SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐỀ THI HỌC SINH GIỎI CẤP

TRƯỜNG LỚP 10
TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN NQD Năm học 2018 – 2019

Đề chính thức Môn: TIẾNG ANH

(Đề thi gồm có Thời gian làm bài: 120 phút (Không kể thời gian phát đề)
08 trang) Ngày thi: 18 /11/2018

PAPER 1 LISTENING (5 POINTS)

Section 1: Listen to Susan telephoning a landlord TWICE, answer question 1 and complete the
gaps (questions 2-5).
Question 1: Which accommodation advertisement is she phoning about?
A B C
GLEN EDEN 2 brm house GLEN EDEN 3 brm f/f house GREY LYNN 1 brm apt,
near shopping centre and train. with garage, garden; $330pw close to shopping centre;
$270 tel 483-86152 inc bills. Phone 915-33291, $190pw, n/s only.
0273 463-1106 Ph 485 63142
NB:
- The places above are all in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Abbreviations:
brm = bedroom f/f = fully inc = including n/s = non smoker
pw = per week furnished apt = apartment tel/ph = telephone
Questions 2-5. Read Susan’s notes. Listen again and complete the gaps. (mins = minutes)
Address:
House number: 36
(2)_Arawa_____ Street
Close to:
- shops: 10 mins walk
- (3)_train station_______: 5 mins walk
Garden: (4)SMALL/YES/NO ____No___
Visit flat at (5)_____5:30___pm

Section 2: Listen to the speaker giving his opinions about beauty and choose the correct
answer.
Question 6: If you are unhappy with your appearance,
A. you’ll make other people unhappy too.
B. it will affect your behaviour.
C. other people won’t appreciate you.
Question 7: If you accept things about yourself that you cannot change,
A. you will feel more confident.
B. you will find it easier to hide these things.
C. you will feel proud.
Question 8: The speaker advises us to
A. throw away old clothes even if they look good.
B. throw away old clothes that don’t suit us.
C. pay some good advice.

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Question 9: The speaker advises us to
A. get a new pair of jeans
B. become body-builders
C. exercise because it will make us feel better
Question 10: On the whole, the speaker’s attitude is
A. helpful B. critical C. neutral
Section 3: Listen to two people talking about advertising. Are the sentences true or false?
Question 11: Vicky is watching a programme about unpopular adverts.
Question 12: Vicky remembers one of the adverts from her childhood.
Question 13: The first advert they talk about is for a perfume.
Question 14: Steve thinks celebrities make adverts effective.
Question 15: They agree that price comparison adverts work well.
Section 4: Listen to five people talking about life in the year 2050. Match the speakers with the
statements. There is one statement you do not need.
Question Speaker Statements
16 1 A. People won’t need a doctor for minor medical problems.
17 2 B. There will be a greater need to support older generations.
18 3 C. You won’t be able to get all your education through
19 4 technology alone.
D. There will be more personal choice than there is today.
E. We will be completely dependent on mobile phones and
20 5 intelligent robots.
F. There are more important things in life than technology.
PAPER 2 PHONETICS (1 POINT)
Questions 1-5: Pick out the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of
the others.
1. A. hardware                  B. custard               C. bargain                D. chart
2. A. define                     B. decline                 C. determine           D. mine
3. A. honest                     B. history                 C. hour                     D. honour
4. A. multiply                  B. simply                 C. imply                   D. purify
5. A. photographs B. passengers C. catalogues D. highlands
Questions 6-10: Pick out the word whose primary stress is different from that of the others.
6. A. absolutely                 B. photography        C. biology            D. geography
7. A. purity                        B. accompany          C. immense              D. advantage
8. A. important                  B. disease                 C. organize               D. community
9. A. documentary         B. occupation           C. competitive       D. individual
10. A. embarrassing        B. experiment          C. dependent  D.  artificial
PAPER 3 LEXICO-GRAMMAR (4 POINTS)
Questions 1-5 refer to the following note. Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) that best
completes each blank.
Lisa:
(1)_____ you were at basketball practice today, your teacher, Mr. Morris, called on the phone to
talk with you. He (2)_____ one of his other classes on a field trip to the aquarium this Saturday.
A student in that class is sick and (3)_____ to go. Mr. Morris wants to know whether you’d like

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to take (4)____ on the trip. He said that he is (5)_____ you the chance first because of the great
report you wrote about whales. You’ll need to let him know tomorrow.
Love,
1. A. So B. While C. Because D. Although
2. A. take B. to take C. is taking D. was taken
3. A. will be able not B. not will be able C. be able will not D. will not be able
4. A. that student’s place B. that student’s place is
C. of that student’s place D. that student’s place, which
5. A. asking B. offering C. deciding D. discussing
Questions 6-10: Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) that best completes each blank.
6. My teacher suggested that I _____ take many subjects this semester.
A. not B. had not C. didn’t D. would not
7. I bought a notebook computer and _____ my sister.
A. so does B. did so C. so did D. does so
8. Since _____ to the city, Mary has been living with her sister.
A. came B. come C. comes D. coming
9. Ann’s dress cost _____ Jane’s.
A. twice as much as B. twice more than C. twice as more as D. more than twice
10. Can you tell me which _____ to go to the National Museum?
A. I should take a bus B. bus should I take C. bus I should take D. should I take a bus
Questions 11-15 refer to the following part of a short story. Choose the word or phrase (A, B,
C or D) that best completes each blank.
When Dan knocked on the door of the old gray house, he was a little (11)_____. His friends at
school had said that the woman (12)_____ lived in the house was unfriendly, but Dan was sure
that (13)_____ in his yard was hers. He wanted to take it to her.
“Hello,” a woman’s voice responded to his knock. “Who is it?”
“Hi. I’m your neighbor from down the street,” Dan said (14)_____ she opened the door a few
centimeters. “Is that cat yours?”
“Oh, my goodness,” the woman said with a big smile. She pulled the door open wide. “Yes, this
is Daisy, and I’ve been worried about her! Thank you so much for (15)_____ her back!”
11. A. total B. funny C. foreign D. nervous
12. A. who B. whom C. whose D. which
13. A. finding the cat B. the cat he had found
C. he had found the cat D. the cat had been found
14. A. as B. that C. which D. during
15. A. bring B. brings C. brought D. bringing
Questions 16-20: Read the following sentences carefully. If a sentence is grammatically
correct, put a tick ( ) in the space provided. If there is an inappropriate word in a sentence,
write it in the space provided.
16. The car they had rented broke down after half an hour. __________
17. My school it is so far away that I have to travel two hours to get there. ____it______
18. The hotel is furnished with antiques which they have been restored. ___they_____
19. I felt very too happy about passing the exam and went out to celebrate. ___too_____
20. Do you want to go for fishing with me this weekend? ___for_____

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Questions 21-30: Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word given.
21. Drivers should drive slowly in bad weather, _____ if there is fog. PARTICULAR
22. Mr. Travers is retiring after a _____ career in advertising. SUCCESS
23. Traffic jams are almost _____ during the rush hour. AVOID
24. The _____ of the new office block will be in central London. LOCATE
25. The refugees fled the country with all their _____ in a single suitcase. POSSESS
26. A new _____ has been formed to combat air pollution. ORGANIZE
27. The removal of her name from the list was an _____ shock. EXPECT
28. His job is very _____ as it involves a lot of responsibility. STRESS
29. My grandfather was born in a _____ village high in the mountains. DISTANCE
30. Because there was no _____, the suspect was found not guilty. PROVE
Questions 31-35: Fill in each gap with a suitable particle or preposition.
31. Rio de Janeiro is famous _____ its carnival which takes place every February.
32. She’s always dreamed _____ becoming a famous singer.
33. An epidemic of measles has broken _____ at the local primary school.
34. Several villages were cut _____ by the deep snow.
35. English people always comment _____ the weather. It’s in their nature.
PAPER 4 READING (4 POINTS)
Questions 1-5: Read the article. Match each paragraph 1–5 (questions 1-5) with the heading
A–F that best fits. There is one heading you do not need.
Mystery book
Question 1: Paragraph 1 _____________
One of the most mysterious books in the world is the so-called Voynich manuscript. The name
refers to Wilfrid Voynich, a book collector who bought the manuscript in Italy in 1912. We do
not know who wrote the manuscript or why, but scientific analysis shows that it probably dates
from the fifteenth century and was written in northern Italy. Attempts to trace the history of the
manuscript have identified some of its previous keepers, but have opened up more questions than
they have answered.
Question 2: Paragraph 2 _____________
The book is about 240 pages long and appears to have six main parts. It is richly illustrated with
pictures of plants, animals, people and stars. There are many theories about the subject matter of
the manuscript. The pictures suggest that the manuscript may be a handbook for doctors working
with herbs, but no one knows for sure. Why is that the case? Because no-one can read it!
Question 3: Paragraph 3 _____________
The book was written in a language that nobody has been able to read, using letters that nobody
recognises. Many people think the book is written in code, but even the most experienced code-
breakers have been unable to translate it. Experts have identified about 30 recurring letters or
symbols that may correspond to an encoded alphabet; however, there are also a number of letters
or symbols that appear only once or twice in the whole book. There appear to be nearly 35,000
‘words’ in the manuscript.
Question 4: Paragraph 4 _____________
Experts usually agree that the first section is about plants, and that the first word on each page is
the name of a plant. This section follows the pattern of medieval herbal guides with descriptions
and careful illustrations. But this does not make it easier to understand the manuscript because
nobody recognises the plants. Some look familiar, but the pictures often show peculiar details

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that don’t match any known plants, or they combine the roots of one plant with the flowers, fruit
and leaves of other species.
Question 5: Paragraph 5 _____________
Some people suggest the book must have been a kind of trick or hoax and that the reason we
cannot understand it is that it doesn’t mean anything. Others argue that it can’t have been just a
joke because writing 240 pages and drawing the complex pictures must have taken months and
been a lot of hard work. One theory is that someone with a mental illness wrote the book, and
that it is a product of his or her imagination. We may never know, but the Voynich manuscript
continues to be one of the world’s greatest mysteries.
Question Paragraph Heading
1 1 A. An overview of the structure
2 2 B. A challenging puzzle
C. Just a load of nonsense?
3 3
D. Origins and owners
4 4 E. A magical garden?
5 5 F. The author’s identity

Questions 6-10: Read the passage and answer the questions. For each question, choose the
answer which you think fits best according to the text.
Most city parks are places where you can escape from big, ugly structures of metal and stone.
The Manhattan High Line is different. Raised 25 feet above the ground, this massive metal
structure once supported a rail line. The line opened in 1934 to bring trains directly into factories
and warehouses. It was hardly used after the 1960s, and much of it was torn down. However, one
stretch remained in a region of Manhattan called Chelsea. Chelsea was becoming more and more
upmarket as restaurants, art galleries and apartments were built, but the ugly railway structure
remained as a dead weight. Everyone knew that at some time, it would have to be removed. 

But the High Line was not destroyed. In fact, now the old rail line serves as one of the most
peaceful places in the city. It holds an elevated park, with carefully tended gardens, a promenade
and great views of the city. The idea to convert the rail line into a park came from Joshua David
and Robert Hammond. In 1999, they attended a community meeting to decide the fate of the
High Line. David and Hammond were the only people at the meeting interested in saving the
historical structure. Later on, when they asked railway officials to take them up to look at the
High Line, they saw a mile and a half of wild flowers growing in the middle of the city, and they
realised that the High Line had potential to become a park. There was growing interest in
improving urban centers, and so the project quickly gathered momentum and funds for
construction were easily obtained.
The first section of the High Line opened in 2009 and immediately became popular with tourists
and locals alike. Each part of the park has a different atmosphere. Some areas are like balconies
with wonderful city views. Where the rail line goes between buildings, trees are densely planted.
Other sections have wide lawns and walkways planted with wild flowers. Only the final section
remains the way it has been for the last fifty years – a railway line overgrown with weeds.
6.  What is the passage about?
A. The closure of a train line.  B. Improving city transport. 
C. An unlikely place for a park.  D. Restoring a historical monument. 
7.  Which of the following is NOT true about the High Line?

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A. It is situated above ground level.  B. Only part of the line remains. 
C. It is now a popular park.  D. Trains still use the line. 
8.  A dead weight (paragraph 1) is…
A. something useless which slows progress.  B. something with potential to be better. 
C. something with historical interest.  D. something which is a danger to people. 
9.  According to the passage, why did David and Hammond originally want to save the High
Line?
A. They thought it would make a good park.  B. They thought it had historical value. 
C. They wanted to reopen the train line.  D. They were interested in improving the city. 
10.  The last paragraph emphasizes that the park is…
A. popular with tourists.  B. similar to how it used to be. 
C. like natural countryside.  D. varied in its design. 
Questions 11-15: Read the passage and answer the questions. For each question, choose the
answer which you think fits best according to the text.
Jenny found her old bicycle at the back of the garage. It was a lot smaller than she remembered.
When she sat on it and put her feet on the pedals, her knees nearly touched her chin. She put it
back sadly and went inside the house. Her dad was working on his computer in the study.
‘Dad, can I get a new bicycle?’ asked Jenny.
‘Sure,’ said Jenny’s dad. ‘Cycling is good for you. You can get one for your birthday.’
‘But my birthday isn’t for months!’ cried Jenny. ‘Everyone at school has a bike. They all go to
the park after school together. I want to go too!’
‘Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t afford a bicycle now,’ said dad. ‘Why don’t you work and earn some
money? You can save up for a bicycle yourself.’
Jenny was thoughtful.
‘I’m very busy now,’ dad went on. ‘I don’t have time to cut the grass. If you do that, I’ll give you
five dollars.’
‘Okay,’ said Jenny. She went to the garage and got the lawnmower. She hadn’t used it before. It
was quite heavy and difficult to push, but soon the grass was cut. She was putting the lawnmower
away when her neighbor, Mrs. Watkins, looked over the wall. 
‘You did a good job there! Can you mow my lawn too?’ said Mrs. Watkins. ‘I’ll give you ten
dollars!’
‘Sure!’ said Jenny. ‘I’ll come right away!’
That night Jenny went on the computer. She wrote ‘Gardening and Housework – Ten dollars an
hour. Call Jenny at 23 Roseville Lane.’ She decorated the page with pictures of cleaning and
gardening equipment. She printed it fifty times. Then she posted the pages through all the doors
on her street.
That week, Jenny was very busy! Lots of people had jobs to do, but they didn’t have time to do
them. So they called Jenny. Every day, Jenny rushed home from school. She did her homework
quickly, and then she went out to work. 
At the end of the week, she had $65! She told her father.
‘That’s enough for a second hand bicycle,’ he said.
‘Yes, but if I work for one more week, I might have enough money for a new bike,’ said Jenny.
‘In two more weeks, I could buy a really good bicycle!  I think that’s what I’ll do.  I want to have
the best bicycle in the class, because I earned it!’ 
Jenny’s dad hugged her. ‘I think you learned something important. We appreciate things a lot
more when we earn them. When we get something without earning it, we do not realize its true
value.’ 

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11.  What was the problem with Jenny’s old bicycle?
A. It was broken.  B. It was too small.  C. It was too dirty.  D. Jenny didn’t like it. 
12.  Why didn’t Jenny’s dad buy her a bicycle?
A. He didn’t have enough money.  B. He didn’t think it was a good idea. 
C. He was too busy.  D. He had just bought Jenny a birthday present. 
13.  Where did Jenny’s dad ask Jenny to work?
A. in the study.  B. in the bathroom.  C. in the garage.  D. in the garden. 
14.  How much money did Jenny earn on the first day?
A. $10  B. $5  C. $15  D. $65 
15.  How did Jenny feel at the end of the story?
A. pleased because she had learnt a useful lesson. 
B. grateful to her father for his advice. 
C. disappointed because she couldn’t afford a new bicycle. 
D. optimistic about making more money. 
Questions 16-20: Complete this email. Fill each space with one word beginning with the letter
given. (0) has been done as an example.
Dear Mr. Molina,
Thank you for your email. We have (0) reserved a place for you and your friend on our summer
course. I am sending you an (16) a_______ form. Please send it back as soon as possible, with
your signature at the bottom. (17) U_______, there are no rooms free in our student hostel at the
time you plan to (18) a_______ the school. We can find you (19) a_______ with a family. If you
would like us to arrange this, please email me the time and date of your (20) a_______.
Yours sincerely,
K. Lewis
Karen Lewis
Office Manager
Questions 21-25: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each
space.
The city authorities in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, have an unusual traffic problem to deal
with slow-moving elephants. The city already has a major problem with traffic (21)_____ and the
elephants are making things considerably worse.
But life in the so-called fast lane is not very good for the elephants either. Many are suffering
from breathing problems (22)_____ by pollution. Others have sustained broken legs from falling
into the ditches that typically run along the side of many Thai roads. Moreover, it is estimated
that an average of twenty road traffic accidents a month (23)_____ elephants. This is clearly a
matter of much concern not only for the city traffic authorities but also for anyone anxious to
preserve wildlife.
In (24)_____ to the problem, the government has organised a special team to help the police
round up elephants in the city and send them back to the countryside to work, usually in the
tourist industry. But this campaign has met with stiff resistance from elephant handlers in
Bangkok who earn a (25)_____ deal of money selling fruit to visitors who want to feed the
elephants.
21. A. crowds B. masses C. blocks D. jams
22. A. started B. caused C. resulted D. made
23. A. cover B. employ C. involve D. include

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24. A. answer B. reply C. solution D. response
25. A. big B. large C. grand D. great
PAPER 5 WRITING (5 POINTS)
PART 1: SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION
Questions 1-4: Complete the second sentence so that it has the similar meaning to the first
one using the word given in bold. You cannot change the word in bold in ANY way. You
can use only a maximum of FIVE words for each space.
1. I don’t want to go to the football match tomorrow. RATHER
I ___________________________________________ to the football match tomorrow.
2. You must listen carefully to the teacher’s instructions. ATTENTION
You must____________________________________________________ the teacher’s instructions.
3. Let’s have a walk in the woods this afternoon. FOR
How ____________________________________________________ in the woods this afternoon?
4. Harry, please don’t smoke here. MIND
Harry, __________________________________________ here?
Questions 5-8: Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first.
5. I can’t advise him if he doesn’t tell me more about the situation.
He should tell me more about the situation, .
6. The café is called Amazing Taste.
The name .
7. My friend told me it was cheap enough for students.
My friend told me it wasn’t .
8. I haven’t been here before.
This is the first time .
PART 2: ESSAY
Write an essay of about 150-200 words on ONE of the following topics.
1. advantages AND/OR disadvantages of social networks
2. It is said that the more you give, the more you take. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your
choice.

THE END.

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