Bài thi thử kỳ thi tốt nghiệp Trung học Phổ thông môn Tiếng Anh - Năm học 2017-2018 - Đề số 13

SỞ GIÁO DỤC ĐÀO TẠO BÀI THI THỬ KỲ THI TỐT NGHIỆP TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG 
 ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC NĂM HỌC 2017- 2018
 (Đề gồm có 04 trang) MÔN TIẾNG ANH ~ MÃ ĐỀ 001
 13 Thời gian: 60 phút - không tính thời gian giao đề
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 primary stress in each of the following questions.
 Question 1:A. redundancy	B. mendicancy	C. pregnancy	D. ascendancy
 Question 2:A. document	B. dissident	C. divergent	D. efferent
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 3: The law holds parents liable if a child does not attend school. 
A. parental	B. unhappy	C. dutiful	D. irresponsible
Question 4: My father always kept us on a tight rein. 
A. gave less money	B. let loose	C. set free	D. helped to ride
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 5: ~ Nuanda: "................." ~ Otrecus: "Angus? Oh. He's come back again."
A. Has Angus been here? I've been looking for him all day.
B. People say Angus has divorced his third wife.
C. Yes, certainly. Angus'll be here in a moment.
D. Someone called you last night. His name was Angus.
Question 6: ~ Lisa: "How are things with Ann?" ~ Clare: "................"
A. Not so good. They had a heatwave all week.	B. Yes, certainly. She'll be here in a moment.
C. Of course. We're going to have a lovely autumn.	D. Fine. She's just come back from Vietnam.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Question 7: Sheila rings her boy friend every day; she must be running up a huge phone bill.
A. saving up	B. owing to	C. being a debtor	D. having to pay
Question 8: Before the crisis, most people had plenty of crash to spend, but now they have had to tighten their belt.
A. spend less money	B. to keep fit	C. to deposit money	D. to lose weight
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.
THE JOY OF WORDS
 Cressida Cowell is the author of the widely-praised How To Train Your Dragon series of children’s books. She spent her own childhood holidays on a remote island, where she was left very much to her own ...(9).... As a result, she became an avid reader, entertaining herself with books and developing a fervent imagination. She even ...(10)... up her own secret languages.
 Cowell believes that today’s children still have a real ear for language, even though their attention span may not be as great as in her day, making them less tolerant of long descriptive passages in stories. Her books are outlandish and exciting, with vivid imagery, cliffhangers and eye-catching illustrations. Dragons seem to ...(11)... to children of all nationalities, who also seem to ...(12)... with her protagonist, Hiccup, quite easily. Hiccup’s a boy who battles his way through life’s problems, often against the ...(13)....
 Cowell is currently planning an illustrated book for teenagers. In her own words, she enjoys breaking the ...(14)... and finds that kids are open-minded enough to accept this.
[From EXPERT PROFICIENCY, Student's Book, Oxford, 2015]
 Question 9:A. pastimes	B. hobbies	C. entertainments	D. devices
 Question 10:A. invented	B. imagined	C. dreamt	D. created
 Question 11:A. attract	B. appeal	C. entice	D. engage
 Question 12:A. respond	B. relate	C. warm	D. identify
 Question 13:A. downsides	B. odds	C. hardships	D. worries
 Question 14:A. barrier	B. mould	C. boundary	D. limit
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
Question 15: Ben won first......in the art competition.
A. prize	B. medal	C. reward	D. benefit
Question 16: One of the most difficult decisions young adults face is what to do for a(n)..........
A. work	B. lifestyle	C. living	D. existence
Question 17: Is Heather........the hotel reservations for us?
A. being made	B. to be making	C. to be made	D. going to make
Question 18: I think it’s safer to go on a package.......than make my own travel arrangements.
A. travel	B. journey	C. cruise	D. holiday
Question 19: The minimum.........for the post was a degree in education.
A. requiring	B. required	C. require	D. requirement
Question 20: "I wouldn’t buy that dress if I were you; it isn’t in..... ~ "You’re right, it probably doesn’t suit me either."
A. fashion	B. mode	C. style	D. trend
Question 21: I'm not completely..........with the way the hairdresser styled my hair.
A. satisfied	B. satisfying	C. satisfyingly	D. satisfaction
Question 22: The wind was blowing so hard that we found it impossible to.........our tent.
A. build	B. raise	C. make up	D. put up
Question 23: If you work at a reception desk, you can’t.......wearing casual clothes.
A. get out of	B. get round to	C. get into	D. get away with
Question 24: The lecture was so boring that John could hardly keep himself.......asleep.
A. of falling	B. to falling	C. from falling	D. in falling
Question 25: No one won the match; the final result was a(n)......
A. draw	B. equal	C. score	D. drawing
Question 26: He can borrow this CD.........he gives it back to me by Thursday.
A. unless	B. in case	C. as long	D. provided
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 27:A. review	B. eschew	C. curfew	D. bedscrew
 Question 28:A. backcourt	B. yoghourt	C. forecourt	D. lawcourt
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 old man rubbed the cramped hand against his trousers and tried to ease the fingers. But the hand would not open. Maybe it will open with the sun, he thought. He looked across the sea and knew how alone he was now. The clouds were building up for the trade wind and he looked ahead and saw a flight of wild ducks against the sky over the water, and he knew that no man was ever alone on the sea. He thought of how some men feared being out of sight of land in a small boat and knew they were right in months of sudden bad weather. But now they were in hurricane months and, when there are no hurricanes, the weather of these months is the best of all the year. If there is a hurricane you always see the signs of it in the sky for days ahead, if you are at sea. They do not see it ashore because they do not know what to look for, he thought. But we have no hurricane coming now. He looked at the sky and saw the white cumulus clouds built like friendly piles of ice cream and high above were the thin feathers of the cirrus against the high September sky. ‘Better weather for me than for you, fish,’ he said.
 His left hand was still cramped, but he was unknotting it slowly. I hate a cramp, I he thought. It is a treachery of one’s own body and it humiliates oneself especially when one is alone. If the boy were here he could rub it for me and loosen it down from the forearm, he thought. But it will loosen up. Then, with his right hand he felt the difference in the pull of the line. As he leaned against the line and slapped his left hand hard and fast against his thigh he saw it slanting slowly upward. ‘He’s coming up,’ he said. ‘Come on hand. Please come on.’
 The line rose slowly and steadily and then the surface of the ocean bulged ahead of the boat and the fish came out. He came out unendingly and water poured from his sides. He was bright in the sun and his head and back were dark purple and in the sun the stripes on his sides showed wide and a light lavender. His sword was as long as a baseball bat and he rose full-length from the water and then re-entered it, smoothly, like a diver and the old man saw the great blade of his tail go under and the line started to race out.
 He is a great fish and I must convince him, he thought. I must never let him learn his strength nor what he could do if he made his run. If I were him I would put in everything now and go until something broke. But, thank God, they are not as intelligent as we who kill them; although they are more noble and more able. The old man had seen many great fish. He had seen many that weighed more than a thousand pounds and he had caught two of that size in his life, but never alone. Now alone, and out of sight of land, he was fast to the biggest fish he had ever seen and bigger than he had ever heard of, and his left hand was still as tight as the gripped claws of an eagle.
 It will uncramp though, he thought. Surely it will uncramp to help my right hand. There are three things that are brothers: the fish and my two hands. It must uncramp. It is unworthy of it to be cramped. The fish had slowed again and was going at his usual pace.
 I wonder why he jumped, the old man thought. He jumped almost as though to show me how big he was. I know now, anyway, he thought. I wish I could show him what sort of man I am. But then he would see my cramped hand. Let him think I am more man than I am and I will be so.
[Extracted from 'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway]
Question 29: Why was he sure the weather would stay fair?
A. There are more fish during good weather.
B. It was not the right time of year for hurricanes.
C. He could see no trace of an approaching hurricane.
D. Bad weather had not been forecast ashore.
Question 30: What does the writer mean when he says the old man was ‘fast to the biggest fish he had ever seen’ in line 25?
A. He was joined to the fish by his line.	B. He was surprised to see the fish’s size.
C. He was attracted by such a big fish.	D. He was chasing the fish in his boat
Question 31: What does the old man worry about after seeing the fish?
A. The fish is too powerful for his boat.	B. He doesn’t have enough line.
C. He isn’t as clever as the fish.	D. The fish could escape if it swam fast.
Question 32: How did the old man feel about being out at sea?
A. He enjoyed it because he had time to himself.
B. He realised how dangerous his work was.
C. He wasn’t happy at being out of sight of land.
D. He didn’t mind as there were creatures around him.
Question 33: The old man didn’t want the fish to see that he was......
A. alone in the boat.	B. so small.	C. too tired.	D. in some difficulty.
Question 34: What does the verb ‘to ease’ mean in English?
A. to make less painful	B. to soften	C. to loosen	D. to crack
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.
DOWNSHIFTING
 As you move around your home take a good hard look at its contents. It's likely that your living room will have a television set and a DVD player, and your kitchen a washing machine and tumble drier, maybe also a microwave oven and electric toaster. Your bedroom drawers will be stuffed with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year
and eat out at least once a week. If you could see the volume of rubbish in your dustbin over a year, you would be horrified.
 Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, what it's for. The single-minded pursuit of material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel the long-hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them precious little time or energy for family or leisure. Many are turning to alternative wavs of living and downshifting is one of them.
 According to a national consulting group, this new approach to work coincides with radical changes in the employment market, where a job is no longer guaranteed and lifetime employment can only be achieved by taking personal responsibility for your career. Six per cent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year, swapping their highly pressured, stressful positions for less demanding, less time-consuming work which they believe gives them a better balanced life.
 One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a journalist and she used to work for a international bank.They would commute every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn't get home until eight or nine o' clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
 Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. ‘I always wanted to have a farm here,' says Daniel, and we took almos a year to make the decision to downshift. It has taken some getting used to, but it's been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However. I think it made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.'
 Liz, however, is not totally convinced. 'I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I'm not really a country girl, but I suppose I'm gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like though is being able to see more of my children. My tip for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.
Question 35: What does the writer say about the employmentmarket?
A. It’s difficult to keep a company job for life.	B. You have to look hard to Find a job yourself.
C. There aren’t many jobs nowadays.	D. It’s changing all the time.
Question 36: What does ‘it’ in line 26 refer to?
A. having animals	B. her job	C. her tip	D. downshifting
Question 37: According to the writer, people are beginning to rethink their lives because......
A. they feel too dependent on their possessions.
B. their families object to their working so hard.
C. they want to spend time doing other things.
D. they are worried about the amount of rubbish they throw away.
Question 38: What has Daniel’s reaction been to moving to Wales?
A. He felt at home on the farm almost immediately.
B. He is sorry that they made the decision to move too quickly.
C. He misses the holidays they used to have abroad.
D. He’s happy that he’s now fulfilled an ambition.
Question 39: Why was this text written?
A. To warn people of the problems of downshifting.
B. To prove that having a good job doesn’t make you happy.
C. To tell people how to downshift.
D. To make people aware of a new social trend
Question 40: When Daniel was a journalist he used to......
A. miss his children.	B. live in central London.	C. be highly paid.	D. dislike his job.
Question 41: What does the word ‘tip’ in line 25 mean?
A. a good idea	B. a word of advice	C. a warning	D. a clue
Question 42: Daniel and Liz both agree that the move......
A. to a farm was expensive.	B. was difficult to organise.
C. has been a total success.	D. has improved family life.
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: I've repaired it so well as I can - we'll just have to hope for the best. 
A. so well	B. the best	C. repaired it	D. just have to
Question 44: The improvement to water standards over the last 50 years has been very great. 
A. very great	B. the last	C. to water	D. over
Question 45: When they visit us they always bring their dog along them. 
A. visit us	B. along them	C. always bring	D. When
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.
Question 46: This party is 'evening dress' only.
A. You have to dress up for the party this evening.
B. I dress up only for this evening party.
C. You're not allowed to dress casually for this party.
D. This party is only for those who dress up in the evening.
Question 47: It was a mistake for me to buy you that computer game.
A. I'm sorry for buying you that computer game.
B. I shouldn't have bought you that computer game.
C. I needn't have bought you that computer game.
D. I mustn't have bought you that computer game.
Question 48: I have never seen such a terrible film before.
A. I don't enjoy seeing terror films.
B. That is one of the most terrible films I have seen before.
C. This is the worst film that I have ever seen.
D. Such a terrible film that I have never seen before.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
Question 49: That man may be her father. His eyes are also brown.
A. So brown as his eyes that man is perhaps her father. 
B. That man’s eyes are so brown that he may be her father.
C. Because that man’s eyes are brown, he may be her father, too.
D. That man whose eyes are also brown may be her father.
Question 50: Soccer is not my favourite sport. Dad is infatuated with it.
A. Neither Dad nor I like soccer.
B. Soccer is not my favourite sport so Dad is infatuated with it.
C. Because soccer is not my favourite sport, Dad is infatuated with it.
D. Although Dad is infatuated with soccer, it is not my favourite sport.
The EndSỞ GIÁO DỤC ĐÀO TẠO BÀI THI THỬ KỲ THI TỐT NGHIỆP TRUNG HỌC PHỔ THÔNG
 ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC NĂM HỌC 2017- 2018
 (Đề gồm có 04 trang) MÔN TIẾNG ANH ~ MÃ ĐỀ 002
 Thời gian: 60 phút - không tính thời gian giao đề
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
Question 1: That man may be her father. His eyes are also brown.
A. That man’s eyes are so brown that he may be her father.
B. So brown as his eyes that man is perhaps her father. 
C. Because that man’s eyes are brown, he may be her father, too.
D. That man whose eyes are also brown may be her father.
Question 2: Soccer is not my favourite sport. Dad is infatuated with it.
A. Soccer is not my favourite sport so Dad is infatuated with it.
B. Although Dad is infatuated with soccer, it is not my favourite sport.
C. Because soccer is not my favourite sport, Dad is infatuated with it.
D. Neither Dad nor I like soccer.
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.
DOWNSHIFTING
 As you move around your home take a good hard look at its contents. It's likely that your living room will have a television set and a DVD player, and your kitchen a washing machine and tumble drier, maybe also a microwave oven and electric toaster. Your bedroom drawers will be stuffed with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year
and eat out at least once a week. If you could see the volume of rubbish in your dustbin over a year, you would be horrified.
 Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, what it's for. The single-minded pursuit of material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel the long-hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them precious little time or energy for family or leisure. Many are turning to alternative wavs of living and downshifting is one of them.
 According to a national consulting group, this new approach to work coincides with radical changes in the employment market, where a job is no longer guaranteed and lifetime employment can only be achieved by taking personal responsibility for your career. Six per cent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year, swapping their highly pressured, stressful positions for less demanding, less time-consuming work which they believe gives them a better balanced life.
 One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a journalist and she used to work for a international bank.They would commute every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn't get home until eight or nine o' clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
 Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. ‘I always wanted to have a farm here,' says Daniel, and we took almos a year to make the decision to downshift. It has taken some getting used to, but it's been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However. I think it made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.'
 Liz, however, is not totally convinced. 'I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I'm not really a country girl, but I suppose I'm gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like though is being able to see more of my children. My tip for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.
Question 3: What does ‘it’ in line 25 refer to?
A. her job	B. her tip	C. downshifting	D. having animals
Question 4: What has Daniel’s reaction been to moving to Wales?
A. He is sorry that they made the decision to move too quickly.
B. He’s happy that he’s now fulfilled an ambition.
C. He felt at home on the farm almost immediately.
D. He misses the holidays they used to have abroad.
Question 5: What does the word ‘tip’ in line 25 mean?
A. a clue	B. a warning	C. a word of advice	D. a good idea
Question 6: According to the writer, people are beginning to rethink their lives because......
A. they are worried about the amount of rubbish they throw away.
B. their families object to their working so hard.
C. they want to spend time doing other things.
D. they feel too dependent on their possessions.
Question 7: When Daniel was a journalist he used to......
A. dislike his job.	B. miss his children.	C. be highly paid.	D. live in central London.
Question 8: What does the writer say about the employmentmarket?
A. It’s difficult to keep a company job for life.	B. You have to look hard to Find a job yourself.
C. It’s changing all the time.	D. There aren’t many jobs nowadays.
Question 9: Daniel and Liz both agree that the move......
A. was difficult to organise.	B. has been a total success.
C. to a farm was expensive.	D. has improved family life.
Question 10: Why was this text written?
A. To prove that having a good job doesn’t make you happy.
B. To warn people of the problems of downshifting.
C. To tell people how to downshift.
D. To make people aware of a new social trend
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
Question 11: "I wouldn’t buy that dress if I were you; it isn’t in..... ~ "You’re right, it probably doesn’t suit me either."
A. fashion	B. style	C. trend	D. mode
Question 12: No one won the match; the final result was a(n)......
A. drawing	B. score	C. draw	D. equal
Question 13: Is Heather........the hotel reservations for us?
A. going to make	B. to be made	C. being made	D. to be making
Question 14: If you work at a reception desk, you can’t.......wearing casual clothes.
A. get out of	B. get into	C. get away with	D. get round to
Question 15: He can borrow this CD.........he gives it back to me by Thursday.
A. in case	B. unless	C. provided	D. as long
Question 16: The wind was blowing so hard that we found it impossible to.........our tent.
A. raise	B. put up	C. make up	D. build
Question 17: Ben won first......in the art competition.
A. reward	B. medal	C. prize	D. benefit
Question 18: I think it’s safer to go on a package.......than make my own travel arrangements.
A. holiday	B. travel	C. journey	D. cruise
Question 19: The minimum.........for the post was a degree in education.
A. requiring	B. required	C. requirement	D. require
Question 20: One of the most difficult decisions young adults face is what to do for a(n)..........
A. living	B. lifestyle	C. existence	D. work
Question 21: I'm not completely..........with the way the hairdresser styled my hair.
A. satisfying	B. satisfied	C. satisfaction	D. satisfyingly
Question 22: The lecture was so boring that John could hardly keep himself.......asleep.
A. to falling	B. in falling	C. from falling	D. of falling
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.
THE JOY OF WORDS
 Cressida Cowell is the author of the widely-praised How To Train Your Dragon series of children’s books. She spent her own childhood holidays on a remote island, where she was left very much to her own ...(23).... As a result, she became an avid reader, entertaining herself with books and developing a fervent imagination. She even ...(24)... up her own secret languages.
 Cowell believes that today’s children still have a real ear for language, even though their attention span may not be as great as in her day, making them less tolerant of long descriptive passages in stories. Her books are outlandish and exciting, with vivid imagery, cliffhangers and eye-catching illustrations. Dragons seem to ...(25)... to children of all nationalities, who also seem to ...(26)... with her protagonist, Hiccup, quite easily. Hiccup’s a boy who battles his way through life’s problems, often against the ...(27)....
 Cowell is currently planning an illustrated book for teenagers. In her own words, she enjoys breaking the ...(28)... and finds that kids are open-minded enough to accept this.
[From EXPERT PROFICIENCY, Student's Book, Oxford, 2015]
 Question 23:A. pastimes	B. hobbies	C. entertainments	D. devices
 Question 24:A. imagined	B. invented	C. created	D. dreamt
 Question 25:A. appeal	B. engage	C. attract	D. entice
 Question 26:A. relate	B. identify	C. respond	D. warm
 Question 27:A. odds	B. downsides	C. worries	D. hardships
 Question 28:A. boundary	B. limit	C. mould	D. barrier
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 29: The law holds parents liable if a child does not attend school. 
A. dutiful	B. unhappy	C. irresponsible	D. parental
Question 30: My father always kept us on a tight rein. 
A. let loose	B. gave less money	C. set free	D. helped to ride
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 31: ~ Lisa: "How are things with Ann?" ~ Clare: "................"
A. Of course. We're going to have a lovely autumn.	B. Yes, certainly. She'll be here in a moment.
C. Fine. She's just come back from Vietnam.	D. Not so good. They had a heatwave all week.
Question 32: ~ Nuanda: "................." ~ Otrecus: "Angus? Oh. He's come back again."
A. People say Angus has divorced his third wife.
B. Yes, certainly. Angus'll be here in a moment.
C. Has Angus been here? I've been looking for him all day.
D. Someone called you last night. His name was Angus.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
Question 33: Before the crisis, most people had plenty of crash to spend, but now they have had to tighten their belt.
A. to lose weight	B. spend less money	C. to deposit money	D. to keep fit
Question 34: Sheila rings her boy friend every day; she must be running up a huge phone bill.
A. saving up	B. having to pay	C. owing to	D. being a debtor
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 old man rubbed the cramped hand against his trousers and tried to ease the fingers. But the hand would not open. Maybe it will open with the sun, he thought. He looked across the sea and knew how alone he was now. The clouds were building up for the trade wind and he looked ahead and saw a flight of wild ducks against the sky over the water, and he knew that no man was ever alone on the sea. He thought of how some men feared being out of sight of land in a small boat and knew they were right in months of sudden bad weather. But now they were in hurricane months and, when there are no hurricanes, the weather of these months is the best of all the year. If there is a hurricane you always see the signs of it in the sky for days ahead, if you are at sea. They do not see it ashore because they do not know what to look for, he thought. But we have no hurricane coming now. He looked at the sky and saw the white cumulus clouds built like friendly piles of ice cream and high above were the thin feathers of the cirrus against the high September sky. ‘Better weather for me than for you, fish,’ he said.
 His left hand was still cramped, but he was unknotting it slowly. I hate a cramp, I he thought. It is a treachery of one’s own body and it humiliates oneself especially when one is alone. If the boy were here he could rub it for me and loosen it down from the forearm, he thought. But it will loosen up. Then, with his right hand he felt the difference in the pull of the line. As he leaned against the line and slapped his left hand hard and fast against his thigh he saw it slanting slowly upward. ‘He’s coming up,’ he said. ‘Come on han