not. The reason why
every fingerprint is unique is that when a baby’s genes combine with environmental influences, such
as temperature, it affects the way the ridges on the skin grow. It makes the ridges develop at different
rates, buckling and bending into patterns. As a result, no two people end up having the same
fingerprints. Even identical twins possess dissimilar fingerprints.
C It is not easy to map the journey of how the unique quality of the fingerprint came to be discovered.
The moment in history it happened is not entirely dear. However, the use of fingerprinting can be
traced back to some ancient civilisations, such as Babylon and China, where thumbprints were
pressed onto clay tablets to confirm business transactions. Whether people at this time actually
realised the full extent of how fingerprints were important for identification purposes is another
matter altogether. One cannot be sure if the act was seen as a means to confirm identity or a symbolic
gesture to bind a contract, where giving your fingerprint was like giving your word.
D Despite this uncertainty, there are those who made a significant contribution towards the analysis of
th
fingerprinting. History tells us that a 14 century Persian doctor made an early statement that no two
th
fingerprints are alike. Later, in the 17 century, Italian physician Marcello Malpighi studied the
distinguishing shapes of loops and spirals in fingerprints.
In his honour, the medical world later named a layer of skin after him. It was, however, an employee
for the East India Company, William Herschel, who came to see the true potential of fingerprinting.
 Doan Hong Anh-Bien Hoa Gifted High School
He took fingerprints from the local people as a form of signature for contracts, in order to avoid fraud.
His fascination with fingerprints propelled him to study them for the next twenty years. He developed
the theory that fingerprints were unique to an individual and did not change at all over a lifetime. In
1880 Henry Faulds suggested that fingerprints could be used to identify convicted criminals. He wrote
to Charles Darwin for advice, and the idea was referred on to Darwin’s cousin, Sir Francis Galton.
Galton eventually published an in-depth study of fingerprint science in 1892.
E Although the fact that each person has a totally unique fingerprint pattern had been well documented
and accepted for a long time, this knowledge was not exploited for criminal identification until the
th
early 20 century. In the past branding, tattooing and maiming had been used to mark the criminal
for what he was. In some countries, thieves would have their hands cut off. France branded criminals
with the fleur-de-lis symbol. The Romans tattooed mercenary soldiers to stop them from becoming
deserters.
F For many years police agencies in the Western world were reluctant to use fingerprinting, much
preferring the popular method of the time, the Bertillon System, where dimensions of certain body
parts were recorded to identify a criminal. The turning point was in 1903 when a prisoner by the
name of Will West was admitted into Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Amazingly, Will had almost
the same Bertillon measurements as another prisoner residing at the very same prison, whose name
happened to be William West. It was only their fingerprints that could tell them apart. From that
point on, fingerprinting became the standard for criminal identification.
G Fingerprinting was useful in identifying people with a history of crime and who were listed on a
database. However, in situations where the perpetrator was not on the database and a crime had no
witnesses, the system fell short. Fingerprint chemistry is a new technology that can work alongside
traditional fingerprinting to find more clues than ever before. From organic compounds left behind on
a print, a scientist can tell if the person is a child, an adult, a mature person or a smoker, and much
more. It seems, after all these years, fingers continue to point the way.
List of Headings
i - Key people that made a difference
ii - An alternative to fingerprinting
iii - The significance of prints 1. Paragraph A
iv - How to identify a criminal 2. Paragraph B
v - Patterns in the making 3. Paragraph C
vi - Family connections 4. Paragraph D
vii - Exciting new developments 5. Paragraph E
viii - A strange coincidence 6. Paragraph F
ix - Punishing a criminal 7. Paragraph G
x - An uncertain past
Complete the sentences.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
8. Unlike other_____________________________ that you can see, fingerprints never change.
9. Although genetically the same, ________________________ do not share the same fingerprints.
10. A fingerprint was a substitute for a______________________ in Indian contracts.
Part 9. You are going to read an article containing reviews of restaurants throughout the United
States. For questions 1-10, choose from the reviews (A-F). The reviews may be chosen more
than once.
In which review are the following stated?
1. The writer let someone else choose what he ate.
2. The customers make an effort with their appearance
3. Creative variations on a popular dish are offered.
4. The writer would like to have eaten much more of one dish.
5. The location is unusual for an expensive restaurant.
6. The server was more skilled than he initially appeared.
7. The restaurant resembles another place from the past.
8. The food is not what you’d expect from the decor.
9. It will eventually be possible to sleep there.
10. The writer was tempted to make a noise.
GOOD FOOD GUIDE TO THE STATES
 Doan Hong Anh-Bien Hoa Gifted High School
For tourists who love to visit interesting restaurants while on holiday, here is my pick of six special places
which I’ve enjoyed in the USA.
A – Flour and Water
Reservations at Flour and Water in San Francisco are tough. Lines are long — half the tables are saved
for walk-ins. The music is loo loud, techno the night I ate there. The servers look as though they're ready
to toss aside their order pads and dance. The design appears to be inspired by the Wild West. Nothing
hints at the brilliance of the dishes you will be served there. Flour and Water offers simple Italian dining
in a very special way using remarkable ingredients and providing stunning layers of flavor. San Francisco
produces the most fascinating pizza toppings on earth, and these are among the most original and
delicious: bone marrow, soft cheese, broccoli leaves, and fresh horseradish on one; tomato, spiced meat
and olives on another. Pizza gets no better than this.
B – The Tasting Kitchen
I wasn't impressed by the menu at The Tasting Kitchen, not at first. ‘Very confusing I apologize.’ the waiter
admitted. To be honest, he didn't seem oil that coherent, either. When I told him I had no idea what to order,
he suggested I trust the chef. I rather apprehensively said okay. Nothing to lose. That's when the experience
changed. The Tasting Kitchen then began to feel like a top-class restaurant in Paris, despite the fact that its
prices are actually remarkably reasonable. The food was creamy, complex, and compelling. The only break
from richness was two different salads, the lettuces piled high, accented with beautifully biting vinaigrettes.
The wines were exquisitely matched. That waiter suddenly transformed into a mastermind, when it came to
the wine list. This meal at The Tasting Kitchen had turned out to be a masterpiece.
C – Long man and Eagle
The way I heard it from my waiter, Longman and Eagle aspires to become a guesthouse. That will happen
once the planned half dozen rooms are completed and ready to be made available for overnight stays.
Longman and Eagle has two dining areas, wildly dissimilar. The bock one looks like it was decorated by
an 11-year-old with crayons. The front room, substantially more popular, has an unpainted plank ceiling,
black tables, rusted industrial lamps, exposed pipes, a few plants, and no art except that found on the
bodies of the customers. The food is first-class. A considerable number of dishes were triumphant,
including spicy chicken wings with a blue-cheese dip, chicken-liver mousse and a sunny- side-up duck
egg with truffle vinaigrette
D – Commis
Across the street from Commis is Anatoly's Men's Clothing, new suits for $99, (Not cheap enough? Take
advantage of the liquidation sale.) An unlikely locale for a restaurant with such style. Commis is a block
buster, a neighborhood-changer, a primal economic and cultural force. Whether or not it’s embraced by
locals, it has to be admired for venturing where nobody is used to paying serious prices for food The
kitchen staff works out front, behind a tiny counter, eerily silent — as is the entire restaurant. The food
was perfect but so much quiet made me desperate to shatter the hush, yell out. “Hey, there's a sale at
Anatoly's — anybody want to join me?’
E – Menton
Menton is one of Boston's fanciest restaurants. It is cool, minimalist, all blacks, whites, and grays, not a hint of
color in the dining room. The servers are so discreet they seldom talk to the table, preferring to lean in and
hove a conversation with each diner The patrons are living up to the restaurant — I can t recall seeing such a
nicely dressed dinner crowd in America's worst-dressed city. The food tends toward upscale French, lush and
rich. The meat preparations stand out, particularly the thick, juicy slab of pheasant and the tender, barely gamy
Scottish hare, presented rare. Menton is gracious, serious, luxurious, and very un-Boston
F – The Walrus and the Carpenter
You walk down a long hallway to a half-hidden door where a cheerful young maitre d' seats you in a
room that’s joyous, lively, and oh so cramped. It's filled with diners enjoying oysters and other sea food.
The Walrus and the Carpenter feels like a throwback to an earlier era of Seattle dining. It reminds me of
the once wonderful Pike Place, long before it got touristy and bland. On the zinc bar are wire baskets
filled with chopped ice and fresh oysters. There's so much else: including my favorite savory course:
smoked trout with pickled red onions on a lentil salad studded with walnuts. The panna cotta dessert was
so light I was thinking of eating a half-dozen portions, the way I ate a half-dozen oysters. In my opinion,
this restaurant offers the very best food in the area
THE END