Đề thi môn Tiếng Anh Lớp 9 - Kỳ thi chọn học sinh giỏi năm học 2015-2016 - Sở GD & ĐT Vĩnh Phúc

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PART 1: LISTENING 
Section 1: You will listen to a telephone conversation between a man named Carl and his friend Bella. 
Listen and choose the correct option to complete the statements from 1 to 5. You will hear the recording 
TWICE 
1. When she first moved to Canada, Bella had_________. 
A. a great time B. an OK time C. a hard time 
2. At first, Bella found it difficult to understand Canadians because_________. 
A. they use some different words 
B. they pronounce words differently 
C. they pronounce words differently and use different words 
3. Bella thinks she is_________. 
A. shy B. confident C. clever 
4. Bella joined a mountaineering group because_________. 
A. she loves climbing B. she wanted to make friends C. she wanted to see Canada 
5. Bella went climbing in the Rocky Mountains_________. 
A. last week B. last month C. last year 
Section 2: You will hear five people talking about friendship. For questions from 1-5, choose from the 
list (A-H) what each speaker says is the most important to them in a friendship. Use each letter only 
once. There are three extra letters which you do not need to use. You will hear the recording TWICE 
A. frequent contact 1. Speaker 1: ________ 
B. mutual trust 2. Speaker 2:_________ 
C. shared interest 3. Speaker 3:_________ 
D. good manners 4. Speaker 4:_________ 
E. emotional support 5. Speaker 5:_________ 
F. similar personalities 
G. a sense of humor 
H. some experience of school 
Section 3: Listen to a talk about citizen journalism. Complete the notes below with one word in each 
gap. You will hear the recording TWICE 
SỞ GD&ĐT VĨNH PHÚC 
 ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC 
KÌ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI LỚP 9 NĂM HỌC 2015 – 2016 
ĐỀ THI MÔN: TIẾNG ANH 
Thời gian làm bài: 150 phút, không kể thời gian giao đề 
(Đề thi gồm: 06 trang) 
Citizen journalism = ordinary people involved in collecting, (1.) ________, reporting and 
disseminating news and (2.) ________. 
(3.) _______ people are using modern technology to create media. For instance, taking a photo and 
putting it (4.) _________ in seconds. 
(5.) _______ journalism is not being pushed aside. People still want news from (6.) _________ sources. 
Professional news (7.) ________ collect public (8.) _________ which are often a valuable and 
insightful (9.) _________ to standard news coverage. 
Most examples of citizen journalism are read on a professional news website, already 
(10.) _________, proofread and checked by professional journalists. 
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PART 2: LEXICO-GRAMMAR 
Section 1: Choose the correct option (A, B, C or D) to complete each of the following sentences 
1. She went in search of a new agent, without _______ help she would never have made it. 
 A. whom B. whose C. that D. which 
2. _______ returned home that I realised just how much I missed seeing my brother. 
 A. It wasn’t until I B. It was only by C. The reason why I D. It’s only by 
3. Tom: “Sorry, I forgot to phone you last night.” Mary: “________” 
 A. Never say never! B. Never mind! C. Oops I did it! D. You’re welcome! 
4. All successful applicants are required _______ a week-long training programme before commencing 
 their new role. 
 A. to attend B. attending C. to be attending D. attend 
5. Come on! We must hurry. We have ________time! 
 A. a few B. a little C. little D. few 
6. We must carry _______ a thorough investigation into the causes of the riot. 
A. on B. out C. off D. up 
7. Jane: “Do you still play golf every weekend?” 
 Jack: “No, I’m far too busy these days. I can only play _______.” 
 A. from time to when B. from when to time C. now and then D. then and now 
8. His name is Archibald, but everyone calls him Archie _______. 
A. for short B. in brief C. for brief D. in short 
9. Either player could have won the match. It was _______. 
 A. stick or carrot B. touch and go C. odds and ends D. here or there 
10. Please _______ in mind that our price includes unlimited technical assistance and a three-year guarantee. 
A. carry B. have C. bear D. get 
11. Nobody wants to be the first to make a sacrifice, _______? 
A. does she or he B. does anybody C. do we D. do they 
12. I had once met Penelope Cruz. She had _______ hair. 
 A. long black beautiful B. black long beautiful 
 C. beautiful black long D. beautiful long black 
13. Jack: “Do you think my English is improving?” Jill: “Yes, it’s getting _______.” 
 A. each time better B. always better C. better and better D. all the time better 
14. Yvonne has gone away. She’ll be back _______ a week. 
 A. inside of B. in C. by D. until 
15. I would like to _______ your attention to paragraph 3.2 of the chairman’s report. 
 A. attract B. drag C. pull D. call 
16. I took two big books with me on holiday, Moby Dick and War and Peace, but I didn’t read _______. 
 A. neither of them B. either of them C. either one or other D. neither one or other 
17. What’s that bird holding in its _______? 
 A. beak B. paw C. scales D. fins 
18. They often give out free _______, which you can try before you buy the item. 
 A. samples B. bargains C. brands D. examples 
19. I’m afraid the price is too _______ and no one will want to buy the product. 
 A. enormous B. tall C. big D. high 
20. The man _______ to talk to wasn’t there. 
 A. who wanted B. that wanted C. I wanted D. which I wanted 
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Section 2: Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space at 
the same line 
CASABLANCA 
 Casablanca is most known as the title of a classic film from 1942 (1.) ______________ 
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. But what about the city where this romance 
was set? 
 Casablanca (Spanish for white house), or Casa as it is known by those who live 
there, is the largest city in Morocco with a (2.) _______________ of approximately 5 
million and is the country’s (3.) _______________ capital. Rabat is the political capital. 
Casablanca is situated in the west of Morocco on the Atlantic coast and boasts one of 
the world’s largest artificial ports, a port which was very (4.) _______________ during the 
Second World War. At that time there was also a large American airbase (5.) ___________ 
in Casablanca and in 1943 it was in Casablanca that a significant conference took place 
where world (6.) _______________ met to discuss the progress of the war. 
 Casablanca was (7.) _______________ under the control of the French from 
1910 until 1956 when Morocco gained (8.) _______________. French influence on 
the city is (9.) _______________ in the city layout and architecture. French is also the 
second language after Arabic. The city now has a growing (10.) _______________ industry, 
although it is not as popular as other Moroccan cities like Marrakesh and Fez. 
1. STAR 
2. POPULATE 
3. ECONOMY 
4. STRATEGY 
5. SITUATE 
6. LEAD 
7. FORMAL 
8. DEPEND 
9. EVIDENCE 
10. TOUR 
Section 3: The passage below contains five mistakes in five different lines. Write down the mistakes 
and the line numbers in which they appear and correct them 
 Lines 
Many religious and philosophy traditions have spoken of the benefits of living in 
the present moment but, until recently, there has not been much scientific evidences to 
support this advice. Now, a study by psychologists in the USA have shown that if we learn 
to live in the now we can be happier. Apparently, the problem is what we spend nearly 
half of our time thinking about something others than what we are doing. 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
PART 3: READING 
Section 1: You are going to read a magazine article from which five sentences have been removed. 
Choose the most suitable sentences from the list A-G for each part (1-5) of the article. There are two 
extra sentences which you do not need to use. 
FIGHTING THE TREND 
1. __________ 
Computer games range from the highly educational and creative, to games of skill, to ones with violent-
sounding titles such as World of Warcraft, artfully designed to lure teenagers and alarm parents. It always 
amazes me to hear the parents of a nine or ten-year-old saying “He’s up playing computer games”. And 
when you ask which games he likes, they do not know. Would these people, if asked who was babysitting, 
say “Oh, some guy from the park”? 
2. __________ 
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Walk past, discuss what the game is about while you get on with making dinner. Encourage sharing with 
other children. Any game using two controllers is better than a lonely one. 
Enforce screen breaks for the sake of the eyes and nerves. Give warning- let a level be finished-but enforce it. 
3. __________ 
If you have a teenager who spends a lot of time online, you probably need software that records every site 
visited, and time spent; you may want one of the filter programmes that cut out dodgy sites. 
4.__________ 
This, during teenage years, can be a problem but it is always worth persevering. If a parent or relative is 
around for long enough, slow to leap to judgement or hysteria, and willing to listen (leaning on the kitchen 
worktop while one of you has a late-night-pizza, in the car, wherever) then important issues will 
eventually come up. 
5.__________ 
So is an alternative, sociable, physical pastime. We all know that a healthy, small child gets more fun out 
of a sociable kitchen than out of a toy, and relishes a rough-and-tumble game with dad more than a 
television programme. We need to extend that common sense into older ages, too. 
SENTENCES 
A. Probably the best guarantee against damage or confusion is the normal communication you have 
with your child. 
B. Enforce screen breaks for the sake of the eyes and nerves. 
C. When children get to the age for games consoles, try to know what they are playing. 
D. Indeed, personal happiness and reasonable self-esteem are the best weapons against any kind of 
computer brain invasion. 
E. As a parent, ensure that your children only use the computer for educational purposes. 
F. As with television, keep the computer gaming area in one of the shared parts of the house. 
G. It’s self-evident that parental responsibility has to be applied to the Internet, just as it must be for 
every other kind of encounter. 
Section 2: Read the text below and decide which word (A, B, C or D) best fits each space 
MUSIC ON YOUR MIND 
You know the feeling-you’re listening to music and suddenly your whole (1.) __________ changes 
from sad to happy. This mind-altering power of music is amazing, and Internet music sites are using 
sophisticated ways of (2.)__________us in touch with new artists. They search our downloaded sites or 
online listening habits (3.) __________patterns, and the results are often surprising-would you believe that 
AC/DC fans may well enjoy Beethoven? 
Musicians have been (4.) __________unforgettable music for centuries, using accepted ideas about 
the emotional appeal of certain combinations of musical sounds. It’s (5.) __________knowledge that major 
chords sound upbeat (6.) __________minor chords sound mournful-in tests, even children as young as three 
connect music in major keys to happy faces. Scientists investigating the subject have been (7.) 
__________various experiments such as scanning the brains of people while they listen to music. One thing 
they (8.) __________across is that music triggers activity in the motor region of the brain, which could explain 
why we often need to (9.)__________our feet to music. The (10.) __________for medicine and business are 
exciting. 
1. A. mood B. atmosphere C. temper D. idea 
2. A. placing B. putting C. making D. doing 
3. A. looking out B. looking for C. looking up D. looking after 
4. A. constructing B. forming C. inventing D. composing 
5. A. great B. usual C. common D. wide 
6. A. while B. during C. since D. so 
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7. A. taking B. making C. doing D. having 
8. A. came B. went C. brought D. took 
9. A. tap B. bang C. hit D. strike 
10. A. likelihood B. possibilities C. probabilities D. chance 
Section 3: Read the following extract and choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which best 
answers/completes the questions 
As many as one thousand years ago in the Southwest, the Hopi and Zuni Indians of North America 
were building with adobe – sunbaked brick plastered with mud. Their homes looked remarkably like 
modern apartment houses. Some were four stories high and contained quarters for perhaps a thousand 
people, along with storerooms for grain and other goods. These buildings were usually put up against 
cliffs, both to make construction easier and for defense against enemies. They were really villages in 
themselves, as later Spanish explorers must have realized since they called them “pueblos”, which is 
Spanish for towns. 
 The people of the pueblos raised what are called “the three sisters”- corn, beans, and squash. They 
made excellent pottery and wove marvelous baskets, some so fine that they could hold water. The 
Southwest has always been a dry country, where water is scarce. The Hopi and Zuni brought water from 
streams to their fields and gardens through irrigation ditches. Water was so important that it played a 
major role in their religion. They developed elaborate ceremonies and religious rituals to bring rain. 
The way of life of less–settled groups was simpler and more strongly influenced by nature. Small 
tribes such as the Shoshone and Ute wandered the dry and mountainous lands between the Rocky 
Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. They gathered seeds and hunted small animals such as rabbits and 
snakes. In the Far North the ancestors of today’s Inuit hunted seals, walruses, and the great whales. They 
lived right on the frozen seas in shelters called igloos built of blocks of packed snow. When summer came, 
they fished for salmon and hunted the lordly caribou. The Cheyenne, Pawnee and Sioux tribes, known as 
the Plains Indians, lived on the grasslands between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River. They 
hunted bison, commonly called the buffalo. Its meat was the chief food of these tribes, and its hide was 
used to make their clothing and the covering of their tents and tips. 
1. What does the passage mainly discuss? 
A. The architecture of early America Indian buildings 
B. The movement of American Indians across North America 
C. Ceremonies and rituals of American Indians 
D. The way of life of American Indian tribes in early North America 
2. According to the passage, the Hopi and Zuni typically built their homes _________. 
A. in valleys B. next to streams C. on open plains D. against cliffs 
3. The word “They” refers to _________. 
A. Goods B. Buildings C. Cliffs D. Enemies 
4. It can be inferred from the passage that the dwellings of the Hopi and Zuni were _________. 
A. very small B. highly advanced C. difficult to defend D. quickly constructed 
5. The author uses the phrase “the three sisters” to refer to_________. 
A. Hopi women B. family members C. important crops D. rain ceremonies 
6. Which of the following is true of the Shoshone and Ute? 
A. They were not as settled as the Hopi and Zuni. B. They hunted caribou. 
C. They built their homes with adobe. D. They did not have many religious ceremonies. 
7. According to the passage, which of the following tribes lived in the grasslands? 
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A. The Shoshone and Ute B. The Cheyenne 
C. The Hopi and Zuni D. The Pawnee and Inuit 
8. Which of the following animals was the most important to the Plains Indians? 
A. The salmon B. The caribou C. The seal D. The buffalo 
9. The author gives an explanation for all of the following words EXCEPT_________. 
A. adobe B. pueblos C. caribou D. bison 
10. The author groups North American Indians according to their _________. 
A. tribes and geographical regions B. arts and crafts 
C. rituals and ceremonies D. date of appearance on the continent 
Section 4: Read the following extract and think of a word which best fits each space. Use only ONE word 
for each space 
I fell into my first job by chance. I’d graduated (1.) _________ a reasonable degree, but I was at a loss 
to know what to do next. I had no money, but (2.) _________ this, I had unrealistic dreams of being able to 
travel the world. In the end what happened was a happy coincidence. An uncle of (3.) _________ had set up 
a language school in the Caribbean, and needed someone to help him run the office. I jumped at the chance, 
although at the time I had no idea that it would turn (4.) __________to be a real challenge. There were so 
many problems to deal with that I couldn’t cope, and there were times when I felt overwhelmed. The 
advantages included good money and fantastic weather, but finally the pressure became too great so I had to 
quit. However, working in a school helped me to realize (5.) __________ was what I really wanted to do, and now 
I am a teacher. 
PART 4: WRITING 
Section 1: Complete each of the sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the one 
printed before it 
1. Uncle Timber fell down the stairs a few years ago and hasn’t felt right since. 
Ever since___________________________________________________________. 
2. It is not my fault that the glass broke. 
You can’t blame me_________________________________________________. 
3. Immediately after his arrival, things went wrong. 
No sooner___________________________________________________________. 
4. People say that the exam this year is much easier than it was last year. 
The exam this year_________________________________________________. 
5. She’s always had a good relationship with her neighbours. 
She’s always been on_______________________________________________. 
Section 2: Write an essay of around 250 words on the following topic 
Fashion designers in Vietnam have recently made various attempts to modernize the 
traditional ao dai. Its original shape has been constantly altered and new patterns such as suns, stars 
and stripes have been added. 
Some are positive about those changes, claiming that they have made the ao dai more 
fashionable. Others, however, consider the alterations made to this unique dress a blatant disregard 
of tradition. 
What is your opinion? 
Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your own knowledge and 
experience. 
END OF THE TEST