Đề thi học sinh giỏi tỉnh Hà Tĩnh môn Tiếng Anh lớp 9 năm học 2010 - 2011

A. Phonetics

I. Select A, B, C or D only to indicate the word whose bold and underlined part is pronounced differently from the rest in the following questions of 1 to 5.

1. A. thin B. thick C. this D. think

2. A. onion B. coffee C. lot D. what

3. A. shirt B. pork C. world D. university

4. A. height B. eight C. weight D. freight

5. A. greet B. again C. arrange D. gold

II. Select A, B, C or D only to indicate the word whose stress pattern is different from the rest in the following questions of 6 to 10.

6. A. education B. community C. development D. unbreakable

7. A. prepare B. repeat C. purpose D. police

8. A. literature B. entertainment C. recreation D. information

9. A. chocolate B. structural C. important D. national

10. A. cinema B. position C. family D. popular

B. LEXICO-GRAMMAR

I. Choose the best option A, B, C or D to complete the following questions of 11 to 20.

11. Of course, all those who ____________ can apply again.
A. have not listed B. didn’t list C. will not list D. have not been listed

12. Mary wishes she ______________ her uncle this coming weekend.
A. will visit B. had visited C. visits D. could visit

13. _______ the beginning of the story the two main characters meet in the lift.
A. At B. On C. To D. In

14. The book contained a lot of ____________ about how little petrol the car used.
A. examination B. fact C. news D. information

15. She said I _________ learn harder ___________ pass the exam.
A. had/in order to B. should/so as to C. must/in order D. will/so as to

16. The sun gives ______________ vast amounts of gases.
A. off B. on C. up D. down

17. There’s no ______ fixing that toy. He’ll just break it again.
A. point B. worth C. harm D. good

18. I have three brothers, _____________ are businessmen.
A. that all of them B. who they all C. all of whom D. who all of them

19. It is important that he ____________ with Dr. Baker immediately.
A. speak B. spoke C. will speak D. speaks

20. When the visitors arrived, the company gave them the ___________ carpet treatment.
A. blue B. red C. orange D. green

II. Complete the following questions from 21 to 30 with the correct preposition.

21. Actors have to learn their lines ____________ heart.

22. Is Nurse Smith ___________ duty tonight?

23. Coffee shops will always be popular ____________ retired people.

24. It’s typical ____________ Jim to forget his keys.

25. ____________ my astonishment, I won $1,000.

26. Plans for the trip are still ___________ discussion.

27. We’re ____________ schedule, so hurry up!

28. The injured man had to be taken to hospital ____________ delay.

29. Schools in Vietnam are different ____________ those in the USA.

30. I’m going to treat myself _____________ an ice-cream when I’ve finished work.

III. Fill the blanks from 31 to 40 with the right form of the CAPITAL words provided in the right column.

Learning a foreign language

IV. Complete the following questions from 41 to 50 with the right from of the verb given in brackets.

41. From the clink of dishes one can tell that supper __________ (prepare).

42. If you _________ (not change) your wet clothes, you may catch a cold.

43. Mrs. Brown came to inform her that dinner _________ (serve) already.

44. His phrase was greeted by a strange laugh fro
A B C D
42. Every Sunday, the Petersons eat bacon and eggs of breakfast.
A B C D

43. When the man crossed the street, he did notice that the traffic light has turnm a student who ________ (sit) near the wall.

45. The house where the robbery took place is guarded by the police to prevent it from _____________ (enter).

46. Anne has not seen Harry since the party _____________ (seat).

47. - You have just missed the bus. - All right. I ____________ (walk)

48. This time next week, I ______________ (lie) on a beautiful beach in Miami.

49. You have read this book already? What you ___________ (think) of it?

50. They (get) _____________ married, but in the end they changed their minds.

C. READING COMPREHENSION

I. Complete the following passage by choosing the best option, A, B, C or D for questions from 51 to 60.

Energy Saving

Saving energy doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming. But what can you do to save energy? There is (51.) _____________ that you can do to help the process of energy conservation. You can save energy by doing things like making sure that the kettle doesn’t (52.) ______________ more water than is needed, always washing a full load in the washing machine rather than a half load or turning down your central heating by 1oC – this could cut your (53.) __________ bill by 10%.

Making sure that hot water taps are not left (54) __________ and replace washers if your taps drip. (55.) __________ work you can turn off (56.) _____________ lights and your computer if you are not using them. (57.) ___________ to energy saving light bulbs – these use around a quarter of the electricity, and often last eight times (58.) __________ than an ordinary bulb. Close your curtains at (59.) __________ to keep the warm air from escaping through the windows. Switching off (60.) __________ appliances when they are not in use makes a big contribution to energy saving too.

51. A. plenty B. lot C. little D. few
52. A. consist B. contain C. compose D. include
53. A. hot B. heat C. heating D. heated
54. A. run B. ran C. running D. flowing
55. A. By B. At C. In D. On
56. A. any B. all C. those D. no
57. A. Change B. Consume C. Buy D. Sell
58. A. higher B. shorter C. less D. more
59. A. morning B. evening C. dusk D. afternoon
60. A. electricity B. electronic C. electric D. electrical

II. Read the following passage and answer the following questions from 61 to 70 by choosing one answer A, B, C or D only.

Students read for a variety of reasons, but probably the most important reason students read is to gain academic knowledge. Their goal is to learn and comprehend what they read. To be successful, they must develop certain reading skills. However, some students meet difficulty in comprehending and processing information taught by their teachers. This may be for a variety of reasons. Often it is that they have never developed the proper learning strategies necessary for comprehension. Therefore, their ability to read, learn, memorize and recall information is impaired. Students then become discouraged from learning. There are, however, a number of effective measures for those with reading comprehension difficulties.

Visual

Students respond well when oral or written information is presented to them in a visual way. For example, when a skill or topic is both described and demonstrated at the same time, it provides students with the means to associate the demonstration with the description. When students are provided with a combination of visual, written and oral instruction, they can better comprehend and process the information.

Participation

Passive listening and reading often result in the inability to process information because students are not engaged or stimulated. One of the best remedies for this is for students to participate in the topics they read about. Teachers can ask students to demonstrate what they have learned, and give them feedback and praise.

Thinking Aloud

Students are encouraged in reading comprehension skills when they "think aloud." The think-aloud strategy helps them to vocally express the material they are reading or the subject they are learning about. It helps if students go through each step or take the subject one step at a time. Talking while they think helps them to verbalize and better process the information. Students can move from thinking aloud to whispering softly, and eventually they will no longer require thinking aloud to comprehend. This is a gradual process that equips students with the ability to think and process silently through a series of gradual techniques.

Practice

Practice will help students give meaning to what they have been hearing or reading. Once the teacher has provided them with the information, students can demonstrate what they have learned through homework and in-class assignments. It is up to the teacher to assess the difficulty of these assignments for students. Start off with easy assignments to complete so students are encouraged, then gradually increase the complexity and difficulty over time. Encourage students to read over their work and process what they have read to ensure they are grasping all the pertinent information.

61. Which of the following is true of readers who are reading to gain academic knowledge?
A. Reading increases their alertness.
B. Their goal is to learn and understand the materials they are reading.
C. They physically learn what they are reading.
D. They read for a variety of reasons.

62. The phrase ‘a variety of reasons’ in the passage is closest in meaning to _______.
A. some reasons B. few reasons C. many reasons D. no reasons

63. The word “goal” in the passage is closest in meaning to _______.
A. score B. desire C. guide D. choice

64. Many students have difficulty in reading comprehension because ______________.
A. they do not have enough time to read
B. they haven’t practiced reading enough
C. they do not have the appropriate approaches to reading
D. they do not have the right attitudes

65. In helping students better comprehend the reading, visual reading _________________.
A. combines the oral, visual and written information
B. associates the meanings with the descriptions
C. processes the information for students
D. provides a description of the learning process

66. One possible reason why students do not read well is that ___________________.
A. they can not visualize the information
B. they listen and read passively
C. they cannot demonstrate what they have read
D. they do not receive praise and feedback from teachers

67. Thinking aloud is a ________________.
A. quick and noisy process of comprehension
B. step by step process towards reading
C. conversational method of reading comprehension
D. process in which students express their thoughts in spoken words

68. One advantage of thinking aloud is ______________.
A. students do not have to write down their thoughts
B. students’ ability to think and process information silently is developed
C. students can whisper softly in this technique
D. students can talk while studying in class

69. In order to demonstrate students’ comprehension, ________________.
A. homework and in-class assignments should be given
B. students must hear and read the information well beforehand
C. the tasks’ level of difficulty must be maintained consistently
D. all the related information must be provided

70. It can be inferred that in order to improve students’ ability in reading _____________.
A. only one technique is enough
B. the teachers have to work very hard
C. the students have to read a lot
D. one technique is not enough, a combination is recommended

III. Read the following passage and complete the numbered blanks from 71 to 80 with one suitable word only.

Valentine is celebrated on (71.) _________ February 14. It is a festival (72.) __________ romantic love as many people give cards, letters, flowers or presents to their lover. They may also arrange a romantic (73.) ___________ in a restaurant. People who would like to have a romantic relationship with somebody may use the occasion to make (74.) ___________ known, often anonymously.

Valentine's Day is not a public holiday. Government offices, stores, schools and other organizations are (75.) ___________ as usual. Public transit systems run on their regular (76.) ________. Restaurants may be busier than usual as many people go (77.) ___________ for an evening with their spouse or partner. Valentine's Day is also a very (78.) __________ date for weddings.

The most (79.) ___________ Valentine's Day symbols are the heart, particularly in reds and pinks, and pictures or models of Cupid. Cupid is usually portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who have (80.) ___________ in love are sometimes said to be 'struck by Cupid's arrow.