Đề thi môn Tiếng Anh lớp 12 - Kỳ thi chọn học sinh giỏi lớp 12 toàn tỉnh Quảng Nam năm học 2007-2008

 wait for him to ask her 3% 35% 
Question 3. Read the following passage and circle the most suitable word for each space: (3 
pts) 
 According to a magazine article I read recently, we (1)______ live in an age of increasing 
leisure. Not only are more and more people reaching retirement age with their taste for enjoyment 
and even adventure relatively (2)________ but the working week is becoming shorter and the 
opportunities for leisure are becoming greater and greater all the time. Not to mention the fact 
that people (3)_________ to spend less time traveling to work or may even be working from 
home. What I can't understand, however, is who these people are. As far as I can (4)________ the 
whole thing is another one of (5)________ journalistic fictions. I admit that there are a lot of 
retired people (6)_______ but I am not sure that all of them are dashing about learning hang- 
gliding or sailing single-handed (7)_________ the world. My own parents seem to (8)_______ 
most of their time gazing at the television. And as for the shorter working week, I wish someone 
(9)________ remind my company about it. I seem to be working longer and longer hours all the 
time. The little leisure time I have is eaten into by sitting in the traffic jams or waiting for trains 
to (10)_______ up at rain-swept platforms. I haven't noticed any dramatic improvements in my 
(11)_________ either, but perhaps I just have to wait until I get my (12)__________ . 
1. A. presently B. at the moment C. now D. at this time 
2. A. present B. survived C. free D. intact 
3. A. use B. tend C. have D. demand 
4. A. concern B. imagine C. expect D. tell 
5. A. the B. those C. these D. some 
6. A. in our days B. in these times C. nowadays D. now and again 
7. A. round B. over C. through D. into 
8. A. have B. use C. save D. spend 
9. A. would B. to C. had D. might 
10.A. keep B. line C. show D. set 
11. A. cost of living B. lifestyle C. lifeline D. livelihood 
12. A. pension B. retirement C. insurance D. salary 
Question 4. You are going to read a magazine article about pollution of the atmosphere. 
Choose the most suitable heading from the list (A-H) for each part (1-6) of the article. There 
is one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is an example for you (1.5 pts) 
 A. Before ozone existed 
 B. Repair gets slower 
 C. People ignore warnings 
 D. Ozone hole a certainty 
 E. The future is our responsibility 
 F. The function of the ozone layer 
 G. Delay reactions 
 H. Humans to blame 
 Strange results 
In September 1982, Dr. Joe Farman, a British scientist working in the Antarctic, found that a 
dramatic change had taken place in the atmosphere above his research station on the ice 
continent. His instrument, set up to measure the amounts of a chemical called ozone in the 
atmosphere, seemed to go wild. Over just a few days they recorded that half the ozone had 
disappeared. 
0 D 
He couldn’t believe his eyes, so he came back to Britain to get a new instrument to check his 
findings. But when he returned the following year at the same time, the same thing happened. 
He had discovered a hole in the ozone layer- an invisible shield in the upper atmosphere- that 
turned out to extend over an area of the sky as wide as the United States and as deep as Mount 
Everest is high. When he published his findings in scientific journals, they caused a sensation. 
Scientists blamed pollution for causing the ozone hole. 
1 
The ozone layer is between 15 and 40 kilometres up in the atmosphere, higher than most aero 
planes fly. This region contains most of the atmosphere’s ozone, which is a special form of the 
gas oxygen.. Ozone has the unique ability to stop certain dangerous invisible rays from the sun 
from reaching the Earth’s surface- rather like a pair of sunglasses filters out bright sunlight. 
These rays are known as ultra-violet radiation. This damages living cells, causing sunburn and 
more serious diseases. The ozone layer is vital to life on the surface of the Earth. 
2 
Until the ozone layer formed, about two thousand million years ago, it was impossible for any 
living thing to survive on the surface of the planet. All life was deep in the oceans. But once 
oxygen was formed in the air, and some of that oxygen turned to ozone, plants and animals 
could begin to move on to land. 
3 
But now humans are damaging the ozone layer for the first time. In the past ten years, 
scientists have discovered that some man-made gases, used in everything from refrigerators 
and aerosols to fire extinguishers, and floating up into the ozone layer and destroying the 
ozone. The most common of these gases are called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). 
4 
 The damage is worst over Antarctica, and near the North Pole, where scientists have seen 
small holes appear for a short time each spring since 1989. So far, these holes have healed up 
again within a few weeks by natural processes in the atmosphere that create more ozone. But 
each year, it seems to take longer for the healing to be completed. Also, all round the planet, 
there now seems to be less ozone in the ozone layer than even a few years ago. 
5 
The first new international law to stop people making or using CFCs was the Montreal 
Protocol, agreed by most of the world’s governments in 1987, Since then, there have been new 
controls on other chemicals that destroy ozone. The problem is that it takes roughly eight 
years for CFCs, which are released when an old fridge is broken up, to reach the ozone layer. 
That is why, despite all the cuts, ozone holes were deeper than ever around both the North and 
South Poles in 1993. Amounts of CFCs in the atmosphere will continue to rise for anther five 
years, say scientists. 
6 
Every year, the atmosphere will attempt to repair damage to the ozone layer caused by our 
pollution. But we are stretching its capacity to recover to the limit. If we stop using all ozone-
destroying chemicals within the next five years, it is likely to be at least the middle of the 21st 
century before the ozone hole stops forming over Antarctica each year. And, if we are to 
survive, we all have to face the problem now. 
SECTION FOUR: WRITING (12 pts.) 
Question 1. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the 
same as the sentence printed before it (4 pts.) 
EXAMPLE: I expect that he will get there by lunchtime. 
ANSWER : I expect him to get there by lunchtime. 
1. I had only just put the phone down when the boss rang back. 
Hardly …………………………………………………………… 
2. While I strongly disapprove of your behaviour, I will help you this time. 
Despite my …………………………………………………………… 
3. My mother was the most warm-hearted person I’ve ever known. 
I’ve ………………………………………………………… 
4. Her hobby is one thing that she doesn't intend to give up. 
She has ………………………………………………………… 
5. Nick told one of the detectives that he had taken the cashbox. 
Nick admitted …………………………………………………………… 
6. We are spending $ 300 on repairs before we sell the car. 
By the time we sell the car, ……………………………………………… 
7. The room wasn’t only cold, it was also very damp. 
Not …………………………………………………………… 
8. They were seasoned travelers, which we hadn't expected them to be! 
Contrary …………………………………………………………… 
Question 2. Make all the changes and additions necessary to produce complete sentences 
from the following sets of words and phrases. Note carefully from the example what kind 
of alterations need to be made. Write each sentence in the space provided (4 pts.) 
EXAMPLE : Andrea/ get along very well/ new job. 
ANSWER : Andrea is getting along very well in her new job 
1. Jane/ promise/ keep in touch/ us/ Australia// 
……………………………………………………………………. 
2. My brother/ work at a bank/ for the time being/ later/ try to find/ job/ airport.// 
……………………………………………………………………. 
3. They/ advantage/ hospitality/ stay/ whole week/ without/ pay// 
……………………………………………………………………. 
4. I/ be used/ get up early/ don’t mind/ leave/ 5 o’clock/ morning// 
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5. He/ used to/ go hunting/ forests/ younger// 
……………………………………………………………………. 
6. She/ furious/ he/ take/ notice/ her// 
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7. castle/ date/ 9th century 
............................................................................................................................ 
8. Sheep/outnumber/ people/ New Zealand/ twenty to one//. 
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Question 3. As a part of a new series, an educational magazine has invited readers to write 
articles called How and why I started learning English. Write an article of 150-200 words 
based on your own experience (4pts.) 
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