Đề thi học sinh giỏi lớp 9 THCS tỉnh Quảng Bình năm học 2012 - 2013 môn Tiếng Anh

What is money? The pound, the dollar or the franc are actually just like a gram or a kilometre. The difference is that you can exchange money for something (56) ........................ . A five pound note may buy a book, a huge bag of sweets, or a (57) ........................ of cinema tickets. But the note itself is only a printed (58) ........................ of paper which costs almost nothing to make.

Thousands of years (59) ........................ people didn't have money as we know (60) ........................ . There were no banks (61) ........................ even shops. In those days, Mr. Green, the farmer exchanged the corn he (62) ........................ grown for Mr. Hive's honey. This was an exchange arranged between the two (63) ........................, each of whom had something that the other wanted. But in time, most societies invented their own "currencies" (64) ........................ that people could exchange more. The different currencies began to join together, which is why (65) ........................ everyone uses a national currency.

People have always dreamed of living forever, and although we all know this will (51) ........................ happen, we still want to live as long as possible. Naturally, there are advantages and disadvantages to a long (52) ........................

In the first place, people (53) ........................ live longer can spend more time with their family and friends. Secondly, people who have busy working lives look forward to a long, relaxing time when they can do the things they have never had time for. (54) ........................ the other hand, there are some serious disadvantages. Firstly, many people become ill and consequently have to (55) ........................ time in hospital or become (56) ........................ on their children and friends. Many of them (57) ........................ this dependence annoying or embarrassing. In addition to this, the (58) ........................ people get, the fewer friends they seem to have because old friends die or become ill and it's often (59) ........................ to make new friends.

To sum up, it seems that living to a very old age is worthwhile for people who stay healthy (60) ........................ to remain independent and enjoy life.

After inventing dynamite, Swedish-born Alfred Nobel became a very rich man. However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards literature, physics, chemistry, medicine and peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony.

Nobel's original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $30,000 to $125,000.

Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death, the awards are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges' decisions. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes.

No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II. Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes.