SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO KỲ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI TỈNH LỚP 9

NGHỆ AN NĂM HỌC 2020 - 2021

ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC Môn thi: TIẾNG ANH - BẢNG A

Thời gian: 150 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)
(Đề gồm 11 trang)

SECTION A. LISTENING (50 points)

Part 1. Listen to a news report on coronavirus vaccine. For questions 6-20, complete the text below by
writing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS in the spaces provided.
More than 140 organizations around the world are working on a vaccine and collaborating with one another
and every day we’re getting closer to finding one. A (6) ________________________ of them have even reached
the point where they’re testing the vaccine on thousands of humans. Something called a (7)
________________________. A lot has to happen before we can know that a vaccine works and that it’s (8)
________________________. What exactly is a vaccine? Well it’s like a (9) ________________________ for our
body’s immune systems. They harmlessly show viruses or bacteria to our bodies. Our immune systems recognize
them as an (10) ________________________ and learn how to fight them. It means that next time when we (11)
________________________ the disease for real, our bodies already know how to handle it. There’s a lot we don’t
understand about COVID - 19 but we know it’s genetic code. Some scientists are lifting parts of this code and
combining it with (12) ________________________ to create something that looks like the coronavirus. This can
then be given to animals or humans. Others are (13) ________________________ of raw genetic code such as
DNA straight into test subjects. Whichever approach is used when (14) ________________________ think they’ve
found something that works. It has to be tested again and again and again and go through so many clinical trials to
make sure that it’s effective and that there are no (15) ________________________ and even after that it still needs
to be approved by medical regulators. The reality is that most of the vaccines being trialled right now will fail.
When can you get the vaccine? Well, most scientists seem to think it’ll be the second half of 2021 at the (16)
________________________ and that might seem far away to you but vaccines usually take years if not decades to
develop and then you’ve got to make this vaccine on a (17) ________________________. Some countries such as
the UK and the USA are already spending money to (18) ________________________ vaccines for their own
populations but the world health organization is also taking steps to try and ensure that all countries have (19)
________________________ to a vaccine no matter who discovers it or how much money a country is willing to
offer for it. The plan is for healthcare workers to get vaccinated first then 20 percent of each country’s population
will be given the vaccine. The idea is to have vaccinated (20) ____________________ people by the end of 2021.
 SECTION B. LEXICO – GRAMMAR (20 points)

Part 1. Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences. Write A, B, C or D in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. ______ John goes to fitness classes regularly, he is a very poor runner.
A. Since B. Despite C. Although D. Because of
2. The Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris which is home to ______ works of art was devastated by one of the most
horrific fires of the year 2019.
A. priceless B. valueless C. worthless D. useless
3. We must _______ action to deal with the changed situation we presently face.
A. show B. pay C. take D. set
4. The aid agencies have enough on their ______ without having unnecessary visitors to look after.
A. plate B. dish C. bowl D. cup
5. Nobody wants to talk to him, ______?
A. don’t he B. doesn’t he C. do they D. don’t they
6. ______ to Personnel Manager, Adam found that he had no time left to spend with his family.
A. After promoting B. Having promoted C. After promoted D. Having been promoted
7. The blow to Tom’s head was so severe that he lost consciousness and only ______ an hour later.
A. came round B. put up C. got on D. turned off
8. We’ve been together through ______ in our friendship, and we won’t desert each other now.
A. bad and good B. thick and thin C. odds and ends D. high and low
9. Bill is an architect ______ profession, but he’s been working as a set designer for the last five years.
A. for B. by C. on D. at
10. ______ seem to be getting longer and longer, so long, in fact, that you often forget what it is you were watching
before they came on.
A. Jingles B. Commercials C. Slogans D. Fliers
11. She insisted that every scandalous detail of the story had been ______.
A. manufactured B. devised C. composed D. generated

Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the words CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined
words in the following question.
12. Peter has failed two math exams, has not done two assignments and has been late for class every day this week.
He’s really skating on thin ice.
A. taking a risk B. enjoying himself
C. making great efforts D. playing sports very well
Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the word OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word
in the following question.
13. People are quick to point a finger but often fail to see their own shortcomings.
A. faults B. strengths C. weaknesses D. strategies
Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that best completes the following exchange.
14. Mary and Steven are talking about plans after work.
Mary: “Would you like to have dinner with me?” Steven: “ ______ ”
A. Yes, it is. Isn’t it? B. Yes, I’d love to. C. Yes, so do I. D. I’ve had enough.

Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

Part 2. Read the passage below, which contains 6 mistakes. Identify the mistakes and write the corrections in
the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Line INSPIRATION OR PERSPIRATION?
1 We often use the word “genius” to talk about the achievements of such people as the artists
2 Rembrandt and Picasso, or the dramatist William Shakespeare and his astonished creative talent.
3 But is “genius” simply something you are born at? In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that
4 success depends on several factors, not just your natural ability - or your competitiveness!
5 Gladwell believes that successive people usually have the good fortune to be living in the
6 right circumstances to allow the development of his talents. For instance, sporting legends
7 (including the footballer Pelé) usually have birthdays early in the academic year, as school sports
8 classes tend to favour the bigger, older students!
9 But success is not effortless. Gladwell suggests that talented people also need to make over
10 10,000 hours of practice, or becoming a genius is virtually impossible. For instance, he thinks it’s
11 unlikely that the Beatles would have become famously if they hadn’t played so many long gigs. It
12 seems the old saying is true: “there’s no inspiration without perspiration”!

SECTION C. READING (70 points)

Part 1. Read the passage and choose the best answer. Write your answers A, B, C or D in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided.
 VALUABLE LESSONS
When praising a child for trying, in spite of unacceptable work, adults teach that (1) _____ is more
important than results. I once took (2) _____ a class in the middle of a term from a teacher who was a (3) _____
marker. After I had returned a batch of marked papers, one boy complained (4) _____ receiving a ‘C’. “I’m (5)
_____ to getting ‘As’” he said. When I explained that his essay was badly (6) _____, he asked: “What about the
pictures? Our other teacher gave extra (7) _____ for effort.”
Real life seldom (8) ______ those who try but don’t get results. And it’s a rare boss who tolerates an
employee who insists that he (9) ______ his best. Unmerited praise may keep children from (10) _____ their own
true capabilities.
Years ago, my best friend was a naturally (11) ______ musician. Her family saw every effort as ‘brilliant’
but she hated practising and often did badly at recitals. After one particularly embarrassing performance, her
mother said, “You were wonderful, but that piano needs tuning and the audience was so noisy, it’s no (12) ______
you forgot the second movement”. Had this girl (13) ______ criticism, she might have achieved her dreams of a
concert career. As it was, her playing got gradually worse, she lost (14) ______ and eventually (15) ______ out of
music school.

1. A. try B. attempt C. trial D. effort

2. A. up B. over C. out D. down
3. A. light B. giving C. generous D. tender
4. A. about B. for C. with D. by
5. A. familiar B. used C. adapted D. keen
6. A. expressed B. fixed C. made D. organized
7. A. marks B. grades C. notes D. scores
8. A. awards B. merits C. rewards D. grants
9. A. made B. did C. put D. went
10. A. realizingB. succeeding C. gaining D. meeting
11. A. worthy B. deserved C. capable D. gifted
12. A. doubt B. shame C. wonder D. joke
13. A. explained B. offered C. given D. received
14. A. interest B. energy C. motive D. attention
15. A. fell B. went C. passed D. dropped
Part 2. Read the text below and fill in each gap with ONE suitable word. Write the answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
SAFETY AND THE CITY
What are the factors that help us decide whether a city is a good place to live or not? It certainly should
have all the modern amenities (16) ______ schools, hospitals, banks and entertainment facilities that you’d expect
to find in a large urban centre. But if you have (17) ______ lived in a big city, you’ll know that one of the most
important factors is safety. Research into safety and fear in cities (18) ______ on factors such as how frequently
accidents take place as well as how high the crime rate is in order to rank them on the safe or dangerous (19)
______ . But even people who have never been the victims of crime still have feelings of (20)______ in the most
‘dangerous’ cities. If you find yourself (21) ______ a panic every time you’re alone at a bus stop or when you are
walking down an (22) ______ city street at night, then maybe you (23)______ to move to a safer city. In fact,
people who (24) ______ to live in fear in their hometowns have often experienced great lifestyle changes simply
by moving to a safer city. There’s no point (25) ______ in a bustling city if you fear for your life when you step
outside. It’s no (26) ______ that Luxembourg, or Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland rate among the safest cities in
Europe. But given that many people (27) ______ Ireland with civil unrest, it is encouraging to hear that Dublin has
also been named one of Europe’s safest cities for visitors and (28) ______ . This is because the Irish are thought to
be among the least likely Europeans to get (29) ______ in violent crimes. So, (30) ______ you are thinking about
moving city, give serious consideration to Dublin.

Part 3. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions. Write your
answers A, B, C or D in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Last month I spent a day on work experience, behind the scenes at a TV station. I followed an item of
breaking news from the time it happened, to the point when it appeared on the evening TV news. It was
fascinating!
 After having a look at the studio, I was taken to the home news desk, where the duty editor told us that
it’d been quiet up till then. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was breaking news: a river had broken its banks and a
village was flooded. The editor told the caller to stay on the line, ‘We’ll get you live on air to tell us everything,’ he
said. Then he spoke to a colleague: ‘Let’s get a reporter, crew and satellite truck up there straightaway.’
Everything started to happen very quickly.
The correspondent for the TV news channel, who had travelled up to the village, explained what he and
his crew had been doing: ‘We’ve been at the village for a while now, gathering material for the report. That
means speaking to the local people about the disaster or about their lucky escapes and also getting information
from the emergency services. Our camera crew has taken up the best position to film what’s happening and we’re
now using the satellite truck to beam all the material we’ve filmed back to the TV news centre.’
The footage from the village had to be prepared in the cutting studio. As the producer explained,
‘reporting is all about telling a story and so it’s very important to illustrate the news story with graphics and
images from the scene. We will also use images of previous floods from our archives to show that this is not an
isolated incident. Putting the reports together can be tricky. We need to get our facts right and broadcast the
most important information. The clock’s ticking and we’re the lead story on the evening news.’
I was fascinated to see different screens showing emergency press conferences, detailed weather
forecasts and images of the affected area. I was told that, as back-up or as an alternative to the TV news report,
there are also online news reports where people can find maps of the area and more in-depth information.
Viewers are invited to send in their pictures and videos from the scene, which will be put up on the website. There
are also on-the-hour, up-to-date news bulletins on the radio, and you can even receive texts directly to your
mobile phone.
In the production studio, the producer’s job involves working out where the story is going to appear in the
next hour of news. He’s also responsible for writing an introduction to the story. ‘Once the scripting and editing
process has been completed, the product is ready to go out,’ he told me. ‘The studio director will ensure that
everything is perfect but I’ve got a good team here: the executive producer, who checks the content of the
interview, and the text producer, who puts the ticker on the screen. That’s a continuous stream of news and
breaking newsflashes.’
Finally, the newsreader was ready to go on air in the newsroom. She was facing the camera: ‘Hello and
welcome. Flash floods have devastated a small village in Yorkshire. Heavy downpours have washed away roads
and trapped people in their homes. Now let’s go across to our correspondent, Peter Nichols, for a live update ...’
We watched as the correspondent gave the live news report from the scene: ‘The floods hit without warning in
the early hours, causing chaos and confusion. People’s homes have been destroyed, power lines are down and
more rain is forecast for the evening. The emergency services are doing what they can but there are fears that the
bridge over the river might collapse ...’
31. Which best serves as the title for the passage?
A. Breaking the News! B. On the Tip of Your Tongue!
C. Look Good, Feel Good! D. Storm in a Teacup!
32. What will the person who rang the TV news have to do?
A. act as if nothing unusual has happened B. give an eyewitness account
C. get connected to a computer D. phone for the police
33. What did the correspondent in the village do?
A. receive reports B. try to rescue people
C. film the disaster D. interview the local people
34. The word “footage” in the paragraph 3 is defined as ______.
A. a place where old files, films and photos are stored B. a piece of film showing a particular event
C. the most recent information about a news story D. a short television news report
35. Why will images from the archives be used?
A. to make the pictures look three-dimensional B. to make it more interesting
C. to supply evidence of other similar disasters D. to make the floods look more impressive
36. What is important when reporting the news?
A. The news report has to give all the details. B. The news report has to be accurate.
C. The news report always has to be the lead story. D. The newsreader has to be a story-teller.
37. What is meant by “the clock’s ticking” in paragraph 3?
A. They have missed the evening news deadline. B. They have to work fast.
C. The noise of the clock is annoying. D. The report is already late.
38. What are viewers invited to do in emergencies?
A. take photos of the event B. send text messages to the people in need
C. follow the latest weather report D. turn on their radios
39. What must the producer decide about the story?
A. what position it will have in the news report B. if it will be ready for the next news flash
C. what part of it needs further scripting or editing D. whether it needs an introduction
40. What do we learn about the situation in the village from the final news bulletin?
A. Many road accidents have taken place. B. They have no electricity.
C. The rain hasn’t stopped since the morning. D. The bridge has been washed away.

Your answers:
31. 32. 33. 34. 35.
36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
Part 4. For questions 41-50, identify in which section A, B, C, D, E or F each of the following is mentioned.
Write ONE letter A, B, C, D, E or F in the corresponding numbered space provided. Each letter may be used
more than once.
Which paragraph mentions… Your answers
having almost completed a period of schooling 41. ______
the failure of a system for dealing with difficult teens 42. ______
enjoying non-academic pursuits 43. ______
a heavy punishment for a small act of disobedience 44. ______
receiving advice about things that may be worrying you 45. ______
doing a temporary job without asking for payment 46. ______
sharing many similarities with other young people 47. ______
enabling young people to do what they want with their lives 48. ______
being treated in the same way as soldiers 49. ______
learning to work with other young people and support them 50. ______

TROUBLESOME TEENS
Why do some teenagers refuse to obey authority figures? What kind of help do troubled teenagers really
need? Paul Marks investigates.

A. Mark has a lot in common with the teenagers at Red Forest school in Colorado. Like them, he’s bright, self-
confident, sociable - and knows just where he’s going in life. But neither Mark nor any of the other kids at Red
Forest were like this at the beginning. When they arrived at the school, these same teenagers were moody,
rebellious and had no respect for anyone. They’d made a habit of bullying their schoolmates and disobeying their
teachers, and had driven their parents crazy with their bad behaviour. They had no direction in life and didn’t
understand the bad effect they were having on themselves, their family or friends.

B. Mark was one of the worst. He was so out of control that his parents had seriously considered sending him to a
boot camp. Boot camps aim to ‘shock’ young people into good behaviour by making life really unpleasant! It’s a
bit like being in the army. You start the day with an early morning wake-up call and are then made to run several
kilometres before breakfast! There is military-style discipline. The staff are cold and uncaring, and quick to punish
bad behaviour. Anyone caught breaking a rule, however small, has to do hard physical work as punishment.

C. Luckily for Mark, his parents decided against boot camp when they read a report on the subject. This made it
clear that boot camps just don’t work. In fact, they can make matters worse. Teenagers, it seems, refuse to listen
to authority figures they don’t respect. It’s the same with rules - if teenagers think they’re unfair, they won’t obey
them. Most teens really hate the people guarding them at boot camp and see the rules as something to get
around. They become more and more hostile during their stay and often leave boot camp more rebellious than
when they arrived!

D. After a great deal of thought, Mark’s parents decided to send him to Red Forest, a therapeutic school for
troubled teens. It’s a boarding school, so students eat and sleep there and only go home for the holidays. Instead
of having his own bedroom, Mark shares a small dormitory with a group of other students. Making friends is
considered very important at Red Forest and the dormitory system is a good way of doing this. The school is
comfortable and well equipped - a ‘home from home’, as the prospectus says. The staff are caring and supportive
and give students lots of positive encouragement to achieve their dreams. The teenagers also have counselling
sessions several times a week, as individuals and in groups, where they get help with any emotional issues that
are troubling them.

E. While students are expected to work hard at their academic studies during the week, weekends are much more
relaxed. It’s the time for hobbies and special interests! Off-campus activities include rafting and mountain-biking.
Those who prefer to stay in the school grounds can enjoy sports like basketball, football, biking and swimming.
Mark loves weekends because he can take part in his favourite activity - rock-climbing! Learning to rock climb has
given him a great sense of accomplishment and helped his self-confidence. Climbing with his peers has taught him
the importance of cooperation and teamwork, as well.

F. Mark’s been at Red Forest for eighteen months now and will reach the end of his course soon. Before he
finishes, he’ll be taking part in three weeks of voluntary activities - maybe working with homeless people or at an
animal shelter. He started out hating his parents for sending him to the school, but he’s changed his mind now.
‘I’ll never be a saint,’ he says. ‘I have my own opinions and I’m always going to say what I think. But I feel a lot
better about myself now. I didn’t believe I could achieve anything much. This school has shown me I really can
achieve my dreams if I want to. It’s up to me to make something of my life. I know that now.’
Part 5. Read the following passage and answer questions 51-60.
EXAMINING THE AFRICAN HUNTING DEBATE
A. When a famous Zimbabwean lion was hunted and killed by a foreign tourist, people on social media were
furious. This resulted in an airline ban of the transportation of trophies killed by tourists and people repeatedly
asking travellers to avoid countries that allow this kind of trophy hunting. Trophy hunting describes legal hunting
where people pay to do it. It is permitted in countries including Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
While many people are disgusted by this, what they don’t often realise is that stopping this kind of hunting might
actually do more harm than good.

B. Let’s look at Namibia for example. The local Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, said that
if airlines stopped transporting wildlife trophies, this would prevent the Namibians from protecting wildlife in their
country. This is because the money that people pay to trophy hunt is used to stop illegal hunting, which is a much
bigger problem than legal hunting. This suggests that trophy hunting can have a positive impact on the protection of
wildlife, in theory at least.

C. Namibia is often described as trophy hunting’s biggest success story. It is indeed true that hunting played an
important role in increasing the number of wild animals after wars in the 1970s and 1980s negatively affected herd
sizes. Today there are still 80 animal protection organizations in Namibia that rely completely on money from legal
hunting. As Namibian journalist John Grobler says, farmers look after their animals better if they sell them to
hunters. Namibia is currently experiencing a lack of rain which means some farmers may not have enough food for
their animals. If they can’t earn money from their animals because hunting is stopped, farmers may decide to let
them die. If hunting is stopped altogether, farmers will let the whole herd die.

D. In Botswana, hunting large animals is now illegal for everyone and they have not suffered from the problems
that John Grobler suggests above. However, there is a big difference between Botswana and Namibia – in
Botswana there are no fences between people’s land, which means animals are able to move around freely. If
farmers stop feeding them, they just go somewhere else to find food. In Namibia there are fences so the same thing
will not happen there. Botswana’s ban on hunting is not without its problems, however. Large, wild animals are
regularly killed when human life, food crops or farm animals are put in danger. In fact, this kind of animal death is
considered to be a bigger killer than controlled hunting.

E. Interestingly, in a recent article, Botswanan villagers said they would protect local wildlife better if they could
earn money from it through hunting. However, this opinion goes against the results of a large study carried out by
Economists at Large. They concluded that in nine African countries that allow trophy hunting, the ‘sport’ accounted
for just 1.8 percent of total tourism revenue, while, more importantly, only 3 percent of the money actually reached
the communities where hunting occurs.

F. So what does all of this tell us? It tells us that whatever we might think about the hunters, hunting can have a
positive effect – both for wildlife and for African people – when and where it is properly and ethically managed.
However, too often the opposite occurs and the industry suffers from bad management and bad ethics. It also tells
us that trophy hunting is far more complex than both those who love it and those who hate it often realise. So while
the hunting industry might need some serious changes, it’s perhaps not time to stop it completely when African
wildlife organizations have no other way of making money. It is interesting to look at Zambia in this regard. Before
hunting was stopped in 2013, 60 percent of the Zambian Wildlife Authority’s (ZAWA) revenue came from legal
hunting. Today, ZAWA has very little money and has had to receive some from the Zambian government more
than once.

G. So what can we do? Apart from supporting Africa’s national parks and wildlife areas as photographic tourists,
there are no easy answers or quick solutions. But if we first try to understand the issue, it is a step in the right
direction. And while this situation might make us angry, remember that shouting at our computer doesn’t really
help anyone.

Questions 51 - 56
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
List of Headings
i Using hunting to stop a worse crime
ii Legal hunting has little financial benefit
iii Trying to make a living
iv Start by learning about the problem
v Different agricultural styles lead to different outcomes
vi Emotional reactions may have negative consequences
vii The system is not perfect but can be beneficial
viii Motivation to take care of animals
ix Travelling to Africa by plane
Example: Paragraph G ___iv___

Your answers:
51. Paragraph A ______ 52. Paragraph B ______ 53. Paragraph C ______
54. Paragraph D ______ 55. Paragraph E ______ 56. Paragraph F ______
Questions 57 – 60
For questions 57-60, decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F) or Not Given (NG).
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
57. Trophy hunting is actively encouraged in some African countries.
58. During the 1970s and 1980s animals weren’t protected in Namibia.
59. Local communities only receive a small amount of the money from trophy hunting.
60. The Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) still receives some money from legal hunting.
Part 1. Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first one. Use the word given in
capital letters and the word mustn’t be altered in any way.
1. He got a bad mark because he didn’t revise the lesson carefully. SHOULD
He ________________________________ the lesson carefully.
2. I’m so sorry; I didn’t realize it was so late. TRACK
Sorry, I ________________________________ time.
3. Tom has finally started sorting out his postcard collection. ROUND
Tom has finally ________________________________ his postcard collection.
4. It’s possible that they got the wrong idea and thought the party was next week. REACHED
They might ________________________________ conclusion and thought the party was next week.
5. Emma doesn’t blog as her writing skills are quite lacking. SCRATCH
As Emma’s writing skills ________________________________, she doesn’t do any blogging.

Part 2. This is part of a letter you have received from an English-speaking friend, Laura, who is going to hold a
farewell party.
“I’m in charge of organizing foods and drinks for the forthcoming party. I know you have some experience of a
similar situation. Can you give me some advice? I’m not sure what should be ordered and how the foods and drinks
are arranged.
Do write soon.”
Write an e-mail to your friend (about 80-100 words) giving your opinion. Use your name as Trang. DO
NOT write any addresses.