KỲ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 12 THPT – ĐỀ 2:

A. LISTENING
I. Listen to FIVE short conversations and choose the correct answer A, B, or C to each question.
(5.0 points)
Question 1. How will they travel to the pop concert?
A. bus B. taxi C.car
Question 2. What was the weather like on Beth’s holiday?
A. rain B. cloudy C. sunny
Question 3. Where has the teacher put the dictionaries?
A. classroom B. library C. café
Question 4. Where did Paul go running yesterday?
A. the river B. the field C. the wood
Question 5. What does Karen still need to get for the school play?
A. black hat B. sunglasses C. long coat
II. Listen to the recording and choose the correct answer A, B, or C to each question. (6.0 points)
Question 6. What did Vanessa and Robert decide to do last year?
A. get married B. travel to England by boat C. look for new jobs
Question 7. Vanessa was worried that____________
A. They wouldn’t be prepared. B. the conditions would be bad. C. the baby would get ill.
Question 8. How did Vanessa feel when they reached Singapore?
A. She wondered if she should fly home.
B. She was worried about the boat.
C. She enjoyed the break from travelling.
Question 9. Why was Vanessa’s father-in-law particularly helpful?
A. He was a good cook . B. He looked after the baby. C. He helped to sail the boat.
Question 10. Because of spending so much time on the boat, the baby_________.
A. learnt to walk late. B. doesn’t play by himself. C. only likes certain food.
Question 11. What is Vanessa’s advice for people sailing with children?
A. Don’t take more than one child. B. Go for a short time C. Don’t let children get bored.
III. Listen to the recording and fill in the missing information in the numbered spaces. In each
space, use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER). (5.0 points)
Transport from airport to Milton
Options:
 Car hire
- don’t want to drive
 (12)……………………….
- expensive
 Greyhound bus
- $15 single,(13) …………return
- direct to the city centre.
- Long (14)……………………..
 Airport Shuttle
- ( 15)………..service
- Every 2 hours

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 - $ 35 single, $ 65 return
- Need to (16)………………

IV. Listen to the conversation between a boy, William, and a girl, Sophie, in a music shop decide
the statements below are true (T) or false (F). (4.0 points)

STATEMENTS T F
Question 17. Sophie enjoys shopping in Birmingham.
Question 18. William feels confident about finding his way around Birmingham..
Question 19.Sophie thinks the band 521 has improved.
Question 20. William manages to persuades Sophie to buy a different CD from him.

B. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
I. Choose the word, phrase or expression which best completes each question below. (8.0 points)
Question 21. We were ______a mile of our destination when we ran out of petrol
A. hardly B. Inside C. only D. within
Question 22. Running can make your heart work_________ harder than just walking.
A. vigorously B. significantly C. generally D. possibly
Question 23. One of the most influential Virginians of colonial times, ________ in England.
A the education received by William Bird B was the education that William Bird received
C William Bird was educated D the education that William Bird received
Question 24. –“Hi, Michael. What’s going on?”- “ Nothing special, Peter ______with you?”
A. What’s up B. Have you got
C. Nothing new D. Not much
Question 25. Winning the cup in 1998 was just a____in the pan- They haven’t won the match since then.
A.blaze B.flame C. light D. flash
Question 26. The racing car after it crashed into the fence.
A. blew out B. blew over C. blew up D. blew down
Question 27. Only the ______of the building is going to be remodel .
A. insides B. interior C. indoors D. inner
Question 28 I was taking a quiet walk last night when,_______, there was a loud explosion.
A. all in all B. all at once C. suddenly at once D. once at all
Question 29. I can’t believe how cheap these shorts were. They were a real ______.
A. discount B. sale C. bargain D. offer

II. Read the following advertisement/school announcement and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer
sheet to indicate the correct option that best fits each of the n umbered blanks from 10 to 15.

SITUATION VACANT
REQUIRED (30)____ young, dynamic, smart, charismatic and friendly female receptionist for Sunrise
Global School, Agra. Attractive salary with fringe benefits. Healthy work environment. Fresh graduates
having honours or equivalent degree (31)____ English with good (32)____skills can apply by sending
their cover letter and resume till March 30 on the below mentioned id: [email protected]. For
queries, contact: 98100XXXXX

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Question 30. A. the B. no article C. a D. an
Question 31. A. in B. on C. with D. of
Question 32. A. communication B. communications
C. communicating D. communicative

Dear Valued Customers,

Please be informed that our offices will (33)____for New Year holiday as follows:
– Closing date: from Saturday (Jan 1) to Monday (Jan 3, 2022)
– Re-opening date: Tuesday (Jan 4, 2022)
In addition to our (34)____working hours, we will also be open on Saturday afternoon, Jan 8, 2022, at
your service.
We (35)____you a happy holiday and a prosperous New Year!
Thank you!

Question 33. A. be closed B. being closed C. closed D. is closed

Question 34. A. normally B. normal C. normality D. normalise
Question 35. A. wish B. hope C. want D. would like
II. Read the following passage. There is ONE mistake in each of the numbered lines. Find and
correct it.

The UK Government ensures that all schools in the UK meet certain standards, and this includes
26 independent schools as well as those are run by the Government. All qualifications are awarded by
27 national agencies accredited by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA), so that the
quality of the qualifications you will gain is guaranteed.
28 At many independent schools in England, you will encourage to take part in extracurricular activities
to develop your hobbies and learn new skills, and you may be encouraged to take graded music
29 exams offering by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, or Trinity College. The
30 exam grades gained from these are wide accepted toward university entry requirements.

Mistake Correction Mistake Correction

36 39
37 40
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IV. Give the correct form of the words in brackets. (5.0 points)
Question 29. At last our plans came to __________after months of hard work. (FRUIT)
Question 30. On seeing the snake, she gave an________cry. (VOLUNTARY)
Question 31. The editor’s main aim is to increase the paper’s _______(READ)
Question 32. All _____compounds contain carbon. (ORGAN)
Question 33. The silence was ______and premonition was in the air. (EARTH)

READING
I. Read the following passage and write the letter A, B, C, D, E or F on your answer sheet to indicate
the correct option for each of the blanks from 41 to 45. (THERE ARE MORE OPTIONS THAN
NEEDED) (5.0 points)
Fruit fret will send children bananas

My son didn't want to go to after school club the other day. Why? I wondered ‘They give me snacks there
that aren't very healthy’ he replied, his young face creased into a deep frown. ‘Once they gave me some
pizza and I had a hot-dog another time. That's not very good, is it, mummy? So I'll ask for just fruit from
now on.’

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(41)_______I, however, am slightly less happy, because David is just five and a half years old. Yet, here
he is fretting about what he eats, when he's really at an age when his only worry should be where his next
Power Rangers toy is coming from or what time the next episode of Sponge Bab begins.
(42)_____ Now at primary school, he often arrives home with the latest healthy eating leaflet.
Two weeks ago he trotted home with a container that looked like something an industrial laboratory
would use for storing chemicals. (43)________ No milk, no fresh fruit juice - heaven forbid no Sunny D.
On one hand that's no bad thing, because of course as a parent I'm deeply concerned about what my
children eat. (44)______I am horrified at figures that show the obesity levels in 2 to 4-year-olds have
doubled in eight years.
But I can’t help but wonder what all this lecturing and well-intentioned advice might be doing to such
impressionable young minds. Is it just possible our adult tut-tutting over an occasional iced bun or slice
of pizza means we are in danger of rearing a generation of children who see what they eat as a source of
guilt, stress and worry - exactly the kinds of emotions so frequently linked to adult eating disorders,
obesity and obsession?
(45)______ But, just as the experts tell us that balance is the key to a healthy lifestyle, perhaps the time
has come to strike the right balance with the messages we send our children.

A. No one could possibly deny that our eating habits need to be addressed.
B. There was also a letter explaining this was his water bottle and children should no longer bring
anything other than water to drink at playtime.
C. No doubt his understanding of what constitutes an unhealthy snack would make any dietician
whoop with delight.
D. There is another element to all of this - the one that all the experts stress is the key component
to a healthy lifestyle - exercise.
E. Ever since nursery, David has been regularly bombarded with the ‘healthy eating’ message:
choose fruit not fries, sweets are bad, cakes make you fat, pizza kills.
G. Naturally, I want them to grow up healthily and to appreciate freshly prepared food.

II. The passage 2 has five paragraphs (46-50). Choose the correct Headings for each paragraph 1-5
from the list of headings (A-H) below. (THERE ARE MORE OPTIONS THAN NEEDED). (5.0
points).

List of Headings
i The difficulties of talking about smells
ii The role of smell in personal relationships
iii Future studies into smell
iv The relationship between the brain and the nose
vi Why our sense of smell is not appreciated
vii Smell is our superior sense
viii The relationship between smell and feelings

Question 46 Paragraph A____________

Question 47 Paragraph B____________
Question 48 Paragraph C____________
Question 49 Paragraph D____________

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Question 50 Paragraph E____________

The meaning and power of smell

The sense of smell, or olfaction, is powerful. Odours affect us on a physical, psychological and social
level. For the most part, however, we breathe in the aromas which surround us without being consciously
aware of their importance to us. It is only when the faculty of smell is impaired for some reason that we
begin to realise the essential role the sense of smell plays in our sense of well - being

A A survey conducted by Anthony Synott at Montreal's Concordia University asked participants to

comment on how important smell was to them in their lives. It became apparent that smell can evoke
strong emotional responses. A scent associated with a good experience can bring a rush of joy, while a
foul odour or one associated with a bad memory may make us grimace with disgust. Respondents to the
survey noted that many of their olfactory likes and dislikes were based on emotional associations. Such
associations can be powerful enough so that odours that we would generally label unpleasant become
agreeable, and those that we would generally consider fragrant become disagreeable for particular
individuals. The perception of smell, therefore, consists not only of the sensation of the odours
themselves, but of the experiences and emotions associated with them .

B Odours are also essential cues in social bonding. One respondent to the survey believed that there is no
true emotional bonding without touching and smelling a loved one. In fact, infants recognise the odours
of their mothers soon after birth and adults can often identify their children or spouses by scent. In one
well-known test, women and men were able to distinguish by smell alone clothing worn by their marriage
partners from similar clothing worn by other people. Most of the subjects would probably never have
given much thought to odour as a cue for identifying family members before being involved in the test,
but as the experiment revealed, even when not consciously considered, smells register.

C In spite of its importance to our emotional and sensory lives , smell is probably the most undervalued
sense in many cultures. The reason often given for the low regard in which smell is held is that, in
comparison with its importance among animals, the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped.
While it is true that the olfactory powers of humans are nothing like as fine as those possessed by certain
animals, they are still remarkably acute. Our noses are able to recognise thousands of smells, and to
perceive odours which are present only in extremely small quantities .

D Smell, however, is a highly elusive phenomenon. Odours, unlike colours, for instance, cannot be
named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn't exist. ‘It smells like…,’ we
have to say when describing an odour, struggling to express our olfactory experience. Nor can odours be
recorded: there is no effective way to either capture or store them over time. In the realm of olfaction, we
must make do with descriptions and recollections. This has implications for olfactory research.

E Most of the research on smell undertaken to date has been of a physical scientific nature. Significant
advances have been made in the understanding of the biological and chemical nature of olfaction, but
many fundamental questions have yet to be answered. Researchers have still to decide whether smell is
one sense or two - one responding to odours proper and the other registering odourless chemicals in the
air. Other unanswered questions are whether the nose is the only part of the body affected by odours, and
how smells can be measured objectively given the non-physical components. Questions like these mean
that interest in the psychology of smell is inevitably set to play an increasingly important role for
researchers.

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III. Read the passage bellow and decide which option A, or B, C, D best fits each space. (10 points)
Over the past thirty years or so

Over the past thirty years or so, the methods used for collecting money from the public to (51)______ the
developing world have changed out of all recognition, along with the gravity of the problems faced, and
the increasing awareness among the population that something must be done. At the beginning of this
period, it would have been common to put (52)_______ in a collecting box, perhaps on the street or at
church, or to receive a small ‘flag’ to wear in the lapel. The 1960s saw the development of shops which
sold secondhand goods, (53)_____ by the public, and which also began to sell articles manufactured in
the developing world in projects set up by the parent charity, to guarantee a fair income to local people.
The next development was probably the charity event, in which participants were (54)_____ to run,
cycle, swim and what have you, and collected money from friends and relatives according to how far or
long they managed to keep going. The first hint of what was to become the most successful means of
(55)_______ money was the charity record, where the artists donated their time and talent and the
proceeds from sales went to a good - cause. This was perhaps a reflection of the fact that young people
felt increasingly concerned about the obvious differences between (56)________ in Europe and the
United States, and that in most of Africa and Asia, and this concern was reflected in songs besides being
clearly shown on television. The problems were becoming hard to (57)________ . but a feeling of
frustration was building up. Why was so little being done? The huge success of Band Aid, and
subsequent televised concerts, reflected the (58) _______of the media, and of music in particular but also
differed in style from other events. People phoned up in their thousands on the day and pledged money
by (59)________ their credit card numbers. (60)________, if you have enough money to buy CDs and a
stereo player, you can afford something for the world’s starving children.
Question 51. A. finance B. aid C. pay D. loan
Question 52. A. this B. money C. them D. funds
Question 53. A. donated B. freed C. offered D. awarded
Question 54. A. sponsored B. invited C. required D. used
Question 55. A. borrowing B. such C. further D. raising
Question 56. A. being B. life C. them D. lifestyles
Question 57. A. avoid B. understand C. define D. implement
Question 58. A. mass B. ability C. style D. power
Question 59. A. mentioning B. quoting C. affirming D. recalling
Question 60. A. Anyway B. After all C. Although D. At any rate

IV. Read the passage below and choose the best answer to each question. (10 points)
Millions of people are using cellphones today. In many places, it is actually considered unusual not to
use one. In many countries, cellphones are very popular with young people. They find that the phones are
more than a means of communication-having a mobile phone shows that they are cool and connected.
The explosion in mobile phone use around the world has made some health professionals worried.
Some doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of
mobile phones. In England, there has been a serious debate about this issue. Mobile phone companies are
worried about the negative publicity of such ideas. They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are
bad for your health.
On the other hand, medical studies have shown changes in the brain cells of some people who use
mobile phones. Signs of change in the tissues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning
equipment. In one case, a traveling salesman had to retire at young age because of serious memory loss.

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He couldn’t remember even simple tasks. He would often forget the name of his own son. This man used
to talk on his mobile phone for about six hours a day, every day of his working week, for a couple of
years. His family doctor blamed his mobile phone use, but his employer’s doctor didn’t agree.
What is it that make mobile phones potentially harmful? The answer is radiation. High-tech
machines can detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones. Mobile phone companies agree
that there is some radiation, but they say the amount is too small to worry about.
As the discussion about their safety continues, it appears that it’s best to use mobile phones less
often. Use your regular phone if you want to talk for a long time. Use your mobile phone only when you
really need it. Mobile phones can be very useful and convenient, especially in emergencies. In the future,
mobile phones may have a warning label that says they are bad for your health. So for now, it’s wise not
to use your mobile phone too often.

Question 61, According to the passage, cellphones are especially popular with young people because __.
A. they are indispensable in everyday communications B. they make them look more stylish
C. they keep the users alert all the time D. they cannot be replaced by regular phones.
Question 62, The changes possibly caused by the cellphones are mainly concerned with ____________.
A. the mobility of the mind and the body B. the smallest units of the brain
C. the arteries of the brain D. the resident memory
Question 63, The word “means” in the passage most closely means_____________________.
A. meanings B. expression
C. method D. transmission
Question 64, The word “potentially” in the passage most closely means__________________.
A. obviously B. possibly
C. certainly D. privately
Question 65, “Negative publicity” in the passage most likely means_____________________.
A. information on the lethal effects of cellphones
B. widespread opinion about bad effects of cellphones
C. the negative public use of cellphones
D. poor ideas about the effects of cellphones
Question 66, Doctors have tentatively concluded that cellphones may____________________.
A. damage their users’ emotions B. cause some mental malfunction
C. change their users’ temperament D. change their users’ social behaviours
Question 67, The man mentioned in the passage, who used his cellphone too often, _________.
A. suffered serious loss of mental ability B. could no longer think lucidly
C. abandoned his family D. had a problem with memory
Question 68, According to the passage, what makes mobile phones potentially harmful______.
A. their radiant light B. their power of attraction
C. their raiding power D. their invisible rays
Question 69, According to the writer, people should_____________________.
A. only use mobile phones in urgent cases B. only use mobile phones in medical emergencies
C. keep off mobile phones regularly D. never use mobile phones in all cases
Question 70, The most suitable title of the passage could be_________________.
A. The Reasons why Mobile Phones are Popular B. Technological Innovations and Their Price
C. The Way Mobile Phones Work D. Mobile phones: A Must of Our Time

D. WRITING
I. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the

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sentence printed before it. (5.0 points)
Question 71. Absolute secrecy was crucial to the success of the mission.
→ Without_____________________________________________________________.
Question 72. A waiter spilled soup over Lydia’s new dress last night.
→ Lydia _____________________________________________________________.
Question 73. We regret to inform you that your application has not been successful.
 Much__________________________________________________________________.
Question 74. It would have been a superb weekend if it hadn’t been for the weather.
 But__________________________________________________________________
Question 75. She explained her behaviour to me implausibly.
She gave_________________________________.

II. You have seen an advertisement in an English newspaper for a job working in the City Museum
shop during the holidays. You decide to apply for the job. In about 120 words, write a letter to the
director of the Museum. (10 points)
In your letter:
 introduce yourself
 explain what experience and special skills you have
 explain why you are interested in the job
 …

III. (15 points)

Write an essay (at least 200 words) about the following topic:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should begin learning a foreign
language as soon as they start school. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

THE END