DE ON THI HSG QG - Ngay 30-11-2024 - collected by Ms Ng.

Huong- Chuyen Anh DHV

I. LISTENING (50 points)

Part 1. For questions 1-5, listen to a talk about the complex changes of human body after death and
decide whether these statements are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG). Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. Primary flaccidity is a condition in which muscles become firm and difficult to bend.
2. Casper’s law states that if all other factors are equal, a body will take twice the time to decompose in
water than it would in air.
3. Zoroastrians nowadays choose to burn dead bodies instead of traditionally exposing them to the Sun and
scavenging birds.
4. Burial costs have increased exponentially over the years and many people can only afford simple burials.
5. The remains resulting from the practice of promession can be in organic form.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Part 2. For questions 6-10, listen to a talk about memory and answer the questions. Write NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording for each answer in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
6. How was Dr. Federik Sullivan’s memory at first?
7. Besides a computer, what can help you improve your memory?
8. Besides prolonging life, what has a full and active memory been proved to be able to do?
9. How does Dr. Federik Sullivan describe the human brain?
10. What is the function of long-term memory?
Your answers:
6. 7.
8. 9.
10.

Part 3. For questions 11-15, listen to a radio programme in which two people, Janet Jennings and Hal
Brentford, are discussing corporate tax rates 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.
11. Hal suggests that ______
A. records show businesses pay more tax than the media suggests.
B. low tax rates attract skilled workers to the country.
C. businesses pay the government a lot of indirect taxes.
D. businesses bring benefits that warrant the low tax rates.
12. Janet implies attracting desirable foreign investment is ______
A. dependent more on workforce characteristics than corporate tax.
B. not critical to the long-term success of the economy.
C. more likely if tax rates are slightly increased.
D. going to require workforce retraining and upskilling.
13. According to Hal, if business rates increased, _______
A. established companies like his might leave.
B. the country might not attract as much new foreign investment.
C. the skilled workforce might move elsewhere.
D. local businesses might struggle to compete.
14. Why does Janet mention corruption levels, productivity and infrastructure?
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A. to highlight areas for improvement
B. to highlight the negative effects of low corporation taxes
C. to suggest other factors of competitiveness outweigh business tax rates
D. to suggest where increased tax revenues could be spent
15. Hal believes that raising the corporate tax rate could _______
A. have a devastating impact on the economy.
B. cause potential investors to lose confidence.
C. have an impact on levels of corruption in the country.
D. be more damaging in the short- than long-term.
Your answers:
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Part 4. For questions 16-25, listen to a talk about the history of the modern hamburger and supply the
blanks with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS taken from the recording
for each answer in the space provided.
The hamburger, often regarded as a (16) ______ and recent innovation, has its roots centuries earlier.
The earliest known version of hamburgers contained (17) ______, wine and several seasonings. The making
of these burgers signified high-end cookery and earned them recognition in various (18) ______.
The idea of minced meat burgers officially entered (19) ______ repertoire by around 1700 and featured
largely in dishes such as roast meats.
By the end of the 19th century, hamburgers eventually appeared in America, and the name for its version
came from (20) ______.
Factory workers in the US enjoyed hamburgers that were served in (21) ______, with accompaniments like
relish and pickles.
Unlike their street version counterparts, the White Castle’s hamburgers were promoted as (22) ______.
American burgers first made their way into the UK in 1954, shortly after the country had been (23) ______.
Despite being well received at first, burgers were soon to be seen as (24) ______ and an ordinary takeout.
As the 2013’s (25) ______ shows, were often used for low-quality burgers in order to save production costs.

Your answers:
16. 17.
18. 19.
20. 21.
22. 23.
24. 25.

II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (30 points)

Part 1. For questions 26-45, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the following questions
and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
26. Those without the major studios’ huge spending ______ are not convinced by the argument that
marketing movies can double their budget.
A. force B. strength C. weight D. power
27. During French colonialism, many Vietnamese workers were on the ______ to object labor exploitation
in factories and plantations.
A. dole queue B. picket line C. back bench D. assembly line
28. The outcome was a ______ circle whereby women's work, perceived as low status, was poorly rewarded
and therefore regarded as unimportant.
A. relentless B. vicious C. brutal D. merciless
29. His driving is so bad that I always turn ______ when I am sitting with him in the car.
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A. around the bend B. in a fog
C. off his trolley D. green around the gills
30. Although it takes quite a bit of time at the beginning, once you have acquired the basic knowledge, a
quick learner like you will surely ______.
A. forge ahead B. plunge ahead C. plough ahead. D. press ahead
31. People are dying for ______ of medical treatment.
A. need B. absence C. want D. shortage
32. Next time if you happen to arrive somewhere in my ______ of the woods, do come round and have a
meal with us.
A. neck B. foot C. head D. leg
33. I only asked to move her car but she made such a(n) ______ about it.
A. song and dance B. short and sweet C. cut and dried D. open and shut
34. A whole ______ of measures was tried in an attempt to get them to give up cigarettes.
A. battery B. wood C. generation D. stream
35. No, I had no idea they were planning to reject the proposal. They must have reached that decision
_______.
A. in deep water B. in a lip lock C. among the flowers D. under the rose
36. The four-week circuit ______ will come into force tomorrow with the closure of pubs, bars, restaurants
and non-essential shops.
A. breaker B. spell C. respite D. span
37. My profession allows me to both satisfy my own curiosity about the world and also to ______ some
measure of international understanding.
A. prolong B. advertise C. promote D. elevate
38. I am sick of hearing the same old ______ in meetings.
A. plentitudes B. placidities C. pliabilities D. platitudes
39. Son: “This herb smells horrible!”
Mom: “Be that as it may, it will do you a ______ of good” .
A. power B. wealth C. strike D. visit
40. The anthology contains ______ the work of modern poets, but it includes a few significant older works as
well.
A. mostly B. most C. at most D. uppermost
41. In such a scenario, there is nothing we could do ______ than wait.
A. other B. except C. rather D. but
42. It’s a(n) ______ that women are paid less than men for the same amount of work.
A. going concern B. crying shame
C. onsite matter D. splitting headache
43. The country is an economic ______ with chronic unemployment and rampant crime.
A. lost cause B. false dawn C. dark horse D. basket case
44. Nature is rational, simple and orderly, and it acts in accordance with ______ laws.
A. ineluctable B. inscrutable C. immutable D. implausible
45. The US ______ a formal protest against the arrest of the foreign reporters.
A. lodged B. appealed C. filed D. raised
Your answers:
26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
41. 42. 43. 44. 45.

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III. READING COMPREHENSION (60 points)
Part 1. For questions 56-65, read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits
each gap. Write your answers in the numbered boxes.
Every now and then we hear someone claiming to be (56) ______ or to experience precognitive
dreams or to have premonitions about imminent (57) ______. Sometimes, we meet people who have
participated in spiritualistic seances where they have (58) ______ miraculous parapsychological occurrences
or listened to mediums making their pessimistic prophecies about the future or even using their second sight
for (59) ______ past memories.
Parapsychology or extrasensory perception which includes such phenomena as psychokinesis,
clairvoyance and out-of-body experiences is fiercely (60) ______ by its opponents finding no scrap of
evidence for the reliability of performances like foreseeing future events or (61) ______ messages without
any use of sensory means, namely, by telepathy. Nevertheless, the acquisition of information by use of
nonsensory channels can sometimes be of great advantage to those who aspire at (62) ______ the most
enigmatic questions like the mysterious cases of crime or missing individuals. Although officially the police
deny having (63) ______ to parapsychology, they do benefit from its vast potential whenever any clear
evidence is (64) ______. The psychics are then employed with the hope that their original practices will
throw new light on many cases.
Despite the growing interest in extrasensory perception and its possible applications, conventional
scientists disregard it as highly (65) ______.
56. A. clairvoyant B. supernatural C. extraordinary D. subconscious
57. A. discrepancies B. qualms C. turmoils D. adversities
58. A. beheld B. overlooked C. visualized D. partaken
59. A. invigorating B. rejuvenating C. animating D. resuscitating
60. A. dispelled B. deprecated C. deferred D. dispensed
61. A. releasing B. emanating C. transmitting D. dissenting
62. A. disentangling B. renouncing C. exploring D. detecting
63. A. support B. aid C. plea D. recourse
64. A. falling short B. laying bare C. running low D. coming clean
65. A. benevolent B. obscure C. incongruous D. irrefutable

Your answers:
56. 57. 58. 59. 60.
61. 62. 63. 64. 65.

Part 2. For questions 66-75, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word and
write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Time is the fundamental basis of human experience, and it is also the most mysterious. One of the
reasons why we have such difficulty (66) ______ to grips with time is that it is totally (67) ______. It is not
like physical size or distance, or like heat or cold, all of which we can apprehend directly through our (68)
______. In the (69) ______ of time we have to rely on changes in the (70) ______ world, or on clocks and
watches, to inform us (71) ______ duration. But even with the assistance of such artificial devices, it is
obvious that our experience of time is not always constant (72) ______ there are occasions when time
appears to speed up, and others when it appears to slow down or (73) ______ to stop. These sensations of
the (74) ______ of time have a lot to do with the activities we perform, and how boring or enjoyable we find
them. They are also intimately (75) ______ with the kind of society we live in, and the subtle ways that it
prepares us to think about time and how to use it.

Your answers:
66. 67. 68. 69. 70.
71. 72. 73. 74. 75.

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Part 3. For questions 76-88, read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
Does water have memory?
The practice of homeopathy was first developed by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann.
During research in the 1790s, Hahnemann began experimenting with quinine, an alkaloid derived from
cinchona bark that was well known at the time to have a positive effect on fever. Hahnemann started dosing
himself with quinine while in a state of good health, and reported in his journals that his extremities went
cold, he experienced palpitations, an “infinite anxiety”, a trembling and weakening of the limbs, reddening
cheeks and thirst – “in short”, he concluded, “all the symptoms of relapsing fever presented themselves
successively...” Hahnemann’s main observation was that things which create problems for healthy people
cure those problems in sick people, and this became his first principle of homeopathy: simila similibus (with
help from the same). While diverging from the principle of apothecary practice at the time – which was
contraria contrariis (with help from the opposite) – the efficacy of simila similibus was reaffirmed by
subsequent developments in the field of vaccinations.
Hahnemann’s second principle was minimal dosing – treatments should be taken in the most diluted
form at which they remain effective. This negated any possible toxic effects of simila similibus.
In 1988 the French immunologist Jacques Benveniste took minimal dosing to new extremes when he
published a paper in the prestigious scientific journal Nature in which he suggested that very high dilutions
of the anti-lgE antibody could affect human basophil granulocytes, the least common of the granulocytes
that make up about 0.01% to 0.3% of white blood cells. The point of controversy, however, was that the
water in Benveniste’s test had been so diluted that any molecular evidence of the antibodies no longer
existed. Water molecules, the researcher concluded, had a biologically active component that a journalist
later termed “water memory”. A number of efforts from scientists in Britain, France and the Netherlands to
duplicate Benveniste’s research were unsuccessful, however, and to this day no peer-reviewed study under
broadly accepted conditions has been able to confirm the validity of “water memory”.
The third principle of homeopathy is “the single remedy.” Exponents of this principle believe that it
would be too difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain the potential effects of multiple homeopathic remedies
delivered simultaneously. If it did work, they suggest, one could not know quite why it worked, turning
homeopathy into an ambiguous guessing game. If it did not work, neither patient nor practitioner would
know whether the ingredients were all ineffective, or whether they were only ineffective in combination
with one another. Combination remedies are gaining in popularity, but classical homeopaths who rely on the
single remedy approach warn these are not more potent, nor do they provide more treatment options. The
availability of combination remedies, these homeopaths suggest, has been led by consumers wanting more
options, not from homeopathic research indicating their efficacy.
Homeopathy is an extremely contentious form of medicine, with strong assertions coming from both
critics and supporters of the practice. “Homeopathy: There’s nothing in it” announces the tagline to 10:23, a
major British anti-homeopathy campaign. At 10.23 a.m. on 30 January 2010, over 400 supporters of the
10:23 stood outside Boots pharmacies and swallowed an entire bottle each of homeopathic pills in an
attempt to raise awareness about the fact that these remedies are made of sugar and water, with no active
components. This, defenders of homeopathy say, is entirely the point. Homeopathic products do not rely on
ingredients that become toxic at high doses, because the water retains the “memory” that allows the original
treatment to function.
Critics also point out the fact that homeopathic preparations have no systematic design to them,
making it hard to monitor whether or not a particular treatment has been efficacious. Homeopaths embrace
this. While results may be less certain, they argue, the non-toxic nature of homeopathy means that
practitioner and patient can experiment until they find something that works without concern for side
effects. Traditional medicine, they argue, assaults the body with a cocktail of drugs that only tackles the
symptoms of disease, while homeopathy has its sights aimed on the causes. Homeopaths suggest this
approach leads to kinder, gentler, more effective treatment.
Finally, critics allege that when homeopathy has produced good results, these are exceedingly
dependent on the placebo effect, and cannot justify the resources, time and expense that the homeopathic
tradition absorbs. The placebo effect is a term that describes beneficial outcomes from a treatment that can
be attributed to the patient’s expectations concerning the treatment rather than from the treatment itself.
Basically, the patient “thinks” himself into feeling better. Defenders suggest that homeopathy can go beyond
this psychological level. They point to the successful results of homeopathy on patients who are
unconscious at the time of treatment, as well as on animals.
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For questions 76-82, decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG).
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
76. Samuel Hahnemannn developed his principles based on an existent set of rules at his time.
77. The existence of a biologically active part in water has yet to be conclusively proven.
78. The single remedy serves to preclude the unforeseeable outcomes of remedial combinations.
79. It has been suggested that the practice of applying several treatments at the same time becomes more
common due to endorsements by scientists.
80. The uncertainty of preparations for homeopathy is perceived by both supporters and opponents of it.
81. Patients’ feelings are affected by the outcomes of the treatments they receive.
82. Abortive attempts of homeopathic treatment are used to corroborate its opponents’ arguments.

Your answers:
76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82.

For questions 83-88, complete the following paragraph with words taken from the passage (NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS for each blank).
There are three principles behind the practice of homeopathy. The first one, simila similibus, was
developed by Samuel Hahnemann after experimentation in which he observed that problem-inducing factors
could become treatments for suffering people. While marking a departure from that of (83) ______, this
principle of homeopathy was substantiated by further advancements. The second principle, minimal dosing,
serves to avert (84) ______ that can be caused by simila similibus. The attempt for its furtherance was made
by Jacques Benveniste, but controversy was sparked as there was a lack of (85) ______ in the used water.
Moreover, a result from his experiment termed “water memory” had received (86) ______ to the moment of
writing. The third principle named “the single remedy” works on the ground that application of multiple
treatments at the same time can make homeopathy become a(n) (87) ______ even when the results are
desirable.
Homeopathy is a controversial remedy. While there are arguments in favour of it, critics have
suggested weaknesses in the treatment including its components, lack of systemic design and the reliance on
(88) ______ of its feasible positive effects.

Your answers:
83. 84. 85.
86. 87. 88.

Part 4. For questions 89-98, read an extract from an article and choose the answer A, B, C or D that fits
best according to the text. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
TRUE LOVE
Love is a force of nature as unpredictable and potent as a rising storm; when it hits you, it sweeps
you off your feet with such intensity that you can barely right yourself and withstand its unrelenting power.
[■] It draws you with tornadic force towards euphoria. Just a moment's eye contact is enough to fire your
senses into a blaze of passion. [■] One glance and you know she is the one. [■] Forever more, you will
devote yourself entirely to the otherworldly apparition of perfection that has somehow materialized before
you, selflessly and unconditionally committed to her happiness. [■] Now you are completely insane. Forgive
the intervention, but this love is an animal quite so rare as to be status critical on the endangered species list.
All credit to Hollywood and its brethren for fabricating and propagating this grand facetious notion, and my
apologies for the stereotypical gender depiction.
However, let's call a spade a spade; this is nothing other than a manifestation of desire, or, to put it
more kindly, attraction; a sensation which, of course, is not to be dismissed, having both its merits and its
part to play in the initial stages of relationship development; however, the danger when we allow ourselves
to be duped by the Hollywood depiction of love is that the bar of our expectations is set so high as to all but
guarantee three faults and disqualification from the contest. Perhaps it is useful to continue with the storm
analogy a while, though, for what follows this initial burst of passion and impulse may indeed be the blissful

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calm and perfection of the eye of the tempest; however, the moment is but fleeting and trailing the eye is a
long tail that is arduous to navigate and endure.
Running with the storm analogy, the real storm here is not one in a teacup by any means, though,
because when we buy into the media's fairy-tale portrait of love, we set ourselves off down the road to
perpetual misery. If we believe that when we find the one' our certitude will be so great as to produce an
undeniable sense of knowingness and bliss, then the moment doubts start to creep in or cracks start to
emerge in the relationship, we feel a diminished sense of compatibility with our match and throw it all away
before we've really even given it a chance to work.
Although the bitter taste of reality presented here so far might sound a touch depressing to some,
personally, I find the notion that true love is reached through hard work — and not simply fate-bestowed —
refreshing, and I am far from a blind optimist. After all, it means we don't have to leave it to chance, which
should give us cause for hope. It means that if we encounter problems in our relationship, we can take
comfort in the notion that, when we are prepared to work through them, there is light at the end of the
tunnel. We are the masters of our fate.
Let me put it this way: if you pilot the love plane for long enough, you will indubitably encounter
storms and turbulence from time to time, and there is no predicting when they may happen. However, the
more often you fly and the more familiar you become with your crew and the route, the more likely you will
be able to navigate through the problems safely, so the impact of the turbulence should lessen over time.
Furthermore, there will also be, guaranteed, pure heavenly moments when the clouds disperse and you are
soaring as through perfection. These moments of magic make the challenges worthwhile. On the other hand,
if you press the ejector button prematurely, you will never know such experiences. What's more, you might
endanger yourself and you must surely abandon any other persons on the plane. Note, though, that I said
prematurely. Sadly in life, not everything can work out as planned, but we must at least give it a fighting
chance and be sure we have done our best.

89. What is the writer's main reason for using evocative language in the first paragraph?
A. To convey the intensity of the emotion of love. B. To criticize the influence of the media.
C. To highlight the rarity of true love. D. To highlight a form of gender bias.
90. Why does the writer use the example of a storm in the second paragraph?
A. To show that initial attraction has no relatedness to love.
B. To highlight the dangers of acting on desire.
C. To imply that a lasting relationship is full of challenges.
D. To suggest that love is a temporary emotion.
91. What does the writer mean when he refers to a storm in a teacup?
A. The effect the media has is very serious. B. The media's influence should not be overestimated.
C. Feelings of hurt do not last very long. D. We make too much fuss about relationships.
92. Why does not the writer find the sober view of love he depicts discouraging?
A. Because love is a tottery anyway. B. Because he is optimistic by nature.
C. Because it means we control our own destiny. D. Because we can learn from failed relationships.
93. What does the writer really mean when he talks about ejecting from the plane prematurely?
A. Unless you work at a relationship, you will never experience the joys it can bring.
B. It is more dangerous to leave a relationship than to try to work on it.
C. Wait until things are calm and you have a clear head before making big decisions.
D. Even when a relationship fails, it is not the end of the world.
94. What best sums up the writer's thoughts on love and relationships?
A. He believes that even healthy relationships have their ups and downs
B. He believes that love is not a very realistic concept and people should settle for less.
C. He is a true romantic who believes in love at first sight.
D. He is against people abandoning relationships in all but the most extreme circumstances.
95. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
After all, could there be a purer cause?
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. First square B. Second square C. Third square D. Fourth square
96. The word “euphoria” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. extreme happiness B. profound melancholy
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C. mild lethargy D. complete nonsense
97. The word “facetious” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. irrational B. insensitive C. not serious D. not feasible
98. The word “certitude” in paragraph 3 refers to a state of being or feeling ______.
A. delighted B. exasperated C. enchanted D. assured

Your answers:
89. 90. 91. 92. 93.
94. 95. 96. 97. 98.

Part 5. In the passage below, seven paragraphs have been removed. For questions 99-105, read the
passage and choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap. There is ONE extra
paragraph which you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered box
provided.
MERGING ART&SCIENCE: A FALSE PREMISE
The current vogue is for believing that art and science should be brought together. This obsession for
showing that art - particularly the visual arts - is similar to science in content and the creative processes is
bemusing. I detect in it an element of social snobbery - artists are envious of scientists and scientists want to
be thought of as artists.

99.

If Watson and Crick had not got the structure of DNA we know that Franklin and Klug would soon have had
it. Indeed simultaneous discovery is a common feature of science. If one could rerun the history of science
and start again it would have a different history but the end results would be the same: water would be H2O
and genes would code for proteins but the names would be different.

100.

Whatever the feelings of the scientist these are absent from the final understanding of a process. while art is
a personal creation and contains the personal views of the artist. And since science is a communal process a
scientist has to be very aware of what is known about the problem being investigated. There are strict
criteria about lack of contradiction and, of course, correspondence with reality. Science makes progress, we
build on the work of our current and earlier colleagues. To talk about progress in art makes no sense, there is
change but not progress.

101.

Thus, I cannot understand what is being referred to when there is reference to critical thinking in art. In what
sense can a painting be right or wrong? Anyone can have views about a painting and engage in art
discussions. Non-scientists can thrill to scientific ideas but to make meaningful comments about them, and I
exclude their application to technology, one actually has to have detailed knowledge; science needs a much
greater, and quite different, intellectual effort.

102.

It is very rare for referees to recommend acceptance without changes. This can be a complex procedure but
in general authors are grateful for the careful reading and criticism of their paper. Even so we reject about
half of all papers we receive. Paintings, however, are neither revised nor can be shown to be wrong.

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103.

The idea of creativity makes scientists want to be thought of as artists and vice versa and there may well be
something similar in all human creativity, but that it is particularly similar in scientists and artists is without
foundation. The similarity between art and science is even less than that between billiards and rugby, both of
which at least use a ball.

104.

It seems just poetic licence to suggest that this picture did much to convince European scientists that the
great mystery of life might be explained in terms of electrochemical forces. (Although it may be that Jan
Vermeer did indeed discover that more compelling illusions can be achieved through a kind of optical
illusion that makes special use of the perceptual system inside our brains, rather than through the details that
reach our eyes).

105.

Art does not explain, but it broadens our experience in ways that are not clearly understood. I value it in its
own terms, but it has nothing to do with understanding how the world works. To pretend that it does is to
trivialize science and do nothing for art. We should stop pretending that the two disciplines are similar, and
instead rejoice in the very different ways that they enrich our culture.

The missing paragraphs:

A. What are the criteria used by the director of a gallery and his or her advisers when selecting for
exhibition? Is he or she like the editor of a science journal? No, for there is nothing in art like the peer
review so fundamental to science; there are no art critics, just art writers. As the editor of a scientific journal,
it is extremely rare that my personal view determines whether or not a paper gets published. My role is to
choose a good editorial board and to know to whom the papers to be reviewed should be sent.

B. Bringing visual artists and scientists together merely makes them feel elevated: it is not a scientific
experience. Although it must be said that science has had a strong influence on certain artists - in the efforts
to imitate nature and thus to develop perspective or in the area of new technologies - art has contributed
virtually nothing to science.

C. Then of the hundreds of thousands of papers published each year, few have a lifetime of more than a few
years. Most disappear with little if any trace. The original papers, with very rare exceptions, like those of
Einstein, are never part of scientific culture and they are not for sale. Science, unlike art, is not
entertainment.

D. What intrigued me at the opening was how the exhibits were chosen. There is less of a problem with
well established artists such as Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon or Matisse. It is the very modern works that
present the problem.

E. How different from this are all the arts. No Shakespeare - no Hamlet; no Picasso - no Guernica.
Moreover a work of art is capable of many interpretations and has moral content. There is but one correct
scientific explanation for any set of observations and reliable scientific understanding has no moral or
ethical content; that is to say that the scientist does not allow his own reactions to come into play.

F. The Oxford University art historian Martin Kemp takes a very different view from mine here. He claims
that during the 'Scientific Revolution' some artists were able to play an active role in the dialogue between
seeing and knowing. He gives the fiery emissions of Joseph Wright's volcanoes painted in the late

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eighteenth century as an example. Wright's painting of Vesuvius erupting may be dramatic but it owes
nothing to geology.

G. Art is not constrained by reality. It cannot be shown to be wrong. And of all the arts, painting is the one
least related to science as it does not deal with complex ideas or explanations, is the easiest to appreciate,
and the response is often an emotional one. Ideas in the visual arts come from art critics and historians, not
the works themselves.

H. Science is about understanding how the world works, there being only one right description of any
observed phenomenon. Unlike the arts it is a collective endeavour in which the individual is ultimately
irrelevant - geniuses merely speed up discovery.

Your answers:
99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105.

Part 6. The passage below consists of five sections marked A-E. For questions 106-115, read the passage
and do the task that follows. Write your answers (A-E) in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
The Future of Interior Design
Five designers talk about the changes they see on the horizon
A Antonio Maroles
I'm optimistic about the future, actually, because no industry gets the luxury of staying the same forever;
otherwise innovation never happens. For me, much of what is changing is exciting, especially how
technology will open up the sector to more people. Interior design used to only be accessible by a select few,
whereas now it's much more egalitarian and affordable, and this will bring opportunities for designers
everywhere. Apps that allow customers to visualise designs and 'walk through' 3D rooms are going to
revolutionise how we do things, and customers will also be able to recruit designers from anywhere in the
world. All this would have been unthinkable a decade ago when all these image apps didn't exist, but they've
really opened up the possibilities to interact with clients and increase that level of personalised service. And
this gives designers far more scope to develop their own personal style, too. Years ago, everyone tended to
follow the same trends promoted in magazines and by fabric or wallpaper companies, but that approach is
dead now that anyone can create their own distinctive style, whichever walk of life they come from, and I'm
fully behind it.

B Jeannette Harrison
So many interior designers are panicking that technology is going to put them out of a job in the next few
years, but I find all this gloomy talk quite depressing and quite unlikely in the foreseeable future. The latest
market analysis is not telling us that people want their homes to go high-tech anytime soon. In fact. quite the
opposite seems to be true if you look carefully at the research. There are real concerns around privacy
connected to smart technology in our homes, so in my view the fear of technology is leading the profession
up a blind alley. What people are looking for, however, is individuality, both at the high end of the market
and the new middle-class customers who can afford to design their homes more to their own tastes due to a
wider range of prices. I am slightly concerned about the impact on less technologically minded designers
because, although it's not going to take over our jobs, clients will start to expect a basic level of proficiency
with design apps.

C Bobbi Zarkowksi
As far as I'm concerned, there's no point in trying to predict the outcomes of this period of change with any
certainty. There are all sorts of people saying that the end is in sight for interior designers because
consumers can do everything themselves online, but this is an oversimplification of the situation. There are
considerable similarities to what went on in the travel sector, so we would do well to analyse the impact of
the internet to analyse the impact of the internet for them before wringing our hands in despair. Of course,
the internet democratised travel for the masses, but parts of that meant that the type of customer changed
significantly. Likewise, interior design has always been seen as a luxury for the wealthy, but not anymore.
Whatever the effects over the coming decade there will be winners and losers, and those who survive will
harness the internet to their advantage instead of railing against it.
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D Martina Davis
I'm really hoping that the future heralds a return to creativity after this horrible period, which I affectionately
call the beige stage. I understand that it's important for more people to have access to interior design because
increased access reflects a society that has improved living conditions for its citizens. But these people
should also be given choice and creativity too, and, unfortunately, what I see around me nowadays is
somewhat of a paradox; people have a desire to express their individuality at home in the same way they do
through fashion, but this self-expression is often identical. The retail landscape is entirely uninspiring, and I
hope the next few years will see a return to innovation and creativity in both customers and designers. I am
worried that this will be at odds with sustainability, though, which I wholeheartedly believe must be at the
heart of what interior design represents going forward. Cheap furniture from unsustainable wood sources is
not the solution, so we've got to try to merge creativity, sustainability and affordability, which is going to be
quite a challenge.

E Francesca Cheng
My approach towards design has always drawn on traditional imagery that encapsulates the idea of nature
and then applying this inside the home, and this to me is where the future lies because consumers are much
more concerned with sustainability now. Based on this I can see interior design having a period of re-
evaluation that will likely result in rejecting certain materials or production practices and focusing on
innovative ways to be sustainable and stylish together. I predict a lot more design that tries to enhance
wellbeing, such as using plants for internal walls or LED lights that use a fraction of the electricity used by
other light bulbs. I also think that there'll have to be a lot more collaboration between interior designers and
engineers in order to turn these ideas into actual objects or materials that function well at the same time as
looking attractive.

Which person:
106. suggests that interior designers could upskill themselves to meet customer expectations?
107. is not convinced that it is worth speculating on the future of interior design?
108. supports the movement of interior design towards a wider customer base?
109. thinks that there is a connection between interior design and social mobility?
110. is disappointed that interior design has become bland for everyone involved?
111. believes technology will completely transform the industry?
112. suggests that interior design will become more environmentally friendly?
113. believes that the future of interior design will be comparable to changes in another industry?
114. predicts that designers will work alongside other professionals to create the interiors of the future?
115. says that there is little evidence that technology will replace interior designers?

Your answers:
106. 107. 108. 109. 110.
111. 112. 113. 114. 115.

IV. WRITING (60 points)

Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should be
between 100 and 120 words.
To detectives, the answers lie at the end of our fingers. Fingerprinting offers an accurate and
infallible means of personal identification. The ability to identify a person from a mere fingerprint is a
powerful tool in the fight against crime. It is the most commonly used forensic evidence, often
outperforming other methods of identification. These days, older methods of ink fingerprinting, which could
take weeks, have given way to newer, faster techniques like fingerprint laser scanning, but the principles
stay the same. No matter which way you collect fingerprint evidence, every single person’s print is unique.
So, what makes our fingerprints different from our neighbour’s?

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 A good place to start is to understand what fingerprints are and how they are created. A fingerprint is
the arrangement of skin ridges and furrows on the tips of the fingers. This ridged skin develops fully during
foetal development, as the skin cells grow in the mother’s womb. These ridges are arranged into patterns
and remain the same throughout the course of a person’s life. Other visible human characteristics, like
weight and height, change over time whereas fingerprints do not. The reason why every fingerprint is
unique is that when a baby’s genes combine with environmental influences, such as temperature, it affects
the way the ridges on the skin grow. It makes the ridges develop at different rates, buckling and bending
into patterns. As a result, no two people end up having the same fingerprints. Even identical twins possess
dissimilar fingerprints.
It is not easy to map the journey of how the unique quality of the fingerprint came to be discovered.
The moment in history it happened is not entirely dear. However, the use of fingerprinting can be traced
back to some ancient civilizations, such as Babylon and China, where thumbprints were pressed onto clay
tablets to confirm business transactions. Whether people at this time actually realized the full extent of how
fingerprints were important for identification purposes is another matter altogether. One cannot be sure if
the act was seen as a means to confirm identity or a symbolic gesture to bind a contract, where giving your
fingerprint was like giving your word.

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Part 2. The graph below shows the number of overseas visitors to three different areas in a European
country between 1987 and 2007.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where
relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

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

Some people think that medical service is a basic human need; therefore, it should not be run by profit-
making companies.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
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