I.

PHONOLOGY (1 point)
For questions 1-5, choose the letter (A, B, C or D) to indicate the word whose underlined part
differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.
1. A. noon B. tool C. hook D. spoon
2. A. honour B. harvest C. heirloom D. hourglass
3. A. maximum B. anxiety C. examine D. exhausted
4. A. recipe B. commercial C. precision D. medicine
5. A. charisma B. chandelier C. champagne D. chivalry
For questions 6-10, choose the letter (A, B, C or D) to indicate the word that differs from the other
three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions.
6. A. exist B. highlight C. decent D. archive
7. A. advocate B. politics C. database D. component
8. A. telegram B. cinema C. pagoda D. elephant
9. A. nationalist B. ceremony C. competency D. analysis
10. A. impressionable B. multicultural C. intermediate D. inaccessible

II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (3 points)

For questions 11-25, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which best completes each blank.
11. I’ll get my husband me move the table when he gets home.
A. helping B. helped C. help D. to help
12. The exams are coming; I think you’d start revising now.
A. well B. good C. best D. better
13. There a lake here once, but now there’s a block of flats.
A. is B. used to be C. would be D. was to be
14. Once this project is over and with, you can enjoy a two-week holiday!
A. set B. put C. done D. made
15. I have decided not to buy that car because it had too much on it.
A. wear and tear B. part and parcel C. ups and downs D. ins and outs
16. All the hotel guests must by the rules if they want to vacation here.
A. adhere B. abide C. comply D. obey
17. After the accident, Jake didn’t feel up .
A. to drive B. to driving C. being driven D. be driven
18. John: “Sorry, Brian is not here.” – Peter: “ ”
A. Would you like to leave a message? B. Can I take a message then?
C. Can I speak to Brian, please? D. Can I leave a message then?
19. She bought jacket when she was in Paris last year.
A. a brown leather expensive B. a brown expensive leather
C. an expensive brown leather D. an expensive leather brown
20. does not circle around the earth was proven by Galileo.
A. That the rest of the universe B. Since the rest of the universe
C. As the rest of the universe D. The rest of the universe
21. It is essential that every student the instructions carefully.
A. reads B. will read C. read D. has read
22. Some students in my class were just learning , memorizing facts without truly understanding
the underlying concepts.
A. by day B. by cramp C. by rote D. by insight
23. The holiday was a relief from the pressure of work.
A. welcome B. hard C. dull D. accepted
24. I think you need to your ideas more clearly so that the reader doesn’t get confused.
A. dawn on B. set out C. come across D. give in
25. I caught of a lion lying under the tree, and my heart jumped.
A. view B. scene C. look D. sight
For questions 26-35, fill in each blank with the correct form of the word in brackets.
26. The waiting time has been dramatically from eight weeks to just one week. (SHORT)
27. Shortly before the crash, the pilot had reported a of the aircraft’s navigation system.
(FUNCTION)
28. Sleep disturbances are caused by the in certain chemicals. (BALANCE)
29. Henry drank a lot of coffee to keep him . (WAKE)
30. Whatever happens, don’t let this failure you. (HEART)
31. Nothing compares to a parent’s love for their child. (CONDITION)
32. His profound knowledge and significant contribution to the agriculture of Vietnam has made him a
scientist in this country. (HEAVY)
33. The law companies to provide health insurance to their employees or they will face
fines. (COMPULSORY)
34. The team were basking in the of winning the cup. (GLOW)
35. She is a talented singer and actress who stands a good chance of gaining and
recognition. (STAR)
For questions 36-40, choose the letter (A, B, C or D) to indicate the underlined part that needs
correction in each of the following sentences. You do NOT need to fix the error.
36. My brother stood absolutely motion as the spider crawled along his arm.
A. brother B. motion C. spider D. along
37. There are 50 teachers in my school, many of them have a good command of English.
A. teachers B. them C. good D. of
38. Dictionaries frequently explain the origin of the defined word, state its part of speech, and indicating
its correct use.
A. frequently B. defined C. its part of speech D. indicating
39. She hardly never goes to the supermarket without buying some bread and cheese.
A. hardly never B. the C. without D. and
40. Air pollution, together with noise pollution, are causing many problems in our large cities today.
A. with B. are C. many D. today
III. READING (3 points)
For questions 41-48, read the passage and fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE
suitable word.
TALENT – AT A PRICE?
Along with the usual stress of childhood and growing up, gifted children often have unique dilemmas, (41)
can increase their stress levels even more. They may find it difficult to accept their talents along
with their limitations. In (42) to this, they soon become aware that they are different, while at the
same time wanting to develop a strong sense of belonging (43) their peers.
Some of the more common signs of stress are losing a sense of humour as (44) as showing
resentment towards parents, teachers and even friends. Many of these children (45) from
sleeplessness or have difficulty in waking up. They may develop nervous habits such (46)
stuttering, excessive blinking or head shaking. These signs can be an indication that they are trying to cope
with their anxieties unsuccessfully. Many gifted children link their self-worth and identity with (47)
highly they achieve. For these perfectionists, any failure is a terrible blow (48) their self-esteem.
For questions 49-56, read the passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) for each blank.
THE TEENAGE YEARS
Parents often complain about the lovely child they were (49) up suddenly becoming an
uncommunicative, unsociable teen with mood (50) , who never wants to get out of bed or take part
in family activities.
What parents often don’t (51) into account is quite how hard it is to be a teenager nowadays. Not
only do they have to deal with the changes to their bodies, but they are also thrown head first into the
most complicated social situations they will ever have to face – (52) having acquired any of the social
skills they need to cope with them. It used to occur mainly at school, but nowadays the level of stress can
(53) just as high after they return home because of the internet and social networking. Peer
pressure becomes more important than parental approval and bullies’ threats can be (54) terrifying.
It’s really no (55) so many young people find their teenage years very difficult. What is slightly
strange is that once they’ve managed to survive them and become adults, they often look back fondly (56)
that period of their life.
49. A. bringing B. growing C. taking D. raising
50. A. folds B. swings C. twists D. hooks
51. A. have B. take C. give D. make
52. A. including B. regarding C. despite D. without
53. A. remark B. renege C. remain D. renounce
54. A. entirely B. utterly C. abruptly D. ornately
55. A. matter B. doubt C. way D. wonder
56. A. up B. for C. in D. on
For questions 57-62, read the article and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D).
CRITICAL THINKING
We examine whether people are still able to engage in critical thinking in modern day society.
Critical, or analytical, thinking is a way of interacting with what we read or listen to in attempt to have a
deeper understanding. ‘There is a belief that argument is a way of finding the truth,’ observes Adrian
West, research director at the Edward de Bono Foundation U.K.
Although there’s little debate that information technology complements – and often enhances – the human
mind in the quest to store information and process an ever-growing tangle of bits and bytes, there’s
increasing concern that the same technology is changing the way we approach complex problems, and
making it more difficult to really think. ‘We’re exposed to greater amounts of poor yet charismatic
thinking, the fads of intellectual fashion, opinion, and mere assertion,’ says West. ‘The wealth of
communications and information can easily overwhelm our reasoning abilities.’ What’s more, it’s ironic
that ever-growing piles of data and information do not equate to greater knowledge and better decision-
making. What’s remarkable, West says, is just ‘how little this has affected the quality of our thinking.’
According to the National Endowment for the Arts, literary reading, for one thing, declined 10 percentage
points from 1982 to 2002, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Many, including Patricia Greenfield, a
professor of psychology, believe that a greater focus on visual media comes at a price. ‘A drop-off in
reading has possibly contributed to a decline in critical thinking,’ she says. ‘There is a greater emphasis
on real-time media and multi-tasking rather than focusing on a single thing.’ Nevertheless, a definitive
answer about how technology affects critical thinking is not yet available. Instead, due to the ever greater
presence of technology, critical thinking has landed in a mushy swamp and academics can no longer rely
on fundamental beliefs that they previously held.
While it’s tempting to view computers, video games, and the internet in a largely good or bad way, the
reality is that they may be both, with different technologies, systems and uses yielding entirely different
results. For example, a video game may promote critical thinking or detract from it. Reading on the
internet may ratchet up one’s ability to analyze while chasing an endless array of hyperlinks may undercut
deeper thought.
‘Exposure to technology fundamentally changes the way people think,’ says Greenfield. As visual media
have exploded, noticeable changes have resulted. ‘Reading enhances thinking and engages the
imagination in a way that visual media do not,’ Greenfield explains. ‘It develops imagination, induction,
reflection, and critical thinking, and vocabulary.’ However, she has found that visual media actually
improve some types of information processing. Unfortunately, ‘most visual media are real-time and do
not allow time for reflection, analysis, or imagination,’ she says. The upshot? Many people – particularly
those who are younger – wind up not making the most of their capabilities.
How society views technology has a great deal to do with how it forms perceptions about critical
thinking. And nowhere is the conflict more apparent than at the intersection of video games and
cognition. James Paul Gee, a professor of educational psychology, points out that things aren’t always as
they appear. ‘There is a strong undercurrent of opinion that video games aren’t healthy for kids,’ he says.
‘The reality is that they are not only a major form of entertainment, they often provide a very good tool
for learning.’ In fact, joysticks can go a long way toward building smarter children with better reasoning
skills. Games such as SimCity extend beyond rote memorization, and teach decision-making and
analytical skills in immersive, virtual environments that resemble the real world. Moreover, these games
give participants freedom to explore ideas and concepts that might otherwise be inaccessible.
57. In the second paragraph, it is said that information technology .
A. does not help us to manage large amounts of data
B. does not enable us to make better judgements
C. does not improve our ability to remember details
D. does not allow us to find solutions to problems faster
58. What does Patricia Greenfield say about the decline of literary reading?
A. It is the result of the popularity of the moving image.
B. It is unrelated to people’s ability to multi-task.
C. It has led to an increased awareness of critical thinking.
D. It has been caused by the growing tendency to read online.
59. The writer uses the term ‘mushy swamp’ to convey a sense of .
A. clarity B. reality C. diversity D. ambiguity
60. In the fourth paragraph, what point does the writer make about hyperlinks in internet texts?
A. They prevent the reader from considering other points of view.
B. They diminish the reader’s experience of engaging with the material.
C. They offer the reader an opportunity to explore subjects in greater depth.
D. They make life easier for the reader by offering instant access to information.
61. Based on her research into learning and technology, Greenfield believes that visual media .
A. might actually develop people’s creativity in new ways
B. have contributed significantly to linguistic change
C. may prevent certain users from fulfilling their potential
D. can detract from people’s ability to relate to each other
62. In the sixth paragraph, the writer reports the view that, for young people, playing video games .
A. is a means of escape from the pressures of everyday life
B. is a highly suitable medium for intellectual development
C. teaches effective ways of solving conflict
D. allows enjoyment of a safe form of entertainment

For questions 63-70, read the passage and do the tasks that follow.
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
A. Since moving pictures were invented a century ago, a new way of distributing entertainment to
consumers has emerged about once every generation. Each such innovation has changed the industry
irreversibly; each has been accompanied by a period of fear mixed with exhilaration. The arrival of
digital technology, which translates music, pictures and text into the zeros and ones of computer
language, marks one of those periods.
B. This may sound familiar, because the digital revolution, and the explosion of choice that would go
with it, has been heralded for some time. In 1992, John Malone, chief executive of TCI, an American
cable giant, welcomed the ‘500-channel universe’. Digital television was about to deliver everything
except pizzas to people’s living rooms. When the entertainment companies tried out the technology, it
worked fine – but not at a price that people were prepared to pay.
C. Those 500 channels eventually arrived but via the Internet and the PC rather than through television.
The digital revolution was starting to affect the entertainment business in unexpected ways.
Eventually it will change every aspect of it, from the way cartoons are made to the way films are
screened to the way people buy music. That much is clear. What nobody is sure of is how it will affect
the economics of the business.
D. New technologies always contain within them both threats and opportunities. They have the potential
both to make the companies in the business a great deal richer, and to sweep them away. Old
companies always fear new technology. Hollywood was hostile to television, television terrified by
the VCR (videocassette recorder). Go back far enough, points out Hal Varian, an economist at the
University of California at Berkeley, and you find publishers complaining that ‘circulating libraries’
would cannibalise their sales. Yet whenever a new technology has come in, it has made more money
for existing entertainment companies. The proliferation of the means of distribution results,
gratifyingly, in the proliferation of dollars, pounds, pesetas and the rest to pay for it.
E. All the same, there is something in the old companies’ fears. New technologies may not threaten their
lives, but they usually change their role. Once television became widespread, film and radio stopped
being the staple form of entertainment. Cable television has undermined the power of the
broadcasters. And as power has shifted the movie studios, the radio companies and the television
broadcasters have been swallowed up. These days, the grand old names of entertainment have more
resonance than power. Paramount is part of Viacom, a cable company; Universal, part of Seagram, a
drinks-and-entertainment company; MGM, once the roaring lion of Hollywood, has been reduced to a
whisper because it is not part of one of the giants. And RCA, once the most important broadcasting
company in the world, is now a recording label belonging to Bertelsmann, a large German
entertainment company.
F. Part of the reason why incumbents got pushed aside was that they did not see what was coming. But
they also faced a tighter regulatory environment than the present one. In America, laws preventing
television broadcasters from owning programme companies were repealed earlier this decade,
allowing the creation of vertically integrated businesses. Greater freedom, combined with a sense of
history, prompted the smarter companies in the entertainment business to re-invent themselves. They
saw what happened to those of their predecessors who were stuck with one form of distribution. So,
these days, the powers in the entertainment business are no longer movie studios, or television
broadcasters, or publishers; all those businesses have become part of bigger businesses still,
companies that can both create content and distribute it in a range of different ways.
G. Out of all this, seven huge entertainment companies have emerged – Time Warner, Walt Disney,
Bertelsmann, Viacom, News Corp, Seagram and Sony. They cover pretty well every bit of the
entertainment business. Three are American, one is Australian, one Canadian, one German and one
Japanese. ‘What you are seeing’, says Christopher Dixon, managing director of media research at
PaineWebber, a stockbroker, ‘is the creation of a global oligopoly. It happened to the oil and
automotive businesses earlier this century; now it is happening to the entertainment business.’ It
remains to be seen whether the latest technology will weaken those great companies, or make them
stronger than ever.

Questions 63-65: The reading passage has seven paragraphs (A-G). Which paragraph contains the
following information? There are more paragraphs than you will need.
63. the contrasting effects that new technology can have on existing business
64. the fact that a total transformation is going to take place in the future in the delivery of all forms
of entertainment
65. the fact that some companies have learnt from the mistakes of others
Questions 66-68: Match the people or companies with the points made in Questions 66-68 about the
introduction of new technology. Write the appropriate letters JM, HV, MG, WD, or CD.

List of People or Companies

JM John Malone
HV Hal Varian
MG MGM
WD Walt Disney
CD Christopher Dixon

66. The merger of entertainment companies follows a pattern evident in other

industries.

67. Major entertainment bodies that have remained independent have lost their
influence.
68. News of the most recent technological development was published some years ago.

Questions 69-70: Choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to the questions below.
69. How does the writer put across his views on the digital revolution?
A. by examining the forms of media that will be affected by it
B. by analysing the way entertainment companies have reacted to it
C. by giving a personal definition of technological innovation
D. by drawing comparisons with other periods of technological innovation
70. Which of the following best summarises the writer’s views in the passage?
A. The public should cease resisting the introduction of new technology.
B. Digital technology will increase profits in the entertainment business.
C. Entertainment companies should adapt to technological innovation.
D. Technological change only benefits big entertainment companies.
IV. WRITING (3 points)
For questions 71-80, rewrite each of the following sentences in such a way that it has a similar
meaning to the original sentence, beginning with the given word(s).
71. “That’s a lovely new dress!” Lan’s mother said to her.
→ Lan’s mother complimented .
72. The trousers were cheap; however, she couldn’t afford them.
→ Cheap .
73. The heavy snow stopped the students from going to the mountain.
→ The heavy snow made it .
74. What time does the gym open tomorrow morning?
→ Do you have any ?
75. They said that the criminal had been arrested a few days earlier.
→ The criminal .
76. Flooding in this region was the result of the heavy rain.
→ The heavy rain resulted

.
77. The town was so unfriendly that we left immediately.
→ It was such

.
78. Persuading Sarah to change her mind is a waste of time.
→ It’s not worth

.
79. The only reason she got promoted is that she’s competent.
→ Were it

.
80. As he gets older, he seems to become more sensible.
→ The older

.
For questions 81-90, complete the second sentence in such a way that it has a similar
meaning to the first sentence, using the word given in brackets. Do NOT change the word
given. You must use between THREE and SIX words, including the word given in
brackets.
81. I hope they will think of a cheaper solution. (COME)
→ I hope they will be able

expensive solution.
82. Nancy was surprised to be offered a pay rise by the company. (SURPRISE)
→ Much her
a pay rise.
83. The film was difficult to follow, but it was enjoyable. (DESPITE)
→ The film was enjoyable was
difficult to follow.
84. Sarah’s daughter has sufficient talent to become a successful actress. (ENOUGH)
→ Sarah’s daughter is become a
successful actress.
85. Rob soon recovered from the shock of losing his job. (GET)
→ It didn’t take Rob much over the shock of
losing his job.
 86. The company rejected his offer. (DOWN)
→ His offer the
company.
87. Are you saying that I’m lying about what happened? (TRUTH)
→ Are you accusing about what
happened?
88. I don’t think you should watch that TV programme, children. (RATHER)
→I watch that TV
programme, children.
89. You don’t have to participate in the activity if you don’t want to. (OBLIGATION)
→ You part in the activity if you
don’t want to.
90. Entry is prohibited to those without a valid ticket. (POSSESSION)
→ Unless you are in will not be
allowed in.
91. Write a paragraph in response to the following topic:

More and more children are accessing the internet at a very young age, which can sometimes put them at
risk.
What problems do you think children face when they use the internet? How can they be solved?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your
knowledge, experience or observations.
Write about 150-180 words.