Section 1. You will hear a talk about North Residency Questionnaires.

For questions from 1 to 7, fill in

each gap with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER. (14p)

North Residency Questionnaire

Current occupation: (1) _________________________________

Exact living area (2) _________________________________
Type of accommodation: a shared (3) ______________________
Private transport: on foot and by bike
Public transport: take the train or a (4)______________________
Frequency of eating out: (5) ___________________________________________
Places for entertainment: the places people usually go to, such as some great
(6) ___________________________________________
Other free time activity: go to the (7) ________________________________
Preferred exercise go swimming
go to the gym
go sailing
Part-time course Japanese
Your answer
1. 2. 3. 4.
5. 6. 7.

You will hear an interview with a woman called Sally Gartree, who works as an organizer of the three-
day Ixford Music Festival. For the question 1-5, choose the best answer (A, B or C) (10p)
1. Sally says that her involvement with the festival began __________________.
A. before her parents were asked to help run it.
B. after she had started attending the event regularly.
C. when she was working for a music company
D. when it was first held over twenty years ago.
2. Sally feels that the biggest change in the festival has been in _______________________.
A. the scale of the event B. the atmosphere at night
C. the facilities for performers D. the performance of the artist.
3. Sally regrets that some people attending the festival now seem most interested in __________________.
A. how well known the bands are. B. trying out different types of food.
C. the retail outlets selling souvenirs. D. facilities used by performers.
4. What would Sally like to change about the festival?
A. so many people arriving by car B. the reliance on good weather
C. how poor advertised it is D. the indoor decorations of the festival
5. Sally hopes that in the future the festival will ___________________________.
A. go on for longer B. be shown on TV
C. move to the other place D. stay the same size
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs
from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.
Question 1. A. although B. width C. thump D. thank
Question 2. A. hike B. wind C. child D. tide
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three
in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions.
Question 3. A. attract B. marry C. demand D. connect
Question 4. A. industry B. survival C. endanger D. commercial
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following
questions.
1. After several hours on the road they became ______ to the fact that they would never reach the hotel by
nightfall.
A. dejected B. resigned C. depressed D. disillusioned
2. One of the organization’s aims is to ______ information about the disease so that more people know
about its symptoms.
A. disentangle B. deride C. dwindle D. disseminate
3. Dealing with ______ refusal from an employee is easier than dealing with false compliance.
A. an offset B. a remedial C. an agile D. an outright
4. Did you see Jonathan this morning? He looked like ______. It must have been quite a party last night.
A. a wet blanket B. a dead duck C. a death warmed up D. a bear with a sore head
Question 5. The book _______ by New York magazine is the best-seller of this week.
A. to plan B. published C. planning D. plan
Question 6. Detective books are _______ than science fiction ones.
A. the most interesting B. interesting C. most interesting D. more interesting
Question 7. Richard will look for a job _______.
A. after he had passed his exams B. before he passed his exams
C. while he was passing his exams D. as soon as he passes his exams
Question 8. I think that married couples should be financially independent _______ their parents.
A. to B. of C. with D. on
Question 9. You brother is living in HCM city, _______?
A. is he B. isn’t he C. does he D. did he
Question 10. Football is considered one of the most popular sporting events in _______ world.
A. a B. an C. the D. Ø (no article)
Question 11. He wasn't aware that only one mistake could _______ his chances of getting the job.
A. destroy B. damage C. ruin D. devastate
Question 12. People who live in or near endangered animals’ habitats _______ wildlife product for their
livelihood.
A. take care of B. rely on C. pay attention to D. think of
Question 13. They decided _________ tennis with us last night.
A. play B. to play C. playing D. played
Question 14. I can’t give you the answer on the _______; I’ll have to think about it for a few days.
A. place B. minute C. spot D. scene
Question 15. I think mobile phones are _______ for people of all ages.
A. usage B. usefully C. useful D. use
Question 16. It used to be a small town, where people ______ fishing for a living.
A. made B. did C. earned D. led
Question 17. Today, many serious childhood diseases _______ by early immunization.
A. can be prevented B. prevent C. are preventing D. can prevent
Question 18. The candidate took a ______ breath before he walked into the interview room.
A. deep B. deeply C. deepen D. depth
Question 19. Unless they win the case, they may be _______ for the costs of the world trial.
A. liable B. responsible C. reliable D. accessible
20. In the ______ of security, personnel must wear their identity badges at all time.
A. requirement B. demands C. assistance D. interests
21. I must ______ my Spanish before I go to Seville.
A. make up for B. break out of C. brush up on D. cut out for
22. She has scrawled me a note in her familiar ______ handwriting.
A. scratchy B. scruffy C. rusty D. sloppy
23. Education should be a universal right and not a ______
A. deliverance B. enlightenment C. privilege D. liberty
24. I know you're upset about breaking up with Tony but there are plenty more ______
A. horses in the stable B. cows in the field
C. tigers in the zoo D. fish in the sea
25. On Sunday, Vivian studied for seven hours ______
A. on end B. at once C. in full D. at length
26. Stephen really lost his ______ when his dental appointment was cancelled again.
A. head B. voice C. calm D. rag
27. We were working overtime to cope with a sudden ______ in demand.
A. boost B. impetus C. surge D. thrust
28. It was decided that the cost of the project would be ______ so it was abandoned.
A. repressive B. prohibitive C. restrictive D. exclusive
29. She was determined to become wealthy and to that ______ she started her own company.
A. view B. aim C. end D. object
30. He made a number of ______ remarks about my cooking, which upset us.
A. slashing B. stabbing C. chopping D. cutting
31. She is afraid she is rather ______ about the existence of the ghost.
A. skeptical B. partial C. adaptable D. incapable
32. I am sorry to have bothered you, I was under the ______ that you wanted me to call you.
A. mistake B. miscalculation C. misconception D. misapprehension
33. Many children who get into trouble in their early teens go on to become ______ offenders.
A. persistent B. insistent C. inverted D. innate
34. ______, Americans eat a light breakfast. They usually don’t eat a lot of food in the morning.
A. By and large B. Fair and square C. Ins and outs D. Odds and ends
35. If that boy doesn’t stop stealing, he will ______ in jail.
A. end up B. bring about C. get round D. go by
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best completes each of
the following exchanges
Question 1: Andrew is talking to a waiter in a restaurant.
- Andrew: “Can I have the bill, please?”
- Waiter: “______”
A. You are very kind. B. Just a minute, please.
C. My pleasure D. You’re exactly right.
Question 2: Thanh and Nadia have just listened to Lan’s song.
– Thanh: “In my opinion, Lan’s the best singer in our school.”
– Nadia: “_______. I really love her beautiful voice.”
A. Yes, tell me about it! B. I can’t agree with you more!
C. That’s OK! D. Yes, please.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Question 1: Today students are under a lot of pressure due to the high expectations from their parents and
teachers.
A. nervousness B. emotion C. stress D. relaxation
Question 2: She was like a cat on hot bricks before her driving test.
A. nervous B. comfortable C. depressed D. relaxing
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Question 1: Sports and festivals form an integral part of every human society.
A. informative B. essential C. invented D. exciting
Question 2: It is amazing how quickly the new foreign student adapts to the local culture.
A. awful B. surprising C. boring D. dangerous
Mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following
questions.
Question 1. Yesterday morning, I get stuck in a traffic jam for an hour on the way to work.
A. get B. a C. an hour D. work
Question 2. Being almost unknown ten years ago, these firms are now famous for its high-quality products
and services.
A. unknown B. these C. its D. services
Question 3. Children at an impressive age should be under close parental supervision since they may be
led astray by their unsuitable friends.
A. impressive B. parental C. astray D. unsuitable
Complete the following passage with the correct forms of the bold words given in the bracket.
1. When we arrived at the hotel, we were amazed at the _____ hospitality of the staff. (COMPARE)
2. He is the bad manager in the factory and everyone is in attempt to _____ him. (FAME)
3. The _____ of an epidemic will be unavoidable unless measures are taken to prevent the rural population
from drinking the contaminated water. (BREAK)
4. Please keep the email short. _____ makes everyone’s lives easier. (BRIEF)
5. With the help of the computer, checking information has become less _____. (LABOR)
 Supply the correct forms or tenses of the verbs given.
1. If there aren't any tickets left when we reach thefront of the queue, we (wait) all the
time for nothing.
2. I haven't decided yet about whether to buy a new car or a second hand one. But I (think)
about it.
3. There (be) any errors, let me know.
4. We havejust got to the top in time. The sun (rise) in a minute.
5. By midnight he (be) unconscious for forty-eight hours.
Read the passage below and then choose the correct answer A, B, C or D. (10pts)
Until about 250 years ago, households did not take dirt as (1)______ as they do now - it was a fact of
life, and that was that. Cleaning often consisted of an annual (2)______called 'spring cleaning' when the
furniture was moved aside, and all the linen products in the house were cleaned. Carpets and rugs were
taken outside, hung on ropes and had the dust (3)______out of them - an exhausting and messy process. The
industrial revolution brought about a major change - as new products became available to make homes
cleaner, a corresponding interest in 'domestic hygiene' appeared in households. This in turn led to the
(4)______of further products, one of which was the vacuum cleaner. (5)______has it that when one of the
first vacuum cleaners was demonstrated, a kindly scientist took the proud inventor aside, and offered a bit of
(6)______ that was to become (7)______to the future evolution of the product - 'make it suck, not blow'.
The first vacuum cleaners appeared in the 1860s in the United States. They were operated by hand pumps
and were almost as (8)______as spring cleaning. It was only when electric motors had become sufficiently
advanced to become portable that vacuum cleaners became common household items. Most of today's
major (9)______- including Electrolux and Hoover - were born in the 1920s. The household dirt that
vacuum cleaners suck up is mostly dead skin cells - humans (10)______millions of cells every day. A much
smaller proportion comes from dust and soil carried into the house from outside.
1. A. importantly B. crucially C. considerately D. seriously
2. A. ritual B. result C. resolution D. scrub
3. A. cleaned B. taken C. beaten D. sucked
4. A. fabrication B. appearing C. recreation D. development
5. A. Story B. Epic C. Legend D. Tale
6. A. advise B. advice C. courage D. encouragement
7. A. standard B. crucial C. regular D. esteemed
8. A. laborious B. hard C. nefarious D. straining
9. A. brands B. marks C. makes D. trademarks
10. A. lose B. outgrow C. omit D. shed
Gap filling:
What is speed reading, and why do we need it?
Speed reading is not just about reading first. It is (1)_________about how much information you can
remember when you have finished reading. The World Championship Speed-Reading Competition says that
its top (2)_______________average between 1.000 and 2,000 words a minute. But they must remember at
least 50 percent of this in order to (3)___________ for the competition. Nowadays, speed reading has
become an essential skill in any environment (4) _______ people have to master a large volume of
information. Professional workers need reading skills to help them get (5) _______ many documents every
day, while students (6)_________ pressure to deal with assignments may feel they have to read more and
read faster all the time.
(7) _______ there are various methods to increase reading speed, the trick is deciding what information you
want first. For example, if you only want a (8) _______ outline of an issue, then you can skim the material
quickly and extract the key facts. However, if you need to understand every detail in a document, then you
must read it slowly (9)__________to understand this. Even when you know how to ignore irrelevant detail,
there are (10) _______ improvements you can make to your reading style which will increase your speed.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct
answer to each of the questions .
Companies big and small are plotting their post-pandemic working futures, and it seems likely that
ever fewer of us will funny return to the office as it was before. If the Covid-19 crisis subsides and
economies can largely reopen, the experiences of so many people working from home over the past year
will surely shape what happens next. For many of us, this could emerge as a return to the office for three
days a week. Patterns will obviously vary, but a common thread would be something like Monday, Tuesday
and Thursday in the office and Wednesday and Friday at home.
This coining shift will largely be driven by employers making a calculation between two different,
equally important forces. One is what companies see as the need for in-person creativity and connections,
which will spur their desire to bring people back into offices. For many, we are at our most creative
working face to face, meeting people, talking over lunch and coffee, or gathering in groups. At home,
however, we tend to be more efficient in the daily tasks that make up much of working life. This is the
competing force that may keep many of us out of the office, even after Covid. Working at home under the
right conditions - which means in your own room with good broadband and no children around - can be
highly efficient. This greater efficiency on current tasks also combines with other factors, like the time
saved by avoiding the daily commute, offering a compelling reason for people to stay at home. The past
year of Covid home working has perhaps opened many more people's eyes to this.
As companies come to decisions on new working arrangements, they will be essentially making a
basic trade-off: the expectation of greater creativity in new projects at the office, but greater productivity on
existing tasks at home. And, as with most trade-offs, the right answer is not all or nothing — but something
in the middle. Employees seem to prefer this working pattern too. In a recent survey of 5,000 employees in
Britain, working in the office for three days a week was the most popular choice. Not only is this pattern
more efficient for companies, then, but it also helps to keep employees happy and motivated.
Question 1: Which could be the best title for the passage?
A. Advantages of home working B. Home working: happier and more efficient
C. Post-pandemic working pattern D. While- pandemic working pattern
Question 2: The word "One" in paragraph 2 refers to _______.
A. Calculation B. Shift C. Employer D. Force
Question 3: The word "compelling" in paragraph 2 closest in meaning to _______.
A. effective B. various C. convenient D. sensible
Question 4: What can be inferred about future working arrangement from this passage?
A. Employees should consider the benefits of a new working pattern.
B. Many businesses are likely to opt for a new working pattern.
C. Businesses must apply a new working pattern for the sake of their employees.
D. Many employers’ awareness of a new working pattern need raising.
Question 5: According to the passage, all of the statements are true EXCEPT _______.
A. Working at home can save time spent on the daily commute
B. Companies still want to have staff at office to increase their productivity
C. Working at home is productive under proper conditions
D. The Covid-19 pandemic will not affect future working arrangement
Question 6: The word "spur" in paragraph 2 closest in meaning to _______.
A. force B. encourage C. limit D. discourage
Question 7: According to paragraph 2, which of the following would best facilitate working from home?
A. Well-equipped working place
B. Daily commuting between home and office
C. Good internet connection and no kids surrounding
D. Face to face interaction with co-workers
1. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the
sentence printed before it. (10pts)
1. I won’t go all that way to visit him again on any account!
On no account ___________________________________________________

2. I wasn’t surprised when they refused to pay me.

As I ___________________________________________________________

3. We have credited the money to your current account at this bank.

We have placed __________________________________________________

4. Your silly questions distracted me.

You drove ______________________________________________________

5. Edward eventually organised himself and started work.

Edward eventually got his __________________________________________

2. Rewrite the sentences below using the words in brackets without changing their original form. (10pts)

1. I don’t think this record will ever be popular. (CATCH)

.............................................................................................

2. Mike is never reluctant to make tough decisions as a manager. (SHRINKS)

............................................................................................
3. You can’t possibly expect me to have supper ready by eight o’clock. (QUESTION)

.............................................................................................

4. It is my opinion that there is no advantage in further discussion. (SEE)

.............................................................................................

5. They can't decide whether to move to Ireland or not. (two)

They ____________________________________________________________ Ireland.