SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO KỲ THI CHỌN ĐỘI TUYỂN CỦA TỈNH

LẠNG SƠN THAM DỰ KỲ THI CHỌN HSG QUỐC GIA

LỚP 12 THPT NĂM HỌC 2022-2023

ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC Môn thi: Tiếng Anh

Thời gian: 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)
Ngày thi thứ nhất: 06/10/2022
(Đề thi gồm 16 trang, 4 phần)

Điểm của bài thi: Họ tên, chữ ký của giám khảo

- Bằng số: 1. ............................................................

..........................................................

- Bằng chữ: 2. .............................................................

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SỐ PHÁCH:

LISTENING (5 POINTS)
Part 1: You will hear part of a radio interview with the comedian, Lenny Henry. For
questions 1-6, decide which statements are True (T) or False (F) according to what you
hear.
1. Lenny decided to do a degree because other actors persuaded him that it was a _____
good idea.
2. Studying for a degree has given him the confidence to try for more challenging _____
acting rolls.
3. According to Lenny, comedy helps people deal with disturbing images. _____
4. Lenny says the work of Comic Relief in Africa should be a steady process to help _____
the local communities.
5. When Lenny visited Debre Zeit, he was impressed by Fanti’s bravery despite his _____
illness.
6. Lenny hopes that he will soon be a more self-confident writer. _____

Part 2: You will hear a young bussiness owner called Matt Hawkins, giving a
presentation about his expereience of opening his own restaurant. For questions 7-15,
complete the sentences. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
SUCCESS IN THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS
According Matt, (7)___________________ is more important than (8)___________________
in starting a restaurant.

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Matt says you have to stay focused on (9)____________________ for your business to be a
success.
To get a busy location for your restaurant, you might have to compromise on
(10)___________________ to afford it.
Matt had to spend a little extra on (11)____________________ to get his restaurant up and
running.
Matt says you must be good at (12)____________________ to meet all the responsibilities of a
restaurant owner.
For one of the mistakes Matt made in his business, he paid a(n) (13)____________________
to come and fix it.
In trying to get more customers, the idea for a(n) (14)_____________________ was a big
success for Matt.
To make things more efficient, Matt set up a(n) (15)______________________ for getting
orders to the kitchen.

Part 3: You will hear part of a discussion between two experts in linguistics, Lay Ore and
Toll Keane, about learning foreign languages, facilitated by Miriam Potsbarn. For
questions 16-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you
hear.
16. What do we learn about the speakers’ foreign language credentials?
A. Both men are fluent in all the foreign languages they’ve studied.
B. The woman is presently studying Spanish.
C. Both men are fluent in at least three languages.
D. Two of the speakers claim not to be proficient in a language they learned.
17. What do the two men suggest about language learning?
A. Success is largely dependent on the quality of teaching.
B. There is no substitute for effort.
C. The process of learning a language is a lifelong one.
D. A desire to speak many languages is more than enough.
18. In what sense is quality of teaching important?
A. Teachers can act as facilitators to speed up learning.
B. Good teachers motivate their students.
C. Bad teachers create sceptical students.
D. Bad teachers can turn motivated students off learning.
19. The two male speakers have designed a course that ______
A. focuses on grammar and structure initially.
B. initially immerses students in a second-language environment.
C. enables students to make progress and see results quickly.
D. is seldom taught in the language being learned.
20. What happens after the first three weeks of the course?
A. Learners are no longer shown how they are progressing.
B. There is a shift to a more conventional style of learning.
C. The focus of teaching switches to basic practical language.
D. Learners recognise their closeness to attaining fluency.

LEXICO-GRAMMAR (3 POINTS)
Part 1: Choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) to each of the following questions and
write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
1. He ______ a gift out of his suitcase and handed it to his son.
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 A. demonstrated B. embraced C. produced D. exhibited
2. The road is packed with vehicles! That’s ______ at rush hour!
A. a going concern B. a hue and cry C. par for the course D. part and par
3. Susan’s kids ______ their great displeasure whenever I came round to see her, which made
me feel ill at ease.
A. forever showed B. had forever been showing
C. were forever showing D. had forever shown
4. It was a serious quarrel, and it took them a long time to make it ______.
A. up B. over C. away D. up
5. In order to give up smoking, you need to exercise great ______.
A. endeavour B. abstinence C. willpower D. obstinacy
6. The actor never ______ the potential he showed in his early career.
A. assumed B. fulfilled C. gained D. accomplished
7. Lack of rain early in the season meant that the fields ______ a poor crop.
A. yielded B. generated C. surrendered D. suffered
8. He kept telling us about his operation, in the most ______ detail.
A. programmatic B. photographic C. diagrammatic D. graphic
9. I think it would be better for your grandfather to get to the same clinic he was in the
previous time; the physiotherapist is compassionate and besides, he ______ there.
A. takes the lead B. passes the buck C. knows the ropes D. does wonders
10. Upon his late arrival, he ______ the anger of the whole class even further with his ill-bred
manner.
A. threw B. fanned C. vented D. hosted
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 2: For questions 11-15, write the correct form of each bracketed word to complete
the following sentences. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
11. He stared (abashed)______ at the camera.
12. He blamed the profit collapse on (capable)______ which led to the excessive discounting
of holiday packages.
13. This study is the (stone)______ of the whole research programme.
14. Fushida became very excited by this natural phenomenon, viewing it as a mystical sign
(tend)______ the success of the sneak attack.
15. This disadvantaged immigrant with a (short)______ education grew to be one of Scotland's
top manufacturers.
Your answers:
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

READING (6 POINTS)
Part 1: For questions 1-6, read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C or D best
fits each gap. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
ADVERTISING AND THE MEDIA
There are four companies (NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox) in the top tier of America’s
national TV networks and they, like the vast majority of media companies, are at the mercy of
the ebb and (1)______ of advertising revenue for their very survival. As a result, there is
(2)______ competition to secure a market share of viewers that will (3)______ a good state of

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financial health, keep the shareholders happy and ultimately allow employees to retain their
jobs.
Advertising (4)______ are set according to the degree of popularity of the programme
during which the commercial is shown. This means that in order to stay financially healthy, the
TV networks have to attract and keep viewers by providing them with (5)______ hits. When a
show is popular, everyone is content but if its popularity (6)______, it is likely to be scrapped.
The problem then is one of replacement, as launching new shows is a high-risk venture.
1. A. flow B. run C. go D. wane
2. A. rival B. violent C. fierce D. wild
3. A. hold B. maintain C. keep D. stay
4. A. rates B. ratios C. proportions D. levels
5. A. top B. best C. smash D. leading
6. A. slows B. dims C. fades D. weakens
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Part 2: For questions 7-17, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable
word. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
The image New York (7)______ up is usually one of bright lights and high-powered
executives, but it has not always been the wonderful town of Frank Sinatra’s popular song. Just
as London had its violent, chaotic birth pangs, so New York was terrorized for the best
(8)______ of a century by a succession of gangs that originated from the criminal breeding
ground bordered by Broadway, Canal Street and the Bowery.
Wave after wave of immigrants from Ireland, Italy and Eastern Europe only (9)______
to sharpen the ferocity with (10)______ the indigenous New York gangs defended their turf.
There were the Swamp Angels, who swarmed uptown in their droves through the city’s sewers
on their missions of mayhem. There were the Daybreak Boys, who specialized in recruiting
cut-throats (11)______ ten or eleven. There were the common-or-garden street toughs like
Stumpy Malarkey and Googoo Knox who would (12)______ up with organizations like the
infamous Dead Rabbit Gang. One of the Dead Rabbits, Hell-Cat Maggie, prepared for battle
by filing her front teeth to points. Her comrade-in-arms, Sadie the Goat, butted her victims
senseless before laying them out cold.
The violence on the streets simmered in an urban cauldron of soaring inflation,
sweatshop squalor and working-class resentment until 1863, (13)______ Abraham Lincoln’s
National Conscription Act was passed. This was the spark that ignited all-out gang war against
the state. The Act made all able-bodied men (14)______ for the draft, which meant they would
have to go to war against the Confederate South. To the Irish, who could not afford the $300
that middle-class New Yorkers were permitted to pay to dodge the draft, it seemed that poor
white working men were being forced to fight for the freedom of Southern blacks, who would
then come up north and take their jobs. As a result of this reasoning, the enraged Irish, led by
gangs such as the Dead Rabbits, (15)______ fire to federal property, attacked newspaper
offices and directed their anger towards any blacks who (16)______ their path. These were the
worst civil disturbances in American history and for a week in July 1863 it appeared as though
the entire city would burn to the ground.
Your answers:
7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

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Part 3: Read the passage and do the following tasks.
For questions 17-22, choose the correct headings for Section A-F from the list of headings
below.
Write the correct number i-viii in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.

List of headings
i. A world of choice
ii. Appointment TV
iii. Targeting mainstream audiences
iv. The focus on interactive TV
v. Instant gratification
vi. Too much of a good thing?
vii. Meeting viewers’ needs

Your answers:
17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.

Screen Time
This week, it’s the turn of writer Paul Meyers to share his views about TV
Section A
My friends and I are poles apart when it comes to our TV-viewing preferences. Not so much in
terms of the programmes we enjoy, more in the way we watch them. Typically, my friends
stream shows using on-demand services on their devices so that they can watch whatever they
want whenever they like. Nothing wrong with that of course, but they insist on “binge-
watching” episode after episode so that they finish an entire series in one afternoon!
Personally, I can’t see the appeal of viewing shows in this way. Why is there such a drive to
get everything immediately nowadays? Why can’t people wait? After all, who wants to eats a
whole box of chocolates all at once?

Section B
My friends tease me for what they regard as my old-fashioned attitude to TV. For me, nothing
beats watching shows as they’re actually broadcasted on TV, especially when it’s a drama with
an intriguing plot. Making the effort to tune in each week for the latest instalment is part of the
fun. Waiting to discover how the story will unfold builds the anticipation. Best of all, it also
gives viewers the chance to swap theories about what might happen next. I like the idea of the
entire audience following along at the same time, with all the viewers experiencing the plot
twists at the same moment. Just like watching a match at the stadium, it’s a shared experience
for people to discuss afterwards. I miss the days when conversations would begin with: “What
did you think about last night’s episode?” You don’t get that when all the episodes are
available at the click of a button!

Section C
Even so, I understand that TV needs to move with the times. In fact, I welcome the way
broadcasters have evolved to respond to viewers’ desire for flexibility. Channels realise there
are many different forms of entertainment at our disposal, all competing for our attention. And
it’s not just teenagers that feel this way. With all this choice, people are less likely to commit
to watching something at a fixed time each week. For this reason, the idea of “must-see” TV
that everyone tunes in to watch at the same time is fast becoming a thing of the past. Instead,
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many channels now offer online “catch-up” services so that viewers can log in and watch their
favourite shows on any device at a time that’s more convenient. This is invaluable given how
busy most people are nowadays.

Section D
And of course, TV channels now face increasing competition from commercial subscription
services, such as those my friends use for their TV-viewing marathons. For a monthly fee,
customers gain access to a wide variety of programmes of every genre to suit all tastes. With
these services, subscribers can watch programmes from all around the world, rather than just
those shown in their home country. From Japanese anime to Brazilian soap operas, commercial
streaming platforms enable people to watch programmes that they wouldn’t have been able to
access previously. This is obviously an attractive proposition for programme makers as it
opens up new markets for their output. As these streaming platforms grow in popularity, it’d
be nice to think that audiences will become more open-minded and adventurous in their
viewing habits. I’d certainly applaud anything that encourages people to explore different
cultures.

Section E
But are viewers actually getting as much choice as they assume? In theory, these on-demand
services offer almost unlimited opportunities for audiences to broaden their viewing horizons.
In reality, whenever a viewer finishes watching something, the platform subtly directs them
toward watching more of the same by recommending a similar show. From a commercial
perspective, this makes sense. After all, these sites have a business model which is all about
retaining customers. They’re more likely to do this by constantly updating their range of
popular shows that appeal to the broadest range of viewers rather than by trying to meet
everyone’s individual specialist tastes. For this reason, these services offer a wide rather than
deep selection of programmes. As far as I can tell, while it’s possible to find shows of every
genre, the variety within each category is limited unless the genre has mass appeal.

Section F
Still, these subscription services do enough to keep viewers generally entertained even if they
can’t offer an extensive library of niche or unusual programmes. What concerns me is the
general move towards viewer participation in TV shows. People no longer passively watch a
programme. Instead, they’re encouraged to get involved in some way. For instance, there are
far too many TV competitions or reality shows where viewers vote to eliminate a contestant
each week. These shows are relatively cheap to produce. I suspect that’s far more of a
consideration than TV companies’ claims that interactive programming makes the audience
more emotionally invested. Surely, true audience engagement comes from making high-quality
shows with interesting characters and unpredictable plots? If that’s no longer the focus, maybe
it’s time I switched off altogether!

For questions 23-26, choose the correct answer marked A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter A-D in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
23. What does the writer suggest about his friends?
A. They have poor taste in TV shows.
B. They are difficult to please.
C. They lack self-control.
D. They dislike new trends.

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24. According to the second paragraph, the writer most enjoys ______
A. predicting the plot of TV dramas.
B. watching TV when he’s with other people.
C. live sport broadcasts.
D. TV shows that require little effort.
25. What point does the writer make about TV channels?
A. They are focusing too much on young audiences.
B. They are adapting to suit modern lifestyles.
C. They are becoming less popular.
D. They are improving their range of programmes.
26. What is the writer’s attitude towards commercial TV subscription services?
A. Impressed with the convenience they offer
B. Hopeful that they will improve the quality of TV programmes
C. Concerned that they encourage people to watch too much TV
D. Doubtful that they offer as much variety as people believe.
Your answers:
23. 24. 25. 26.

Part 4: Read this article about modern architecture. For questions 27-33, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
SHOW ON THE ROAD
There are moments when you realise that the entire national consciousness has shifted
slightly. Why? Because something happens that would previously have been insanely
impossible, but now passes almost without comment. Take, for example, the newly completed
London headquarters of the fashion retailer, Monsoon. Another glittering high-tech business
park building? No way. This is real, full blooded, original 1960s architecture, brought back
from the dead. And it sings.
We’ve known for a while that some previously hated 1960s concrete architecture was
coming to be regarded with affection, especially by the cognoscenti. But Monsoon shows that
‘historic’ modernist architecture can now command reverence bordering on awe. This
successful company could have moved anywhere it wanted. And it did, but not the way you’d
expect. It chose to buy, restore and convert the derelict, long abandoned Paddington
maintenance depot, which looms over the elevated urban motorway of the Westway like an
ocean liner.
The result is electrifying. This was a building designed in the early 1960s, with the then
unbuilt motorway in mind. It’s in love with the motorway; one curving wing slides underneath
it, another virtually kisses it. At its prow are two heroic funnels. It is set on a rising bend in
the road, from which it seems to be sailing towards you, on a collision course. It would be
inconceivable for such a building to be built today. It would not be allowed to come so close to
vehicles that, from inside, you can make eye contact with the drivers. The staff restaurant is
right by the road. It’s called, with dark humour, Bangers and Crash.
The building’s original architect was Paul Hamilton, of the practice Bicknell and
Hamilton. Today it has been rejuvenated by a new generation, notably Ceri Davies, of Allford
Hall Monaghan Morris. Some of their own work harks back to this period. But here they have
dealt with a real, glorious period one-off.
Hamilton, who’s still around, aged 77, somehow managed to make an exceptional
building from a dull brief in incredibly constrained surroundings. He was given a patch of land
left over from the swirl of proposed motorway and roads. This patch happened to be on the far
side of the motorway from the railway goods yard it was intended to serve, though it was
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linked up beneath the elevated road. On the southern motorway/goods yard side, all is
industrial desolation. The goods yard, its railway lines long gone, is now part of the vast,
frenzied construction site surrounding Paddington. But on the northern side, with that abrupt
change of scale, pace and texture at which London excels, you are immediately in a different
world. This is the leafy world of Little Venice, where canals flow between trees, where
stuccoed villas abound, where people sip frothy lattes at open-air cafés. Hamilton’s building
mediates between the two worlds.
He was in his thirties when the commission came in. So, in architectural terms, it’s a
young man’s building. He relates how it took just four weeks from getting the commission to
getting planning permission. Moreover, he had a totally free hand. ‘The budget was left to me,’
he recalls. ‘I knew it would get no maintenance, so I designed it to last. Everyone agreed they
would take my word for it.’
And today? Davies and her colleagues have made some fairly hefty alterations. They
have inserted a mezzanine floor on the ground level, where the parcel trucks used to drive in
and out, and added some new windows. But the only parts of the building that had decayed to
the point of needing replacement were the bands of projecting metal-framed windows.
For new items such as the main reception desk and the moveable furniture in the staff
restaurant, Davies has kept in touch with the curved lines of the original building. Fortunately,
Monsoon, which employs about 200 designers, pattern-cutters and office staff, is an open-plan
organisation, so there was little need to divide up the spaces. The interior is clearly of 2001
rather than of 35 years ago  pastiche is avoided  but it is sympathetic to the architecture.
There have been some losses. But you have to bear in mind that only a few years back it
was all slated for demolition. Monsoon has shown imagination and no little courage in taking
the place on at all, spending about £10 million to convert it when many another such
organisation would merely have rented an existing block.
Such buildings, when they are out of fashion, are strangely invisible. Brought back to
life for a new use, they suddenly become landmarks. Nobody paid the old Bankside power
station much heed until it became the Tate Modern art gallery. In its very different way, this
other industrial building has now emerged from its long sleep. It looks absolutely fresh.
Article by Hugh Pearman © The Sunday Times

27. In what way does the Monsoon building illustrate what the writer says in the first sentence?
A. What one generation is against, the next is bound to admire.
B. People accept as normal something they used to think was absurd.
C. Once the experts recognise the value of something, others gradually come round to the
same point of view.
D. Nowadays companies often prefer to take over old buildings rather than rent new ones.
28. Which of these words in the third paragraph does not continue the writer’s image of the
building as being like ‘an ocean liner’?
A. wing (line 15)
B. prow (line 16)
C. funnels (line 16)
D. sailing (line 17)
29. What was the point of the joke changing the name of the staff restaurant from Bangers and
Mash (sausages and mashed potatoes)?
A. There had been a number of accidents nearby.
B. Diners can watch car drivers going by.
C. Drivers may crash, surprised to see people eating near them.
D. If cars go off the road, they may come into the restaurant.
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30. What is the writer saying in paragraph 5 about the building and its surroundings?
A. The architect was given a very uninteresting job to do.
B. Unfortunately, he had to build on the less attractive side of the road.
C. The building would have fitted in better further north.
D. The building seems to bridge the contrast between industry and art.
31. What is the architect’s explanation for the way he was treated?
A. People let him have his own way because he was young.
B. Architects were not subject to any controls in those days.
C. Everyone trusted him to do a good job.
D. Everyone accepted that he was honest.
32. How does the interior of the new office block relate to the original building?
A. It has been carefully designed to imitate its shape.
B. It contrasts with it because people do not have separate offices.
C. It is modern but blends well with the architecture.
D. It may be necessary to divide the building in two.
33. What is the writer saying in the last two paragraphs about buildings like this?
A. It is a risky business to spend money on them.
B. They are transformed by the purpose they are used for.
C. We take notice of them again when they are used differently.
D. They become attractive when they are used as the architect intended.
Your answers:
27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33.

Part 5: You are going to read an extract from an article. Seven paragraphs have been
removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A-H the one fits each gap (34-40).
There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

Mathematical Games
Video games can provide good mathematics learning by Kenneth Devia
The majority of video games designed to provide mathematics learning fail educationally for
one of two reasons. One of these is that the designers know how to design and create video
games, but know little about mathematics education (in particular, how people learn
mathematics) and in many cases don’t seem to know what maths really is. The second is that
they have a reasonable sense of mathematics and have some familiarity with the basic
principles of mathematics education, but do not have sufficient education in video g ame
design.
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To create an engaging game that also supports good mathematics learning requires a great deal
more: a complete understanding of what mathematics is, how and why people learn and do
mathematics, how to get and keep them engaged in their learning and how to represent the
mathematics on the platform on which the game will be playe d. That too demands much
more than just superficial knowledge.
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Following the tradition of textbook publishing, that figure does not include any payment to the
authors who essentially create the entire pedagogic framework and context. Nor does it take
into account the money required for the fees payable to the project’s academic advisory
board, without whom the project is unlikely to succeed.
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36
Though this term is specific to this context, its concept has been well known in maths
education circles for over twenty years and is recognised as the biggest obstacle to practical
mastery of middle school mathematics. To understand the precise implication of what the term
entails and appreciate how pervasive it is, it is necessary to examine the role symbolic
expressions play in mathematics.
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But just how essential are those symbols? Perhaps this question can best be answered through
a comparison with music. Until the invention of recording devices, symbolic musical notation
was the only way to store and distribute music, yet no one ever confuses music with a musical
score. In the same way as music is created and enjoyed within the mind, mathematics is
created and carried out in the mind. At its heart, mathematics is a mental activity and one that
throughout human history has proved to be highly beneficial to life and society.
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So, why is it that many people believe mathematics itself is symbolic manipulation? And if the
answer is that it results from our classroom experiences, why is mathematics taught that way?
The answer to that second question is that mathematics is taught symbolically because for
many centuries symbolic representation has been the most effective way to record
mathematics and pass on mathematics knowledge to others.
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While it is true to say that people sometimes scribble down symbols when they do everyday
maths in a real-life context, for the most part, what they write down are the facts needed to
start with, perhaps the intermediate results along the way and, if they get far enough, the final
answer at the end. But the actual mathematical part is primarily a thinking process as even
when people are asked to ‘show all their work’, the collection of symbolic expressions they
write down is not necessarily the same as the process that goes on in their minds when they do
the maths correctly. In fact, people can become highly skilled at doing mental mathematics and
yet be hopeless at its symbolic representations.
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It is simply not the case that ordinary people cannot do everyday maths. Rather, they cannot do
symbolic everyday maths. From this observation, it can be concluded that the symbol barrier is
huge and pervasive. For the entire history of organised mathematics instruction, where there
has been no alternative to using static, symbolic expressions on flat surfaces to store and
distribute mathematical knowledge, that barrier has prevented millions of people from
becoming proficient in a cognitive skill set on a par in importance with the ability to read and
write.

A. So, given the effort and expense to make a maths game, is it worth pursuing? From an
educational perspective, it certainly is. That being said, it must be acknowledged that the vast
majority of maths video games on the market essentially capitalise on just one educationally
important aspect of video games – their power to fully engage players in a single activity for
long periods of time. Only a fraction of them takes advantage of another educationally
powerful feature of the medium – their ability to overcome the ‘symbol barrier’.

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B. With routine mathematics, the symbolic barrier emerges. In their 1993 book Street
Mathematics and School Mathematics Terezinha Nunes, David William Carraher and Analucia
Dias Schliemann describe research conducted in the street markets of Recife, Brazil. This and
other studies have shown that when people are regularly faced with everyday mathematics in
their daily lives, they master it to an astonishing 98 per cent accuracy. Yet when faced with the
very same problems (from a mathematical perspective) presented in the traditional symbols,
their performance drops to a mere 35 to 40 per cent accuracy.

C. In both these subjects, the symbols are merely static representations on a flat surface of
dynamic mental processes. Just as the trained musician can look at a musical score and hear
the music come alive in his or her head, the trained mathematician can look at a page of
symbolic mathematics and have that mathematics come alive in the mind.

D. In other words, designing and building a good mathematics educational video game,
whether it is a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) or a single smartphone app, requires
a team of experts from several different disciplines. That means it takes a lot of time and a
substantial budget. For a simple-looking, casual game that runs on an iPad, it can take about
nine months from start to finish and cost upwards of a quarter of a million.

E. Yet tens of thousands of years of evolution have produced the most adaptive device on the
planet: the human brain. Trying to design a computer system to adapt to human cognitive
activity is like trying to build a cart that will draw a horse. It can be done, but it will not work
nearly as well as building a cart that a horse can pull.

F. To build a successful video game requires an understanding, at a deep level, of what

constitutes a game, how and why people play games, what holds their attention, and how they
interact with the different platforms on which the game will be played. That is a lot of deep
knowledge.

G. By and large, the public identifies doing maths with writing symbols, often obscure
symbols. Why do people readily make this identification? A large part of the explanation is
that much of the time they spent in the school mathematics classroom was devoted to the
development of correct symbolic manipulation skills, and symbol-filled books are the standard
way to store and distribute mathematics knowledge. So we have become used to the fact that
mathematics is presented by way of symbolic expressions.

H. Still, given the comparison with music, is it possible to break free of that historical legacy?
It would appear that it is, as long as a distinction is made between the advanced mathematics
used by scientists and engineers and the kind of maths important to ordinary people. Advanced
mathematics, on the other hand, is intrinsically symbolic, whereas everyday maths is not and
such activities as counting, proportional reasoning and problem solving can be done mentally.
Your answers:
34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.

Part 6: You are going to read an extract from an article about science awards. For
questions 41-50, choose from the sections (A-E) to answer the following question. The
sections may be selected more than once.
In which section are the following mentioned?
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New awards could have a more significant impact if they were given to 41. _______
scientists who have a greater need for financial investment.
Funding popular science communicators rather than prizes may be more 42. _______
worthwhile for society.
The new science awards are backed by a different type of elite. 43. _______
Some scientists are unhappy about the unequal distribution of investment in 44. _______
science.
Scientists are suspicious of the principles underlying the new science 45. _______
awards.
New science awards have largely been funded by private rather than public 46. _______
enterprise.
The system of awarding scientists for their discoveries has not kept pace 47. _______
with changing scientific practices.
The impact that generous financial incentives will have on the direction of 48. _______
future research.
The newer science award are rooted in cooperation rather than individuality. 49. _______
The likelihood of prize-winning scientists needing substantial financial 50. _______
funding is low.

The New Science Awards Redefining Success

A challenging to tradition, but not without their problems
A. For a little over a century, in a somewhat staid and dull ceremony in Stockholm in January,
the Nobel prizes have been awarded to worthy scientists by the King of Sweden. But, as in all
walks of life, times change and science awards are no different. The new awards or ‘new
Nobels’, as they have been dubbed, are no longer the preserve of prestigious institutions like
the Swedish Academy. Instead, they are paid for by celebrity CEOs such as Mark Zuckerberg
and other tech millionaires, with multimillion-dollar prizes and ceremonies that are glamorous
affairs reminiscent of the Oscars. And this is something that scientists generally tend not to
view in a particularly positive light. British astronomer Martin Rees says that many scientists
are undecided about the new awards. He believes that these more recent awards are steered
towards showcasing the wealthy donors as much as the scientists themselves. He is not the
only award cynic and others have joined him in voicing concerns, including American
physicist Frank Wilczek who wonders about the virtues of awarding large prizes in the
advancement of science.

B. There are indeed some serious concerns about all this. The most worrying of which centres
around the world view and associated power of the funders, be they individuals like
Zuckerberg or large global corporations. The problem is that these elite minorities are
predominantly Western with a specific shared world view of the value of knowledge, as well
as the aspects of science that are deserving of investment, be that time-based or financial.
Many people are anxious that younger researchers trying to cut their teeth in a world where
funding is increasingly competitive could easily adapt their research to the visions which may
or may not have the interests of humanity as a whole at their heart. Oversight is a key aspect of
research in a way that it is not seen in business, especially the tech giants who prize innovation
over all other things. This shift in the motivations of those who are the guardians of science
awards should raise alarm bells for us all.

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C. The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences is an excellent example of this. The list of donors
reads like a who’s-who of celebrity tech CEOs and the price tag attached to each prize is $3
million. Most winners are highly regarded scientists with glittering careers and enviable
publishing records. These huge prizes tend to go to scientists who are already extremely well-
funded, and it could easily be argued that they are the least in need of such exorbitant sums.
Furthermore, if these new awards and their glamourous ceremonies are designed to bring a
new breed of celebrity science to public attention, they may be wasting their time. A quick
YouTube search will show that the world has plenty of celebrity scientists boasting millions of
followers worldwide, such as Brian Cox or Michio Kaku. Funding that aims to bring science to
the general public should probably be diverted to the people who have proven track records in
engaging people in science.

D. Despite the scepticism surrounding these new science awards, benefits do exist. In order to
present a fair and balanced analysis of the positive impacts of such awards, these benefits
should be highlighted. In recent times a key criticism of the original Nobel prizes has been the
fact that they do not fully represent the way in which science is carried out in modern times.
Nowadays most scientific inventions and discoveries are collaborative. This means that they
rely on the cooperation and shared knowledge and expertise of dozens of scientists working in
cross-cultural teams across several academic communities around the globe, rather than
individuals working in isolation. Since the Nobel prizes can only be awarded to three people
each year, many hard-working scientists go unnoticed to research and discoveries that simply
could not have happened without them. Contrary to this system, the Breakthrough Prize and
others have been designed to reward entire teams and are therefore much wider in their scope
and inclusivity.

E. However, there is a danger that these prizes could be seen as paying lip service to the
principles of inclusivity and diversity. Although there are some non-Western prizes such as the
Tang Prize, awarded to those working in Asian institutions, most winning teams are located in
Western nations, and global inclusivity remains a challenge. Scientists such as Bob O’Hara,
who works at a research centre in Frankfurt, warn of the widening gap between the rich and
poor among the scientific community. Instead of talking about awards and large financial
prizes, he cites as a concern the funding allocated to the search for treatments and cures for the
diseases of the rich, rather than those that are widespread amongst developing nations. Many
scientists strongly believe that the West must not just be allowed to dominate and marginalise
other nations that have much to offer in terms of knowledge and research potential. These
glamorous new science awards are a prime example of how scientists in developing nations
might be able to benefit from the prize money far more than their western counterparts might.

WRITING (4 POINTS)
Part 1:
The table below shows the number of language learners who used different modes of
learning English between the years 2000 and 2008.

In about 150 words, write a report summarizing the information. Select and describe the main
features, and make comparison where relevant.

Years
Modes of learning
2000 2004 2008

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School 4,000 3,550 2,567
Online 1,567 2,534 5,067
Self-study 2,067 1,523 1,034
Private Classes 2,526 2,344 1,456

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Part 2: Write an essay of about 300 words on the following topic.

Some people believe that robots will play an important role in future societies while others
argue that robots might have negative effects on society.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

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