HỘI CÁC TRƯỜNG CHUYÊN VÙNG ĐỀ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI LẦN THỨ X

DUYÊN HẢI VÀ ĐỒNG BẰNG BẮC BỘ MÔN: TIẾNG ANH - KHỐI 11

TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NGUYỄN TRÃI Thời gian: 180 phút
TỈNH HẢI DƯƠNG Đề thi gồm: 18 trang
ĐỀ ĐỀ XUẤT

SECTION 1: LISTENING (50 points)

I. You will hear an interview with an engineer called Roger Moffat, whose working
life has changed dramatically over the past few years. Listen and choose the correct
answer. (10 points)
1. The interviewer says that Roger is the kind of person who ____________
A. is reluctant to try something different.
B. does not want to spend his money.
C. enjoys entertaining others.
D. is happy to reveal the tricks of his trade.
2. How did Roger feel initially about what happened ten years ago?
A. angry
B. resigned
C. depressed
D. disinterested
3. What does Roger feel is the greatest benefit of running his own business?
A. He arranges his free time as he pleases.
B. He gets on better with other people.
C. He has more leisure time than before.
D. He is free of an environment he disliked.
4. What is Roger’s attitude towards his future?
A. He considers his position to be no less secure than before.
B. He thinks he’ll be more vulnerable than he used to be.
C. He’s feel financially more secure working for someone else.
D. He considers himself too old to change direction again.
5. What does Roger find most satisfying about the “tools of his trade”?
A. They are intricate beyond belief.
B. They are the creations of colleagues.
C. They are theoretical in design.
D. They are exciting to contemplate.
II. You will hear an introduction to a radio phone-in programme about modern
lifestyles. Listen and indicate true (T) or false (F) statements. (10 points)
Statements T F
1. Ron is a record-breaking athlete.
2. Ron thinks an accountant can lead a health and fulfilled life.
3. “Total Living” is believed to be good for athletes.
4. “Total Living” means that we should develop one aspect of our life to
the full.
5. According to Ron Clarke, some current health trends are harming us.
III. You will hear a guide speaking to tourists who are visiting some Romans remains.
Listen and give short answers to the questions. Write NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER taken from the recording. (10 points)
1. When did the Romans first come to the Corbridge area?
………………………………………………………………………
2. Why did the Romans built a series of forts and strongholds?
………………………………………………………………………
3. What did people begin to search for in 1201?
………………………………………………………………………
4. How often have archaeological digs taken place since 1934?
………………………………………………………………………
5. What are the two things that visitors should pay attention to?
………………………………………………………………………
IV. Listen to a piece of BBC news about the World War One centenary and fill in the
missing information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the
recording for each answer in the spaces provided. (20 points)
People have criticised Germany's government for not doing enough to (1)
___________ the World War One centenary.
 Germany hasn’t spent as much on events as some other (2) ________________
countries. And the events which have taken place have been seen as (3)
________________by critics.
Traditionally in Germany the First World War is (4)________________the Second
World War. History teaching in German schools tends to focus on (5)______________ of
the Nazis rather than what happened (6) ____________ earlier.
And since 1945 there's been a strong (7)_____________ in Germany to anything that
might be seen as (8) _______________ . So many people here are uncomfortable with any
anniversary of a war or a battle.
There's still (9)_________________ among historians about who was responsible for
World War One. But having spent the last 70 years atoning for Nazi guilt, many Germans
have (10)______________ to now take on the blame for the First World War, too.
SECTION 2: LEXICO - GRAMMAR (30 points)
I. Choose the word or phrase that best fits the gap in each sentence (10 points)
1. The ________ workers were expecting thousands of refugees to turn up at the camps
over the next few weeks.
A. concern B. agency C. social D. relief
2. This course _________ no previous knowledge of the subject.
A. assembles B. assumes C. assigns D. assures
3. The students paid _________ attention to the distinguished professor.
A. respectable B. respected C. respectful D. respective
4 . ____________, the people who come to this club are in their twenties and thirties.
A. By and large B. Although C. To a degree D. Virtually
5. The train service has been a _________ since they introduced the new schedules.
A. shambles B. rumpus C. chaos D. fracas
6. Is an inexperienced civil servant __________ to the task of running the company?
A. capable B. skilled C. eligible D. suited
7. After the concert, everyone had to ________ home through the snow.
A. trace B. tread C. trudge D. trickle
8. The company was so successful during the 1980s that it ________ 500 new employees
in a period of six months.
A. put on B. took on C. caught on D. laid on
9. Mr. Discontent wanted to complain to the waiter but was afraid of making a(n) ______.
A. act B. drama C. play D. scene
10. My cousin was nervous about being interviewed on TV, but she rose to the ________
wonderfully.
A. event B. performance C. incident D. occasion
II. The passage below contains 5 errors. IDENTIFY and CORRECT them. Write
your answers in the space provided in the column on the right. (5 points)
1 What is the media? What constitutes the media? The media consists on all the
2 ways that news and information is disseminated to the mass audience. The
3 media cover everything from hard news, which is investigating reporting, to
4 stories that are purely entertaining, such as whether your favourite movie star
5 was on the ‘Best Dressed/Worst Dressed’ list. Whether from print or
6 broadcast on TV, the stories are the product of the reporting of many
7 journalists who write the stories, and editors who give out the assignments,
8 assess the quality of the writing and research, but make the decisions about
9 where and when the stories run.
10 The news has an immediate impact. The Internet puts global news onto the
11 personal computer on your desk. All almost browsers have links to up-to-the-
12 minute new stories from various news services. You cannot get constant news
13 updates from a variety of sources via your personal computer, provided you
14 with the most up-to-date and in-depth coverage.

III. Fill in each blank with an appropriate preposition or particle. (5 points)

1. My attention was drawn …………the picture on the far wall.
2. The villagers left their homes in the valley and moved to higher grounds as a precaution
…… flooding.
3. Dave takes …………..the prime Minister really well.
4. As she didn’t have a lot of cash she bought the bridge ………..credit.
5. Queen Victoria reigned ………….Britain and Ireland for over sixty years.
IV. Supply the correct form of the verbs in block capitals in brackets to complete the
passage. (10 pts)
Anger
We've all felt anger at some time, whether as faint (0)annoyance or ANNOY
blind rage. Anger is a normal, sometimes useful human emotion, but
uncontrolled outbursts of temper can be (1)__________. 'People who DESTROY
give free rein to their anger, (2)___________ of the offence it may REGARD
cause, haven't learned to express themselves constructively,' says
Martin Smolik, who runs weekend (3)____________ courses in RESIDENCE
anger management. 'It is important to maintain your
(4)____________ and put your case in an assertive, not aggressive, COMPOSE
manner without hurting others. Being assertive doesn't mean
being (5)____________ of yourself and other people.' He adds that RESPECT
people who are (6)__________ angered are intolerant of frustration, EASY
(7)__________ or irritation and, not surprisingly, find CONVENIENT
(8)____________ to other people very difficult. But what causes RELATE
people to behave like this? It seems there is evidence to support the
idea that some children may be born (9)____________ and prone to IRRITATE
anger and this tendency is sometimes apparent from a very age.
However, research also suggests that a person's family
(10)____________ may have an influence. Very often, people who GROUND
are quick-tempered come from disorganized and disruptive families
who find it difficult to express their emotion.
SECTION 3: READING (60 points)
I. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. (10
points)
 MUSIC IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Outdoor entertainment has a long history in countries with a warm climate. In
ancient Greece, for example, plays were (1)_________ in large open arenas. Today,
audiences enjoy concerts of classical, opera, pop and rock music in outdoor (2)_______
These are usually less formal and restrictive for the listeners than a stuffy concert hall, and
a warm, starry night (3)__________ a unique atmosphere.
Music heard inside a building is (4)_________ to different acoustic. Sound
vibrations are (5)_________ from a musical instrument or voice to the eardrum and the
building’s structure can (6)__________ these vibrations, which we then experience as an
echo. Obstructions such as pillars can (7)_________ vibrations, and hard surfaces resonate
or vibrate, (8)__________ the sound, while carpets and curtains may (9)_________ and
deaden voices and music.
The music at open-air concerts, on the other hand, must often compete with the
noise of traffic, bird song or wind and thunder. A strong wind can carry the sound away
and a sudden summer storm can drown out the music altogether. In addition, if there is any
risk of rain, all instruments and sound equipment must be housed under (10)________ to
avoid the danger of electrocution. Once these problems are overcome, outdoor concerts
allow people the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of live music in the fresh air.
1. A. performed B. shown C. executed D. held
2. A. localities B. circumstances C. surroundings D. backgrounds
3. A. builds B. forms C. composes D. creates
4. A. liable B. subject C. related D. adapted
5. A. transmitted B. played C. directed D. broadcast
6. A. reflect B. exhibit C. produce D. register
7. A. harm B. halt C. impede D. prevent
8. A. twisting B. bending C. distorting D. adjusting
9. A. absorb B. attract C. withdraw D. detain
10. A. enclosure B. shade C. wrapper D. cover
II. Fill each gap in the passage below with ONE appropriate word in the space provided.
(10 points)
 SPEED LIMIT
A recent proposal to limit the speed cars can reach is proving controversial. The
idea, put (1) _____ by the institute for Road Safety, involves (2) _____ vehicles with a
communications box containing a digital map of the road network. When a car is in
motion, the communications box – which knows how fast the vehicle is (3) _____
permitted to travel on a particular section of road – automatically regulates the car’s speed.
It (4) _____ becomes impossible for a vehicle fitted with such a (5)_____ to exceed the
speed limit.
There are plans to (6) _____ motorists to drive into the centre of major cities, and a
communications box could be used to identify vehicles that enter this zone. At present,
each time a vehicle does so, its number (7) _____ is photographed. Then the number is
compared (8) _____ a list of authorized vehicles, but this system is costly and (9) _____
from foolproof
The system could be put in place quickly if the government wished as part the
technology has already been developed for another purpose. Electronic vehicle
identification is (10) _____ with some people, who regard it as an infringement of their
rights. They would certainly object to a plan to restrict the limit of their cars, which may
make the government hesitate to go through with it.
III. Read the following passage and choose the best answer. (15 points)
The Development of Pottery
The advent of pottery in primitive human cultures around the world signified a
milestone in human history. Sometimes referred to as the container revolution, pottery
enabled primitive people to boil and steam food, which in turn allowed them to gain
sustenance for new and more varied sources. Durable and watertight pottery containers
also allowed them to capture and store freshwater from rainfall or clean rivers and lakes.
The earliest pottery has been traced back to a few civilizations that appear to have
developed this advancement independent of each other. The oldest pottery known to
historians comes from the Jomon people of Japan from around the year 10,500 B.C.
Evidence of the independent development of pottery has also come from North Africa
around 10,000 B.C. and from South America around 7,000 B.C.
 Collecting pottery shards has proven to be one of the best ways for
archaeologists to identify the developmental levels of ancient cultures, especially the
ones that were pre-literate and therefore unable to leave behind a recorded history.
By digging up different shards from different stratum layers, archaeologists can easily date
the stages of a culture’s development. They are able to do this by looking at the style and
decoration of the pottery fragments. Furthermore, trace element analysis enables these
researchers accurately to identify the source of the clay used to make the pottery.
The early pottery was formed with a technique called handwork. Handworked
pieces are constructed from clay that is rolled into long strands by hand and then coiled to
form the body of the vessel. Each of these early pieces of pottery would have been one-of-
a-kind due to the irregularity that is a characteristic of handwork. After these primitive
pieces of pottery were shaped by hand, they would be fired in a primitive kiln, which
would have resembled more of a wood fire.
The next major development in pottery came about with the invention of the pottery
wheel in Mesopotamia sometime between 6,000 and 2,400 B.C. This device
revolutionized the production of pottery since it enabled potters to mass produce their
work to meet the growing needs of the first cities in the world. The pottery wheel is a
spinning turntable powered by a foot pedal that spins clay very quickly, allowing the potter
to shape pottery with rotational symmetry. This results in a much more regular piece of
pottery than handwork.
[A] By 800 A.D., Muslim potters in Samarra and Baghdad began employing lead-
based glazes further to finish their pottery. [B] This process of glazing came from the
Romans, who had spread it around the Mediterranean and North Africa. [C] These potters
also discovered the new forms of glazing as they attempted to imitate the Chinese white
ceramics that were popular at that time. [D] Although they were able closely to imitate the
work of the Chinese, their experimentation also resulted in new methods of glazing that
used tin oxide instead of lead.
In order to harden pottery, it must be fired in a kiln which holds heat at very high
temperatures. The Chinese developed an efficient wood-fired kiln very early in the history
of pottery, called the anagama. This useful device was capable of sustaining the necessary
temperatures without the use of coal and was soon adopted by the Koreans and Japanese as
well.
The modern era of pottery factories capable of truly large-scale mass production
came about in 1785 with the English city of Stoke-on-Trent. This was one of the first
industrial cities to make pottery manufacturing its primitive industry. The city was known
to have more than 200 pottery manufacturers that employed upwards of 20,000 workers.
This city is so famous for pottery that its nickname is “The Potteries”.
1. The word sustenance in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. inspiration B. nourishment C. support D. instruction
2. According to the passage, evidence of the oldest pottery was found in which of the
following areas?
A. Mesopotamia B. China C. North Africa D. Japan
3. Which of the following best expresses the information in the underlined sentence?
A. Pottery shards provide information about the cultures of prehistoric people.
B. Early people recorded their history on pottery shards.
C. Archaeologists study ancient cultures.
D. Pre-literate people tried to hide their pottery in underground strata.
4. The author discusses handwork in paragraph 4 in order to
A. show the regular patterns of early pottery
B. distinguish it from later advances in pottery making
C. explain that it was the best method for pottery making
D. discuss the types of decoration used in early pottery
5. Look at the four squares [ ] that indicate where the following sentence could be added
to the passage.
“ The introduction of glazes contributed to the quality of the vessels.”
Where would the sentence best fit?
6. The word imitate in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. use B. make C. copy D. shape
7. According to paragraph 5, the significance of the invention of the pottery wheel was that
A. it allowed each piece to be unique
B. it encouraged artists to paint scenes on pottery
C. it enabled potters to mass produce their works
D. it inspired many more people to become potters
8-9-10. Choose three from seven answer choices to describe the Wood-fired Kiln:
A. It led to the mass production of pottery.
B. It was invented by the Chinese.
C. It originated in the Roman Empire.
D. It hardened the pottery.
E. It did not use coal.
F. It used tin oxide to finish the pottery.
G. It helped shape the pottery evenly.
IV. Read the passage and do the tasks that follow. (15 points)
a. Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
List of headings
i. 165 million years
ii. The body plan of archosaurs
iii. Dinosaurs-terrible lizards
iv. Classification according to pelvic anatomy
v. The suborders of Saurischia
vi. Lizards and dinosaurs – two distinct superorders
vii. Unique body plan helps identify dinosaurs from other
animals
viii. Herbivore dinosaurs
ix. Lepidosaurs
x. Frills and shelves
xi. The origins of dinosaurs and lizards
xii. Bird-hipped dinosaurs
xiii. Skull bones distinguish dinosaurs from other archosaurs

1. Paragraph A: ……..
2. Paragraph B: ……..
3. Paragraph C: ……..
4. Paragraph D: ……..
5. Paragraph E: ……..
6. Paragraph F: ……..
7. Paragraph G: ……..
Example: Paragraph H: x
What is a dinosaur?
A Although the name dinosaur is derived from the Greek for “terrible lizard”,
dinosaurs were not, in fact, lizards at all. Like lizards, dinosaurs are included in the
class Reptilia, or reptiles, one of the five main classes of Vertebrata, animals with
backbones. However, at the next level of classification, within reptiles, significant
differences in the skeletal anatomy of lizards and dinosaurs have led scientists to
place these groups of animals into two different superorders: Lepidosauria, or
lepidosaurs, and Archosauria, or archosaurs.
B Classified as lepidosaurs are lizards and snakes and their prehistoric ancestors.
Included among the archosaurs, or “ruling reptiles”, are prehistoric and modern
crocodiles, and the now extinct thecodonts, pterosaurs and dinosaurs.
Palaeontologists believe that both dinosaurs and crocodiles evolved, in the later
years of the Triassic Period (c. 248-208 million years ago), from creatures called
pseudosuchian thecodonts. Lizards, snakes and different types of thecodonts are
believed to have evolved earlier in the Triassic Period from reptiles known as
eosuchians.
C The most important skeletal differences between dinosaurs and other archosaurs are
in the bones of the skull, pelvis and limbs. Dinosaurs skulls are found in a great
range of shapes and sizes, reflecting the different eating habits and lifestyles of a
large and varied group of animals that dominated life on Earth for an extraordinary
165 million years. However, unlike the skulls of any other known animals, the
skulls of dinosaurs had two long bones known as vomers. These bones extended on
either side of the head, from the front of the snout to the level of the holes in the
 skull known as the antorbital fenetra, situated in front of the dinosaur’s orbits or
eyesockets.
D All dinosaurs, whether large or small, quadrupedal or bipedal, fleet-footed or slow-
moving, shared a common body plan. Identification of this plan makes it possible
to differentiate dinosaurs from any other types of animal, even other archosaurs.
Most significantly, in dinosaurs, the pelvis and femur had evolved so that the hind
limbs were held vertically beneath the body, rather than sprawling out to the sides
like the limbs of a lizards. The femur of a dinosaurs had a sharply in-turned neck
and a ball-shaped head, which slotted into a fully open acetabulum or hip socket. A
supra-acetabular crest helped prevent dislocation of the femur. The position of the
knee joint, aligned below the acetabulum, made it possible for the whole hind limb
to swing backwards and forwards. This unique combination of features gave
dinosaurs what is known as a “fully improved gait”. Evolution of this highly
efficient method of walking also developed in mammals, but among reptiles it
occurred only in dinosaurs.
E For the purpose of further classification, dinosaurs are divided into two orders:
Saurischia, or saurischian dinosaurs, and Ornithischia, or ornithischian dinosaurs.
This division is made on the basis of their pelvic anatomy. All dinosaurs had a
pelvic girdle with each side comprised of three bones: the pubis, ilium and ischium.
However, the orientation of these bones follows one of two patterns. In saurischian
dinosaurs, also known as lizard-hipped dinosaurs, the pubis points forwards, as is
usual in most types of reptile. By contrast, in ornisthichian, or bird-hipped,
dinosaurs, the pubis points backwards towards the rear of the animal, which is also
true of birds.
F Of the two orders of dinosaurs, the Saurischia was the larger and the first to evolve.
It is divided into two suborders: Therapoda, or therapods, and Sauropodomorpha,
or sauropodomorphs. The therapods, or “beast feet”, were bipedal, predatory
carnivores. They ranged in size from the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, 12m long,
5.6m tall and weighing an estimated 6.4 tonnes, to the smallest known dinosaur,
Compsognathus, a mere 1.4m long and estimated 3kg in weight when fully grown.
 The sauropodomorphs, or “lizard feet forms”, included both bipedal and
quadrupedal dinosaurs. Some sauropodomorphs were carnivorous or omnivorous
but later species were typically herbivorous. They included some of the largest and
best-known of all dinosaurs, such as Diplodocus, a huge quadruped with an
elephant-like body, a long, thin tail and neck that gave it a total length of 27m, and
a tiny head.
G Ornithischian dinosaurs were bipedal or quadrupedal herbivores. They are now
usually divided into three suborders: Ornithipoda, Thyreophora and
Marginocephalia. The ornithopods, or :bird feet”, both large and small, could walk
or run on their long hind legs, balancing their bidy by holding their tails stiffly off
the ground behind them. An example is Iguanodon, up to 9m long, 5m tall and
weighing 4.5 tonnes. The thyreophorans, or “shield bearers”, also known as
armoured dinosaurs, were quadrupeds with rows of protective bony spikes, studs,
or plates along their backs and tails. They included Stegosaurus, 9m long and
weighing 2 tonnes.
H The marginocephalians, or “margined heads”, were bipedal or quadrupedal
ornithischians with a deep bony frill or narrow shelf at the back of the skull. An
example is Triceratops, a rhinoceros-like dinosaur, 9m long, weighing 5.4 tonnes
and bearing a prominent frill and three large horns.
b. Complete the sentences below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
passage for each blank space.
8. Lizards and dinosaurs are classified into two different superorders because of the
difference in their _______________
9. In the Triassic period, _______________ evolved into thecodonts, for example, lizards
and snakes.
10. Dinosaurs skulls differed from those of any other known animals because of the
presence of vomers: ________________
V. You are going to read an article about great tennis players. For questions 1–10,
choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once. (10 points)
To which person does each statement relate?
1. He was determined to make a transition that required him to come out of his
comfort zone and alter his style of play.
2. He held his nerve under a large amount of external pressure to come back from
a serious setback and win a particular major title at the second time of asking.
3. Despite enjoying a hot streak of form during which he landed some major titles,
he has yet to convince the tennis world of the exact extent of his greatness.
4. He pushes himself physically to such a degree that his career may be cut short.
5. He took excellent advantage of a temporary lack of depth in his sport.
6. He was faced with the task of having to try to overcome already seasoned
champions in the matches in his efforts to claim a first Grand Slam.
7. Although he has since bested a player who comprehensively outplayed him for
a spell, early exits from a major tournament have tarnished his reputation.
8. Despite the fact that he will probably never amass as many major titles as any
of his rivals, one stunning display in a slam final will be forever remembered.
9. He endured an unusually long period out of the major-title winner’s enclosure
at one point in his career.
10. He dominated a rival for season only to later taste defeat in a title-decider at
the hands of the same player.

FOUR AMAZING TENNIS PLAYERS!

A. ROGER FEDERER
Roger Federer is the man who, on paper at least, is the undisputed greatest of them all. He
has smashed virtually every record in existence and amassed an incredible seventeen
Grand Slam titles, a full three more than his nearest rival, Pete Sampras. Now over 30, he
has had a pretty barren spell by his lofty standards of late, but did manage to break a two-
year major-title drought at Wimbledon, in 2012, beating Andy Murray in the final. On the
strength of his record, he could be regarded as the greatest player by some margin, but,
title tally aside, there are other things to consider here, such as the fact that his rise to
prominence coincided with a time of transition in the sport when the existing powers –
Sampras, Agassi, etc. – were on the wane and ready to pass on the baton to a new
generation. Federer was a very willing recipient of course, but, truth told, he beat a lot of
second-rate players and players past their prime in the process of amassing over half his
total haul of slams in those early years. But, with the emergence of Nadal, that would all
change.
B. RAFAEL NADAL
Nadal, like most Spaniards, grew up playing on the ubiquitous clay, so it is hardly
surprising that his style of play is best-suited to the surface, nor that he favoured the red
soil in those early days and produced his best performances on it, while, at the same time,
struggling initially to make a real impact on grass or hard court.
Nadal exhibited a level of humility and determination rare in this sport of egos, and set
about reinventing himself as an all-rounder. And what a transformation it proved to be, one
which must surely have surpassed the expectations of even his most optimistic and faithful
supporters, for adapt his game he did, and so successful that, by 2008, he was ready to do
the unthinkable, beating a peak-of-his-powers Federer on his favourite surface (grass) in a
Wimbledon final lauded as the greatest tennis match of all time, sending shockwaves
through the sport. Nadal went on to dominate men’s tennis and his archrival for the best
part of the next three years. The world of tennis was suddenly forced into a swift rethink;
paper stats were brushed aside as it was soon clear that while no one could compete with
Federer in the talent stakes, Nadal had shown himself to be a superior match player and
fighter.
Still a young man, he could potentially even surpass Federer’s achievements on paper, but
it remains to be seen if his career can have longevity of the Fed’s, so demanding is his
style of play on the body. And shock early-round losses at both the 2011 and 2012
Wimbledon championships remains serious blots on an otherwise stellar career to date.
C. NOVAK DJOKOVIC
And so we come to the Serb, a player who, it seemed, was destined to ply second fiddle to
Nadal and Federer’s stars. For him, 2011 was a watershed year, and his performances and
the manner of his victories were so utterly emphatic that he was instantly catapulted right
to the top of the game, prevailing over the once invincible Nadal in three consecutive slam
finals. Tennis now had a new number one, and Djokovic had prised the title of the most
consistent, hard-hitting, counter-attacking player on the circuit away from the Spaniard
with shocking ease. 2012 also started well for the new poster boy of tennis, but Djokovic’s
level has since dropped enough to have enabled Nadal to enjoy success over him in their
more recent slam-final tussels. His tally of six major titles is not to be sniffed at, but the
Serb has much yet to prove if he is to one day be considered the very best.
D. ANDY MURRAY
By comparison to the achievements of the players already profiled, Murray’s record looks
pretty ordinary indeed. And yet, were it not for the fact that he has had the misfortune of
playing the game at the same time as arguably the three greatest sportsmen to have ever
graced tennis, this talented all-rounder would already have amassed a considerable haul of
major titles of his own. And, consider this, unlike his three rivals, who faced debutants
when winning their first slam finals, Murray has had no such luck, and, in fact, on very
occasion he has made it to the last two, has faced the daunting prospect of having to
overcome one of the aforementioned trio. He has also had the weight of expectation of an
entire nation on his shoulders, and, wide though they are, this must surely have been a
terrible cross for him to bear. But, at long last, the monkey is off his back. Andy Murray
bounced back like a Trojan from his loss to Federer in the 2012 Wimbledon final, claiming
Olympic gold and his first Grand Slam the same year. The ghost of his near-miss at
Wimbledon was also banished in 2013, when, somehow, amid a nation’s furore, he kept a
cold head and gave what must go down as one of the greatest performances by any athlete
in history to beat Federer in three straight sets to claim the holy grail of tennis. He may
never reach the heights of success of his great rivals, but this brave Scot has already made
his mark on tennis history, and there will, no doubt, be more slams to come.
SECTION 4: WRITING (60 points)
I. Complete the second sentence so that it has the similar meaning to the first one, using
the word given. ( Do not change the word given. You must use between THREE or
EIGHT words, including the word given). (3 points)
1. Mrs. Thomas seems to find the way her daughter behaves more a source of amusement
than embarrassment.
Far ……………………… behaviour, Mrs. Thomas seems to be amused by it. (being)
2. The head teacher is well known for his reliability and dedication.
 The head teacher……………………………. person. (reputed)
3. The company is almost certain to get the contract.
The company stands ………………………………………..the contract. (every)
II. Rewrite the following sentences, using the words in bold. (2 points)
1. I wish he wouldn’t keep asking me about my personal life. prying
…………………………………………………………………….
2. She said it was none of my business. nothing
…………………………………………………..
III. Writing task 1: (20 points)
The table below shows the number of students living in the UK gaining English
language teacher training qualifications in 2007/8 and 2008/9, and the proportion of
male qualifiers.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

IV. Writing an essay: (35 points)

Write an essay of about 350 words to express your opinion on the following topic:
“Prison is the common way in most countries to solve the problem of crime.
However, a more effective solution is to provide people a better education. Agree or
disagree?”