PART ONE.

LISTENING (40 points)

Listen to the following extract from a talk about innovation, and fill the gaps in the summary
below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND / OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Are we getting overwhelmed with an always-connected, (1)_______ lifestyle, and is that going to
lead to less (2)______ thoughts as we move away from the slower, deeper, contemplative state of
reading?

The great (3) ______ of scientific and technological innovation has been the historic increase in
(4)______, and our ability to reach out and exchange ideas with other people, and to borrow other
people’s (5)______ and combine them with our hunches and turn them into something (6)______ .
That has been the primary (7)______ of creativity and innovation over the last 600 or 700 years.

It’s true we’re more (8)______, but what has happened that is really miraculous and marvelous
over the last 15 years is that we have so many new ways to (9)______ and find other people who
have that (10)______ piece that will complete the idea we’re working on.
2. s 11 – 15 (10 points).
You are going to hear two students talking about a project. Listen and complete the notes
below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Lightning safety: Presentation plan

Part 1: Planning for lightning

 Important to be prepared
 Go inside before it 11 _______________

Part 2: If inside
 Stay away from water, doors, windows, and telephones
 Turn off 12 _______________

Part 3: If outside
 Avoid trees, open spaces and metal objects
 If the lightning comes near you, 13 _______________ and cover your ears

Part 4: If someone gets hit

 Get help from a 14 _______________
 Call an ambulance
 Don’t worry: 15_______________ of lightning victims survive!
Mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other
three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.

1. A. permission B. decision C. leisure D. occasion

2. A. tomb B. combatant C. comber D. subtlety
3. A. infamous B. fame C. stranger D. danger
4. A. chaperon B. charity C. challenge D. Charlie
5. A. furl B. fur C. furze D. furier
. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others. (5ms)
1. A. fortunately B. entertain C. recommend D. disappear
2. A. assassinated B. international C. preferential D. differentiate
3. A. infamous B. insurance C. inspector D. invader
4. A. decorative B. demonstrative C. accusative D. acquisitive
5. A, internal B. interval C. external D. interpret

1. Choose the best answer.

1. Salt is manufactured in quantities that exceed those of most, ________, other commercial chemicals.
A. of all not B. if not all C. not if all are D. are not all
2. ________ Paul realize that he was on the wrong flight.
A. Only after the plane had taken off B. It was not until the plane had taken off
C. Not until the plane had taken off did D. No sooner had the plane taken off than
3. The staff pay rise was________3%.
A. in the region of B. in lieu of C. on the brink of D. on the fringe of
4. He is hideously over-educated; she is a good-hearted dunce. However, they manage to ________,
despite the cultural gap.
A. break the ice B. be in the same boat C. hit it off D. have a silver lining
5. Over 1,000 workers of the company have been announced to be________
A. laid off B. left off C. set off D. given off
6. The scheme is too expensive to be ________ at the present moment.
A. feasible B. liable C. compatible D. accessible
7. Well, we did have a terrible row but we’ve________ it up now.
A. turned B. cleaned C. made D. sorted
8. Please ________from smoking until the plane is airborne.
A. exclude B. resist C. restrain D. refrain
9. About six million years ago, the Mediterranean sea is said ________, ________ thick layers of salt in
southern France.
A. to be evaporating- deposit B. to have evaporated - depositing
C. to evaporate- depositing D. having evaporated – to deposit
10. On the island________ the only representation of the Indians’ handicraft.
A. does it remain B. did it remain C. remains D. remains it
11. It could have been a lot worse________ there.
A. when he had not been B. for he had not been
C. whether or not he had been D. had he not been
12. Of the ten beauty spots my brother visited,________ left a lasting impression on him.
A. none of which B. which none C. not one of them D. and none of them
13. The current political________ of our country is favourable for foreign investments.
A. weather B. temperature C. state D. climate
14. I can’t help thinking he offered his apology with a _______of irony.
A. touch B. spot C. torrent D. dash
15. Because of the nature of the pain, nobody seemed to be able to put their _______on the cause.
A. finger B. mark C. word D. name
16. She resigned________. No one forced her to do so.
A. for her own sake B. of her own accord C. with a will D. on purpose
17. I know it won't cost very much but __________.
A. at this point in time B. on the point of time C. at some point C. that’s not the point
18. I was _______ in a month in autumn 18 years ago.
A. taken up B. put up C. given to D. brought forth
19. What’s all this crying___________?
A. without the aid of B. in aid of C. with the aid of D. within the aid of
20. I’m afraid I’ve completely lost the ________ of the argument.
A. stream B. trace C. thread D. idea
21: I didn't know you were asleep. Otherwise, I _____ so much noise when I came in.
A. didn't make B. wouldn't have made
C. won‘t make D. don't make
22: The little girl started crying. She _____ her doll, and no one was able to find it for her.
A. has lost B. had lost C. was losing D. was lost
23: The house was empty when I arrived. They ______.
A. must have gone to bed B. should have gone to bed
C. would have gone to bed D. need have gone to bed
24: If the bride's father _____ the car for the wrong time, she _____ at the Church by now.
A. hadn‘t booked/would have been B. didn't book/would have been
C. hadn't booked/would be D. hadn’t booked/had been
25: John will never buy you a drink - he's far too _____
A. tight-fisted B. pig-headed C. highly-strung D. easy - going
26: Study much harder ________.
A. if you will pass the exam B. unless you pass the exam
C. or you won't pass the exam D. and you pass the exam
27: The _____ polluted atmosphere in some industrial regions is called "smog"
A. widely B. largely C. fully D. heavily
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word
(5) in each of the following s.
1: She was so happy when he got down on bended knee and popped the question.
A. asked her out B. asked her to be on a date
C. asked her to give him some money D. asked her to marry him
2 An organisation for Educational Development co-operated with our school to establish free
English classes for the poor in the area.
A. put away B. put off C. set off D. set up
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined
word(s) in each of the following s.
1: The major shortcoming of ASEAN as an organisation is the inability to go through many
declarations, agreements, and instruments that they have proliferated over the years.
A. advantage B. benefit C. drawback D. success
2: Most of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long was demolished in the early 20th century.
 A. rebuilt B. pulled down C. put up D. pulled up
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that best completes each of the following
exchanges.
1: Son: “I've been awarded a scholarship to Harvard University.”
Mum: “_________________________.”
A. Just kidding! B. It's up to you.
C. Good job! D. Same to you Thanks!
2. Lam: "I'm really fed up with work at the moment. I need a break."
Linh: “__________________________.”
A. Why shouldn't you take next Friday off and have a long weekend in Paris or Amsterdam?
B. I would advise you to take next Friday off and have a long weekend in Paris or Amsterdam.
C. Why don't you take next Friday off and have a long weekend in Paris or Amsterdam?
D. You're highly recommended taking next Friday off and have a long weekend in Paris or
Amsterdam.
2. Complete the following passage with the correct forms of the given words.
It was not so long ago that we dealt with colleagues through face-to- Your answers
face interaction and with counterparts and customers by phone or
letter. But the world of communication has (1. GO)___ 1……………………….
a dramatic transformation, not all for the good. Email, while
(2. DOUBT)______ a swift means of communication providing your 2………………………..
server is fully (3. FUNCTION)_______and that the address you have 3………………………..
contains no (4. ACCURATE)________has had a 4………………………..
(5.SIGNIFY)_________effect on certain people’s behaviors, both at home 5………………………..
and in business. For these people, the use of email has become (6.
RESIST)_________addictive to the extent that it is 6………………………..
(7.THREAT)________their mental and physical health. Addicts spend 7………………………..
their day (8.COMPULSION)_________checking for email and have a (9. 8………………………..
TEND)________to panic if their server goes down. It is estimated that 9………………………...
one in six people spend four hours a day sending and receiving
messages the equivalent to more than two working days a week. The
negative effect on
(10.PRODUCE)_________is something employers are well aware of. 10……………………..

4. Complete each of the following sentences with one suitable preposition or particle
1. We haven’t arrived at any decision about the matter_________ .
2. Let me assure you of my honest intentions ______________your daughter.
3. Being rich doesn’t count __________much on a desert island.
4. He was deaf ___________my requests for help.
5. The expense on the new house ate __________my savings, but it was worth it.
10. His ball control skills set him ___________from the rest of the players.
Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense or form.
1. The faulty goods had better (return) ________ to the shop by Friday.
2. This castle (must /build) ________ over 200 years ago.
3. Recent advances in human embryology and genetic engineering (raise) ________ the issue of how
this knowledge ought to be used.
4. There are two main areas in which such research (regard) ________ as being beneficial, and the first
of these is in the field of conception.
5. The second area is that of research into genetically (transmit) ________ diseases.
6. This time next week, he (attend) ________ a press conference in Geneva.
Read the passage below and then decide which word best fits in each space. (10 points)
The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci have always attracted controversy. Only 14 works have ever been
attributed to him and experts have (1)……..the authenticity of several . Not even the Mona Lisa is
above (2)…….. . The painting is neither signed nor dated and no (3)…….. of payment to Leonardo has
ever been found . Believed to be the portrait of the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco del
Giaconda dating from 1502, it has been on public display in the Louvre since 1804 . Now housed in a
bullet- (4)……..glass case , it has always been surrounded by (5)……..security .
Even so, on 24th August 1911 , it was stolen. Initial leads came to nothing and no (6)…….. to the
thief's motives or the whereabouts of the picture materialized for 15 months . In November 1913,
Florentine art dealer Alfredo Geri received a letter from someone (7)……..they had the Mona Lisa and
were prepared to sell it back to Italy for 500,000 lire . Geri contacted the director of the Uffizi
museum who arranged a meeting with the alleged vendor. 
He turned out to be an Italian carpenter Vicenza Perugia , who made the painting's protective
wooden box for the Louvre and was able to steal it because he knew the museum's (8)……... The
Mona Lisa he produced was proclaimed genuine by the Uffizi and sent back to Paris . But a British con
man, Jack Dean , later insisted that he had helped Peruggia steal the painting but (9)……..a copy
before Peruggia took it to Italy . Could it be that the painting seen by thousands of visitors every day
in the Louvre museum is a total (10)……..? 
1. A. ed B. asked C.wondered D. enquired 
2. A. suspicion B. query C. doubt D.  
3. A. receipt B. document C. record D. bill
4. A. secure B. strong C. guard D. proof
5. A. careful B. tight C. safe D. accurate
6. A. indications B. clues C. hints D. tips  
7. A. pretending B. arguing C. persuading D. claiming
8. A. routine B. doors C. working D. security
9. A. taken over   B. copied C. replaced D. substituted
10. A. false B. fake C. counterfeit D. substitute
2. Read the passage, then choose the answer that you think fits best. (10 points)
Urban life has always involved a balancing of opportunities and rewards against dangers and stress;
its motivating force is, in the broadest sense, money. Opportunities to make money mean competition
and competition is stressful; it is often most intense in the largest cities, where opportunities are
greatest. The presence of huge numbers of people inevitably involves more conflict, more travelling,
the overloading of public services and exposure to those deviants and criminals who are drawn to
the rich pickings of great cities. Crime has always flourished in the relative anonymity of urban life,
but today’s ease of movement makes its control more difficult than ever; there is much evidence that
its extent has a direct relationship to the size of communities. City dwellers may become trapped in
their homes by fear of crime around them.
As a defense against these developments, city dwellers tend to use various strategies to try
and reduce the pressures upon themselves; contacts with other people are generally made brief and
impersonal; doors are kept locked; telephone numbers may be ex-directory; journeys outside the
home are usually hurried, rather than a source of pleasure. There are other strategies, too, which are
positively harmful to the individuals, for example, reducing awareness through drugs or alcohol.
Furthermore, all these defensive forms of behaviour are harmful to society in general; they cause
widespread loneliness and destroy the community’s concern for its members. Lack of informal social
contact and indifference to the misfortunes of others, if they are not personally known to oneself, are
amongst the major causes of urban crime.
Inner areas of cities tend to be abandoned by the more successful and left to those who have
done badly in the competitive struggle or who belong to minority groups; these people are then
geographically trapped because so much economic activity has migrated to the suburbs and beyond.
Present-day architecture and planning have enormously worsened the human problems of
urban life. Old established neighborhoods have been ruthlessly swept away, by both public and
private organization, usually to be replaced by huge, ugly, impersonal structures. People have been
forced to leave their familiar homes, usually to be re-housed in tower blocks which are drab,
inconvenient, and fail to provide any setting for human interaction or support. This destruction of
established social structures is the worst possible approach to the difficulties of living in a town or
city. Instead, every effort should be made to conserve the human scale of the environment, and to
retain familiar landmarks.
1.According to the author, living in a city causes stress because there are so many people who
are………….
A. anxious to succeed B. in need of help
C. naturally aggressive D. likely to commit crime
2. The word “its” refers to……..
A. urban life B. movement C. crime D. control
3. The author thinks that crime is increasing in cities because………..
A. people do not communicate with their neighbors
B. people feel anonymous there
C. criminals are difficult to trace in large populations
D. the trappings of success are attractive to criminals
4.The word “anonymity” as used in paragraph 1 can be replaced by………..
A. calamity B. vagueness C. isolation D. intensity
5. All of the following strategies to reduce pressure are mentioned EXCEPT…….
A. limit one’s contacts B. make quick journeys outside the house
C. use alcohol D. never use telephones
6. According to the article, what is the worst problem facing people living in cities?
A. Crime B. Social isolation C. Finding somewhere to live D.Drugs and alcoholism
7.The majority of people who live in inner cities do the things mentioned in the passage
because they……..
A.dislike having to travel far to work B. don’t like the idea of living in the suburbs
C. have been forced by circumstances to do so D. have turned against society
8. Architectural changes have affected city life by…………
A. giving the individual a say in planning B. forcing people to live on top of each other
C. dispersing long-established communities D. making people move to the suburbs
9. The word “drab” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to………
A. monotonous B. inconsiderate C. colorful D. trapped
10.The word “impersonal” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to……..
A. abstract B. businesslike C. remote D. unfriendly
3. Fill in each gap with ONE suitable word.
The oldest living things on Earth are trees. Some of California’s sequoias have for four
thousand years looked (1)_________on the changes in the landscape and the comings and goings of
humans. They sprouted from tiny seeds about the time the Egyptian pyramids were being built.
Today these giant patriarchs seem (2)______remote and inaccessible as the rocks and mountain cliffs
on (3)__________ they grow, like cathedral columns holding up the sky. It is hard to imagine them
(4)_______any part in the lives of mere humans or being in any way affected by the creatures that pass
at their feet.
Lesser trees, however, have played an intimate role in the lives of people (5)______ they first
appeared on Earth. Trees fed the fires that warmed humans: they (6)_______shelter, food and medicine
and even clothing. They also shaped people’s spiritual horizons. Trees expressed the grandeur and
mystery of life, as they moved through the cycle of seasons, from life to (7)_________and back to life
again. Trees were the largest living things around humans and they knew that some trees had
(8)________standing on the same spot in their parents’ and grandparents’ time, and would continue to
stand long after (9)________ were gone. No (10)________these trees became symbols of strength,
fruitfulness, and everlasting life.
4. Read the following passage and fill each blank with a suitable phrase or sentence from the
list given. There are five extra phrases/sentences that you don’t need to use. (10 points)
Pottery is the name given to all kinds of pots and utensils made from clay and other minerals
when they have been ‘fired’, that is, (1)________. Articles made of pottery include plates, cups and
saucers, cooking dishes, wall and floor tiles, chemical storage jars, bathroom fittings, filters, drain
pipes, electrical insulators and ornaments for the home.
Pottery is one of the oldest crafts, (2)________, and long before melting of metals. It enabled him
from very early times to make vessels for storing and cooking food, for carrying water, and for ritual
burial purposes. Early vessels were shaped by hand and probably ‘fired’ in a big bonfire by covering
them over with dried grass and dead branches, (3)_______ .
A great advance in pottery followed the invention of the potter’s wheel and the kiln. It is not
certainly known where the potter’s wheel was first used, but it is thought that by about 3500B.C
potters in Central Asia were using some kind of wheel. From there its use spread west and east to
Egypt, Crete, China- (4)_________ .
At first the wheel was nothing more than a small disc, turned on a pivot by hand, (5)
_______ and providing it with a larger circular platform near the ground as well which could be rotated
by the potter with his feet. Such a wheel was probably in use in Egypt by about 200B.C, though this is
only conjecture; but it was certainly still in use in Europe at the beginning of the 19 th century.
The list of phrases and sentences
A. which were then set alight
B. covered with a very thin layer of glass
C. which have a hardening effect
D. and then to Ancient Greece and Rome
E. however, the potter’s wheel was improved so that it could be worked by a treadle
F. and shaped against the spin with the fingers or some scraping tool
G. it must be ‘glazed’
H. but later it was improved by raising it
I. hardened by heat in the potter’s kiln
J. which began to be practised as soon as man learned to control fire.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it has the same meaning as the
printed above. (5 points)
1. My brother-in-law is the most exasperating person I’ve ever met.
I’ve yet .........................................................................................................................
2. You must remember to lock the drawer whatever you do.
 On ............................................................................................................................
3. It was not until five years had elapsed that the whole truth about the murder came out.
 Not for .......................................................................................................................
4. He seems to find the way Mimi behaves more a source of amusement than embarrassment.
 Far from ......................................................................................................................
5. The film didn’t come up to my expectations.
 The film fell ...............................................................................................................
2. Rewrite the following sentences, using the word in the bracket. The second sentence must
be as close as possible in meaning to the first. (5 points)
1. His irresponsible attitude is endangering his career as a doctor. (JEOPARDY)
................................................................................................................................
2. I haven’t realized what it means yet. (SUNK)
................................................................................................................................
3. Only final-year students are allowed to use the main college car park. (RESTRICTED)
................................................................................................................................
4. The incident ruined my chances of promotion. (PAID)
................................................................................................................................
5. His behaviour was rather a shock to me. (ABACK)
................................................................................................................................