SECTION A.

LISTENING (50 points)

Part 1. You are going to hear a talk. As you listen, fill in the missing information. For questions 1-15, write
NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS in the spaces provided. You will listen twice. Write your answers in the
boxes provided.
HOW WE FELL IN LOVE WITH SUSHI
Once described as “no different to the vomit of a drunkard”, sushi has been on quite a journey. The story of sushi
goes back to (1). _____________. There, fish was preserved by packing it with salt and cooked rice, resulting in a
(2). _____________, fermented fish, and a (3). _____________ rice – the rice part was truly disgusting and usually
discarded.

In Japan, where the technique remained in use as it (4). _____________ elsewhere, it was called nare-sushi - nare
meaning aged. This was the definition of sushi for several centuries. But by the 15th Century, especially in coastal
areas where fish was more plentiful all year round, people were leaving it for less time - and daring to eat the rice,
which, eaten early, was
(5). _____________. Finally, in (6). _____________, in what is now Tokyo, raw fish - as fresh as possible - was
added to the rice, now no longer aged at all, and modern sushi was born. It required an incredible level of skill.
Getting it wrong wasn’t just annoying, but potentially risky - one (7). _____________, pufferfish, which today is
tightly regulated, is highly poisonous if badly prepared. It wasn’t until the 1970s that sushi, both as a luxury treat
and as a cheap street food, started to be seen outside Japan.

It first emerged in California, which had a large Japanese population, and followed the Japanese across the world.
Californians, initially (8). _____________ at the idea of eating raw fish, grew to love it. But, to encourage them,
Japanese sushi chefs came up with the Californian Roll, which (9). _____________ cooked crab. (10).
_____________ followed, including the decidedly 1980s Philadelphia Roll, with smoked salmon and cream
cheese. As sushi spread, the (11). _____________ Western fear of raw fish meant that more and more versions
came into use which relied on ingredients such as cooked prawns, smoked fish or egg, and where the often-
complex side sauces were replaced with simple soy sauce, ginger and wasabi. The ultimate Westernisation is
probably the (12). _____________ which is the sushi burrito, invented in 2011. The first sushi restaurant in the UK
opened in London in 1994, in the city – the heart of businessland.

Today, sushi is booming, marketed as being healthy, convenient and still just a little bit exotic. The
(13). _____________concept used in many restaurants adds a certain level of novelty, as do the chopsticks -
although according to many Japanese, sushi is best eaten with the fingers. Today, there are many types of sushi. At
its best it is often still very expensive and very beautiful, and its devotees can be (14). _____________. A Japanese
apprenticeship lasts at least five years for a sushi chef, and both Japan and the UK have sushi restaurants which
have been awarded (15). _____________. Not bad for a food which started as a way to stop fish from rotting.

Your answers:
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9.
10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15.

Part 2. You will hear a radio interview in which two web designers called Rob Thorn and Sophie Unwin are
discussing aspects of their work. (WHILE LISTENING TO THE INTERVIEW, YOU MUST COMPLETE
BOTH TASKS, TASK 1 AND TASK 2 AT THE SAME TIME). You will listen twice.

Task 1: For questions 16-20, decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
16. Technology is just a part of the evolution of designing.
17. Designers who pride themselves on pixel-perfect details care more about visual than functionality
18. Freelance designers don’t have to deal with paperwork
19. Rob would understate the time a project will take to his clients

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 1

20. Whenever Sophie starts a new project, she comes up with the ideas on the spot
Your answers:
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Task 2: For questions 21-25, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
21. Sophie says that the work of web designers
A. must reflect constant evolution in the field.
B. is subject to rigid time constraints.
C. should prioritise aesthetic considerations.
D. is limited by technical requirements.

22. Sophie believes the success of a website depends on

A. the originality of its appearance.
B. the balance of text and illustration.
C. the emphasis on pictorial accuracy.
D. the logical organisation of its content.

23. Why did Rob first turn his attention to website design?
A. It offered an exciting new challenge.
B. It was an outlet for his training in graphic art.
C. He discovered it was a good way to make money.
D. He found he had a particular talent for gaming.

24. The change from being a freelancer to working for a company has led Sophie to feel
A. relieved she carries less responsibility.
B. sorry she has work that is less predictable.
C. disappointed she has less contact with clients.
D. pleased she spends less time on administration.

25. Both Rob and Sophie say they find inspiration by

A. developing a heightened perception of everyday things.
B. appreciating new technological developments.
C. studying the work of other designers.
D. experimenting with other art forms.
Your answers:
21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

SECTION B. LEXICO – GRAMMAR (20 points)

Part 1. For questions 1-12, choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences. Write A, B, C
or D in the corresponding numbered boxes.
1. _______________empty, we decided to put the new freezer in there.
A. Being the spare room C. The spare room being
B. The spare room is D. The spare room was
2. By an unfortunate ___________, the tour company had omitted John’s name from their list.
A. neglect B. disregard C. insult D. oversight
3. It is not fair the way my sister is always ____________ for special treatments.
A. singled out B. picked off C. taken on D. laid aside
4. She refuses to resign, intending to weather the ___________.
A. flood B. drought C. storm D. typhoon
5. I’m very tired, what ____________ travelling all day yesterday and having a disturbed night.
A. with B. of C. beyond D. about

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 2

6. She _________ fainted when she heard that her son had died.
A. rather than B. nothing but C. all but D. near
7. Still doubtful of the success of the _________ “flying machines”, the writer mused that “comparatively few of us
have any desire to float in the air at a great height from the earth.”.
A. bedraggled B. newfangled C. credentialed D. bespectacled
8. _________ around stones that are sunwarmed, even the smallest of stones creates tiny currents of warm air.
A. The cool air B. If the air is cool C. That the air cools D. The cooler the air
9. Four miles off the southern coast of Massachusetts _________, a popular summer resort.
A. lies the island of Martha’s Vineyard C. does lie the island of Martha’s Vineyard
B. the island of Martha’s Vineyard lies there D. where the island of Martha’s Vineyard lies

Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the word CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s)
in the following question.
10. In spite of working their fingers to the bones, all the staff staff were made redundant.
A. exert themselves B. idle away C. slack off D. dawdle over

Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the words OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined words
in the following question.
11. By now the passengers were getting browned off with the delay.
A. being fed up B. being peeved C. being placid D. getting aggravated

Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that best completes the following exchange.
12. Two students are talking about the school curriculum.
- Ted: "Swimming should be made part of the school curriculum."
- Kate: "______. It is an essential life skill."
A. Not at all B. Oh, that's a problem
C. You can make it D. I can't agree with you more

Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Part 2. Read the passage below, which contains 8 mistakes. For questions 13-20, identify the mistakes and
write the corrections in the corresponding numbered boxes.
Line
1 The latest artifacts containing Chinese characters date to the Shang Dynasty, around 1250 to 1050 BCE, still
2 made it one of the earliest forms of written language. Characters etched on ox bones and turtle shells show
3 Shang kings’ writings to their ancestors, discussing everything from agriculture to the origins of a toothache.
4 And along the legend suggests, these ancient characters were mainly pictograms, or symbols that resemble
5 what its meant to represent. Even today, some of the most foundational Chinese characters remain
6 pictographic. Some characters are ideograms, or symbols that represent abstract contexts. Others are
7 compound ideograms, which combine two or more pictograms either ideograms. Even though, most modern-
8 day characters are known as logograms, and are constructed of two components: a radical component, which
9 gestures in the meaning of the character, and a sound component, which hints at its pronunciation. And all
10 characters are built from a variety of strokes, which are often simplified to eight basic types.
Your answers:
Line Mistake Correction Line Mistake Correction
13. 17.
14. 18.
15. 19.

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 3

 16. 20.
SECTION C. READING (70 points)
Part 1. For questions 1-10, read the passage and choose the best answer. Write your answers A, B, C or D in
the corresponding numbered boxes.
HOOKED ON THE NET
The latest addiction to trap thousands of people is the Internet, which has been (1) ___, for broken relationships,
job losses, financial ruin and even one suicide. Psychologists now recognize Internet Addiction Syndrome (IAS) as
a new illness that could (2) ___ serious problem and ruin many lives. Special help groups have been set up to (3)
___ sufferers help and support.

Psychologists have described many (4) ___ examples, including one man who took his own life after (5) ___ more
than £14,000 to feed his addiction, and a teenager who had to receive psychiatric treatment for his 12-hour-a-day
(6) ___. This illness is not a (7) ___ and it must be taken seriously, said an expert in behavioral addiction at
Nottingham Trent University. These are not sad people with serious personality (8) ___; they are people who were
fine before they found the Internet.

IAS is similar to other problems like gambling, smoking and drinking: addicts have dream about the Internet; they
need to use it first thing in the morning; they (9) ___ to their partners about how much time they spend online; they
(10) ___ they could cut down, but are unable to do so. A recent study found that many users spend up to 40 hours a
week on the Internet; although they felt guilty, they became depressed if they were made to stop using it.

1. A. blamed B. faulted C. mistaken D. accused

2. A. lead B. affect C. take D. cause
3. A. offer B. suggest C. recommend D. advise
4. A. worried B. worrying C. disappointing D. disappointed
5. A. gaining B. lending C. winning D. borrowing
6. A. habit B. custom C. manner D. routine
7. A. false B. imitation C. fake D. artificial
8. A. mistakes B. errors C. faults D. defects
9. A. betray B. deceive C. lie D. chest
10. A. want B. wish C. rather D. prefer
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 2. For questions 11-20, fill in the gap with ONE most suitable word. Write the answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes.
There are 214 radicals in Chinese, each with (11). __________ own definition. Some can stand alone, (12).
__________ others cannot. Radicals can appear in different positions: to the left, to the right, above, below, or even
surrounding the rest of the character. There are (13). __________ more sound components than radicals, with (14).
__________ ranging in the thousands. Similar sounding words often share the same sound component, and their
radicals help shed (15). __________ on their meanings. While many words in Chinese sound similar, just like in
other languages, context or tonality helps clarify their meaning. Over the years, the Chinese writing system has
undergone many changes. As characters went from being etched in bone, to cast (16). __________ bronze, to
brushed on paper, their script has evolved (17). __________ the way. In the 1950s and 60s, the Chinese
Communist Party (18). __________ new simplified versions of the traditional characters, which are now standard
in China, though traditional characters remain in use in Hong Kong and Taiwan. And while the Chinese character
system may seem unique, its development greatly influenced the spoken languages and writing (19). __________
of its neighbors. For example, around 60% of Japanese dictionary (20). __________ are kanji— characters that
originated in Chinese or were created from its elements. With a 3,000 year history, Chinese characters have and
will continue to leave their mark.
Your answers:

11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 4

 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Part 3. You are going to read a magazine article about work and holidays. For questions 21-28, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
As The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin describes in detail, apprenticeships in trades from printing to
blacksmithing and tailoring were a fixture in Colonial America. Then came the Industrial Revolution.
Manufacturing adopted an assembly-line process. Tasks were divided and subdivided and subdivided again into
tiny, repetitious routines or reduced to machine watching, requiring no particular hierarchy of skills. Except for
certain construction trades, apprenticeship was largely relegated to a historical footnote. In the United States in
1989, only 263,000 workers out of a blue-collar force of 35 million were registered apprentices. Their average age
was in the mid-20s.

As college - any kind of liberal arts diploma - came to be seen as the only ticket to success, the country continued
to back away from apprenticeship. In high schools, so-called shop courses evolved into a dumping ground for
students who couldn't cope with (or had little interest in) education aimed at college. The idea that schools should
prepare students to fill a niche in an industrialised society was regarded as elitist and un-American.

But today, partly because of the shortage of skilled workers and the need to revive American industry, partly
because of the failure of American secondary school education, apprenticeship and work-based learning are a hot-
button issue. An apprenticeship program combining education and work to train thinking workers for tomorrow is
now seen as one means for the United States to regain its position in the increasingly competitive world economy.
This subject was very much on the agenda of President Bill Clinton's Pre-Inaugural economic conference in Little
Rock. "The world will not long pay American line workers ten times as much to work half as hard as the
competition in the Pacific Basin," says Marc Tucker of the National Center on Education and the Economy. "The
choice we have is to become a nation of high skills or low wages."

21. What is the most appropriate title for this passage?

A. "The Evolution and Revival of Apprenticeship in the United States"
B. "The Decline of Traditional Education in the United States"
C. "The Influence of the Industrial Revolution on American Workforce"
D. "The Rise of Liberal Arts Education in America"

22. What does the term “a fixture" mean in paragraph 1?

A. A type of lighting device used in interior design
B. A person or thing long established in the same place or position
C. A component used to hold or fasten something securely
D. A scheduled event, such as a game or match, in sports

23. Which of the following words could best replace the word "relegated" in paragraph 1?
A. amplified B. eulogized C. conserved D. downgraded

24. What was the most important factor that initiated the decline of apprenticeships in the States?
A. An upsurge in college presence and academic sector dominance
B. The Industrial Revolution's simplification of tasks
C. The rise of liberal arts education and college degree
D. Unchecked growth of apprentice-reliant industries and legislative laxity

25. Why did high school shop courses become perceived as "a dumping ground"?
A. A national shift towards college education as the only success ticket
B. A decline in manual labour jobs and depreciation of vocational skills value
C. They were filled with students indifferent to or struggling with college
D. It was considered elitist and un-American to prepare students for an industrial niche

26. What impact could an apprenticeship program combining education and work have on the United States?
A. Oversaturation ofjob market leading to graduate unemployment
B. Social disparities due to apprenticeship bias over traditional education
C. A potential fall in secondary education quality and college enrollment rates

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 5

 D. Reassertion of U.S. global competitiveness through fostering a skilled workforce

27. Which of the following is NOT a cause for apprenticeship and work-based learning becoming a "hot-button"
issue?
A. the States regaining its world economy position
B. a shortage of skilled workers
C. the need to revive American industry
D. the failure of American secondary school education

28. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a cause-and-effect relationship?
A. The Industrial Revolution led to fewer apprenticeships.
B. The shortage of skilled workers led to new interest in apprenticeship program.
C. The Industrial Revolution led to a college degree being seen as the ticket to success.
D. Elitist ideas cause workers to work half as hard as those in the Pacific Basin.
Your answers:
21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

Part 4. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
Party Labels in Mid-Eighteenth Century England
A.
Until the late 1950s the Whig interpretation of English history in the eighteenth century prevailed. This was
successfully challenged by Lewis Namier, who proposed, based on an analysis of the voting records of MPs from
the 1760 intake following the accession to the throne of George III, that the accepted Whig/Tory division of politics
did not hold. He believed that the political life of the period could be explained without these party labels, and that
it was more accurate to characterise political division in terms of the Court versus Country.
B.
An attempt was then made to use the same methodology to determine whether the same held for early eighteenth
century politics. To Namier's chagrin this proved that at the end of Queen Anne's reign in 1714 voting in parliament
was certainly based on party interest, and that Toryism and Whiggism were distinct and opposed political
philosophies. Clearly, something momentous had occurred between 1714 and 1760 to apparently wipe out party
ideology. The Namierite explanation is that the end of the Stuart dynasty on the death of Queen Anne and the
beginning of the Hanoverian with the accession of George I radically altered the political climate.
C.
The accession of George I to the throne in 1715 was not universally popular. He was German, spoke little English,
and was only accepted because he promised to maintain the Anglican religion. Furthermore, for those Tory
members of government under Anne, he was nemesis, for his enthronement finally broke the hereditary principle
central to Tory philosophy, confirming the right of parliament to depose or select a monarch. Moreover, he was
aware that leading Tories had been in constant communication with the Stuart court in exile, hoping to return the
banished King James II. As a result, all Tories were expelled from government, some being forced to escape to
France to avoid execution for treason.
D.
The failure of the subsequent Jacobite rebellion of 1715, where certain Tory magnates tried to replace George with
his cousin James, a Stuart, albeit a Catholic, was used by the Whig administration to identify the word "Tory" with
treason. This was compounded by the Septennial Act of 1716, limiting elections to once every seven years, which
further entrenched the Whig's power base at the heart of government focussed around the crown. With the
eradication of one of the fundamental tenets of their philosophy, alongside the systematic replacement of all Tory
positions by Whig counterparts, Tory opposition was effectively annihilated. There was, however, a grouping of
Whigs in parliament who were not part of the government.
E.
The MPs now generally referred to as the "Independent Whigs" inherently distrusted the power of the
administration, dominated as it was by those called "Court Whigs". The Independent Whig was almost invariably a
country gentleman, and thus resisted the growth in power of those whose wealth was being made on the embryonic
stock market. For them the permanency of land meant patriotism, a direct interest in one's nation, whilst shares,
easily transferable, could not be trusted. They saw their role as a check on the administration, a permanent guard
against political corruption, the last line of defence of the mixed constitution of monarchy, aristocracy, and

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 6

democracy. The reaction against the growing mercantile class was shared by the Tories, also generally landed
country gentlemen. It is thus Namier's contention, and that of those who follow his work, that by the 1730s the
Tories and the Independent Whigs had refused to form a Country opposition to the Court administration, thus
explaining why voting records in 1760 do not follow standard party lines.
F.
It must be recognised that this view is not universally espoused. Revisionist historians such as Linda Colley dispute
that the Tory party was destroyed during this period, and assert the continuation of the Tories as a discrete and
persistent group in opposition, allied to the Independent Whigs but separate. Colley's thesis is persuasive, as it is
clear that some, at least, regarded themselves as Tories rather than Whigs. She is not so successful in proving the
persistence either of party organisation beyond family connection, or of ideology, beyond tradition. Furthermore,
while the terms "Tory" and "Whig" were used frequently in the political press, it was a device of the administration
rather than the opposition. As Harris notes in his analysis of the "Patriot" press of the 1740s, there is hardly any
discernible difference between Tory and Whig opposition pamphlets, both preferring to describe themselves as the
"Country Interest", and attacking "the Court".

Questions 29-34
Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate
numbers (i-x) in boxes 29-34.
There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use all of them.
29. Paragraph A ________
30. Paragraph B ________
31. Paragraph C ________
32. Paragraph D ________
33. Paragraph E ________
34. Paragraph F ________

List of headings
i. The Whig/Tory division discounted
ii. Maintaining the Anglican religion
iii. The fusion theory challenged and supported
iv. The consequences of George I's accession
v. The Tory landowners
vi. Political divisions in the early 1700s
vii. The failure of the Jacobean rebellion
viii. The Tory opposition effectively destroyed
ix. The fusion of the Independent Whigs and the Tory landowners
x. The Whig interpretation of history

Questions 35-40
Do the statements below agree with the information in Reading Passage?
In boxes 35-40, write:
YES if the statement agrees with the information in the passage
NO if the statement contradicts the information in the passage
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about the statement in the passage

35. According to Namier, political divisions in the mid 18th century were related to party labels.
36. According to Namier, something happened between 1714 and 1760 to affect party ideology.
37. The Independent Whigs were all landowners with large estates.
38. Neither the Independent Whigs, nor the Tories trusted the mercantile classes.
39. Namier's views are supported by Colley.
40. Harris's analysis of the press of the 1740s is used by Namier to support his own views.

Your answers:
29. 30. 31. 32. 33.

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 7

 34. 35. 36. 37. 38.
39. 40.

Part 5: You are going to read an extract from an article about modern art and whether it can be called 'art'.
For questions 41-50, choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once.

Which person gives each of these opinions about modern art?

41. Some practices have been going on for hundreds of years.
42. Some people may not have the knowledge to understand a work of art fully.
43. Certain aesthetic qualities can be invisible until brought to our attention by the artist.
44. Picasso is an example of an artist who proved his craftsmanship.
45. Appreciation of the work itself is not always the artist's aim.
46. The purpose of Art has undergone change.
47. People don't always appreciate the works of great artists initially.
48. Abstract art is generally overpriced.
49. Abstract art isn't always a good investment.
50. We can be touched by a work of art without knowing the context.

Is it Art?
A. Corinne
Art is the result of an artist using her or his skill or creative imagination for a creative purpose, to give pleasure to
the viewer through its aesthetic qualities, or to get a reaction from the audience to a wider more significant issue
outside of the work of art itself. That work of art might be a painting, a sculpture, an installation of some kind or an
example from the performing arts like dance or mime. I think we sometimes get bogged down by the notion of
'skill'. For many in the anti-modern art camp, there needs to be evidence of the artist's craft on show before the
work is taken seriously and can merit the term 'art', be it intricate drawing skills, expert use of form or an artist's
eye for colour. I'm not suggesting that an artist need not have these credentials but hand in hand with craft is, as I
said earlier, creative imagination, the ability to see the value or beauty of something unremarkable which would
often go unnoticed by the untrained eye. Much of modern art I think possesses this second quality which is why I
often leave an exhibition of modern art feeling that I've had the chance to reflect on something that I wouldn't
normally have given the time of day to. The art has engaged me, has had an impact, made me think about
something in a way that I wouldn't have thought about before.

B. Michael
I would certainly call myself an art enthusiast and have been for many years and in my opinion the modern art
world is full of second-rate junk which most of us, if we were being totally honest, would agree a 4-year-old child
could do. The idea that a slept-in bed such as that 'produced' by Tracy Emin or many of the pieces by Damien Hirst
and his ilk are works of art is hard to justify as is the huge price tag that accompanies their work. I find it
particularly galling when extremely talented people out there who have spent years honing their skills and learning
the craft of drawing or painting are completely ignored. What's more, one of the dangers of this kind of 'art' is that
it serves to alienate the mass of the population from the visual arts. The man in the street viewing one of these
pieces is left thinking the world of modern art has no value; worse still, that he lacks the intellectual ability to
understand the meaning of the piece when in fact there is little to interpret. Thankfully, one or two great artists
make it through, but I'm afraid many are lost amongst the deluge of dross the art-world deems 'art'. For me, the first
measure of the worth of an artist must be the degree of skill exhibited in the work or at the very least a pedigree of
fine art preceeding any more abstract pieces produced by the artist such as was the case with Picasso.

C. Robert
The idea that modern art is some kind of mass deception and that all modern artists are talentless fraudsters just
doesn't hold water. And I'm not talking here about the painters who for centuries have made a living out of copying
works of art and selling them on as originals. I'm talking about abstract art and the idea that the great art collectors
such as the Saatchis or Rockefellas and the great museums of art around the world, would somehow allow
themselves to be duped into paying a fortune for an abstract painting or sculpture. Are these artists really tricking
these people into paying huge sums of money for something worthless? Of course not. Though some of these
works may not appear to the layman as having any artistic merit, neither did the great impressionists or the more

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 8

abstract works of Picasso or Rothko when they were first exhibited. In the same way that great poetry can speak to
us in a way that prose never can, abstract art can engage with the audience in more subtle and effective ways than is
the case with art of a more realistic nature. So, they may get their fingers burnt now and again but I don't think the
Saatchis will be cursing the day they spent huge sums on works of abstract art. Quite the opposite in fact and in the
process of making a canny investment they have helped further raise the profile of some of our great modern
artists.

D. Janet
Here we go again: the media are once more up in arms about the latest 'is it art' shock-horror editorials following
the latest Turner Prize shortlisting. When will they learn? For decades art in many forms has moved away from
realism and towards abstraction. Ever since the invention and popularisation of photography, art has had to reinvent
itself. Patrons who wanted a perfect representation of themselves no longer needed to turn to the artist. Artists
started to struggle with the challenge of catching the essence of the thing depicted rather than simply its external
appearance. Abstract artists try to convey a pure idea, not the exact replica of the subject concerned. It's true that
some works of art are so obscure that you may need to read up on the theory behind the creation, which is usually
helpfully supplied in art galleries. But this isn't always necessary. Take Guernica by Picasso. To get a full
understanding of this painting it could be argued the audience needs to appreciate the historical context, the
bombing of the Basque city during the Spanish Civil War. It would also probably help to have a good

Your answers:
41. 42. 43. 44. 45.
46. 47. 48. 49. 50.

SECTION D. WRITING (60 points)

Part 1: Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first one. Use the word given in
capital letters and the word mustn’t be altered in any way.
1. Being uncharismatic made it hard for her to become a successful actress. (BARRED)
 Her lack of ____________________________________________________________ success in acting.
2. The manager covered up the mistake because he didn't want to be criticized. (FEAR)
 The manager swept the mistake __________________________________________________ criticism.
3. The touring company stopped to have some food before continuing their journey. (BITE)
 Having __________________________________________________________________, their journey.
4. For the audience, the effortless performance of the acrobats was astonishing. (HOW)
 The audience was _____________________________________________________________ performed.
If we want to finish before the deadline, we have to work faster (PICK)
 The deadline cannot _____________________________________________________________ the pace.

Part 2. Write a letter of about 80-100 words.

You have a friend who is a senior in high school and is being stressed about the up-coming High School
Graduation Exam. Recently you have noticed your friend have been staying up all night and then experiencing
dizziness but chose to ignore it. Write a letter to your friend expressing your concern.
In your letter, you should:
- describe your concerns about your friend’s situation
- explain why you think your friend should not continue this habit
- suggest changes to help your friend reduce stress and find a suitable method to study
Use your name and address as Nguyen Hoang Quan – 160 Le Hong Phong Street, Vinh City, Nghe An Province

Part 3: Write an essay of about 350 words on the following topic.

Some people believe that developments in the field of artificial intelligence will have a positive impact on our
lives in the near future. Others, by contrast, are worried that we are not prepared for a world in which
computers are more intelligent than humans.
Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 9
Discuss both views and give your own opinions.
Give reasons and relevant examples to support your answer.

Tiếng Anh THPT – Bảng A 10