TRƯỜNG THPT CHUYÊN QUANG TRUNG ĐỀ THI THỬ HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA

NĂM HỌC 2020 - 2021

Môn thi: TIẾNG ANH
Thời gian thi: 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)
Ngày thi: 21/11/2020
Đề thi có 08 trang.
 Thí sinh không được sử dụng tài liệu, kể cả từ điển.
 Giám thị không giải thích gì thêm.

I. LISTENING (5.0 points)

PART 1: Listen to a a news report and Decide True or False statements.

1. Nearly a dozen countries signed a free trade deal.     F
2. Ten Southeast Asian countries signed the new free trade deal.    T
3. The countries in the deal make up nearly a third of the global economy.  T
4. China was reluctant to sign the deal.     F
5. Countries talked about the deal for eight years.   T
1 2 3 4 5

PART 2: Listen to a a news report and answer the question with NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS
1. Where does the urine in the human body go to?
___BLADDER_______________________________________________________
2. Who often held the pee for a long time?
___NURSES _______________________________________________________
3. Iin addition to aforementioned body part extended, what may also the next one?
________EXTERNAL SPHINCTER MUSCLES_______________________________________________
4. What does your bladder function as?
____GATEKEEPERS ______________________________________________________
5. What is a serious problem related to bladder called?
_____URINARY RETENTION _____________________________________________________

PART 3: You will hear part of a discussion between two psycholinguists, Dr Amanda Jeffries and Dr
Tadeo Mendoza, who are talking about what it means to be bilingual. Choose the best answer.

11. What definition of bilingualism do Amanda and Tadeo agree on?

A. Learning two languages in childhood and switching from one to another with ease.
B. Having equal ability in two languages, learnt either in childhood or later in life.
C. Knowing two languages, probably at different levels of proficiency, and up to the competence necessary for
successful communication.
D. True bilingualism is like having two monolinguals in one person.
12. Which of these statements about bilinguals and written language would Amanda not agree with?
A. The main reason bilinguals often can’t write in one of their languages is because they haven’t been taught.
B. There is no reason why a bilingual shouldn’t speak and write both languages fluently.
C. Different scripts can be a factor in not learning to write both languages.
D. If bilinguals don’t have a need to write in one of their languages, they are less likely to learn it.
13. What is ‘language attrition’?
A. The loss of your second language due to lack of use.
B. The loss of either your first or second language because of lack of use.
C. The loss of any language previously spoken because of lack of use.
D. The loss of your mother tongue due to emigration.
14. Why aren’t bilinguals necessarily good at translating from one of their languages to the other?
A. They might not be able to write in both languages.
B. They might not have learnt the skills needed for translating or have equal proficiency in both languages.
C. They might only have learnt one language at school and therefore lack the technical language needed for
translating.
D. They may be insufficiently educated in one or other of their languages.
15. Why did people used to think learning two languages from early on might be damaging?
A. the developing brain would be damaged and language acquisition delayed.
B. The brain would be stretched too far by two languages.
C. The child would become hopelessly confused and stop speaking altogether.
D. The child would end up having an insufficient vocabulary in both languages  
11 12 13 14 15

PART 4 : Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS

16. At the minimum ___THREE BATCHES _____________ of previously missing ballots has been
produced.
17. The president and other republicans in the state are now __TURNING THEIR WRATH
______________ on republican .
18. As a part of the _____STATEWIDE AUDIT ___________, here in the state are on track to submit their
newly-recounted numbers by the 11:59 p.m. deadline tonight
19. The secretary of state says the uncounted ballots fueled more _ALLEGATIONS OF
MISCONDUCT_______________ even from the president.
20. Although thousands of __FRAUDULENT VOTES ______________ have been found, the real number is
in matching signatures.
21. Governor must open up the _UNCONDITIONAL CONSENT DECREE_______________ and call in
the legislature.
22. Georgia’s secretary of state said the state has a _MULTI-STEP SIGNATURE VALIDATION ______
system.
23. The trump campaign is accusing these clerks there, claiming that absentee ballots in those counties were
__ILLEGALLY ALTERED______________ when poll workers filled in missing information themselves.
24. A statement was made by ___COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR _____________ for the Biden and
Harris campaign as well.
25. Canvassing ____SWAYED THE VOTE____________ in favor of the Biden campaign.

II. LEXICO- GRAMMAR

PART 1: Choose the best answer
1- I must take this watch to be repaired: it ………………… over twenty minutes a day.
A increases B progresses C accelerates D gains
2. A minority of the committee members were dissatisfied with the decision and endeavoured to
………………… it.
A overturn B abolish C postpone D re-do
3. If this animal had escaped from its cage it could …………………… have killed or maimed several people.
A equally B both C well D severely
4. Time was running out, so the committee had to make a ………………….. decision.
A brief B snap C sharp D curt
5. Because of an unfortunate ………………… your order was not dispatched by the date requested.
A hindrance B oversight C negligence D transgression
6. Motorists ………………….. of speeding may be banned from driving for a year.
A convicted B arrested C charged D judged
7. If you walk along this lane you will see the signpost ……………….. to the beach.
A pointing B showing C directing D indicating
8. The decision was …………………… to a later meeting.
A cancelled B arranged C deferred D delayed
9. Tempers began to …………………… as the lorries forced their way through the picket lines.
A break B fray C grate D fire
10. The old ship will be towed into harbour and …………………
A broken up B broken down C broken in D broken off
11. Making private calls on the office phone is severely ……………….. on in our department.
A frowned B criticised C regarded D objected
12. The tank of petrol was ………………. by a carelessly discarded cigarette end.
A lit up B ignited C exploded D inflamed
13. The government has made no ……………………. in the fight against inflation; indeed, the situation has
worsened recently.
A headway B effect C avail D triumph
14. They managed to free him from the burning car in the ………………. of time.
A tick B wink C nick D brink
15. And they are _____________ by the whales and other denizens that swim by their vessels.
A. engrossed B. enthralled C. enshrined D. entangled
16. A ________________ metal or substance is easy to press into different shapes.
A. malleable B. meltdown C. galvanized D. ferrous
17. The new boss quickly established a good __________________ with everyone in the company.
A. term B. approval C. companion D. rapport
18. The president was for some time in doubt whether he had any right to _______________ in provincial
affairs, but eventually troops were dispatched to La Plata.
A. interfere B. interact C. intervene D. intercede
19. She has a __________________ job at ABC company and she has made every effort in her work.
A. glamorous B. lousy C. high-powered D. splendid
20. You are expected to have ability to deal with rapidly-changing, ambiguous and unpredictable situations that
will test your _________________________ to the limit.
A. command B. competence C. endurance D. resourcefulness
21. It was such a funny sight that I couldn’t _____________ face.
A. keep a straight B. maintain a straight C. keep a smooth D. maintain a serious
22. The government has decided to __________ smoking in public places.
A. crack up on B. back down with C. back up with D. crack down on
23. I’ve had this car for 12 years, but now I’m having more and more problems with it. Clearly it’s
____________.
A. on its hint legs B. got its back up C. got its heart set D. on its last legs
24. We hadn’t __________ there being so much traffic, and we missed the plane.
A. factored on B. bargained on: LƯỜNG TRƯỚC C. counted with D. accounted with
25. The revolt in the north is believed to have been _____________ by a high-ranking general.
A. initiated B. commenced C. instigated= CAUSE ST TO HAPPEN D. fabricated
26. The unknown is always the most fearsome, opening out into wide areas of__________.
A. prophesy B. presumption C. conjecture = GUESS D. anticipation
27. The theoretical and ____________ relationships between the constructed measures will be explored.
A. hypothetical B. empirical C. technical D. procedural
28. Possession, not just use, of firearms and explosives will be ___________ offences.
A. extraditableB. extricating C. extrinsic D. extemporaneous
29. The mobile phone, that most ___________ of consumer-electronic appliances, is about to enter a new age.
A. tremendous B. horrendous C. superfluous D. ubiquitous
30. We can shape events in each other’s brains with ____________ precision.
A. exquisite = STRONGLY FELT B. flawless C. marvelous D. tautly
PART 2: Write the correct FORM of each bracketed word in the numbered space provided in the column on the right. (0) has been
done as an example.

We stand on the brink of a 0. (technology) revolution that will fundamentally alter 0. Technological
the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, 1. ______________
the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We
do not yet know just how it will (1. fold) _______ , but one thing is clear: the
2. ______________
response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of
the global polity, from the public and private sectors to (2. academy) __________ 3. ______________
and civil society.
4. ______________
1 unfold= GRADUALLY MAKE ST KNOWN

2 academia = THE WORLD OF LEARNING TEACHING.. 5. ______________

3 electronics
6. ______________
4 technologies

5 prolongation 7. ______________

6 precedent
7 exponential 8. ______________

8 governance
9. ______________
9 unprecedented
10. ______________
10 quantum; VERY SMALL QUANTITY OF ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY

The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to mechanize
production. The Second used electric power to create mass production. The Third
used (3. electric) _________ and information technology to automate production.
Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third, the digital revolution
that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterized by a
fusion of (4. technical) __________ that is blurring the lines between the physical,
digital, and biological spheres.

There are three reasons why today’s transformations represent not merely a (5.long)
________ of the Third Industrial Revolution but rather the arrival of a Fourth and
distinct one: velocity, scope, and systems impact. The speed of current
breakthroughs has no historical (6.precede) __________. When compared with
previous industrial revolutions, the Fourth is evolving at an (7. exponent) ________
rather than a linear pace. Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every
country. And the breadth and depth of these changes herald the transformation of
entire systems of production, management, and (8. govern) __________.

The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with (9.

precedence) __________ processing power, storage capacity, and access to
knowledge, are unlimited. And these possibilities will be multiplied by emerging
technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the
Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology,
biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and (10. quanta) ____ computing.

SECTION 3: READING (47 questions)

Part 1:
Read the text below and think of a word which best fits each gap. Use only ONE word in each gap. Write
your answers in corresponding numbered boxes on the answer sheet.
GETTING TO THE HEART OF MUSIC
Every known culture has some form of music; we take for (1) …GRANTED ……………………. its presence
at weddings or funerals, airports or elevators, as well as in concert halls. If nowhere else, it (2) … PLAYS
……………………. in our heads. But (3) ……WHAT …………………., exactly, is it for? Writers try to
paraphrase the feelings it evokes, yet it communicates (4) ……NOTHING …………………. we can translate
literally. Why, then, does it move us? How, for that matter, did we dream it (5) …UP ……………………. in
the first place? The British psychiatrist (and, we learn, amateur pianist and violist) Anthony Storr (6) ………
ADDRESSES………………. such radical questions in Music and the Mind (212 pages. Free Press. $22.95),
drawing extensively on thinkers from Plato to Nietzsche, as well as musicians from Haydn to Roger Sessions. If
with all this help he still doesn't have all the answers, he comes as close as anyone is likely to.
No one, for example, knows how music (7) …BEGAN/ ORIGINATED…………………….. Despite
Beethoven's storms and Messiaen's bird songs, (8) FEW ………………………. scholars believe it began as an
(9) ………IMITATION………………. of natural sounds. Storr thinks it probably developed from the
"crooning, cooing tones and rhythms" in the vocal but nonverbal (10) EXCHANGES/
COMMUNICATION………………………. between mothers and infants; this helps explain its power to make
us weep or exult. But music moves us literally as well as figuratively-as anyone who's tried to still a tapping
foot can testify. Of all the arts, it has the closest (11) CONNECTION/ LINK ………………………. to the
body. Its rhythms are an analogue to "breathing, walking, the heartbeat and sexual intercourse." Our (12) …
SENSE ……………………. of musical "space"-one tone being "higher" than another-may derive (13)
…………FROM ……………. the proximity of the auditory system to the ear's vestibule, which (14) ………
PROVIDES ………………. the cues for physical orientation. And music effects physiological changes.
Researchers monitoring Herbert von Karajan's pulse rate while he conducted found "the greatest increase during
those passages which most moved him emotionally, and not during (15) THOSE ………………………. in
which he was making the greatest physical effort."

Your answers

1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15

Part 2: Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the
correct answer for questions 100-104 to each of the questions.

It's a commonplace of parenting and modern genetics that parents have little or no Influence on the
characters of their children. As a parent, you never know who you are going to get. Opportunities,
health, prospects, accent, table manners - these might lie within your power to shape. But what
really determines the sort of person who's coming to live with you is chance. Cheerful or neurotic,
kind or greedy, curious or dull, expansive or shy and anywhere in between; it can be quite an affront
to parental self-regard, just how much of the work has already been done. On the other hand, it can
let you off the hook. The point is made for you as soon as you have more than one child; when two
entirely different people emerge from their roughly similar chances in life.

Here in the cavernous basement kitchen at 3.55 a.m., in a single pool of light, as though on stage,
is Theo Perowne, eighteen years old, his formal education already long behind him, reclining on a
tilted-back kitchen chair, his legs in tight black jeans, his feet in boots of soft black leather (paid
for with his own money) crossed on the edge of the table. As unlike his sister Daisy as randomness
will allow. He's drinking from a large tumbler of water. In the other hand he holds the folded-back
music magazine he's reading. A studded leather jacket lies in a heap on the floor. Propped against a
cupboard is his guitar in its case. It's already acquired a few steamer trunk labels - Trieste, Oakland,
Hamburg, Val d'lsere. There's space for more. From a compact stereo player on a shelf above a library
of cookery books comes the sound, like soft drizzle, of an all-night pop station.

Henry Perowne sometimes wonders if, in his youth, he could ever have guessed that he would one
day father a blues musician. He himself was simply processed, without question or complaint, in
a polished continuum from school, through medical school, to the tenacious = NOT EASILY GIVING UP
acquisition: SỰ TIẾP THỤ , NẮM DC of clinical
experience, in London, Southend-on-Sea, Newcastle, Bellevue Emergency Department in New York
and London again. How have he and Rosalind, such dutiful, conventional types, given rise to such a
free spirit? One who dresses, with a certain irony, in the style of the bohemian fifties, who won't read
books or let himself be persuaded to stay on at school. who's rarely out of bed before lunchtime, whose
passion is for mastery in all the nuances of the blues guitar tradition, Delta, Chicago, Mississippi,
and for the success of his band, New Blue Rider. In the confined, gossipy world of British blues, Theo
is spoken of as a man of promise, already mature in his grasp of the idiom, who might even one day
walk with the gods, the British gods that is - Alexis Korner, John Mayall, Eric Clapton. Someone has
written somewhere that Theo Perowne plays like an angel.

Naturally, his father agrees, despite his doubts about the limits of the form. He likes the blues well
enough - in fact, he was the one who showed the nine-year-old Theo how it worked. After that,
grandfather took over. But is there a lifetime's satisfaction in twelve bars of three obvious chords?
Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a Spode dinner
plate. Or a single cell. Or, as Daisy says, like a Jane Austen novel. When player and listener together
know the route so well, the pleasure is in the deviation, the unexpected turn against the grain ...
And there's something in the loping authority of Theo's playing that revives for Henry the inexplicable
lure of that simple progression. Theo is the sort of guitarist who plays in an open-eyed trance, without
moving his body or ever glancing down at his hands. He concedes only an occasional thoughtful
nod. Now and then, during a set he might tilt back his head to indicate to the others that he is 'going
round' again. He carries himself on stage as he does in conversation, quietly, formally, protecting his
privacy within a shell of friendly politeness. If he happens to spot his parents at the back of a crowd,
he'll lift his left hand from the fret in a shy and private salute.

16. The word " drizzle " in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________ .
A. breeze B. light wind C. running waterfall D. light rain
17. According to Henry Perowne's daughter Daisy, how is blues music similar to a Jane Austen novel?
A. It has stood the test of time well.
B. It has an easily recognised structure.
C. It is open to individual interpretation.
D. It is full of unexpected changes of direction.
18. From the text as a whole, we understand that Henry is______
A. proud of his son's musical ability.
B. puzzled by his son's attitude to music.
C. envious of his son's great skill as a guitarist.
D. sorry that he introduced his son to blues music.
19. With regard to his music, we learn that Theo is_______
A. dedicated to one particular style.
B. planning to form a band of his own.
C. unable to take it completely seriously.
D. already admired by some famous people.
20. The word " tenacious " in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________ .
A. dogged B. aromatic C. pendulous D. mannered
Your answers

16 17 18 19 20

Part 3: Read the following article and answer the questions that follow.
A popular enlightenment
Angry nerds and pro-science bloggers are doing a better job than scientists at defending reason. Long may it
continue, says Nicoli Nattrass
Alternative medicine has never enjoyed such popularity and respect. Therapies once dubbed "pseudoscience” or
"quackery" are now typically referred to as “alternative”, “complementary" or “holistic”. Practices that used to
circulate on the fringes are now accepted as mainstream. The rise of alternative medicine poses a problem for
defenders of science. Many see the fight back as a lost cause. I don't. I believe that the factors that allow
quackery to prosper can and are being harnessed for a counter-revolution in defence of science.
In the past, those exploring alternative lifestyles joined groups of like-minded people and subscribed to
countercultural magazines. They now participate in online communities and surf the internet, where they
encounter alternative websites by the dozen, but also come across mainstream scientific viewpoints.
The web has proved to be a crucial mobilising instrument for pro-science activists. When the British
Chiropractic Association sued writer Simon Singh for libel, his supporters used Twitter and Facebook to keep
abreast of the case. A community of pro-science activists and bloggers has also sprung up. Their actions are not
merely intellectual. Singh’s supporters flooded the British Chiropractic Association with complaints about
individual chiropractors, all of which required investigation.
As British activist and physician Ben Goldacre wrote in 2009: "A ragged band of bloggers from all walks of life
has, to my mind, done a better job of subjecting an entire industry's claims to meaningful, public, scientific
scrutiny than the media, the industry itself, and even its own regulator. It’s strange this task has fallen to them,
but I’m glad someone is doing it, and they do it very, very well indeed.”
In other words, the defence of science is increasingly being undertaken by members of the public. Such defence
was once conducted primarily by scholars; today the battle is often fought at an individual level via cut-and-
thrust debate in blog postings.
This social phenomenon of “angry nerds" and "guerrilla bloggers”, dedicated to defending evidence-based
medicine and challenging quackery, is important. Rather than relying on scientists to defend the boundaries of
science, we are seeing a much more socially embedded struggle - a popular enlightenment project.
Can such a project work? Reasserting goals of progress through reason and evidence is one thing, but whether it
has any effect remains an open question. How easy is it to persuade people through factual corrections?
The answer seems to depend a great deal on the individual. For example, AIDS deniers are generally
impervious to corrective evidence. They are impossible to argue with, and indeed it may even be
counterproductive to do so. According to recent research, providing people who are ideologically committed to
a particular view with incongruent information can backfire by causing them to dig their heels in and support
their original argument even more strongly.
This problem is a general one. A substantial body of psychological research suggests that humans tend to seek
out and evaluate information that reinforces their existing views. The digital revolution has exacerbated the
problem because, as journalist Farhad Manjoo writes, you can now "watch, listen to and read what you want,
whenever you want; seek out and discuss, in exhaustive and insular detail, the kind of news that pleases you;
and indulge your political, social or scientific theories... among people who feel exactly the same way”
I believe such pessimism goes too far, though. The boundary between mainstream and alternative knowledge
may have become more permeable, but the world has yet to enter what political scientist Michael Barkun of
Syracuse University in New York calls complete epistemological pluralism. The fact that quacks and AIDS
deniers keep trying to get the imprimatur of science for their discredited ideas, by trying to publish their work in
peer- reviewed journals, for example, speaks to the continued public prestige and power of science.
Furthermore, their support base is far from fixed in stone. Some people are so committed to unconventional
views that they cannot be moved, but they are the exception. People motivated to explore the cultic milieu- that
fluid countercultural space in which alternative therapies and conspiracy theories flourish - are open to changing
their minds.
In his seminal work on the cultic milieu, sociologist Colin Campbell of York University, UK. stresses that it is
not a space where firm opinions are held, but rather a "society of seekers”- people who "do not necessarily
cease seeking when a revealed truth is offered to them”.
This creates the space for pro-science activists to compete for attention. When they do so, the internet becomes
a tougher place for people to sequestrate themselves in a comfortable cocoon of the like-minded.
This is good news for the enlightenment project. People may be biased in favour of interpretations that align
with their prejudices but this does not mean that they just believe what they like. Faced with information of
sufficient quantity or clarity, people do change their minds.
So the challenge for the pro-science movement is to keep an active and credible online presence. The web is an
anarchic space where defence of science ranges from ridicule and banter to serious discussion about findings
along with links to scientific articles and reports. It looks, in other words, like the space that used to be the
preserve of the cultic milieu - but with greater informational depth. The weapons of science and reason are still
very much in contention.
For questions 21-25, choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) according to the text. Write your answers A, B, C
or D) in the corresponding numbered boxes.
21. In the first paragraph, the writer is in dispute with scientists who______.
A. are of the opinion that it’s nugatory to take issue with assertions made by alternative medicine
B. continue to write alternative medicine off as insignificant
C. have themselves espoused the notion of alternative medicine
D. use pejorative language when alluding to alternative medicine
22. What point does the writer make about scientific discourses on blogs?
A. It has emboldened people to become too heartfelt about scientific bones of contention.
B. It has had a propensity to give too much credence to unscientific hypotheses.
C. It has insinuated more laypeople are partaking in scientific debates.
D. It has undermined the position of those who would endorse science.
23. The quote from Fahad Manjoo elucidates the point that the Internet______.
A. beguiles people with very fixed convictions
B. can reinforce people's existing ideologies and prejudices
C. enables people to check out the facts behind established theories
D. prompts people to take the beliefs of others more seriously
24. The writer insinuates that proponents of discredited ideas in alternative medicines______.
A. are not always consistent in the arguments they bring forward
B. are of the view that they are treated inequitably by the scientific circle
C. incline to disregard the antithetical corroboration provided by scientists
D. remain keen to secure the approval of the scientific community
25. The writer refers to the work of Cole Campbell to substantiate his view that______.
A. certain groups of people will never be convinced by scientific theories
B. cogent= CONVINCING arguments have the power to change people's opinions
C. scientists themselves can learn from sophisticated wrangles with laypeople
D. there are very few absolute truths in the world of science
26. In the final paragraph, the writer accentuates the need for pro-scientists to______.
A. associate any deliberations on the internet with pertinent research particulars
B. elude getting into heated tempestuous discussions with non-scientists on the internet
C. follow up vigorous discussions on the internet with authorised proceedings
D. maintain the integrity and exposure of scientific stances on the internet

For questions 27-30, complete the following sentences. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
passage for each answer. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered spaces.
27. The scientific illumination undertaking can be countervailing in the case of exposing _INCONGRUENT
INFORMATION________________ to those who have dedicated themselves to a specific stance or have
unwonted perceptions.
28. The profession of complementary medicine that erstwhile disseminated _ON THE
FRINGES________________ is currently given credence to as conformist.
29.__CULTIC MILIEU_______________ , an adaptable and unconventional environment which pro-scientists
are encouraged to scrutinise, makes the project more propitious.
30. Penetrable as the cut-off point between conventional and non-standard conceptions may have become,
society has not been primed for__COMPLETE EPISTEMOLOGICAL PLURALISM _______________.
Your answers
21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

Part 4: You are going to read a magazine article. Seven paragraphs have been removed from the article.
Choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap (31-37). There is one extra paragraph you
do not need to use Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

My digital detox
Spending a weekend without access to communications technology was an eye-opener.
We were brushing through wet grass in the early morning when we saw it - a flash of white drifting behind a
small patch of trees, backlit by the sun. Crouching down next to Artley, our twenty-one-month-old son, my
partner Will and I watched the unmistakable shape of a barn owl until it disappeared into the wood, The look on
Artley’s face was part of a brief moment of magic, the kind of memory that we live for. Ordinarily, my next
thought would have been to pull out my phone, take a photo or video and send a message. Connecting is
something I do unconsciously now, and sharing such moments has become second nature,
31: _F_______
That weekend, however, the three of us were, by our own choice, offline. We were camping at a rural site calied
Swallowtail Hill in southern England, which offers visitors the option of leaving all their electronic devices in
the safe keeping of the owner for the duration of their stay - a kind of digital detox, you might say. We had been
inspired by William Powers' book Hamlet’s BlackBerry, an Imaginative and thoughtful work that explores
reactions to new technologies throughout history and the lessons we should have learnt from them. Blessed with
two days of good weather and some delicious local food, I barely noticed I wasn’t online.
32: _G_______
take equal responsibility for our digital obsession - magnetically drawn, as I am, to any screen that can feed my
addiction. Nonetheless, any objections of mine to this specific vice are usually swiftly defended by an
explanation of the importance of dealing with whatever it is now, though it never seems anything that couldn’t
wait half an hour. Suddenly, however, we had his full attention - well almost. There was a moment when he was
distracted by a buzzing sensation and automatically reached for his phone, before realising it was a bee.
33: _B_______
By breaking away from my connected life, however, I came to appreciate just how much it had permeated my
way of being. So-called ‘early adopters', the heavy technology users who throw themselves at every new device
and service, will admit to an uncontrollable impulse to check their email accounts or social networking sites.
Researchers have called this 'variable interval reinforcement schedule'. Such people have in effect been drawn
into digital message addiction because the most exciting rewards are unpredictable.
34: __H______ '
A study by the University of California concluded that such constant multi-tasking gradually erodes short-term
memory. It also discovered that interruptions to any task requiring concentration are a massive problem, as it
takes us much longer to get back into them than it does to deal with the interruption Itself.
35: __C______
In other words, what was once exterior and faraway is now easily accessible and this carries a sense of
obligation or duty. He sees the feeling that we should be reaching out, or be available to be reached out to as
tied to the self-affirmation that the internet, and all that goes with it, provides us with.
36: ___D_____
One practical suggestion, for example, is to use paper as a more efficient way of organising our thoughts. The
theory of ‘embodied interaction' asserts that physical objects free our minds to think because our hands and
fingers can do much of the work, unlike screens where our brains are constantly In demand,
37: __E______
As we left Swallowtail Hill, we seemed to have achieved that. The real work was just starting, however, trying
to put this and other ideas Into regular practice in an attempt to balance work and home life. Powers also talks
about ‘vanishing family trick1, where a seemingly sociable family gradually dissolves away to screens in
different corners of the house. It's clearly a situation to be avoided. Our digital detox had been something of a
wake-up call. And guess what? When the owner handed back our phones, we didn't have a missed call or
message between us.

A. At home, those concerns about my digital addiction are most acute when I catch my son looking at me while
I'm checking a screen. It's reinforcing how much more Important the screen is than him, as if I'm teaching him
that obeying these machines is what he needs to do.
B. In truth, he wasn't at one in such lapses. Without our hand-held devices, neither of us had much idea what the
time was. Then, 1 reached for mine when I wondered about local shopping facilities and whether it is normal to
see a barn owl during the day. And the magical moment when Artley was being read his bedtime story in front
of an open fire, I've had to try and commit to my own fallible memory.
C. For those of us compelled to check email every few minutes, that finding accounts for those days which
seem to pass so quickly with so little getting done. And this is part of a wider trend. 'The more we connect, the
more our thoughts lean outward,’ Powers writes. ‘There's a preoccupation with what’s going on “out there" in
the bustling otherworld, rather than “in here" with yourself and those right around you.’
D. Like me, he is a true believer in the value and potential of digital technologies. He concludes, however, that
we need to find the discipline to restore control by reintroducing a little disconnectedness.
E. More radical still Is the idea of banning the internet at weekends on the grounds that being away from it on a
regular basis allows us to grasp Its utility and value more fully, Hopefully, it also brings about a shift to a
slower, less restless way of thinking, where you can just be in one place, doing one particular thing, and enjoy
it.
F. The meaningful and the mundane have thus merged into one, all dutifully and habitually recorded - my
enjoyment split between that technological impulse and the more delicate human need to be in the moment.
This is how we live these days.
G. What did strike me though was the change in Will’s behaviour. If my worst habit is Incessant messaging, his
is allowing his phone to take precedence over everything else. Country walks, dinner, bathing our son - no
moment is safe from the seemingly irresistible ringing, vibrating, nagging phone, that demands - and wins - his
attention when he should be enjoying the moment with us,
H. What’s more, the hustle they develop as they struggle to keep up with the pace of all that incoming
information has produced a restless, anxious way of engaging with the world. Desperate for efficiency, this
seeps into people's physical lives. Perhaps that's why I feel compelled to tidy while on the phone, to fold the
washing while brushing my teeth, and no single job has my undivided attention.
Your answers

31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Part 5:
You are going to read a text about technology and travel. For questions 1-10, choose the best answer from
sections A-E. Some of the choices may be required more than once.
Which writer...
38 B
39 E
40 A
41 D
42 C
43 C
44 A
45 E
46 B
47 D

38. suggests that, places retain their essential identity despite the passage of time?
39. refers to a tendency for each generation of travellers to look down on the next?
40. expresses a personal feeling of nostalgia for some of the hardships in the past?
41. feels that travel can still be spontaneous and unpredictable in the age of the internet?
42. explains how even seemingly pointless journeys can have a worthwhile outcome?
43. questions the use of a term in relation to one type of traveller?
44. reveals a slight sense of guilt in an attitude towards the modern traveller?
45. offers a word of caution for those who want to get the most out of a trip?
46. mentions valuable insights gained from observing other travellers?
47. insists that modern travellers can do without modern technology if they so desire?

Has technology robbed travel of its riches?

We asked five experts.
A. Jan Morris
I began travelling professionally just after the Second World War, and I travelled mostly in Europe, where
famous old cities lay ravaged. Travelling in this disordered region was not easy. Currencies were hard to come
by, visas were necessary almost everywhere, food was often scarce, trains were grimy and unreliable and air
travel was reserved largely for privileged officialdom. I’m sorry to have to say it, because those times were
cruel indeed for many Europeans, but I greatly enjoyed my travelling then. The comfort and safety of modern
transport means that while travel is a lot less fraught than it used to be, it has lost some of its allure for me.
Partly, I am almost ashamed to admit, this is because everybody else does it too! Travelling abroad is nothing
unusual, and even if we haven’t actually been to the forests of Borneo or the Amazon jungle, most of us have
experienced them via television or the internet.
B. Pico Iyer
The world is just as interesting — as unexpected, as unvisited, as diverse — as it ever was, even though the
nature of its sights and our experience of them have sometimes changed. I once spent two weeks living in and
around Los Angeles airport — that hub of modern travel - and, although it wasn’t a peaceful holiday, it offered
as curious and rich a glimpse into a new era of crossing cultures as I could imagine. Places are like people for
me and, as with people, the wise, rich, deeply rooted places never seem to change too much, even though they
might lose some hair or develop wrinkles... Though the tides of history keep washing against a Havana or a
Beirut, for instance, their natural spiritedness or resilience or sense of style never seems greatly diminished. My
motto as a traveller has always been that old chestnut from the writings of Marcel Proust: ‘The real voyage of
discovery consists not :n seeking new sights, but in seeing with new eyes’.
C. Benedict Allen
Now, the world is open to us all. Grab your camera or smartphone and hike! So these couldn’t be better times
for the average person — we may all share in the privilege. Is it exploration? Well, if it’s not advancing
knowledge, no. Those who today flog to the Poles are not explorers, they are simply athletes. Yet, exploration
isn’t entirely about assembling proven fact. Dr David Livingstone made many discoveries in Africa but his
biggest role was actually as communicator, giving nineteenth-century Europeans a picture of the continent.
Take Ed Stafford’s recent walk along the length of the Amazon. Not a greatly significant journey in itself, with
two-thousand miles of it along what is essentially a shipping lane. Yet the journey was saved from irrelevance
and self-indulgence because along the way he documented the Amazon for his time, which is our time.
D. Vicky Baker
Personally, I relish the fact that we can forge new contacts all around the world at the click of a button and a
quick email can result in the type of welcome usually reserved for a long lost friend. I also relish the fact that
we’re less likely to lose touch with those whose paths we cross on the road and that we get to explore places we
wouldn’t have stumbled across had we left it all to chance. Does all this detract from the experience? I hardly
think so. There’s nothing to stop you following a random tip you saw on an obscure blog and ending up who
knows where. Sure, it’s a far cry from what came before, but one day these will be the current generation’s
‘good old days’. And if you have the time and the money to go off into the back of beyond without so much as a
guidebook let alone a smartphone, if haphazard wandering is your thing, those days aren’t over either.
E. Rolf Potts
Many of the older travellers I met when I first started vagabonding fifteen years ago — some of them veterans
of the 1970s hippy trail across Asia - argued that my travel experiences were tainted by luxuries such as email
and credit cards. These days I am myself tempted to look at younger travellers and suggest that smartphones
and micro-blogging arc compromising their road experiences. Any technology that makes travel easier is going
to connect aspects of the travel experience to the comforts and habits one might seek back home — and can
make travel feel less like travel. There are times when a far-flung post office encounter or directions scribbled
onto a scrap of paper can lead a person into the kind of experiences that make travel so surprising and
worthwhile. That means 21st -century travellers must be aware of when their gadgets are enhancing new
experiences, and when those gadgets are getting in the way.
Your answers
38 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47.
IV. WRITING:
Part 1:
Read the following text and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should be about 140 words
long. You MUST NOT copy the original.
More than half a million Britons suffer from RSI- or work- related upper-limb disorder, the description
specialists prefer to use. However, this figure includes only reported cases, says Andrew Chatwick, the chief
executives of the RSI Association. “Students and children are not included. Nor are the thousands of stoics who
struggle in silence. Many who call our helpline are desperate. They say they cannot afforded to lose their jobs.”
RSI is not a diagnosis, but an umbrella term for a range of about 30 painful inflammatory disorders linked to
daily overuse of a muscle. Tennis and golfer’s elbow are common examples, but many more are occupational.
Factory assembly workers and computer users are believed to be the most susceptible, followed by musicians,
dressedmakers, flight attendants, who repeatedly tear tickets in half-sign language interpreters and litter pickers,
who repeatedly squeeze the handles on litter collectors. Text messaging has not yet been known to cause the
condition, but Virgin Mobile was concerned enough two years ago to advise users to flex their fingers and
shakes the wrist occasionally.
Some specialists draw a parallel between the overuse of muscles and joints by RSI sufferers and the stress
suffered by marathon runners. An athlete runs to exhaustion, but would never consider doing so every day; the
body needs time to recover before the next event. Yet, with computer-related RSI, the fingers are honed to work
faster, says Chadwick: “It is often the hardest and fastest workers, who put in long hours without proper breaks,
who develop a disorder”
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PART 2:

1. Chart description
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2. Essay writing

In many countries there has been an increase in social problems involving teenagers in recent years. Many
people believe that this is due to modern lifestyles because parents spend more and more time at work and
have less time to supervise their children. To what extent do you believe this is true?

Write an essay of about 350 words to answer the question.

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END OF TEST