SỞ GD&ĐT THANH HÓA
TRƯỜNG THPT MAI ANH TUẤN
______________________
ĐỀ THI GIAO HSG CỤM
NĂM HỌC 2023-2024
MÔN: TIẾNG ANH 12
Thời gian làm bài: 150 phút (không kể thời gian phát đề)
SECTION A: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (70 points)
Listening Part 1: Listen to a survey on transport and answer the questions from 1 to 5. You will hear the
recording twice.
Question 1: What is Sadie’s postcode?
A. DW30 7YZ B. DW30 7YZET C. DW3Q 7YZ D. DW13 7YZ
Question 2: What was the date?
A. 4th April B. 14th April C. 24th April D. 25th April
Question 3: What was the main reason for her trip?
A. She came here to go shopping. B. She learned to become a dentist
C. She came here to see her grandmother. D. She came here to see the dentist
Question 4: Why did she stop driving for a long time?
A. Her car broke down. B. It was not easy to find a parking place.
C. She could not drive anymore. D. She didn’t know how to drive to the city.
Question 5: Where did she start her journey?
A. Claxy Street B. Blaxyca Street C. Claxby Street D. Clabxy Street
Listening Part 2: Listen to the lecture about the poet Sylvia Plath and answer the questions from 6 to 10.
You will hear the recording twice.
Question 6: The Bell Jar was ______.
A. about her father B. her first novel
C. a very successful collection of poems D. her last poem
Question 7: Sylvia Plath’s “Collected Poems” ______.
A. won the Pulitzer Prize twenty years after it was published
B. were written during the last year of her life
C. won the Pulitzer Prize in 1982
D. were never published
Question 8: Sylvia’s husband ______.
A. was also a poet B. had a movie made about him
C. made movies D. died in 2003
Question 9: Susan Basnett thought Sylvia’s work ______.
A. was about her husband B. wasn’t very good
C. was about work-life D. was of great interest to women
Question 10: Sylvia’s brother ______.
A. was two years older than her B. was born two years after her
C. was a professor at Boston University D. was a highly educated academic
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from
the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.
Question 11: A. docked B. ragged C. cussed D. crooked
Question 12: A. catastrophe B. recipe C. apostrophe D. cantaloupe
Question 13: A. tertiary B. sentinel C. initialize D. insatiable
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in
the position of stress in each of the following questions.
Question 14: A. contractual B. kindergarten C. horticulture D. infrastructure
Question 15: A. hypocrisy B. inhabitant C. acquiescence D. rhinoceros
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following
questions.
Question 16: Do you think your family members would ____ ranks if criticized?
A. close B. bridge C. order D. join
Question 17: Let’s find a place where we can ____ the storm.
A. pull through B. wear off C. shrug off D. wait out
Question 18: Shakespeare, a(n) ____ writer, entertained audiences by writing many tragic and comic plays.
A. dutiful B. numeric C. prolific D. generic
Question 19: “Bella looks ready to cry.” – “It looks as if her boyfriend ____ her birthday again!”
A. has been forgetting B. has forgotten
C. had been forgetting D. had forgotten
Question 20: Most people feel a slight ____ of nostalgia as they think back on their schooldays.
A. series B. chain C. surge D. pang
Question 21: As ____ in Greek and Roman mythology, harpies were frightful monsters that were half
woman and half bird.
A. described B. descriptive C. description D. descriptively
Question 22: Prices continued to rise while wages remained low ____ the Government became
increasingly unpopular.
A. on the condition that B. with the result that
C. provided that D. in order that
Question 23: They had a bit of a difference of ____ and they don’t really see much of each other anymore.
A. view B. idea C. perspective D. opinion
Question 24: Most people who work in publishing start at the bottom. The important thing is to get your ____.
Then you can work your way up.
A. nose to the grindstone B. hands on the handle
C. fingers in till D. foot in the door
Question 25: We had an argument about it and she got all fired ____.
A. against B. on C. up D. away
Question 26: When tragedy struck, she was at the ____ of her fame.
A. height B. point C. top D. crown
Question 27: We must ____ the situation before we decide what to do.
A. clock up B. drum up C. size up D. mount up
Question 28: The monthly installment is to be paid at the end of the month without delay or else
your car ____.
A. will confiscate B. will be confiscating
C. will have confiscated D. will be confiscated
Question 29: On his desk ____, which he usually sits in front of and looks at.
A. stands the picture of us B. stood the picture of us
C. does the picture of us stand D. did the picture of us stand
Question 30: The managing board decided the office was ____ and sacked three junior typists.
A. manned B. overmanned C. unmanned D. manliness
Question 31: The population of our city today is ____ before 1975.
A. as 60% much as B. 60% as much as
C. 60% as much as that D. more 60% than that
Question 32: They sacked the head of marketing because he was ____ inefficient.
A. hopelessly B. moderately C. deadly D. relatively
Question 33: The young woman was extremely impressed with the gentleman wearing a ____ jacket.
A. black glamorous leather B. leather glamorous black
C. glamorous leather black D. glamorous black leather
Question 34: Neither of the workers was happy with the new legislation, ____?
A. weren’t they B. were they C. wasn’t he D. was he
Question 35: There’s a lucky person in this hall ____ lottery ticket has just won them £2,000!
A. who B. where C. whose D. in which
Question 36: When he saw the damage to his car, he ____ into a rage.
A. jumped B. drove C. rushed D. flew
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best completes each of the
following exchanges.
Question 37: Two girls are talking to each other on the way home after school.
Girl 1: “I’m sure to fail! I just can’t understand Maths. I might as well give up.”
Girl 2: “______”
A. Well, you hit the nail on the head. You can say that again.
B. Don’t give up. You will understand it. Just keep trying and you will succeed.
C. Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. You shouldn’t waste time on it.
D. Great! I’m on board with that. Why don’t you do it sooner?
Question 38: Harry was late for the appointment with his friend and apologized to her.
Harry: “I apologize for keeping you waiting for 2 hours. My car broke down on the way.”
His friend: “______”
A. Thank you. It’s very nice of you! B. Well, it is my pleasure.
C. You are very welcome. D. Your apology is accepted.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word CLOSEST in meaning to the
underlined word in each of the following questions.
Question 39: The workers decided to sit in until their demands were met.
A. go on strike B. go the distance C. go the extra mile D. go with the flow
Question 40: It’s so exasperating that my son doesn’t listen to my advice on his career choice.
A. invigorating B. exhilarating C. infuriating D. mollifying
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Question 41: The complexities of the English language make many students confused.
A. elaborations B. imbroglios C. simplicities D. entanglements
Question 42: It is time for politicians to realize the threat posed by industrial pollution instead of pretending
that everything’s coming up roses.
A. happening in an auspicious way B. happening in an unsuccessful way
C. happening in a propitious way D. happening in a placid way
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in
each of the following questions.
Question 43: The new buyer identified a dozen new sources for the material, most of them proved reliable.
A. identified B. dozen C. them D. reliable
Question 44: What happened in New York were a reaction from city workers, including firemen and
policemen who had been laid off.
A. happened B. were C. including D. laid off
Question 45: Because of its low cholesterol content, margarine is a widely used substitution for butter.
A. Because of B. content C. widely D. substitution
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct
word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
TATTOOING: AN ANCIENT TRADITION
Tattooing is an old art. In ancient Greece, people who had tattoos were regarded as members of the
(46) ____ classes. On the other hand, tattooing was (47) ____ in Europe by the early Christians, who thought
that it was a sinful thing to (48) ____. It was not until the late 18th century, when Captain Cook saw South Sea
Islanders decorating their bodies with tattoos that attitudes began to change. Sailors came back from these
islands with pictures of Christ on their backs and from then on, tattooing (49) ____ in popularity. A survey by
the French army in 1881 (50) ____ that among the 387 men (51) ____ there were 1,333 designs.
Nowadays, not everybody finds tattoos acceptable. Some people think that getting one is silly because
tattoos are more or less permanent. There is also some (52) ____ about (53) ____ a blood disease from
unsterilized needles. Even for those who do want a tattoo, the (54) ____ of getting one is not painless, but the
final result, in their eyes, is (55) ____ the pain.
Question 46: A. upper B. greater C. high D. extreme
Question 47: A. blamed B. exported C. banned D. finished
Question 48: A. be B. create C. do D. make
Question 49: A. gained B. won C. earned D. made
Question 50: A. declared B. showed C. explained D. said
Question 51: A. questioned B. inquired C. demanded D. spoken
Question 52: A. danger B. concern C. trouble D. threat
Question 53: A. gaining B. infecting C. having D. catching
Question 54: A. progress B. system C. pace D. process
Question 55: A. worth B. due C. owed D. deserved
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct
answer to each of the questions.
The world is fast growing, with Artificial intelligence (AI) at the forefront in changing the world
and the way we live. An important question: What is AI? For many people, it remains unclear what this
technology is all about, so this is a good place to start the conversation. AI is a branch of computer science
that deals with the intelligent behavior of machines. It is an ingeniously stimulated ability of a machine to
imitate human behavior and our conventional response patterns. This means that with AI, many of our
everyday activities can now be carried out effectively by programmed machine technology.
The use of AI in organizations, governments, security frameworks, energy and natural resource
management, etc., is drastically on the rise. This leads us to acknowledging the center of focus for AI
developers. Most AI developers are now ultimately directed towards achieving a basic goal. They are charged
with the responsibility of building AI models that would aptly substitute direct human efforts. This need comes
in recognition of the inadequacies of human labor efforts, which are characterized by inaccuracy, inefficiency,
and other failures. For example, artificial intelligence has been pointed to possess the potential for more
accurate medical practices. Thus, you can be sure of a more accurate surgical procedure using this framework
than is currently available by most humans. Hence, we can say that the opposites of the inadequacies of human
efforts are precisely the benefits of artificial intelligence to our world.
Using AI, more people would be able to step down from having to carry out so many tasks by
themselves. With the personal assistance of AI, we will be able to remove the more mundane tasks from our
lives. For instance, there may be no need to go to the grocery store, meet with an appointment, or make that
deadline yourself as your AI assistant knows just what to do, and when to do it. However, the AI would only
function according to its developed programming. Hence, one AI may be programmed to work on multiple
assignments, while another may be far narrower in scope of application.
(Adapted from https://www.forbe.com/)
Question 56: Which of the following questions does the passage answer?
A. What is Artificial Intelligence?
B. Is AI really useful for human life?
C. How can AI change the world?
D. What are the sectors applying AI in fulfilling their tasks?
Question 57: The word “ingeniously” in the first paragraph could be replaced by _______.
A. cleverly B. successfully C. intentionally D. rapidly
Question 58: What does the word “This” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. the use of AI in organizations B. security frameworks
C. energy and natural resource management D. the drastic rise in the use of AI
Question 59: According to paragraph 2, why do researchers create AI models that can replace
human activities?
A. Because people get fed up with doing repetitive work.
B. Because humans still have many shortcomings in labor efforts.
C. Because AI can achieve a primary goal more quickly.
D. Because more and more organizations apply AI applications.
Question 60: The word “mundane” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. complicated B. ordinary C. time-consuming D. simple
Question 61: Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Many people haven’t clearly understood the nature of AI yet.
B. The benefits of AI are based on the detection of human efforts.
C. One personal assistant AI is able to deal with any task that humans can do.
D. AI assistants can remind their owners of the time to finish their work.
Question 62: It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A. AI is making humans’ lives become more comfortable.
B. not all people are in favor of the development of AI.
C. the accuracy of AI is able to deal with any task that humans can do
D. AI is used in medical practices more than in other sectors.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct
answer to each of the questions.
The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City. For a long time, it has been a
newspaper of record in the United States and one of the world’s great newspapers. Its strength is in its editorial
excellence; it has never been the largest newspaper in terms of circulation.
The Times was established in 1851 as a penny paper whose editors wanted to report the news in a
restrained and objective fashion. It enjoyed early success as its editors set a pattern for the future by appealing
to a cultured, intellectual readership instead of a mass audience. However, in the late nineteenth century, it
came into competition with more popular, colorful, if not lurid, newspapers in New York City. Their publishers
ran sensational stories, not because they were true, but because they sold newspapers. Despite price increases,
the time was losing £1,000 a week when Adolph Simon Ochs bought it in 1896.
Ochs built the Times into an internationally respected daily. He hired Carr Van Anda as editor. Van
Anda placed greater stress than ever on full reporting of the news of the day, and his reporters maintained and
emphasized existing good coverage of international news. The management of the paper decided to eliminate
fiction from the paper, added a Sunday magazine section, and reduced the paper’s price back to a penny. In
April 1912, the paper took many risks to report every aspect of the sinking of the Titanic. This greatly enhanced
its prestige, and in its coverage of two world wars, the Times continued to enhance its reputation for excellence
in world news.
In 1971, the Times was given a copy of the so-called “Pentagon Papers,” a secret government study of
U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. When it published the report, it became involved in several lawsuits.
The U.S. Supreme Court found that the publication was protected by the freedom-of-the-press clause in the
First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Later in the 1970s, the paper, under Adolph Ochs’s grandson,
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, introduced sweeping changes in the organization of the newspaper and its staff and
brought out a national edition transmitted by satellite to regional printing plants.
Question 63: What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The New York Times publishes the best fiction by American writers.
B. The New York Times became highly respected throughout the world.
C. The New York Times broadcasts its news to TV stations via satellite.
D. The New York Times lost its prestige after the Vietnam War.
Question 64: It can be inferred from the passage that the circulation of the Times is ______.
A. not the largest in the world. B. not the best in the world.
C. the smallest in the world. D. the worst in the world.
Question 65: Which phrase is closest in meaning to the word “restrained” in paragraph 2?
A. put in prison B. in handcuffs C. without education D. with self-control
Question 66: According to the passage, what caused the loss of money at the Times?
A. Other newspapers were more colorful.
B. Other newspapers had better reporters.
C. Other newspapers added a Sunday magazine.
D. Other newspapers were better managed.
Question 67: What word or phrase does the word “his” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Van Anda B. Reporters C. News of the day D. International news
Question 68: Which word or phrase is closest in meaning to the word “enhanced” in paragraph 3?
A. made the best of B. increased C. reduced D. made worse
Question 69: To improve its circulation, the management of the Times did all the following EXCEPT ______.
A. emphasized good coverage of international news
B. added a Sunday magazine section
C. increased the number of lurid stories, even if they were not true
D. eliminated fiction from the paper
Question 70: The passage implies that the newspaper’s reputation _______.
A. decreased when it lowered its price to a penny.
B. grew because Adolph Ochs bought it in 1896.
C. increased because of its coverage of the Titanic’s sinking.
D. decreased because it could not compete with other New York papers.