Đề thi học sinh giỏi tỉnh Long An lớp 9 năm 2012 môn Tiếng Anh

PART 1: LISTENING (4pts)

Listen to the conversation three times. Then complete the table below. Write no more than three words and/ or a number for each answer.

PART 2: USE OF ENGLISH (5pts)

A. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct tense. (2pts)

Susan has been studying interior design part time for three years and she (1.get) _______ her diploma next month. Since she (2.work) _______ in the same company for over ten years, she feels that she (3.need) _______ a change, so she (4.plan) _______ to open her own design business. She (5.start) _______ looking for an office next week, and she (6.hope) _______ she will have found something in good location and at a reasonable price by the end of the month. Her tutors (7.tell) ______ her that she (8.be)______ very talented and they (9.assure) _______ her that she (10.make) _______ a success of the business.

B. Put the suitable prepositions into the reading passage. (2pts)

Trouble at Norton Mining

The entire workforce of Norton Mining has gone (1) _______ strike following a serious accident at the mine in Coolooma. The cause (2) _______the accident is unclear, but the union is blaming management attitudes to safety regulations. A spokesperson said “Damage (3) _______ equipment was frequently ignored and union demands (4) ____safer working practices were rejected. The managers’ relationship (5)_______ the union was very poor, so although we pointed out that there’d been a rise (6)_______ the number of minor accidents over the past year, they said there was no need for a change in working practices.”

John Norton, the chairman of Norton Mining, is away (7) _______ a business trip. His secretary said she had spoken to him (8) _______ the phone. The news of the accident had come (9) _______ a great shock to him, she added. She was unable to say when he would be back.

It is understood that the police would like to speak to Mr. Norton in connection (10) _______ a number of his financial dealings.

C. Give the correct form of the words in brackets. (1pt)

The Language Instinct

When I was young, I found language classes rather pointless. I enjoyed other subjects, but languages were my weaknesses. I couldn’t understand a word and I used to (1. pronounce) _______ everything. My teacher knew I was an ambitious student who wanted to do well, but I let myself down in languages. My marks were (2. accept) _______ in French and German and I wanted to give it up. Then one year I went to Germany and something amazing happened. It all started to make sense. I took (3. proud) _______ in talking to people. I didn’t feel like a (4. fail) _______ anymore and I started to make progress. In fact, languages became one of my (5. strong) _______. I went on to study German at college and became a good communicator.

PART 3: READING COMPREHENSION (6pts)

A. Read the passage and choose the best answers. (2pts)

The Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell

In America, two monuments symbolize the ideal of freedom that the country holds dear. The Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell represent freedom in different ways. The Statue of Liberty brings about feelings of hope for freedom to immigrants who enter the USA. The Liberty Bell commemorates the struggle for freedom that marks America’s past.

In the past, the Statue of Liberty was the first thing people saw when their boats approached America. The statue stands over 45 meters tall. It was given as a gift to the United States in 1885 by France. The date was chosen to mark the centennial of the establishment of the United States.

The sculpture is made of copper. The internal structure was designed by Gustave Eiffel, who also designed the famous tower bearing his name in Paris. The statue is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. In her right hand Lady Liberty holds a torch. It is meant to light the way of freedom across the land. In her left hand she holds a tablet with the date 1776 inscribed on it. This is to commemorate the year America declared its independence from Great Britain. It is possible to go inside the statue. Many people enjoy climbing the stairs to enter her head and torch.

The Liberty Bell is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is most famous for being rung on July 8, 1776. It was rung to summon citizens for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. It was also rung in 1774 to announce the opening of the first Continental Congress. Inside the bell is cast an inscription from the Bible’s Leviticus 25:10. This passage states, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” The Liberty Bell was originally cast in 1752. It got its famous crack in 1753 the first time it was rung.

In 1965, the FBI uncovered a plot by terrorists to destroy the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell. But these attacks on the symbols of freedom were quickly stopped.

1. The word commemorates in the passage is closest in meaning to ___________.
A. celebrates
B. commences
C. destroys
D. claims

2. The word her in the passage refers to ____________.
A. the Liberty Bell
B. the famous tower
C. the statue
D. America

3. According to the passage, why did France give the Statue of Liberty to the United States?
A. To pay off a debt.
B. To build up the friendship between both countries.
C. To make New York Harbor look nicer.
D. To celebrate the hundred-year birthday of America.

4. When is the Liberty Bell most famous for being rung?
A. On July 4, 1776.
B. On July 8, 1776.
C. On December 25, 1776.
D. On January 1, 1776.

5. Who intended to attack the symbols of freedom?
A. Gustave Eiffel.
B. Citizens.
C. The FBI.
D. Terrorists.

B. Choose the words from the box below to fill the gaps. (4pts)

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous (1) _________ buildings in the world. Officially opened in (2) _________, its eye-catching and (3) ________ shape was the dream of a Danish (4) ________, called Utzon. Unfortunately, his design for the (5) _________ could not be completed for financial reasons. Nonetheless, the building was finally ready after (6) _________ years of (7) ________ and argument, and is now (8) ________ as a (9) ________ of modern architecture. World-class performances are regularly given in the Opera House by Australian (10) ________ from the worlds of opera, ballet and theatre.

distinctive - star - acclaimed - originally - 14 - famous - modern - hail - controversy - architecture - masterpiece - 1975 - artists - architect - interior

PART 4: WRITING (5pts)

A. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the words given. (1pt)

1. The last time we met the Boultons was in September.
since
-> We…………………………..………………………………………………..………..

2. Roller-skating isn’t as exciting as bungee jumping.
more
-> Bungee……………….……………………………………………………………….

3. Although Alice works night shifts, she doesn’t earn much.
spite
-> ……… ………………..….…………………………………………………….…….

4. People say that he will retire because of poor health.
to
-> He…………………….…………………………………………….…………………

5. “ Don’t drink the water from the pond.” – He said to us.
warned
-> He ………….. ……………. ………………………………………………………….

B. Write an essay to describe a Tet holiday in your place. (over 90 words) (4pts)