TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC VINH KỲ THI CHỌN ĐỘI TUYỂN HSG QUỐC GIA

TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NĂM HỌC 2023-2024

MÔN THI: TIẾNG ANH

Thời gian làm bài: 180 phút

Họ và tên học sinh: …………………………………………..……. Số báo danh………………..

Ngày sinh: …………………………………...………………………
Điểm bài thi Họ, tên và chữ ký Họ tên và chữ ký Mã phách
Giám thị 1 Giám thị 2

(Đề thi gồm 16 trang)

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SECTION A. LISTENING (50pts)

HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI NGHE HIỂU
- Bài nghe gồm 4 phần. Mỗi phần thí sinh được nghe 2 lần.
- Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh đã có trong bài nghe.
Part 1. For questions 1-5, listen to part of a conversation between two colleagues about a marketing
campaign they have developed for a client and decide whether these statements are True (T), False (F), or
Not Given (NG). Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. The woman says that the response from the client was completely negative.
2. The man thinks the campaign fails to mention the key features of the product.
3. The woman believes that the marketing campaign makes false claims about the product.
4. According to the woman, the new concept focuses more on product safety.
5. The man is receptive to combining the original and new concept.
Your answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Part 2. For questions 6-10, listen to a a short talk on what deforestation is and answer the questions. Write
NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS taken from the recording for each answer in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided.
6. What can deforestation be called when it benefits few at the expense of the many?
7. What is an example given as a kind of non-food crops?
8. In Brazil, what do farmers deforest for?
9. Apart from massive industrial scale deforestation, how are forests cleared?
10. How many species go extinct around the world every year?
Your answers
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

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Part 3. For questions 11-15, listen to part of a discussion in which two educationalists, David Shaw and
Anoushka Patel, talk about education standards in the UK, and 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.
(10 points)
11. What criticism does Anoushka make of primary school education?
A. It has remained the same for too long. B. The teachers are inadequately prepared.
C. It is not sufficiently varied. D. Pupils no longer find it enjoyable.
12. According to the statistics David quotes, the secondary school exam results pupils achieve
A. have caused the national average to fall dramatically.
B. cannot be directly compared to those of foreign pupils.
C. do not reflect the true level of education in the UK.
D. can be accurately predicted when they leave primary school.
13. Anoushka says that pupils who perform poorly do so because
A. they lack the ability to concentrate in class.
B. education is not a top priority for them.
C. teachers are unable to provide them with enough attention.
D. it is impossible for their parents to buy books.
14. David claims that universities are guilty of
A. ignoring the advice given by the Department of Education.
B. making it easier for students to get good degrees.
C. accepting too many applications from school leavers.
D. exaggerating the quality of teaching they offer.
15. Anoushka makes the point that universities in the UK
A. have adapted to meet the needs of society.
B. should not have to answer questions about their policies.
C. have maintained a traditional approach to education.
D. are still considered to be the best in the world.
Your answers
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Part 4: For questions 16-25, listen to a talk about Koalas and supply the blanks with the missing
information. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording for each answer in the
spaces provided. (20 points)
Koalas are being particularly (16)._______________ in New South Wales as their habitats are being destroyed.
Koala seems to be (17). ________________ and probably quite hungry.
It is estimated that hundreds of koalas have died in (18).________ raging in Eastern Australia since September.
Over (19) ________ koalas have been admitted by the region's Port Macquarie Koala Hospital so far this year.
While the disaster has inflicted serious damage on the animal, the support from the public has been
(20).________________.
The number of visitors coming to the Koala Hospital over the last 5-6 weeks has been (21) _____________.
A large amount of money has been set aside to help (22).________________ koalas.
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There are concerns that a new heat wave could further intensify the raging (23) .________________.
Very little would actually survive in there (24) ______________
Rising temperatures, which dry out their habitats, deforestation and disease are (25).________________.
16. 17.
18. 19.
20. 21.
22. 23.
24. 25.

II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (20 points)

Part 1: Choose the correct answer for each of the following sentences: (10 pts)
1. The government has agreed to _______ an additional £5 million to schools in underprivileged regions.
A. dole out B. tip off C. crack down D. toss off
2. Let me know of any pertinent developments, keep me in the ______.
A. sphere B. ring C. circle D. loop
3. Having lost her home, Lucy got ______ a gang of people who hang around causing trouble.
A. in with B. up to C. on with D. by on
4. Although usually quite compassionate, the receptionist made a ______ remark that took her colleagues by
surprise.
A. crooked B. cautious C. corrupt D. callous
5. Julie felt unfairly ______ when she spoke out against a company proposal and the entire staff team turned
against her.
A prosecuted B. persecuted C. oppressed D. suppressed
6. My first impression of Vanessa was that she was very charming and ______; she seemed totally at ease with
people.
A. exuberant B. urbane C. aloof D. compassionate
7. Charlotte ______ the new girl immediately, within hours of meeting each other they were best of friends.
A. took issue with B. took heart from C. took a shine to D. took his hat off to
8. Parents often have to ______ large amounts of money so their children can take part in extracurricular sports
activities.
A. mark down B. rung up C. shell out D. stock up
9. Our English teacher had a high opinion of herself and would always ______ into class as if she were a queen.
A. sprint B. skip C. strut D. stride
10. Apart from one or two ______ of brilliance from Owen, England put on a rather poor performance.
A. Flashes B. spells C. storms D. strokes

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

Part 2: Write the correct form of each bracketed word in the following passage. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes (10pts)
IS IT WORTH IT?
It is (0) …commonly… believed that a break from everyday routine can only do 0.COMMON
you good. Every summer, you can spot prospective (11) ………….. at airports and 11.HOLDAY

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waiting for car ferries. They are (12) ………… - you can tell them a mile away by 12.MISTAKE
their sun hats and hopeful expressions. For all their optimism, what often actually
happens can be a rude (13) ……………. from the blissful holiday dreams of the rest 13.WAKE
of the year. Sunburn, mosquitoes and (14) ………….. expenses can make you think 14.FORESEE
twice about how (15) ………….. getting away from it all really is. The fact is, the 15.BENEFIT
(16) …………… of something going wrong is maximized when you are abroad 16.LIKELY
and, 17.FORTUNE
(17) …………….., your ability to deal with crisis and catastrophe is often 18.FAMILIAR
minimized. This could be because of language problems, (18) ………….. with the
culture, or simply a different climate, all of which make everything seem different 19.DOUBT
and unreal. So, what is the answer? (19) ……………., an annual escape from 20.WISE
normal working life is a very positive thing. However, the (20) ……………. of
seeking an exotic location is questionable when you think of all the things that can
go wrong.

Your answers:
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

SECTION C. READING (60 points)

Part 1. For questions 1 – 10, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (10 pts)
More people today are embracing vegetarianism not only as a healthier way of life than meat eating but also as
1______ wasteful of resources. I’d go along with the 2______ reason, and while I’d 3______ as soon eat a nut
roast as roast beef, I do endorse the idea of a balanced diet. We all know that vegetables 4______ aren’t as rich
in some of the essential nutrients as meat products, and while these may 5______ be found in nuts and cheese,
many of us would be better 6______ eating fish or chicken for health purposes as they are less calorific. It’s
true that some of the fruit and vegetables that are considered ‘superfoods’ are much easier to find these days,
but many argue that they aren’t 7______ super as to provide all the nutrients we need. As humans we are
obviously able to exist on a limited diet, and perhaps we should have taken that on 8______ more and dedicated
less land and fewer resources to breeding animals for meat, but the more 9______ our diet, the easier it is to
10______ in everything we need for our health.

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

Part 2. For questions 11 – 23, 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. (13pts)

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 Assessing the risk
A
As a title for a supposedly unprejudiced debate on scientific progress, “Panic attack: interrogating our obsession
with risk” did not bode well. Held last week at the Royal Institution in London, the event brought together
scientists from across the world to ask why society is so obsessed with risk and to call for a “more rational”
approach. “We seem to be organising society around the grandmotherly maxim of ‘better safe than sorry’,”
exclaimed Spiked, the online publication that organised the event. “What are the consequences of this
overbearing concern with risks?”
B
The debate was preceded by a survey of 40 scientists who were invited to describe how awful our lives would
be if the “precautionary principle” had been allowed to prevail in the past. Their response was: no heart surgery
or antibiotics, and hardly any drugs at all; no aeroplanes, bicycles or high-voltage power grids; no
pasteurisation, pesticides or biotechnology; no quantum mechanics; no wheel; no “discovery” of America. In
short, their message was: no risk, no gain.
C
They have absolutely missed the point. The precautionary principle is a subtle idea. It has various forms, but all
of them generally include some notion of cost-effectiveness. Thus the point is not simply to ban things that are
not known to be absolutely safe. Rather, it says: “Of course you can make no progress without risk. But if there
is no obvious gain from taking the risk, then don’t take it.”
D
Clearly, all the technologies listed by the 40 well-chosen savants were innately risky at their inception, as all
technologies are. But all of them would have received the green light under the precautionary principle because
they all had the potential to offer tremendous benefits – the solutions to very big problems – if only the snags
could be overcome.
E
If the precautionary principle had been in place, the scientists tell us, we would not have antibiotics. But of
course, we would – if the version of the principle that sensible people now understand had been applied. When
penicillin was discovered in the 1920s, infective bacteria were laying waste to the world. Children died from
diphtheria and whooping cough, every open-drain brought the threat of typhoid, and any wound could lead to
septicaemia and even gangrene.
F
Penicillin was turned into a practical drug during the Second World War when the many pestilences that result
from were threatened to kill more people than the bombs. Of course antibiotics were a priority. Of course, the
risks, such as they could be perceived, were worth taking.
G
And so with the other items on the scientists’ list: electric light bulbs, blood transfusions. CAT scans, knives,
the measles vaccine – the precautionary principle would have prevented all of them, they tell us. But this is just
plain wrong. If the precautionary principle had been applied properly, all these creations would have passed
muster, because all offered incomparable advantages compared to the risks perceived at the time.
H
Another issue is at stake here. Statistics are not the only concept people use when weighing up risk. Human
beings, subtle and evolved creatures that we are, do not survive to three-score years and ten simply by thinking
like pocket calculators. A crucial issue is the consumer’s choice. In deciding whether to pursue the development
of new technology, the consumer’s right to choose should be considered alongside considerations of risk and
benefit. Clearly, skiing is more dangerous than genetically modified tomatoes. But people who ski choose to do
so; they do not have skiing thrust upon them by portentous experts of the kind who now feel they have the right
to reconstruct our crops. Even with skiing, there is the matter of cost-effectiveness to consider: skiing, I am
told, is exhilarating. Where is the exhilaration in GM soya?
I
Indeed, in contrast to all the other items on Spiked’s list, GM crops stand out as an example of a technology
whose benefits are far from clear. Some of the risks can at least be defined. But in the present economic

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climate, the benefits that might accrue from them seem dubious. Promoters of GM crops believe that the future
population of the world cannot be fed without them. That is untrue. The crops that really matter are wheat and
rice, and there is no GM research in the pipeline that will seriously affect the yield of either. GM is used to
make production cheaper and hence more profitable, which is an extremely questionable ambition.
J
The precautionary principle provides the world with a very important safeguard. If it had been in place in the
past it might, for example, have prevented insouciant miners from polluting major rivers with mercury. We
have come to a sorry pass when scientists, who should above all be dispassionate scholars, feel they should
misrepresent such a principle for the purposes of commercial and political propaganda. People at large continue
to mistrust science and the high technologies it produces partly because they doubt the wisdom of scientists. On
such evidence as this, these doubts are fully justified.

Questions 11-23
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage
11. The title of the debate is not unbiased.
12. All the scientists invited to the debate were from the field of medicine.
13. The message those scientists who conducted the survey were sending was people shouldn’t take risks.
14. All the 40 listed technologies are riskier than other technologies.
15. It was worth taking the risks to invent antibiotics.
16. All the other inventions on the list were also judged by the precautionary principle.

Questions 17-23
Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 33-39 on your answer sheet.
When applying the precautionary principle to decide whether to invent a new technology, people should also
the consideration of the 17…………………………., along with the usual consideration
of 18………………………….. For example, though risky and dangerous enough, people still
enjoy 19………………………….. for the excitement it provides. On the other hand, experts believe that future
population desperately needs 20………………………… in spite of their undefined risks. However, the
researchers conducted so far have not been directed towards increasing the yield of 21…………………………,
but to reduce the cost of 22………………………………. and to bring more profit out of it. In the end, such
selfish use of the precautionary principle for business and political gain has often led people
to 23………………………….. science for they believe scientists are not to be trusted.

Your answers:
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
21. 22. 23.

Part 3. You are going to read a magazine article. Seven paragraphs have been removed from the article.
Choose from the paragraphs A - H the one which fits each gap (24 - 30). There is one extra paragraph
which you do not need to use. (7pts)
VALUES FOR A GODLESS AGE

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When the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in 1989 so did the plaster cast which had kept the idea of human
rights in limbo. It was now free to evolve in response to the changing conditions of the late twentieth century.
24.
Of course, in one sense, the quest for universal human rights standards after the Second World War was an
early attempt to communicate across national boundaries, albeit a rather faltering endeavour, with its claims to
universality challenged both in terms of authorship and content. More recently, a loosening of the reins of the
human rights dialogue has ushered in wider debate.

25.
Perhaps the best known of these is Amnesty International, established in 1961. Before Amnesty, there were
very few organizations like it, yet now there are thousands operating all over the world. Whether campaigning
for the protection of the environment or third-world debt relief, any such organization is engaged in the debate
about fundamental human rights. And it is no longer just a soft sideshow.
26.
The fact that strangers from different countries can communicate with each other through the worldwide web is
having a similar effect in dealing a blow to misinformation. During one recent major human rights trial over
sixty websites sprang up to cover the proceedings, while sales of the government-controlled newspaper in that
country plummeted.
27.
The effect of increased responsibility at this highest level has been to continually extend the consideration of
who is legally liable, directly or indirectly, under international human rights law. In part, this is an
acknowledgement that even individuals need to be held responsible for flagrant breaches of others' rights,
whether these are preventing protesters from peacefully demonstrating or abusing the rights of children.
28.
It has been noted that paradoxically, in such circumstances, it may be in the interests of human rights
organizations to seek to reinforce the legitimacy and authority of the state, within a regulated global framework.

29.
Part of the new trend in human rights thinking is therefore to include powerful private bodies within its remit.
The International Commission of Jurists has recently explored ways in which international human rights
standards could be directly applied to transnational corporations.
30.

Whatever the way ahead, the lessons of the past must be learnt. Any world view or set of values which is
presented as self-evident is ultimately doomed to failure. The case for human rights always needs to be made
and remade. In a world where globalization too often seems like a modernized version of old-fashioned cultural
imperialism, it is important to query the claim that human rights are universally accepted.

The missing paragraphs:

A. This is, after all, a uniquely propitious time, as the values and language of human rights are becoming
familiar to more and more people, who judge the merits or otherwise of political and economic decisions
increasingly in human rights terms. Arguments seem fresh and appealing in many quarters where once they
sounded weak and stale.

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B. On a global scale, it is not strong states that are the problem here but weak ones, as they fail to protect their
citizens from private power - whether it is paramilitaries committing murder and torture or transnational
corporations spreading contamination and pollution.

C. The problem is that the growth of globalization makes the protection of nation states a pointless goal in
certain circumstances. Transnational corporations with multiple subsidiaries operating in a number of countries
simultaneously wield significant economic and political power and it is often extremely difficult for the state -
both home and host governments - to exercise effective legal control over them.

D. If the proliferation of pressure groups has raised the profile of the human rights debate, satellite television
has reinforced much of the content of their campaigns. The fact that from our armchairs we can all see live
what is happening to others around the world has had an enormous impact on the way the struggle for human
rights is viewed. It would not be remotely believable to plead ignorance nowadays, for 24-hour news coverage
from the world's hotspots reaches us all.

E. The results of its investigations were published in 1999 in a unique pamphlet on Globalization, Human
Rights and the Rule of Law. The issue to be faced is whether to treat these and other corporations as 'large para-
state entities to be held accountable under the same sort of regime as states', or whether to look for different
approaches to accountability 'that are promulgated by consumer groups and the corporations themselves'.
F. No longer the preserve of representatives of nation states meeting under the auspices of the United Nations,
a developing conversation is taking place on a global scale and involving a growing cast of people - for an
increasing range of pressure groups now frame their aspirations in human rights terms.

G. One of the most significant of these is what has come to be called 'globalization', the collapsing of national
boundaries in economic, political and cultural life. From the expanding role of the world's financial markets and
the spread of transnational corporations to the revolution in communications and information technology, more
and more areas of people's lives are affected by regional, international or transnational developments, whether
they are aware of this or not.

H. Not only must states not infringe rights, and enforce those rights which fall within their direct sphere (like
providing a criminal justice system or holding fair elections), but they also have 'positive obligations' to uphold
rights enshrined in human rights treaties, even when it is private parties which have violated them.

Part 4. The passage below consists of four paragraphs marked A, B, C and D. Read the passage and
do the task that follows. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (20pts)
Before 1815 manufacturing in the United States had been done in homes or shops by skilled artisans.
(A) As master craftworkers, they imparted the knowledge of their trades to apprentices and journeymen. (B) In
addition, women often worked in their homes part-time, making finished articles from raw material supplied by
merchant capitalists. (C) After 1815 this older form of manufacturing began to give way to factories with
machinery tended by unskilled or semiskilled laborers. (D) Cheap transportation networks, the rise of cities, and
the availability of capital and credit all stimulated the shift to factory production.
The creation of a labor force that was accustomed to working in factories did not occur easily. Before the
rise of the factory, artisans had worked within the home. Apprentices were considered part of the family,
and masters were responsible not only for teaching their apprentices a trade but also for providing them
some education and for supervising their moral behavior. Journeymen knew that if they perfected their
skill, they could become respected master artisans with their own shops. Also, skilled artisans did not work by
the clock, at a steady pace, but rather in bursts of intense labor alternating with more leisurely time.
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The factory changed that. Goods produced by factories were not as finished or elegant as those done by hand,
and pride in craftsmanship gave way to the pressure to increase rates of productivity. The new methods of
doing business involved a new and stricter sense of time. Factory life necessitated a more regimented schedule,
where work began at the sound of a bell and workers kept machines going at a constant pace. At the same time,
workers were required to discard old habits, for industrialism demanded a worker who was alert, dependable,
and self-disciplined. Absenteeism and lateness hurt productivity and, since work was specialized, disrupted the
regular factory routine. Industrialization not only produced a fundamental change in the way work was
organized; it transformed the very nature of work.
The first generation to experience these changes did not adopt the new attitudes easily. The factory clock
became the symbol of the new work rules. One mill worker who finally quit complained revealingly about
“obedience to the ding-dong of the bell—just as though we are so many living machines.” With the loss of
personal freedom also came the loss of standing in the community. Unlike artisan workshops in which
apprentices worked closely with the masters supervising them, factories sharply separated workers from
management. Few workers rose through the ranks to supervisory positions, and even fewer could achieve the
artisan’s dream of setting up one’s own business. Even well-paid workers sensed their decline in status.
In this newly emerging economic order, workers sometimes organized to protect their rights and traditional
ways of life. Craftworkers such as carpenters, printers, and tailors formed unions, and in 1834 individual unions
came together in the National Trades’ Union. The labor movement gathered some momentum in the decade
before the Panic of 1837, but in the depression that followed, labor’s strength collapsed. During hard times, few
workers were willing to strike1 or engage in collective action. And skilled craftworkers, who spearheaded the
union movement, did not feel a particularly strong bond with semiskilled factory workers and unskilled
laborers. More than a decade of agitation did finally bring a workday shortened to 10 hours to most industries
by the 1850s, and the courts also recognized workers’ right to strike, but these gains had little immediate
impact.
Workers were united in resenting the industrial system and their loss of status, but they were divided by
ethnic and racial antagonisms, gender, conflicting religious perspectives, occupational differences, political
party loyalties, and disagreements over tactics. For them, the factory and industrialism were not agents of
opportunity but reminders of their loss of independence and a measure of control over their lives. As United
States society became more specialized and differentiated, greater extremes of wealth began to appear. And as
the new markets created fortunes for the few, the factory system lowered the wages of workers by dividing
labor into smaller, less skilled tasks.

31. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about articles manufactured before 1815?
A. They were primarily produced by women.
B. They were generally produced in shops rather than in homes.
C. They were produced with more concern for quality than for speed of production.
D. They were produced mostly in large cities with extensive transportation networks.
32. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the high-lighted sentence in the
passage? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Masters demanded moral behavior from apprentices but often treated them irresponsibly.
B. The responsibilities of the master to the apprentice went beyond the teaching of a trade.
C. Masters preferred to maintain the trade within the family by supervising and educating the younger
family members.
D. Masters who trained members of their own family as apprentices demanded excellence from them.
33. The word “disrupted” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. prolonged B. established C. followed D. upset

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34. In paragraph 4, the author includes the quotation from a mill worker in order to
A. support the idea that it was difficult for workers to adjust to working in factories.
B. show that workers sometimes quit because of the loud noise made by factory machinery.
C. argue that clocks did not have a useful function in factories.
D. emphasize that factories were most successful when workers revealed their complaints.
35. All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 4 as consequences of the new system for workers EXCEPT
a loss of
A. freedom
B. status in the community
C. opportunities for advancement
D. contact among workers who were not managers
36. Which of the following statements about the labor movement of the 1800s is supported by paragraph 5?
A. It was successful during times of economic crisis.
B. Its primary purpose was to benefit unskilled laborers.
C. It was slow to improve conditions for workers.
D. It helped workers of all skill levels form a strong bond with each other.
37. The author identifies “political party loyalties” and “disagreements over tactics” as two of several factors
that
A. encouraged workers to demand higher wages
B. created divisions among workers
C. caused work to become more specialized
D. increased workers’ resentment of the industrial system
38. Look at the part of the passage that is displayed above. The letters (A), (B), (C), and (D) indicate where the
following sentence could be added.
“This new form of manufacturing depended on the movement of goods to distant locations and a centralized
source of laborers.”
A. Choice A B. Choice B C. Choice C D. Choice D
39. Which following sentence is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. A united, highly successful labor movement took shape during the 1815 – 1850 period.
B. Before 1815, workers took pride in their workmanship.
C. Transportation networks began to decline after 1815.
D. Thanks to industrialization, workers are well-paid.
40. Choose the best title for the passage
A. Characteristics of traditional manufacturing
B. Artisans and industrialization

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 C. How industrialization has changed the American economy
D. The history of trading system
Your answers:
31. 33. 35. 37. 39.
32. 34. 36. 38. 40.

Part 5. The passage below consists of five sections marked A-E. For questions 31-40, read the passage
and do the task that follows. Write your answers (A-E) in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
(10pts)

Napoleon Bonaparte
What characteristics marked out one of history’s greatest military geniuses?
A Napoleon Bonaparte stirs the emotions. Some find him heroic and regard his opponents as reactionary and
unimaginative. Others think him mad with ambition and responsible for many of the sins of his era. Between
these extremes there are those who find some aspects of the man admirable and others regrettable. Of course,
Bonaparte was anything but pure, anything but modest, anything but democratic, and anything but a
peacemaker. But in the end, who else that sat on a throne in Europe could claim to be? Should he be assailed for
sins that were so sadly common? What is it about Napoleon Bonaparte that makes him the object of such
unique criticism? Is it because he holds a special place in our imaginations, a place that we hope would be an
example of our better selves? Was his genius, good fortune, and opportunity enough to condemn him - not so
much for what he did, but what he failed to do? In the end is our greatest disappointment in Bonaparte simply
that he was merely human?
B Napoleon was a military genius in the strategic and tactical handling of armies and although he provided no
large scale reforms of armies (or, indeed, their equipment and techniques), he excelled at the refinement of an
art that already existed. One of the most important factors of Napoleon's personality and its effect on his
abilities as a military commander was his genius to inspire others. He believed in the maxim that ‘spirit and
drive is to the physical as three is to one’. It was through his system of awards (an appealing to soldiers’ ‘soul
in order to electrify the man’) that Napoleon was so successful in obtaining unquestionable obedience, loyalty
and devotion from his rank and file.
C The name Napoleon Bonaparte is surrounded by so vast an array of myth and legend that it is quite difficult
to separate fact from fiction. It is said that Napoleon displayed outstanding leadership qualities while still at
school. But this is undoubtedly the product of the school of Napoleonic mythology that was systematically
promoted for political reasons in 19th century France, since it hardly squares with the general picture of the
taciturn child with an inferiority complex that has come down to us. Napoleon was, in truth, a reserved child,
resentful of his peers. On the other hand, he excelled at maths – a qualification that determined his
specialisation as an artillery officer. This was a stroke of luck (one of many that Napoleon benefited from)
inasmuch as the artillery was the most prestigious branch of the army under the old regime. But the biggest
stroke of fortune Napoleon had was to be born when he was – in the age of the French Revolution. The
Revolution turned the whole world upside down and presented an ambitious young man (Napoleon was always
ambitious – a consequence of his resentment at his inferior status) with new and vast opportunities.
D No man previously ever concentrated authority to such a point, nor showed mental abilities at all
comparable to Napoleon’s: an extraordinary power of work; prodigious memory for detail and fine judgment in
their selection; a luminous decision-making capacity and a simple and rapid conception - all placed at the
disposal of a sovereign will. And no head of state gave expression more imperiously than this Corsican to the
popular passions of the French of that day: abhorrence for the emigrant nobility, fear of the ancient régime,
dislike of foreigners, hatred of England, an appetite for conquest evoked by revolutionary propaganda, and the
love of glory.
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E Psychological studies of ‘great men and women’ frequently serve as a fig leaf to disguise the absence of an
understanding of broad socio-historical processes. The study of history is replaced by trivial personal
observations. Instead of science, we have gossip. A careful study of the character and background of Napoleon
Bonaparte can furnish us with many useful insights into his behaviour. But we are left with a small amount of
useful information that can help us to attain a deeper understanding of Bonaparte. Men and women make their
own history, but they do not make it freely, in the sense that the scope and results of their actions are strictly
limited by the given socio-economic context that is prepared independently of their will.

In which section are the followings mentioned? Your answers:

the idea that an individual’s actions cannot be separated from their historical context 41.
the view that the writing of history is sometimes agenda-driven 42.
the characteristics that made Napoleon an exceptional leader 43.
the fact that Napoleon was eminently aware of the impact of morale on modern warfare 44.
the fact that Napoleon is as divisive a character as he is famous 45.
the uncertainty as to whether detractors of Napoleon simply lament the fact he had the 46.
vices and virtues of the common man
the view that Napoleon was no great revolutionary of warfare itself 47.
the notion that we are all a product of the time we live in 48.
the fact that Napoleon’s views reflected those of his countrymen 49.
the event that made Napoleon’s ascent possible 50.

41. 43. 45. 47. 49.

42. 44. 46. 48. 50.

IV. WRITING (50 points)

Part 1. Summary (10 points)
Read the following text and use your own words to summarize it in about 120 words. You must not copy the
original words.
Scattered through the seas of the world are billions of tons of small plants and animals called plankton. Most of
these plants and animals are too small for the human eye to see. They drift about lazily with the currents,
providing a basic food for many larger animals.
Plankton has been described as the equivalent of the grasses that grow on the dry land continents, and the
comparison is an appropriate one. In potential food value, however, plankton far outweighs that of the land
grasses. One scientist has estimated that white grasses of the world produce about 49 billion tons of valuable
carbohydrates each year, the sea's plankton generates more than twice as much. Despite its enormous food
potential, little effort was made until recently to farm plankton as we farm grasses on land. Now, marine
scientists have at last begun to study this possibility, especially as the sea's resources loom even more important
as a means of feeding an expanding world population. No one yet has seriously suggested that
"planktonburgers" may soon become popular around the world. As a possible farmed supplementary food
source, however, plankton is gaining considerable interest among marine scientists.
One type of plankton that seems to have great harvest possibilities is a tiny shrimplike creature called krill.
Growing to two or three inches long, krill provide the major food for the giant blue whale, the largest animal
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ever to inhabit the Earth, realizing that this whale may grow to 100 feet and weigh 150 tons at maturity, it is not
surprising that each one devours more than one ton of krill daily. Krill swim about just below the surface in
huge schools sometimes miles wide, mainly in the cold Antarctic. Because of their pink color, they often appear
as a solid reddish mass when viewed from a ship or from the air. Krill are very high in food value. A pound of
these crustaceans contains about 460 calories - about the same as shrimp or lobster to which they are related.
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Part 2. Chart description (15 points)

The graph below shows the differences in wheat exports over three different areas. Write a report for a
university lecturer describing the information shown below. Write at least 150 words.

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The provided line graph compares the amount of wheat exportation in three regions, namely Australia, Canada,
and the European Community, during a 5-year period.

From an overall perspective, it is evident that Canada was the top exporter of wheat at first, which was
overtaken by the EU community in the end. On the other hand, despite a slight fluctuation, Australia was still in
last place after five years.

Commencing with the two first countries, Canada was the greatest wheat exporter among the three with just
under 20 million metric tonnes, followed by the European Community with around 17 million. After 1986,
Canada’s wheat exports increased significantly and finally reached their peak in 1988 with a whopping 25
million metric tonnes. In the same fashion, the EU community stagnated for two years, 1987 and 1988, with
about 15 million. However, between 1988 and 1989, the European Community took over Canada and became
the top wheat exporter in 1990, figuring over 20 million metric tonnes, with Canada following sharply at just
under 20 million.

Turning to the remaining nation, Australia ranked third in 1985 with 15 million metric tonnes. After a moderate
rise in 1986, the exportation amount plummeted continuously annually until it reached just over 10 million
metric tonnes in 1990.

Part 3. Essay (25 points) Write about the following topic:

Some people say that it is possible for a country to be both economically successful and have a clean
environment. Others disagree.
Discuss both view and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples
from your own knowledge or experience
Write an essay of about 350 words to express your opinion.
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