Nguyen Hue High School for Gifted Students - Gifted Student Training

MOCK TEST N0 1
Full name: _______________________

I. PHONETICS (1.0 pt.)

Part 1: Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. A. designedly B. unconcernedly C. determinedly D. unconstrainedly
2. A. hydrous B. rhythm C. hypnosis D. hysteria
3. A. montage B. massage C. sabotage D. savage
4. A. bristle B. jostle C. mistletoe D. mantle
5. A. etiquette B. querulously C. critique D. picturesque

Part 2: Choose the word whose main stressed syllable is placed differently from that of the others. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
6. A. commissar B. committee C. communion D. commuter
7. A. rhetoric B. ancestral C. intimate D. anecdote
8. A. chincherinchee B. cohabitee C. evacuee D. subcommittee
9. A. downtrodden B. downhearted C. upheaval D. upholster
10. A. demonstrative B. extravagant C. chandelier D. legitimate
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (9.0 points)

Part 1: Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided. (1.5 pts)
1. During winter the shelters are full of people of no fixed _______.
A. residence B. abode C. home D. domicile
2. Until your finances are in the _______, it’s not a good idea to take out a loan.
A. credit B. funds C. profit D. black
3. The matter has been left in _______ until the legal ramifications have been explored.
A. recess B. suspension C. abeyance D. waiting
4. It was an extremely hostile article which cast _______ on the conduct of the entire cabinet.
A. criticisms B. aspersions C. disapproval D. abuse
5. I am not sure I can answer that. I’ve only thought about it in the _______ before.
A. general B. hypothetical C. indefinite D. abstract
6. The entire staff was thrown off _______ by the announcement of the takeover.
A. composure B. stable C. disarray D. balance
7. Because of an unfortunate _______, your order was not dispatched by the date requested.
A. hindrance B. oversight C. negligence D. transgression
8. James didn’t take _______ to your suggestion that she was mean with money.
A. pleasantly B. cheerfully C. agreeably D. kindly
9. We had to pay for our food but not for the drinks. They are on the _______.
A. house B. café C. compliment D. consumption
10. Since they aren’t answering their telephone, they _______.
A. need have left B. can have left C. must have left D. should have left
11. Breaking his leg dealt a _______ to his chances becoming a professional footballer.
A. thump B. hit C. strike D. blow
12. Let’s make a dash for the train now, as the rain seems to be _______ off.
A. easing B. reducing C. slowing D. running
13. Our firm is so successful because it is at the cutting _______ of computer technology.
A. limit B. edge C. fringeD. verge
14. After buying an expensive new penthouse, Marianna was flat _______.
A. shattered B. smashed C. broke D. torn
15. Harry blew a _______ when his holiday was cancelled.
A. switch B. fuse C. plug D. socket
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Part 2: Complete these sentences, using the suitable form of the words in capitals. Write your answers
in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (2.0 pts.)
1. Glaciers descending from high _______ mountains into the bay create spectacular displays of ice and
iceberg formation. (SNOW)
2. It's _______ for them to pretend that they were shocked at the news. (HYPOCRITE)
3. The lake near to where I live is one of the deepest and most _______ in the world. (VOLUME)
4. Efforts have been made to recover disaster-stricken and _______ areas of the country, hope fading day by
day. (WAR)
5. Our competitive company confirmed that they were not involved in any _______ activities. (ACT)
6. Cantankerous, _______ and dyslexic Billy Childish, an all-round English artist, has been namechecked by
everyone from Kurt Cobain to Kylie Minogue. (OPINION)
7. That the child behaved _______ made the couple happy. (DEAR)
8. James, a _______ correspondent, immediately headed for the scene to give extensive coverage of the Belgium
blast. (GLOBE)
9. I was glad that the bad guy got his _______ at the end of the move. (COME)
10. The landlady considered complaining about the noise but she didn’t want to _______ a new tenant and
jeopardize a 30-day advance. (AGONY)
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 3: Complete the sentences with the correct form of a verb in A, and a preposition/ particle in B.
There is one extra preposition that you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided. (2.0 pts.)
A B
flake snap come blast pull up through back out x 2 with
hit harp bear burden come under among on off round
1. If you can _______ me a little longer, I’ll try to explain the reasons behind our actions.
2. Now I’ve been promoted, I’m _______ even more responsibilities.
3. There was a tremendous noise when the rocket _______.
4. Mr. Brown next door had a very serious operation. Apparently, it’s a miracle he _______.
5. The government’s record will _______ close scrutiny in the weeks before the election.
6. We all tried to convince our teacher to change his mind about the school trip and he finally_______.
7. Our grandfather can _______ his war experiences all the day. Sometimes, we all get truly bored with it.
8. I was so tired that I just _______ in the armchair.
9. When attacked by his opponents, the general _______ with a strong justification for his policy.
10. The free tickets for the band’s concert were _______ within seconds by the enthusiasts flocking at the
hall door.

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Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 4: For each set, think of one word which can be used appropriately in all three sentences. Write
your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (0.5 pt.)
1. _______
- The businessman was forced to say goodbye to all of his property. Even his ski _______ in the Alps was
confiscated by the Tax Office.
- Scores of fishermen decided to _______ a formal complaint to the Ministry to voice their anger over the
total ban on cod fishing.
- The holiday is bound to be fantastic. Our family are going to _______in the most luxurious hotel on the
west coast.
2. _______
- I know you don't _______ your words, but you should've held your tongue this time.
- Then take the beef and _______ it up with some onion and other ingredients.
- “Have you noticed the way these men walk?”
“Yeah. Strange, isn't it? They seem to _______ as if they were gays.”
3. _______
- When Betty said she didn't love him anymore, there was a _______ silence and surprisingly, he started to
sob.
- The woman was heavily _______ when she arrived at the maternity ward.
- Literary critics hailed the book as a masterpiece, saying it was _______ with both affection and brutality.
4. _______
- As soon as Godzilla invaded the power station, the Japanese capital was _______ into darkness.
- To consumers' delight, beef prices _______ to a new low after more cases of mad cow disease emerged.
- The warm sea was beckoning enticingly. She quickly removed her clothes and _______ into the water.
5. _______
- Though still robust, each day the old farmer struggled to conquer the _______ hill on his way to the town
market.
- The mayor could proudly announce that there had been a _______ drop in violent crime since he took
office. Indeed, some surveys showed it had fallen by 55 percent.
- “Did you bring any souvenirs?”
“Forget it. My eyes turned to saucers when I saw the _______ prices. A single postcard cost $10.”
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Part 5: Complete the following passage by filling each blank with ONE suitable word. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (2.0 pts.)
HISTORY OF THE CHICKENPOX VACCINE
Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the Varicella zoster virus; sufferers
develop a fleeting itchy (1) _______ that can spread throughout the body. The disease can last for up to 14
days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly (2) _______. Individuals
infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the
disease (3) _______ its way through the system. The ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by
parents in the U.S. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of
sickness later in life. This view, (4) _______, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated
unexpected dangers associated with the virus. Over time, the fruits of this research have transformed
attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.
A vaccine against chickenpox was (5) _______ invented by Michiaki Takahashi, a Japanese doctor and
research scientist, in the mid-1960s. Dr. Takahashi began his work to isolate and grow the virus in 1965 and in
1972 began (6) _______ trials with a live but weakened form of the virus that caused the human body to create
(7) _______. Japan and several other countries began widespread chickenpox vaccination programs in 1974.

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However, it took over 20 years for the chickenpox vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food & Drug
Administration (FDA), finally earning the U.S. government’s seal of approval (8) _______widespread use in
1995. Yet even though the chickenpox vaccine was available and recommended by the FDA, parents did not
immediately choose to vaccinate their children against this disease. Mothers and fathers typically cited
the notion that chickenpox did not constitute a serious (9) _______ disease against which a person needed to
be (10) _______.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 6: Read the passage and look carefully at each line, tick () the lines which are correct. If you
find a mistake in a line, underline it and suggest an alternative. There are two examples at the
beginning (0 and 00). Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (1.0 pt.)

SUITABLY DRESSED Your answers

Today the notion of ‘suitable clothing’ is dying down. It would now 0. _out_
appear that, to all intents and purposes, anything goes. At one time, it was 00. __
possible to tell at a glance the difference among someone dressed for 1. _______
work and someone en route to a nightclub. And, needless to tell, the same 2. _______
clothes would never have been worn to both. 3. _______
However, in the last thirty years, we have undergone a sea change in 4. _______
our ideas of what a dress code consists of. Even well into these 1960s, 5. _______
male air travellers were expected to wear a suit; these days it would come 6. _______
as no surprise to find them in shorts and trainers. 7. _______
In fact, such has been the revolution in our own dress codes than we 8. _______
may find us dressing down to go to work and dressing up to go out in the 9. _______
evening. There are occasions, a wedding or a funeral, for example, when 10. ______
only certain clothes will do.

III. READING (5.0 points)

Part 1: Read the passage below and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to complete the passage.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided. (1.0 pt.)
THE ROLE OF EDUCATION IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
Level of illiteracy and innumeracy remain starling high in the developing world, and will continue to be so
until the West provides or sponsors new education initiatives, preferably also getting directly. A better
education is a prerequisite should the impoverished masses of Africa ever wish to hold any (1) _______
hope of gaining their emancipation from the metaphorical (2) _______ of poverty. Education initiatives
for young people as well as life-long learning programs will also help to breach the gulf that separates the
working classes from their ruling elite, a privileged few who enjoy the trappings of Western wealth and
the lifestyle that goes with it, while those in their minds are completely preoccupied (3) _______ the daisy
struggle for survival. (4) _______, we must promote a culture of tolerance of corruption and help to create
a new generation for whom education rather than an unscrupulous nature will (5) _______ the true
rewards. Education will also help to bridge another gap; that of the cultural one which separates the West
from its brethren in the developing world. The impoverished slums and shanty towns are a hotbed of
religious and political extremism, but hopefully education will serve to create a better sense of
understanding between all the peoples of the world, (6) _______ background. And this will especially be
the case if the education programs themselves are administered by Western professionals, who, in much

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the same way as they can teach a thing or two to their counterparts in the developing world, have also, (7)
_______, much to learn from them in the process as well. Cooperation between people from the different
cultures of the Wes and the developing world will also, hopefully, help to reduce levels of prejudice,
bigotry, xenophobia and racial tensions. And, last but not by any means least, educating women will ( 8)
_______ them to claim their rightful place in the social (9) _______ in up-to-now male-dominated
cultures. Their aspirations can shift realistically higher, and young female students can hope to go on to
become tomorrow’s politicians, diplomats and political leaders, or (10) _______ they choose.
1. A. requisite B. sheer C. extreme D. genuine
2. A. shackles B. plights C. situations D. sets
3. A. in B. with C. for D. on
4. A. By contrast B. On the contrary C. In addition D. As a result
5. A. yield B. reap C. provide D. relinquish
6. A. rather than B. let alone C. other than D. irrespective of
7. A. undoubtedly B. supposedly C. favorably D. presumably
8. A. intensify B. initiate C. empower D. accredit
9. A. rank B. position C. hierarchy D. tribute
10. A. nonetheless B. whatsoever C. whereabouts D. thereafter
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 2: Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided. (1.3 pts.)

Oxytocin

The positive and negative effects of the chemical known as the ‘love hormone’

A
Oxytocin is a chemical, a hormone produced in the pituitary gland in the brain. It was through various
studies focusing on animals that scientists first became aware of the influence of oxytocin. They discovered
that it helps reinforce the bonds between prairie voles, which mate for life, and triggers the motherly
behaviour that sheep show towards their newborn lambs. It is also released by women in childbirth,
strengthening the attachment between mother and baby. Few chemicals have as positive a reputation as
oxytocin, which is sometimes referred to as the ‘love hormone’. One sniff of it can, it is claimed, make a
person more trusting, empathetic, generous and cooperative. It is time, however, to revise this wholly
optimistic view. A new wave of studies has shown that its effects vary greatly depending on the person and
the circumstances, and it can impact on our social interactions for worse as well as for better.

B
Oxytocin’s role in human behaviour first emerged in 2005. In a groundbreaking experiments, Markus
Heinrichs and his colleagues at the University of Freiburg, Germany, asked volunteers to do an activity in
which they could invest money with an anonymous person who was not guaranteed to be honest. The team
found the participants who had sniffed oxytocin via a nasal spray beforehand invested more money than
those who received a placebo instead. The study was the start of research into the effects of oxytocin on
human interactions. ‘For eight years, it was quite a lonesome field,’ Heinrichs recalls. ‘Now, everyone is
interested.’ These follow-up studies have shown that after a sniff of the hormone, people become more
charitable, better at reading emotions on others’ faces and at communicating constructively in arguments.
Together, the results fuelled the view that oxytocin universally enhanced the positive aspects of our social
nature.

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C
Then, after a few years, contrasting findings began to emerge. Simone Shamay-Tsoory at the at the
University of Haifa, Israel, found that when volunteers played a competitive game, those who inhaled the
hormone showed more pleasure when they beat other players, and felt more envy when others won. What’s
more, administering oxytocin also has sharply contrasting outcomes depending on a person’s disposition.
Jennifer Bartz from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, found that it improves people’s ability to
read emotions, but only if they are not very socially adept to begin with. Her research also shows that
oxytocin in fact reduces cooperation in subjects who are particularly anxious or sensitive to rejection.

D
Another discovery is that oxytocin’s effects vary depending on who we are interacting with. Studies
conducted by Carolyn DeClerck of the University of Antwerp, Belgium, revealed that people who had
received a dose of oxytocin actually became less cooperative when dealing with complete strangers.
Meanwhile, Carsten De Dreu at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands discovered that volunteers
given oxytocin showed favouritism: Dutch men became quicker to associate positive words with Dutch
names than with foreign ones, for example. According to De Dreu, oxytocin drives people to care for those
in their social circles and defend them from outside dangers. So, it appears that oxytocin strengthens biases,
rather than promoting general goodwill, as was previously thought.

E
There were signs of these subtleties from the start. Bartz has recently shown that in almost half of the
existing research results, oxytocin influenced only certain individuals or in certain circumstances. Where
once researchers took no notice of such findings, now a more nuanced understanding of oxytocin’s effects is
propelling investigations down new lines. To Bartz, the key to understanding what the hormone does lies in
pinpointing its core function rather than in cataloguing its seemingly endless effects. There are several
hypotheses which are not mutually exclusive. Oxytocin could help to reduce anxiety and fear. Or it could
simply motivate people to seek out social connections. She believes that oxytocin acts as a chemical
spotlight that shines on social clues – a shift in posture, a flicker of the eyes, a dip in the voice – making
people more attuned to their social environment. This would explain why it makes us more likely to look
others in the eye and improves our ability to identify emotions. But it could also make things worse for
people who are overly sensitive or prone to interpreting social cues in the worst light.

F
Perhaps we should not be surprised that the oxytocin story has become more perplexing. The hormone is
found in everything from octopuses to sheep, and its evolutionary roots stretch back half a billion years. ‘It’s
a very simple and ancient molecule that has been co-opted for many different functions,’ says Sue Carter at
the University of Illinois, Chicago, USA. ‘It affects primitive parts of the brain like the amygdala, so it’s
going to have many effects on just about everything.’ Bartz agrees. ‘Oxytocin probably does some very
basic things, but once you add our higher-order thinking and social situations, these basic processes could
manifest in different ways depending on individual differences and context.’
Questions 1-4: The reading passage has six paragraphs, A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
NB: You may use any letter more than once.
1. reference to research showing the beneficial effects of oxytocin on people
2. reasons why the effects of oxytocin are complex
3. mention of a period in which oxytocin attracted little scientific attention
4. reference to people ignoring certain aspects of their research data

Questions 5-7: Look at the following research findings (Questions 5-7) and the list of researchers
below.
Match each research finding with the correct researcher, A-F.
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 5-7 on your answer sheet.
5. People are more trusting when affected by oxytocin.

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6. Oxytocin increases people’s feelings of jealousy.
7. The effect of oxytocin varies from one type of person to another.
List of Researchers
A Markus Heinrichs
B Simone Shamay-Tsoory
C Jennifer Bartz
D Carolyn DeClerck
E Carsten De Dreu
F Sue Carter

Questions 8-13: Complete the summary below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.
Oxytocin research
The earliest findings about oxytocin and bonding came from research involving (8) __________. It was also
discovered that humans produce oxytocin during (9) __________. An experiment in 2005, in which
participants were given either oxytocin or a (10) __________, reinforced the belief that the hormone had a
positive effect.
However, later research suggests that this is not always the case. A study at the University of Haifa where
participants took part in a (11) __________ revealed the negative emotions which oxytocin can trigger. A
study at the University of Antwerp showed people’s lack of willingness to help (12) __________ while
under the influence of oxytocin. Meanwhile, research at the University of Amsterdam revealed that people
who have been given oxytocin consider (13) __________ that are familiar to them in their own country to
have more positive associations than those from other cultures.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

11. 12. 13.

Part 3: Read the following passage and choose the best answer A, B, C, or D to each of the questions.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. (1.0 pt)
MUSICAL TALENT
Among all the abilities with which an individual may be endowed, musical talent appears earliest in life.
Very young children can exhibit musical precocity for different reasons. Some develop exceptional skill as
a result of a well - designed instructional regime, such as the Suzuki method for the violin. Some have a
good fortune to be born into musical family in a household filled with music. In a number of interesting
cases, musical talent is part of an otherwise disabling condition such as autism or mental retardation. A
musically gifted child has an inborn talent; however, the extent to which the talent is expressed
publicly will depend upon the environment in which the child lives.
Musically gifted children master at an early age the principal elements of music, including pitch and
rhythm. Pitch - or - melody - is more central in certain cultures, for example, in Eastern societies that make
use of tiny quarter - tone interval. Rhythm, sounds produced at certain auditory frequencies and grouped
according to a prescribed system, is emphasized in sub- Saharan Africa, where the rhythmic ratios can be
very complex.
All children have some aptitude for making music. During infancy, normal children sing as well as
babble, and they can produce individual sounds and sound pattern. Infants as young as two months can
match their mother's songs in pitch, loudness, and melodic shape, and infants at four months can match
rhythmic structure as well. Infants are especially predisposed to acquire these core aspects of music, and
they can also engage in sound play that clearly exhibits creativity.
Individual differences begin to merge in young children as they learn to sing. Some children can match
segments of a song by the age of two or three. Many others can only approximate pitch at this age and may
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still have difficulty in producing accurate melodies by the age of five or six. However, by the time they
reach school age, most children in any culture have a schema of what a song should be like and can produce
a reasonably accurate imitation of the songs commonly heard in their environment.
The early appearance of superior musical ability in some children provides evidence that musical talent
may be separate and unique form of intelligence. There are numerous tales of young artists who have a
remarkable “ear “or extraordinary memory for music and a natural understanding of musical structure. In
many of these cases, the child is average in every other way but displays an exceptional ability in music.
Even the most gifted child, however, takes about ten years to achieve the levels of performance or
composition that would constitute mastery of the musical sphere.
Every generation in music history has it famous prodigies - individuals with exceptional musical powers
that emerge at a young age. In the eighteenth century, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart began composing and
performing at the age of six. As a child, Mozart could play piano like an adult. He had perfect pitch, and at
the age of nine he was also a master of the art of modulation – transitions from one key to another - which
became one of the hallmarks of his style. By the age of eleven, he had composed three symphonies and 30
other major works. Mozart's well - developed talent was preserved into adulthood.
Unusual musical ability is a regular characteristic of certain anomalies such as autism. In one case, an
autistic girl was able to play “Happy Birthday” in the style of various composers, including Mozart,
Beethoven, Verdi, and Schubert. When the girl was three, her mother called her by playing incomplete
melodies, which the child would complete with the appropriate tone in the proper octave. For the autistic
child, music may be the primary mode of communication, and the child may cling to music because it
represents as a haven in a world that is largely confusing and frightening.
1. The word “precocity” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.
Ạ. strong interest B. good luck C. advanced skill D. personal style
2. Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the sentence printed in bold in
paragraph 1?
A. Children may be born with superior musical ability, but their environment will determine how this
ability is developed.
B. Every child is naturally gifted, and it is responsibility of the public schools to recognize and
develop these talents.
C. Children with exceptional musical talent will look for the best way to express themselves through music
- making.
D. Some musically talented children live in an environment surrounded by music, while others have little
exposure to music.
3. The author makes the point that musical elements such as pitch and rhythm _______.
A. distinguish music from other art forms B. vary in emphasis in different cultures
C. make music difficult to learn D. express different human emotions
4. The word “predisposed” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. inclined B. gifted C. pushed D. amused
5. According the passage, when does musical talent usually begin to appear?
A. When infants start to babble and produce sound patterns
B. Between the ages of two and four months
C. When children learn to sing at two or three years old
D. Between ten years old and adolescence
6. According the passage, which of the following suggests that musical talent is the separate form of
intelligence?
A. Exceptional musical ability in an otherwise average child
B. Recognition of the emotional power of music
C. The ability of all babies to acquire core elements of music
D. Differences between learning music and learning language
7. Why does the author discuss Mozart in paragraph 6?
A. To compare past and present views of musical talent
B. To give an example of a well - known musical prodigy
C. To describe the development of individual musical skill
D. To list musical accomplishments of the eighteenth century
8. All of the following are given as examples of exceptional musical talent EXCEPT _______.

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 A. a remarkable “ear” or perfect memory for music
B. ability to compose major works at a young age
C. appreciation for a wide variety of musical styles
D. playing a single song in the style of various composers
9. The word “haven” in paragraph 7 is closest meaning to _______.
A. beautiful art B. safe place C. personal goal D. simple problem
10. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about exceptional musical ability?
A. It occurs more frequently in some cultures than in others.
B. It is evidence of a superior level of intelligence in other areas,
C. It has been documented and studied but is little understood.
D. It is the result of natural talent and a supportive environment
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 4: You are going to read an extract from an article. Seven paragraphs have been removed from
the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A–H the one which fits each gap (1–7). There is one extra
paragraph which you do not need to use. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided. (0.7 pt.)
The Enduring myth of music and maths
As a mathematician with strong musical interests who grew up in a family of musicians, I have been asked
about the connection between music and maths many times. And I have bad news: although there are some
obvious similarities between mathematical and musical activity, there is (as yet) no compelling evidence for
the kind of mysterious, almost magical connection that many people seem to believe in. I’m partly referring
here to the ‘Mozart Effect’, the hypothesis that children who have heard music by Mozart are supposedly
more intelligent, including at mathematics, than children from a control group.
1. _______
Of course, this conclusion does not show that there is no interesting connection between mathematics and
music. It was always a little implausible that lazily listening to a concerto would earn you extra marks on
that maths test you are taking tomorrow, but what about learning to read music or spending hours practising
the piano? That takes genuine effort.
2. _______
Demonstrating a connection of this kind is not as easy as one might think. To begin with, there are plenty of
innumerate musicians and tone-deaf mathematicians, so the best one could hope to demonstrate would be a
significant positive correlation between aptitudes at the two disciplines. And then one would face all the
usual challenges of establishing a statistical connection.
3. _______
And yet, the belief that the two are interestingly related won’t go away without a fight. I cannot help
observing that among the mathematicians I know, there do seem to be a surprising number who are very
good indeed at the piano.
4. _______
Indeed, yes, we can. For a start, both mathematics and music deal with abstract structures, so if you become
good at one, then it is plausible that you become good at something more general – handling abstract
structures – that helps you with the other. If this is correct, then it would show a connection between
mathematical and musical ability, but not the kind of obscure connection that people hope for.
5. _______

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Of course, abstract structures are not confined to mathematics and music. If you are learning a foreign
language then you need to understand its grammar and syntax, which are prime examples of abstract
structures. And yet we don’t hear people asking about a mysterious connection between mathematical ability
and linguistic ability.
6. _______
In an effort to dispel this air of contradiction, let me give one example of a general aptitude that is useful in
both mathematics and music: the ability to solve problems of the “A is to B as C is to D” kind. These appear
in intelligence tests (car is to garage as aircraft is to what?) but they are also absolutely central to both music
and mathematics.
7. _______
I take the view that the general question of whether mathematical ability and musical ability are related is
much less interesting than some similar but more specific questions. Are musicians more drawn to certain
composers (Bach, for instance)? Are musical mathematicians more drawn to certain areas of mathematics?
One can imagine many interesting surveys and experiments that could be done, but for now this is uncharted
territory and all we can do is speculate.

Missing paragraphs
A I feel that it would be more like the straightforward link between ability at football and ability at cricket.
To become better at one of those then you need to improve your fitness and co-ordination. That makes
you better at sport in general.

B For example, identifying and controlling for other potentially influential factors is difficult, and as far as
I know, there has been no truly convincing study of that type that has shown that musical ability
enhances mathematical ability or vice versa.

C The second phrase is a clear answer to the first. But one can be more precise about what this means. If
you try to imagine any other second phrase, nothing seems ‘right’ in the way that Mozart’s chosen
phrase does.

D Could it be that the rewards for that time-consuming dedication spill over into other areas of intellectual
life, and in particular into mathematics? Is there any evidence that people who have worked hard to
become good at music are better at mathematics than people who are completely unmusical? And in the
other direction, are mathematicians better than average at music?

E My guess is that that is because the link exists but not the uncertainty: grammar feels mathematical.
Music, by contrast, is strongly tied up with one’s emotions and can be enjoyed even by people who
know very little about it. As such, it seems very different from mathematics, so any connection between
the two is appealingly paradoxical.

F It is not hard to see why such a theory would be taken seriously: we would all like to become better at
mathematics without putting in any effort. But the conclusions of the original experiment have been
grossly exaggerated. If you want your brain to work better, then not surprisingly, you have to put in
some hard graft; there is no such thing as an intellectual perpetual-motion machine. Mozart CDs for
babies and toys that combine maths and music might help, but not much, and the effects are temporary.

G I believe that there is a study waiting to be done on this: are mathematicians more drawn to this rather
than to other instruments? Of the mathematicians I can think of who are superb instrumentalists, all but
one are pianists. While we wait for scientific evidence to back up the anecdotal evidence, can we at
least argue that it is plausible that there should be a connection?

H Music is full of little puzzles like this. If you are good at them, then when you listen to a piece,
expectations will constantly be set up in your mind. Of course, some of the best moments in music

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 come when one’s expectations are confounded, but if you don’t have the expectations in the first place
then you will miss out on the pleasure.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Part 5: You are going to read an article about eternal youth. For questions 1-10, choose from the
sections of the article (A – F). The sections may be chosen more than once. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided. (1.0 pt.)
FOREVER YOUNG
A The dream of youth is as old as time, and people have gone to great lengths to preserve themselves. It is
said that Cleopatra bathed daily in milk to preserve the beauty to great Romans fell in love with.
Countess Erszebet Bathory of Hungary was said to have drunk the blood of hundreds of young women
in the mistaken belief that it would keep her like them; it is from here, among other sources, that the
legend of the vampire came from. Indeed, literature abounds with such stories; The Picture of Dorian
Gray by Oscar Wilde is one – it recounts the story of a beautiful young man who makes a deal so that
his portrait grows old instead of him.

B It was not until the twentieth century that the health care industry branched out into the preservation of
the body, producing the efficacious and most profitable arm of medicine today. Treatment generally rely
on plastic surgery of one sort or another; facelifts, tummy-tucks, liposuction and the like. Your local
chemist will also testify that anti-wrinkle creams sell well, and pills containing vitamin boosts,
hormones and herbal concoctions can keep you looking good all the way to the end.

C But there is lies the problem. The average lifespan is about 70 years, the maximum 120-odd. We don’t
even rank at the top of the animal kingdom-giant tortoises get up to 150 often enough, and the giant
clam 200 (though both have low-stress lifestyles). So the quest of the ages has always been for
immortality as well as youth, and the traditional paths to this are two. The first is religion and either
everlasting life after death or reincarnation. The other method is by way of people’s minds; the
immortality of fame. As long as people talk about you, you live; Shakespeare is not called the Immortal
Bar for nothing. To be gone from the minds of the collective unconscious is to truly die.

D But neither option is enough for some people. As Woody Allen said, “I don’t want to achieve
immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality by not dying.” Many people through
history have felt the same way, and have striven to find a way to reach this most happy of goals. The
Chinese thought the precious metal gold was the key, to be drunk down as dust in a liquid suspension.
The alchemist, ancestors of present-day chemists, felt that since they believed that base metals such as
lead could become gold, so gold could be refined into the most precious material of all: Philosopher’s
Stone, source of eternal youth.

E Today the search continues. People who are close to death even have the choice of cryonics; to have
their bodies or just their heads frozen solid, to be thawed out once science has solved the problems of
disease and old age. And it is hard at work; the science of genetics is looking into the possibility of there
being some kinds of trigger in our chromosomes which tell our bodies to start to slow down and wrinkle
up. If it is found, the theory goes; couldn’t our personalities be simply downloaded onto a hard drive, to
live there in the machine for all time?

F There is a warning, however, in every tale and myth of eternal life; that those who lose that fear or
knowledge of death cease to be fully human. Dorian Gray lived for his pleasure and his needs alone, no
matter what suffering they caused. The vampire, of course, has eternal life (being undead), but preys on
the living and is hunted by them. The one thing we know for sure is that one day we will die. Is it not
this knowledge that fills us with the urge to create beyond ourselves, leave something behind, whether in
the form of stories, inventions, children or whatever? And is it not in these that our greatest
achievements lie?

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1. a belief that covering metallic substances could provide the key to everlasting youth
2. those who attain eternal youth in literature pay for it with their humanity
3. medical procedures are effective in creating a youthful appearance
4. the realization of immortality through making your mark on history
5. individuals being preserved in the hope of medical breakthroughs resulting in extending their lives
6. the prevalence of the preoccupation with immortality in written works
7. our mortal state inspiring us to great heights
8. how products which promise to retain youth are extremely lucrative
9. not being content at the achievement of immortality through enduring fame
10. the conviction that immortality is obtainable in the afterlife

Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

IV. WRITING (5.0 points.)

Part 1: Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. (1.0 pt.)
1. You don’t realize quite how much fat there is in that pizza. (DEAL)
There’s ________________________________________ fat in that pizza than you realize.
2. Having three children to look after every day had taken its toll on Elke. (GRIND)
Elke was worn ________________________________________ of three children.
3. It looks nice, but it doesn’t taste as good. (EARTH)
Nice ________________________________________
4. I feel that to brand her ideas unworkable at this stage would be wrong. (WRITE)
I don’t think ________________________________________ at this stage.
5. It’s crucial for us to control the juvenile inmates in a very strict way. (KEEP)
It’s crucial for us ________________________________________ inmates.

Part 2: Read the following extract and use your own words to summarise it in the space provided.
Your summary should be about 130 words long. (1.0 pt.)
Cloning is the process of making an identical copy of something. It refers to processes used to create copies
of DNA fragments, be it molecular cloning or cell cloning or organisms. The term also covers when
organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually.
The possibility of human cloning was raised when scientists at Roslyn Institute created the much-celebrated
sheep called Dolly. It aroused worldwide interest and concern because of its scientific and ethical
implications. The immediate reaction was that humans would now be able to make brand-new copies of
themselves. This breakthrough in 1997 also generated uncertainty over the meaning of cloning'. There are
three types of cloning. They are DNA cloning, reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning.

Recombinant DNA technology or DNA cloning involves the transfer of a DNA fragment from one organism
to a self-replicating genetic element. Scientists studying a particular gene often use bacterial plasmids to
generate multiple copies of the same gene. Plasmids are self-replicating extra-chromosomal circular DNA
molecules. When the fragment of the chromosomal DNA is joined with its cloning vector in the lab, it is
called a recombinant DNA molecule.

Reproductive cloning is a technology used to generate an animal that has the same nuclear DNA as another
currently or previously existing animal. Dolly was created by this type of cloning technology. In the process,
scientists transfer genetic material from the nucleus of a donor adult cell to an egg whose genetic material
has been removed. The reconstructed egg containing the DNA from a donor cell must be treated with
chemicals or 'electric current to stimulate cell division. Once the cloned embryo reaches a suitable stage, it is
transferred to the uterus of a female host where it continues to develop until birth.

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Therapeutic cloning is also called `embryo cloning'. It is the production of human embryos for use in
research. The goal of this process is not to create cloned human beings but rather to harvest stem cells that
can be used to treat disease. Stem cells are important to biomedical researchers because they can be used to
generate virtually any type of specialised cell in the human body.

Stem cells are extracted from the egg after it has divided for five days. The extraction process destroys the
embryo, which raises a variety of ethical concerns. It is hoped that one day, stem cells can be used to serve
as replacement cells to treat heart disease, Alzheimer's, cancer and other diseases.

Recombinant DNA technology is useful for learning about other related technologies such as gene therapy
and genetic engineering of organisms. Gene therapy can be used to treat certain genetic conditions by
introducing virus vectors that transfer corrected copies of faulty genes into the cells of a host organism.
Similarly, genes from different organisms can be used to improve taste and nutritional value or provide
resistance to particular types of disease or genetically engineer food crops.

Based on the passage given, write a summary on:

• the process of cloning
• three types of cloning and their uses
Your summary must:
• be in continuous writing (not in note form)
• not be longer than 130 words, including the 10 words given below

Begin your summary as follow:

Cloning is the process of making identical DNA fragments or ...

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Part 3: The diagrams below show the life cycle of the silkworm and the stages in the production of silk
cloth.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparison
where relevant.
Write at least 150 words. (1.0 pt.)

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Part 4: Write an essay of 250 words on the following topic (2.0 pts.)
The 21st century has begun. What changes do you think the new century will bring? Use examples
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THE END

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