Practice Tests For National Team - Nguyen Thi Hoang Lan - Ma-Pbc

Practice Tests for National Team - Nguyen Thi Hoang Lan – MA- PBC
I.LISTENING (5.0 points)

Part 1. For question 1-5, listen to a recording and answer the following questions, using NO MORE
THAN TWO WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in the space provided.
How does the UN work?
1. What are the two topics discussed in annual meetings of the General Assembly?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….
2. Apart from the Vatican, which country is not regarded as the actual member of the General Assembly?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….
3. What countries have veto power in Security Council?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….
4. Who is responsible for implementing the resolutions of the Security Council?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….
5. Which Council of the UN is currently inactive?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…….
Part 2: For questions 6-10, listen to a recording and decide whether the following statements are true
(T) or false (F). Write the answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Stars 101
1. Protostars get their energy when hydrogen molecules are split into helium.
2. Spectral classes categorize stars according to their luminosity.
3. Every star is extinguished when they are depleted of their sources of energy.
4. Black holes are the by-products of the death of stars similar to the Sun.
5. It is the remnants of the dead stars that are conducive to formation of new ones.
Your answers:
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 3: You will hear an interview with a scientist called Alicia Graham and an amateur science
enthusiast called Jeremy Ingles, who are talking about public participation in scientific research. For
questions 11-15, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
11. Alicia and Jeremy agree that rivalries between scientists
A. may impede progress in some areas.
B. create a valuable Impetus for researchers.
C. are the direct cause of certain dishonest practices.
D. should be respected by those advocating co-operation.
12. Alicia and Jeremy disagree about the extent to which supporters of open science
A. have to provide alternative sources of funding for researchers.
B. can ensure that the contribution of Individuals is recognized.
C. might benefit from the way blogs and forums operate.
D. should consider the needs of commercial sponsors.
13. Jeremy's interest in open science arose from
A. participation in an online discussion. B. listening to Alicia talk on the subject.
C. conducting experiments in his own home. D. research done whilst studying at university.
14. How does Alicia feel about the contribution of amateur scientists?
A. She thinks they can reveal weaknesses in existing theories.
B. She believes they cast new light on the research process.
C. She would like them to be less isolated from each other.
D. She actively encourages them to ask for advice online.
15. Jeremy mentions the Polymath project in order to
A. show how amateur scientists approach the process of research.
B. explain how open science generates enthusiasm and co-operation.
C. illustrate Alicia's point about how effective online collaboration can be.
D. give an example of a professional seeking the help of non-professionals.
Your answers:
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Part 4. For questions 16 – 25, listen to a piece of news and complete the following sentences. Write
NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording in the space provided.
What would a second wave look like?
It is estimated that (16) …………………………………………………………… of the world population fell victim to the Spanish flu
pandemic.
The Spanish flu pandemic reached its height in the (17) ……………………………………………………………, when the death toll
peaked.
The COVID-19 pandemic returned to Singapore in March, mostly because of imported patients and (18)
…………………………………………………………….
Actions against the Spanish flu in the US were taken on a local scale due to a lack of
(19)…………………………………………………………….
Prior to the Spanish flu pandemic, the number of deaths from (20) …………………………………………………………… and (21)
…………………………………………………………… in Philadelphia and St. Louis were more or less equal.
Cities with (22) …………………………………………………………… against the 1918 pandemic were recorded to make slower
recovery afterwards.
There was an improvement in manufacturing as well as (23) …………………………………………………………… in cities with
effective social distancing.
Advances in various fields may lessen the (24)…………………………………………………………… in the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic in comparison with the 1918 one.
The Spanish flu pandemic demonstrated the importance of (25) ………………………………………… in economic revival.
II. LEXICO AND GRAMMAR (3.0 pts)
Part 1: Choose the answer A, B, C, or D that best completes each of the following sentences. Write
your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
1. I can't wear that! I'd be a laughing _____.
A. source B. stack C. store D. stock
2. You can hire a car if you want to explore further _____.
A. ashore B. anew C. abound D. afield
3. The Nationalists emerged _____ from the political crisis, which reinforced their position in the government.
A. audacious B. triumphant C. rambunctious D. obstreperous
4. Many victims of the earthquake pay ______ to the ones who took them out of rubble.
A. respects B. tributes C. homage D. deference
5. He _____ his valuable genealogical collections to the Society of Antiquaries, of which he had been a fellow
since 1901.
A. infringed B. bequeathed C. exuded D. whacked
6. Conditions after the 1905 revolution were _____ for stable development, resulting in a subsequent
flourishing economy.
A. pernicious B. propitious C. maudlin D. parsimonious
7. I don't like intellectual novels, serious music or films; my tastes are quite ______
A. lowbrow B. flat-topped C. shamefaced D. slow-witted
8. The British prime minister is too apt to cling to Washington's _____ strings.
A. violin B. puppet C. apron D. rubber
9. His lies made her _____ with rage.
A. breach B. blow C. bristle D. brag
10. His remarks were clearly _____ the pale. No wonder he got fired.
A. beyond B. out of C. over D. beside
11. A successful outcome is not beyond the _____ of possibility.
A. realms B. limits C. remits D. chances
12. It‟s a good idea to ______ people before taking them into your confidence
A. tumble to B. root out C. bank on D. size up
13. The story had been _____ exaggerated.
A. passionately B. indigenously C. disorderly D. wildly
14. He left a rather _____ message on my answerphone.
A. garbled B. muddled C. blurred D. stocky
15. Only when she has realized that the only thing standing in her way is her _____ lifestyle can she make
progress in her career.
A. sycophant B. sybaritic C. unwieldy D. inbreeding
16. I offered to do the job, but soon found that I was _____ as it was more difficult than I had thought.
A. pushing up daisies B. knocking on wood C. in over my head D. off their hands
17. He asked the question rather _____ as his boss was in a bad mood.
A. tentatively B. precariously C. austerely D. insolently
18. Steve used to be easy to work with, but since his promotion he‟s begun to______.
A. throw his weight around B. throw in the towel C. throw him off balance D. turn up trumps
19. The thought of having to cut up a frog _____ her.
A. rejected B. rebuffed C. repelled D. resisted
20. I‟d been cooped ______in my office all morning so I went out for a walk and a spot of fresh air.
A. over B. by C. down D. up
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
Part 2: Write the correct form of each bracketed word in the in the space provided.
1. We‟ve tried to anticipate the most likely problems, but it‟s impossible to be prepared for all
……………………………………………………………. EVENT
2. The consequences of …………………………………………………………… gambling are comparable to those of any other
addictive disease and are not simply those of financial loss. COMPEL
3. Their views lie outside the …………………………………………………………… of current medical opinion. STREAM
4. The army …………………………………………………………… all the cars and trucks they could find. REQUIRE
5. The teachers are fair and avoid …………………………………………………………… and scapegoating. FAVOUR
6. He was charged with conduct …………………………………………………………… to an officer. BECOME
7. The actors struggled …………………………………………………………… with some of the worst lines of dialogue ever written.
MAN
8. The ……………………………………………………………commenced this action to recover damages that were sustained while
working for the defendant. CLAIM
9. The president was complicit in the whole…………………………………………………………… affair. CREDIT
10. Attracting the banks are the …………………………………………………………… economy and reforms that have opened up
industries to foreign capital. SURGE
III. READING (6.0 pts):

Part 1: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
The North Coast 500
Pitched as Scotland's answer to America‟s Route 66, the North Coast 500, as the name would (1) ____ is a
roughly five-hundred-mile coastal route around the northernmost part of the island of Britain. It was conceived
by the Scottish tourist authority as an effort to (2) ____ new life into the remote, rural Highlands by attracting a
new (3) ____ of foreign tourists. Much hype accompanied the launch of the new route, but does it really live
up to its (4) ____ as one of the greatest road trips on the planet?
Well, as the circular route (5) ____ the top-most part of the island, it certainly offers its fair share of
spectacular scenery. There are fairy-tale castles aplenty, (6) ____ beaches with not a soul to be found on
them, which you can truly have all to yourself for so long as you wish, and, between the ancient ruins and the
incredibly scenic and oft-misty landscapes, there is also more than enough romanticism to go (7) ____.
That's not bad for a start, but the route has other surprises in store, too, such as the (8) ____ of quaint little
villages dotted along its way, not to mention the incredibly friendly and welcoming local folk who call these
places home. Hospitality is very much the (9) ____ of the day in these parts.
So, as epic motoring routes go, the North Coast 500 certainly (10) ____ all the right boxes. It is,
unquestionably, therefore, worthy of serious consideration for all those eager road-trippers, out there.
1. A. imply B. implicate C. implode D. impart
2. A. inject B. invest C. initiate D. institute
3. A. tide B. wave C. stream D. swell
4. A. accolade B. crown C. billing D. caption
5. A. steers B. pilots C. evades D. skirts
6. A. enriched B. routine C. tarnished D. pristine
7. A. off B. round C. towards D. under
8. A. scarcity B. boom C. plethora D. torrent
9. A. impression B. order C. slant D. concept
10. A. ticks B. shifts C. blots D. signs
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 2. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in
each space. Write your answers in the space provided.
Kilimanjaro Diary
It‟s Day 6 of my Kilimanjaro expedition, which is fast drawing to a (1) ………………………………………………… what I reflect
on most is not my own achievement in summiting though. Indeed, the more I think about it, the (2)
………………………………………………… impressed I become with this so-called feat. Yes, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is a
physical and mental challenge, but is it all (3)………………………………………………… exceptional?
Let me explain what I‟m (4) ………………………………………………… at. For the last six days, I have carried a daypack on
steep-ish terrain for maybe eight solid hours each outing. Technically (5)…………………………………………………, however,
the route is no more testing than your average Scottish munro, save for the altitude factor. Moreover, I have
been pandered to the whole time. (6)………………………………………………… fail, I have been woken every morning by my
guides; cooks have prepared surprisingly delicious meals for me each day; porters have carried the main
weight of my kit up and down the mountain on my (7) …………………………………………………; and those same individuals
have pitched my tent and (8) ………………………………………………… it down again at each camp my expedition team has
visited.
So that leaves me to draw the following conclusion: while I am pleased I was able to summit Kill, the more
impressive feat was carried out quietly by the team of guides and porters around me, without (9)
………………………………………………… I would never have succeeded. The porters in particular are worthy of
commendation for they carry not only 20-plus-kilogram packs up the mountain every day, working tirelessly
from dawn to dusk, but they also stay in good spirits the entire time. It is (10)………………………………………………… me
how they do so and I am truly in awe of them.
Part 3: Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.

Antarctica and Global Warming
A. If you are an aficionado of the global warming “debate”, you have probably read at one time or another that
current trends in the Antarctic show that there is no such thing as global warming. This is, of course, not true.
But the Antarctic is a vast region and it can be daunting to piece together the science stories that do get out
into the mainstream press into one coherent picture.
B. Antarctica can be divided into three major geographic regions: East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and the
Antarctic Peninsula. The Transantarctic Mountains divide the continent into eastern and western regions. The
large East Antarctic Ice Sheet flows slowly through most of its interior, until the ice approaches the coast and
is channeled through fast-flowing outlet glaciers. The ice sheet surface is high, dry, and very cold. The West
Antarctic Ice Sheet, is a faster flowing ice mass that may be vulnerable to rapid change.
C. The Antarctic ice sheets store 90% of the ice on Earth and close to 70% of the planet‟s fresh water. The
West Antarctic ice sheet contains enough ice to raise sea level between 5 and 6 meters, were this all to melt.
The East Antarctic Ice Sheet holds about 10 times more. The relatively warm Antarctic Peninsula supports a
series of ice caps and outlet glaciers that together are estimated to contain less than half a meter of sea level
equivalent. The continent is surrounded, seasonally, by sea ice that freezes at the ocean surface. Just as in
the Arctic, sea ice formation in the Antarctic is important to many parts of the Earth system, including ocean
circulation and climate.
D. The climate of Antarctica does not allow extensive vegetation. A combination of freezing temperatures,
pure oil quality, lack of moisture, and lack of sunlight inhibit the flourishing of plants. As a result, plant life is
limited to mostly mosses and liverworts. The autotrophic community is made up of mostly protists. The flora of
the continent largely consists of lichens, bryophytes, algae, and fungi. Growth generally occurs in the summer
and only for a few weeks at most.
E. On the other hand, varieties of marine animals exist and rely, directly or indirectly. Antarctic sea life
includes penguins, blue whales, orcas, colossal squids and fur seals. The Emperor penguin is the only
penguin that breeds during the winter in Antarctica, while the Adélie Penguin breeds farther south than any
other penguin. The Rockhopper penguin has distinctive feathers around the eyes, giving the appearance of
elaborate eyelashes. King penguins, Chinstrap penguins, and Gentoo Penguins also breed in the Antarctic.
The Antarctic fur seal heavily hunter in the 18th and 19th centuries for its pelt by sealers from the United States
and the United Kingdom. The Weddell, commander of British sealing expeditions in the Weddell Sea.
Antarctic krill, which congregates in large schools, is the keystone species of the ecosystem of the Southern
Ocean, and is an important food organism for whales, seals, leopard seals, fur seals, squid, ice-fish,
penguins, albatrosses and many other birds.
F. The passing of the Antarctic Conservation Act in the U.S. brought several restrictions to U.S. activity on the
continent. The introduction of alien plants or animals can bring a criminal penalty, as the extraction of any
indigenous species. The overfishing of krill, which plays a large role in the Antarctic ecosystem, led officials to
enact regulations on fishing. The Conservation for the Conversation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(CCAMLR), a treaty that came into force in 1980, requires that regulations managing all Southern Ocean
fisheries consider potential effects on the entire Antarctic ecosystem. Despite these new acts, unregulated
and illegal fishing, particularly of Patagonian toothfish, remains a serious problem. The illegal fishing of
toothfish has been increasing, with estimates of 32,000 tons in 2000.
G. Most of Antarctica‟s icy mass has so far proven largely impervious to climate change, being situated on
solid rock; its deep interior is actually growing in volume as a result of increased precipitation. The Antarctic
contribution to sea-level rise has long been uncertain. A recent report by CPOM suggests that Antarctica has
provided, at most, a negligible component of observed sea-level rise -indeed a survey of 72% of the Antarctic
ice suggest an attributable short-term lowering of global sea levels by 0.08 mm per year. Conversely, a 10
year comparison of the balance between glacier decline and snowfall accumulation found that ice loss had
increased 75%. In 2006, Antarctica lost a net 200 billion tones of ice.
H. However, Antarctica‟s periphery has been warming up, particularly on the Antarctic Peninsula and in Pine
Island Bay, which together are contributing to a rise in sea levels. In 2003 the Larsen-B ice shelf collapsed.
Between 28 February and 8 March 2008, about 570 square kilometers of ice from the Wilkins Ice Shelf in
Western Antarctica collapsed, putting the remaining 15,000 square kilometers of the ice shelf at risk. The ice
is being held back by a “thread” of ice about 6 km wide. According to NASA the most significant Antarctic
melting in the past 30 years occurred in 2005, when a mass of ice comparable in size to California briefly
melted and refroze; this may have resulted from temperatures rising to as high as 5°C.
I. Indeed, changing weather patterns in the coming years due to such gradual warming of the Earth will affect
agricultural-based businesses and communities that most. Agriculture in New South Wales, Australia had
reported that 187,240 proprietors and partners and 311,148 employees in agriculture are on the frontline,
facing the adverse effects of rising temperature, reduced access to water, higher salinity and frequent and
intense droughts and floods. The report, based on research by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organization (CSIRO), stated that how climate change in the next 50 years will decrease water
resources, increase temperatures, reduce are of arable land, cut livestock output and affect crop quality.
J. Penguins, whales and seals in the Antarctic Southern Ocean went hungry also because of the result of
global warming. Scientists had warned that the population of krill, at the heart of the food chain, has fallen
about 80% since the 1970s. They say the most likely reason for the decline of the shrimp-like crustacean is to
do with the sea ice around the Antarctic peninsula, where the air temperature has risen. Krill feed on algae
beneath the ice, which also provides shelter. Angus Atkinson, a biologist with the British Antarctic Survey,
who led the research, said: “We don‟t fully understand how the loss of sea ice here is connected to the
warming, but we believe it could be behind the decline in krill”. The team, whose study in published today in
Nature, looked at the scientific fishing records of nine countries working in Antarctic, involving a total of nearly
12,000 net hauls from 1926-39 and from 1976-2003.‟‟There is only roughly a fifth of the krill around now that
were around in the mid-70s” Dr. Atkinson said.
K. The drop in krill numbers could explain declines in several species of penguin. Scientists had suspected
krill stocks were dropping but earlier estimates were based on local surveys.
QUESTION 1-5: Choose the most suitable heading for paragraphs B-F from the list of heading below.
Write appropriate number (i-ix) in the space provided.
List of Headings Your answers:
i The profile of Antarctic animals
ii Legal measures taken to protect Antarctic 1. Paragraph B:………………………..
iii Ocean farming remain forbidden 2. Paragraph C:………………………..
iv Live surroundings for machine animals 3. Paragraph D:………………………..
v The flora under extreme conditions 4. Paragraph E:………………………..
vi The importance of Antarctic ice 5. Paragraph F:………………………..
vii Alert for melting from Antarctic ice sheet
viii Geographical description
ix The flourishing of plants in Antarctic
QUESTION 6-8: Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
Write TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage.
in the corresponding numbered box provided.
6. West Antarctic ice sheet stores water that is enough to raise see level 5 to 6 meters globally.
7. According to the author, it is impossible for any vegetation to survive on Antarctica.
8. The Weddell seal and Antarctic krill are located at pivotal stages of the South Ocean ecosystem.
Your answers:
6. 7. 8.
QUESTION 9-13: Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your
answers in the space provided
Raising temperatures on earth have caused the alternations of 9. ………………………………………………… in the coming
years, and has certainly changed the way our 10. ………………………………………………… operate and the society as a
whole. CSIRO had warmed us that climate change in this way will decrease our available water, land,
livestock and 11. ………………………………………………… outputs. In the meantime, animals will get 12.
………………………………………………… due to global warming. The population of krill remains 20% of that in 13.
………………………………………………….
Part 4: In the passage below, seven paragraphs have been removed from the passage. Choose from
paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered
boxes provided.
LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD
Daydreaming can help solve problems, trigger creativity, and inspire great works of art and science.
Most people spend about 30 per cent of their waking hours spacing out, drifting off, lost in thought, wool-
gathering or building castles in the air. Yale University emeritus psychology professor Jerome L Singer
defines daydreaming as shifting attention 'away from some primary physical or mental task toward an
unfolding sequence of private responses‟ or, more simply, „watching your own mental videos.‟ He also divides
daydreaming styles into two main categories: „positive-constructive‟ which includes upbeat and imaginative
thoughts, and „dysphoric‟, which encompasses visions of failure or punishment.
1. _______
Such humdrum concerns figured prominently in one study that rigorously measured how much time we spend
mind wandering in daily life. In a 2009 study, Kane and his colleague Jennifer McVay asked 72 students to
carry Palm Pilots that beeped at random eight times a day for a week. The subjects then recorded their
thoughts at that moment on a questionnaire. The study found that about 30 per cent of the beeps coincided
with thoughts unrelated to the task at hand and that mind wandering increased with stress, boredom or
sleepiness and decreased with enjoyable tasks. That may be because certain activities tend to grab our
attention.
2. _______
We may not even be aware that we are daydreaming. We have all had the experience of „reading‟ a book yet
absorbing nothing - moving our eyes over the words on a page as our attention wanders and the text turns
into gibberish. „When this happens, people lack what I call „meta-awareness‟, consciousness of what is going
on in their minds,‟ he says. But aimless ramblings can be productive as they can allow us to stumble on ideas
and associations that we may never find if we intentionally seek them.
3. ________
So, why should daydreaming aid creativity? It may be in part because when the brain is floating in unfocused
mental space it serves a specific purpose. It allows us to engage in one task and at the same time trigger
reminders of other, concurrent goals so that we do not lose sight of them. There is also the belief that we can
boost the creative process by increasing the amount of daydreaming we do or replaying variants of the
millions of events we store in our brains.
4. ________
The mind‟s freedom to wander during a deliberate tuning out could also explain the flash of insight that may
coincide with taking a break from an unsolved problem. A study conducted at the University of Lancaster into
this possibility found that if we allow our minds to ramble during a moderately challenging task, we can access
ideas that are not easily available to our conscious minds. Our ability to do so is now known to depend on a
dedicated daydreaming network deep in our brain.
5. ________
It was not until 2007, however, that cognitive psychologist Malia Fox Mason, discovered that the default
network, which lights up when people switch from an attention- demanding activity to drifting reveries with no
specific goals, becomes more active when mind wandering is more likely. She also discovered that people
who daydream more in everyday life show greater activity in the default network while performing monotonous
tasks.
6. ________
The conclusion reached in this ground-breaking study was that the more complex the mind-wandering
episode is, the more of the mind it is going to consume. This inevitably leads to the problem of determining
the point at which creative daydreaming crosses the boundary into the realms of compulsive fantasising.
Although there is often a fine dividing line between the two, one question that can help resolve the dilemma
relates to whether the benefits gained from daydreaming outweigh the cost to the daydreamer‟s reputation
and performance.
7. ________
On the other hand, there are psychologists who feel that the boundary-is not so easily defined. They argue
that mind wandering is not inherently good or bad as it depends to a great extent on context. When, for
example, daydreaming occurs during an activity that requires little concentration, it is unlikely to be costly. If,
however, it causes someone to suffer severe injury or worse by say, walking into traffic, then the line has
been crossed.
MISSSING PARAGRAPHS
A. Although these two findings were significant, mind wandering itself was not measured during the scans. As
a result, it could not be determined exactly when the participants in her study were 'on task' and when they
were daydreaming. In 2009, Schooler together with his colleague Jonathan Smallwood and Kalina Christoff of
the University of British Columbia published the first study to link mental wandering with increased activity in
the default network. Scans on the participants in their study revealed that activity in the default network was
strongest when the subjects were unaware they had lost focus.
B. However, intense focus on our problems may not always lead to immediate solutions. Instead, allowing the
mind to float freely can enable us to access unconscious ideas hovering beneath the surface - a process that
can lead to creative insight, according to psychologist Jonathan Schooler of the University California, Santa
Barbara.
C. Yet to enhance creativity, it is important to pay attention to daydreams. Schooler calls this 'tuning out' or
deliberate 'off-task thinking', terms that refer to the ability of an individual to have more than just the mind-
wandering process. Those who are most creative also need to have the meta-awareness to realise when a
creative idea has popped into their mind.
D. On the other hand, those who ruminate obsessively - rehashing past events, repetitively analysing their
causes and consequences, or worrying about all the ways things could go wrong in the future - are well aware
that their thoughts are their own, but they have intense difficulty turning them off. Yale psychologist Susan
Nolan-Hoeksema does not believe rumination is a form of daydreaming, but she has found that in obsessive
ruminators, the same default network as the one that is activated during daydreaming switches on.
E. Other scientists distinguish between mundane musings and extravagant fantasies. Michael Kane, a
cognitive psychologist at the University of North Carolina, considers 'mind wandering' to be 'any thoughts that
are unrelated to one's task at hand'. In his view, mind wandering is a broad category that may include
everything from pondering ingredients for a dinner recipe to saving the planet from alien invasion. Most of the
time when people fall into mind wandering, they are thinking about everyday concerns like recent encounters
and items on their to-do list.
F. According to Schooler, there are two steps you need to take to make the distinction. First, notice whether
you are deriving any useful insights from your fantasies. Second, it is important to take stock of the content of
your daydreams. To distinguish between beneficial and pathological imaginings, he adds, 'Ask yourself if this
is something useful, helpful, available, pleasant, or am I just rehashing the same thoughts over and over
again? ' And if daydreaming feels out of control, then even if it is pleasant, it is probably not useful or valuable.
G. Artists and scientists are well acquainted with such playful fantasising. Filmmaker Tim Burton dreamed his
way to Hollywood success, spending his childhood holed up in his bedroom, creating posters for an imaginary
horror film series. The novelist Orhan Pamuk imagined 'another world' to which he retreated as a child. Albert
Einstein pictured himself running along a light wave - a reverie that led to his theory of special relativity.
H. Like Facebook for the brain, the default network is a bustling web of memories and streaming movies,
starring ourselves. 'When we daydream, we're at the centre of our universe,' says neurologist Marcus Raichle
of Washington University, who first described the network in 2001. It consists of three main regions that help
us imagine ourselves and the thoughts and feelings of others, draw personal memories from the brain and
access episodic memories.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Part 5: Read an extract from an article and choose the answer A, B, C or D that fits best according to
the text. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
From the article "Against the Undertow: Language-Minority Education Policy and Politics in the 'Age of
Accountability'" by Terrence G Wiley and Wayne E. Wright
Language diversity has always been part of the national demographic landscape of the United States.
At the time of the first census in 1790, about 25% of the population spoke languages other than English
(Lepore, 2002). Thus, there was a diverse pool of native speakers of other languages at the time of the
founding of the republic. Today, nationwide, school districts have reported more than 400 languages spoken
by language-minority students classified as limited English proficient (LEP) students (Kindler, 2002). Between
1991 and 2002, total K-12 student enrollment rose only 12%, whereas LEP student enrollment increased 95%
during this same time period (National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, 2002b). This rapid
increase and changing demographics has intensified the long debate over the best way to educate language-
minority students.
Historically, many groups attempted to maintain their native languages even as they learned English,
and for a time, some were able to do so with relatively little resistance until a wave of xenophobia swept the
country during World War 1 (Kloss, 1977/1998). Other groups, Africans, and Native Americans encountered
repressive politics much earlier. During the 1960s, a more tolerant policy climate emerged. However, for the
past two decades there has been a steady undertow of resistance to bilingualism and bilingual education.
This article provides historical background and analyzes contemporary trends in language-minority education
within the context of the recent national push for accountability, which typically takes the form of high-stakes
testing.
The origins of persistent themes regarding the popular antagonisms toward bilingual education and
the prescribed panaceas of "English immersion" and high-stakes testing in English need to be scrutinized.
As background to the contemporary context, we briefly discuss the history of language politics in the United
States and the ideological underpinnings of the dominant monolingual English ideology. We analyze the
recent attacks on bilingual education for what this attack represents for educational policy within a multilingual
society such as the United States. We emphasize multilingual because most discussions of language policy
are framed as if monolingualism were part of our heritage from which we are now drifting. Framing the
language policy issues in this way masks both the historical and contemporary reality and positions non-
English language diversity as an abnormality that must be cured. Contrary to the steady flow of
disinformation, we begin with the premise that even as English has historically been the dominant language in
the United States since the colonial era, language diversity has always been a fact of life. Thus, efforts to
deny that reality represent a "malady of mind" (Blaut, 1993) that has resulted in either restrictionist or
repressive language policies for minorities.
As more states ponder imposing restrictions on languages of instruction other than English-as
California, Arizona, and Massachusetts have recently done-it is useful to highlight several questions related to
the history of language politics and language planning in the United States. Educational language planning is
frequently portrayed as an attempt to solve the language problems of the minority. Nevertheless, the historical
record indicates that schools have generally failed to meet the needs of language-minority students
(Deschenes, Cuban, & Tyack, 2001) and that the endeavor to plan language behavior by forcing a rapid shift
to English has often been a source of language problems that has resulted in the denial of language rights
and hindered linguistic access to educational, social, economic, and political benefits even as the promoters
of English immersion claim the opposite.
The dominance of English was established under the British during the colonial period, not by official
decree but through language status achievement, that is, through "the legitimization of a government's
decisions regarding acceptable language for those who are to carry out the political, economic, and social
affairs of the political process" (Heath, 1976, p.51). English achieved dominance as a result of the political and
socioeconomic trade between England and colonial administrators, colonists, and traders. Other languages
coexisted with English in the colonies with notable exceptions. Enslaved Africans were prohibited from using
their native tongues for fear that it would facilitate resistance or rebellion. From the 1740s forward, southern
colonies simultaneously institutionalized "compulsory ignorance" laws that prohibited those enslaved from
acquiring English literacy for similar reasons. These restrictive slave codes were carried forward as the former
southern colonies became states of the newly United States and remained in force until the end of the Civil
War in 1865 (Weinberg, 1977/1995). Thus, the very first formal language policies were restrictive with the
explicit purpose of promoting social control.
1. What is the primary purpose of including the statistic from the 1790 census in the introductory paragraph?
A. to explain how colonizing the US eradicated language diversity
B. to show concrete evidence that language diversity in the US is not a new phenomenon
C. to note that before that time, there was no measure of language diversity in the US
D. to demonstrate that census data can be inaccurate
2. The article compares two sets of statistics from the years 1991-2002, increases in K-12 enrollment and
increases in LEP students, to highlight _______.
A. that the two numbers, while often cited in research, are insignificant
B. that while many people with school-age children immigrated to the US during this time, an equal amount
left the country as well
C. that language diversity had no impact on US student enrollment during this time
D. that while the total amount of students enrolled in US schools may have grown slowly, the amount of those
students who were LEP increased dramatically
3. According to the second paragraph, many groups maintained their native languages without resistance into
the 20th century EXCEPT_______.
A. Native Americans and African Americans B. Irish Americans and African Americans
C. Mexican Americans and Native Americas D. Native Americans and Dutch Americans
4. Why is the word "undertow" emphasized in the second paragraph?
A. to explain how certain groups continued to carry their native languages with them despite the opposition
from those against language diversity
B. to show the secretive and sneaky nature of those opposed to language diversity
C. to call attention to the ebb and flow of language resistance during the 20th century, experiencing periods of
both rest and extremism
D. to explain that, while many groups tried to maintain their native languages, many gave in to social and
political pressure to use only English
5. What is the best way to describe the function of the third paragraph in this excerpt?
A. The paragraph provides its primary thesis as well an outline of the article's main points
B. The paragraph is an unnecessary and irrelevant inclusion
C. The paragraph serves to reveal the conclusions of the article before detailing the data
D. The paragraph firmly establishes the article's stance against language diversity
6. What is the best summary of why the phrase "multilingualism" is emphasized in the third paragraph?
A. Language repression stems from the US's unwillingness to recognize the languages of its foreign allies.
B. Because language is constantly changing and often goes through multiple phases over time.
C. The authors firmly believe that speaking more than one language gives students a substantial benefit in
higher education.
D. Language policy discussions often assumes that the US has a monolinguistic history, which is untrue and
poses language diversity as threatening.
7. Phrases such as "prescribed panaceas" and "malady of the mind" are used in the third paragraph to
_______.
A. defend the point that the US must standardize its language education or there will be severe results
B. point out that language is as much a physical process as an intellectual one
C. illustrate how certain opponents of language diversity equate multilingual education with a kind of national
disease
D. demonstrate how the stress of learning multiple languages can make students ill
8. According to the fourth paragraph, all of the following are potential negatives of rapid English immersion
EXCEPT _______.
A. It can lead to a denial of language rights for particular groups.
B. Students become more familiar with conversational expressions and dialect.
C. It can prevent access to certain benefits that are always available to fluent speakers.
D. It can promote feelings of alienation among groups that are already in a minority status.
9. The best alternate definition of "language status achievement" is _______.
A. When enough scholarly work has been produced in a language, it is officially recognized.
B. Those who are in power socially and economically determine the status of a language.
C. Languages fall into a hierarchy depending upon the numbers of populations that speak them.
D. The position of a language in which no others may coexist with it.
10. From the context of the final paragraph, what does "compulsory ignorance" mean?
A. Populations at the time were required only to obtain a certain low level of education.
B. Slave populations were compelled to only speak in their native languages and not learn English.
C. That slaves were forcibly prevented from developing their native language skills out of fear that they would
gain power.
D. Slave owners would not punish slaves who did not wish to learn and speak only English.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 6: You are going to read a passage about ‘online studies’. For questions 1-10, choose the section
(A-E). The sections may be chosen more than once. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided.
ONLINE STUDIES
A. Educators have known for 30 years that students perform better when given one-on-one tutoring and
mastery learning - working on a subject until it is mastered, not just until a test is scheduled. Success also
requires motivation, whether from an inner drive or from parents, mentors or peers. For years my colleagues
and I have given artificial-intelligence courses: we lectured, assigned homework and gave everyone the same
exam at the same time. Each semester just 5 to 10 per cent of students regularly engaged in deep discussion;
the rest were more passive. We felt there had to be a better way, so we created a free online course, which
was completed by only 23,000 participants of an initial 'intake' of 100,000. Our second scheme was more
successful as we made learning happen actively. This helped us increase motivation and keep attention from
wavering, both of which led to a much lower dropout rate. For our class, teachers analysed the data
generated by student participation, but an artificial-intelligence system could perform this function and then
make recommendations for what a student could try next to improve.
B. Today students in most classrooms sit, listen and take notes while a professor lectures. Despite there
being 20 to 300 students in the room, there is little or no human interaction. Exams often offer the first
opportunity to get real information on how well the students digested the knowledge. If the exam identifies a
lack of understanding of a basic concept, the class still moves on to a more advanced concept. Virtual tools
are providing an opportunity to rethink this methodology. If a lecture is available online, class time can be
freed for discussion, peer-tutoring or professor-led exploration. If a lecture is removed from class time and we
have on-demand adaptive exercises and diagnostics, we can enter the realm of 'blended learning'. In the
blended learning reality, the professor's role is moved up the value chain. Rather than spending the bulk of
their time lecturing, writing exams and grading them, they can interact with their students. Rather than
enforcing a sit-and-listen passivity, teachers will mentor and challenge their students to take control of their
rate of learning - the most valuable skill of all.
C. Digital technologies have the potential to transform Indian higher education. A new model built around
massive open online courses (MOOCs) that are developed locally and combined with those provided by top
universities abroad could deliver higher education on a scale and at a quality not possible before. India has
experimented with online classes before, but their impact has been marginal. A decade ago, the country
began using the Internet to distribute video and Web-based courses under a government-funded initiative, the
National Program on Technology Enhanced Learning. Developers created over 900 courses, focused mainly
on science and engineering with about 40 hours of instruction each. With limited interactivity and uneven
quality, these courses failed to attract a large body of students. Now, though, MOOCs have given Indian
academics a better sense of how a lecture could be restructured into short, self-contained segments with high
interactivity to engage students more effectively. This appears to be a step in the right direction, but what is
really needed is the right model to use MOOCs in an Indian context. With a decade of experience in this
space and a Vibrant technology ecosystem, India will most likely find its way very soon.
D. The rapid evolution of digital resources like video, interactive multimedia and new modes of
assessment challenges US to reimagine what we can and should do when we are face-to-face with our
students. As I develop online courses on cellular metabolism, for instance, I hypothesise that the blend of
animation and appropriate embedded assessments will communicate the intricacies of electron transfer more
effectively than that portion of my traditional lecture. After rebalancing class assignments to include both
reading and online materials, while maintaining the same overall workload, I nonetheless gain time with my
students in the classroom to discuss and critically analyse the metabolic consequences of experimentally
disrupting electron transfer. Underlying this progress is the awareness that experimentation is the key and
that we do not yet know how best to harness the enormous positive potential of the online revolution for on-
campus learning. This is why every course or module should have an associated research component where
student progress is measured.
E. Technology is transforming education for the worse and one of its dubious uses is to grade essays.
Major testing companies are using software to score written test answers as machines can work faster than
teachers. However, they cannot evaluate the imaginative use of language. Thus, students will learn to write
according to the formula that the machine responds to best at the expense of accuracy, creativity and
imagination. Worse, the teacher will abandon the important job of reading what the students write and will be
less informed about how they think. That is a loss for the quality of education. A more worrisome use of
technology is the accumulation and storage of personal, confidential data on a cloud. Who needs all this
personal information and why is it being shared? Advocates say that the goal Is to create better products for
individual students. Critics believe that the information will be given or sold to vendors, who will use it to
market products to children and their parents.
Which section (A-E) of the text mention the following? Your answers:
a strategy that helped the learners focus 1..………………..
the reason why more data is required to make the best use of computer-based 2..………………..
learning digital
digital resources leading to the standardisation of student learning 3..………………..
the necessity to adapt online courses to a specific culture 4..………………..
a claim that information will be used to enhance product quality 5..………………..
personally combining digital and traditional tools to provide a more effective 6..………………..
learning experience
the problem of gaps in students' knowledge not being addressed 7..………………..
humans undertaking a task that machines could carry out 8..………………..
the importance of students progressing at their own pace 9..………………..
computer-based courses that attracted a disappointing number of participants 10..………………
D. WRITING (6.0 pts)
Part 1: Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. You MUST NOT copy or
rewrite the original. Your summary should be between 120 and 140 words long.
The word grandparents is descriptive of the unique dual parenting role that this generation assume. It
emphasizes the vital part they play in family life. With a wealth of old world experience behind them, and with
the unique ability to metamorphose from advisers or mediators into listeners or friends, they can offer support
and stability in an ever-changing world.
The underlying sense of responsibility that goes with this is tremendous. Grandparents perform a balancing
act between the needs of their adult children and those of their grandchildren. This role is varied It is imperial
at times, muted at others. It goes underground whenever required, but it is solid and absolutely dependable.
Grandparents often bridge the gap between parents and their children. Rebellious, independent children who
are trying to find their feet are almost always at loggerheads with their parents. The role of grandparents can
be very important provided they act as impartial judges and are able to convey this feeling to both parties.
Grandchildren prefer to listen to their grandparents rather than their parents, who often find themselves up
against a brick wall.
One important thing, which seems to be missing in the lives of children today, is a sense of family, values,
beliefs and principles. This is where the grandparents step in. However, instilling beliefs and values is not as
easy as it was fifty or sixty years ago. Then, no questions were asked and there was an implicit sense of trust.
With changing times and changing outlooks, children have started to question the validity of everything
around them. Globalization has eroded their sense of belonging and weakened identification with their roots.
Science and technology force them to doubt every traditional belief.
Parents, who have so many demands on their time, are perhaps not in the best position to instill traditional
values in their offspring. Children are very demanding and grandparents, without appearing to be pushy, have
both the time and the experience to deal with tantrums. They can appease, soothe and impart values with
tremendous ease. Our Indian culture is rich and varied, but how many children recognise this? Grandparents
can teach them to appreciate cultural traditions and inform their moral development.
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Part 2: Chart description
The table and pie chart give information about the population in Australia according to different
nationalities and areas. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and
make comparisons where relevant.
You should write about 150 words.
Population in Australia in 2015
Nationality City (%) Countryside (%)
Australian 80 20
British 89 11
New Zealander 90 10
Chinese 99 1
Dutch 83 17
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Part 3. Write an essay of about 350 words about the following issue.
As technology rapidly progresses, some proponents of artificial intelligence believe that it will help solve
complex social challenges and offer immortality via virtual humans. However, others think that artificial
intelligence threatens to fundamentally alter the human way of life and should not be developed without any
planning and foresight.
Which viewpoint do you approve of and why?
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-The end-

Practice Tests For National Team - Nguyen Thi Hoang Lan - Ma-Pbc

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Practice Tests for National Team - Nguyen Thi Hoang Lan – MA- PBC

I.LISTENING (5.0 points)

3. What countries have veto power in Security Council?

4. Who is responsible for implementing the resolutions of the Security Council?

5. Which Council of the UN is currently inactive?

III. READING (6.0 pts):

Part 3: Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.

Nationality City (%) Countryside (%)

Which viewpoint do you approve of and why?

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