KỲ THI TUYỂN SINH LỚP 10 THPT CHUYÊN

NĂM HỌC 2020-2021

ĐỀ ĐỀ NGHỊ MÔN THI: TIẾNG ANH (CHUYÊN)

Thời gian làm bài: 120 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)

SECTION I: PHONETICS
Choose the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the
following questions. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
1. A. particular B. artist C. star D. cartoon
2. A. hand B. bank C. sand D. band
3. A. beloved B. naked C. dogged D. ploughed
Choose the word that differs from the other three in the position of the primary stress in each of the
following questions. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
4. A. council B. describe C. inspect D. refuse
5. A. anniversary B. contradictory C. hypothetical D. contemporary
YOUR ANSWERS:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

SECTION II: GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY

Part 1: Choose the best answer from A, B, C, or D to complete the following sentences. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
6. ________anyone wish to access the information on the status of his or her older, the password should be
entered.
A. If B. Should C. Whether D. Unless
7. She ________ on the computer for more than two hours when she decided to stop for a rest.
A. had worked B. worked C. had been working D. was working
8. Having been delayed by the heavy traffic, ________
A. it was difficult for her to arrive on time B. her being late was intolerable
C. her boss reproached her D. she was unable to arrive on time
9. The Eiffel Tower, _____ design was revolutionary at its time, is still a marvelous structure.
A. which B. that C. whose D. Whom
10. ______had Hyun Bin left the hotel when he was surrounded by the paparazzi.
A. No sooner B. Immediately C. Just D. Hardly
11. I recommend that the student________ his composition as soon as possible.
A. finishes writing B. should finish the writing
C. finish writing D. finished writing
12. _________ passenger pigeon, one of several species of extinct birds, was hunted to extinction over
_________ few decades.
A. The / Ø B. Ø / the C. The / a D. A / the
13. The equipment in our office needs__________
A. being modernized B. modernizing C. modernized D. modernization
14. When I arrived on the spot, I found out that I _______ the heavy gas bottle on my back because the
campsite now had electric cookers.
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A. needn't have carried B. didn't need to carry
C. can't have carried D. might not have carried
15. With a_____ to getting high scores in the final exam, Scott studied as hard as he could.
A. sight B. view C. vision D. nose
16. You needn't treat us to anything; we won't stay long for it's only a _________ visit.
A. minute B. flying C. small D. speedy
17. I don’t like to ask people for help but I wonder if you could______me a favour.
A. do B. get C. make D. take
18. I don’t think you have been watering the plants near the gate. The soil is _____.
A. as dry as rice B. as dry as a tile C. as dry as a bone D. as dry as wood
19. In China’s largest psychiatric facility, there is a serious lack of resources but the staff try hard to
_________ this in their treatment of the patients.
A. make up for B. go in for C. put up with D. set in for
20. It_______the mayor had bribed several councilors to vote.
A. broke out B. pointed at C. came round D. turned out
YOUR ANSWERS:

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Part 2. Choose the best answer from A, B, C, or D to indicate the word CLOSEST in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes.
21. During the Coronavirus pandemic, healthcare workers nationwide have worked round the clock to treat
the infected patients.
A. permanently B. interruptedly C. continuously D. accurately
22. When their rent increased from $200 to $400 a month, they protested against such a tremendous
increase.
A. light B. difficult C. huge D. tiring
Part 3: Choose the best answer from A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to
the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes.
23. He’s a role model for other players to look up to.
A. look down on B. put down on C. look down to D. took off
24: Many women prefer to use cosmetics to enhance their beauty and make them look younger.
A. improve B. maximize C. enrich D. worsen
YOUR ANSWERS:

21. 22. 23. 24.

Part 4 : Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the space. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes.
The increase in city crime is a global phenomenon. Some people say that a lot of crime in this
country is because of (25. MIGRATE) ______ and the new people arriving from other countries bring
different (26 - CULTURE) ______ values and attitudes to the law. I don’t agree with this idea because the
most common crimes are (27 - LOCAL) ______ produced and not imported from other countries.

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Vandalism is one of the biggest crimes in my city with bus shelters and shop windows being popular targets.
Another popular crime is (28-PAY) ______ parking fines, which is unlikely to be because of immigrants
because most of them do not own cars. The (29-OPPOSE) ______ point of view is that young local people
feel angry when they can’t get a job and in order to handle the change in their environment, they strike out at
easy targets. This would explain why bicycle (30-THIEF) ______ is more common than car crime these
days, especially in rich neighborhood where most cars are protected with electronic alarms. Another reason,
though, for so many bicycles getting stolen might be that the punishment is not very severe compared to car
stealing which can land you in prison for a number of years.

YOUR ANSWERS:

25. 26. 27.

28. 29. 30.

Part 5: The passage below contains five mistakes. Identify and correct the mistakes. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
LEARNING HOW TO LEARN AND THINK
What is the point of the education system? Although this question may seem ridiculous at first sight ,
it is actually not stupid as it sounds. The reason what is worth trying to answer is that schools and university
clearly emphasize academic achievement, passing exams and gaining qualifications much more than
acquiring skills such as rising children or car maintain. But why is it? Why do they neglect to teach practical
skills at school?

One answer may be that schools don't exist to help us gain useful knowledge about the world. At the
school, what we are learning is how to learn effectively. The idea is that we can then take use of that ability
later on in life when we come to deal with more practical aspects of day-to-day living.

YOUR ANSWERS:

Mistake Line Correction

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

Part 6: Fill in each blank with a correct preposition or particle. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes.
36. The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily _________droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an
infected person coughs or sneezes.
37. Students of English often mix __________the word “lie” and “lay”
38. You look ___________the weather? Are you ill?
39. I met him at the party and he asked __________you.
40. There should be some news _______the hour.
YOUR ANSWERS:
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36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
SECTION III: READING
Part 1: Guided- cloze test: Read the following passage and choose the best answer from A, B, C or D
to indicate the correct word/ phrase for each of the blanks. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes.
Many people remember (41)________to the zoo as a child. They remember especially the
excitement of actually seeing animals for the first (42)________, when before they had only read about them
in books or seen them on television. However, there is (43)________discussion today about the future of
zoos and what their role should be.

Supporter of zoos claim that they have an educational (44)________ and represent a good way for
people of (45)________ ages to learn more about the natural world. Also, zoos provide (46)________ for
important research and frequently allow scientists to help save those animals which are becoming
(47)________ rare in the wild.

Opponents, however, criticize zoos for a number of reasons. Firstly, they say that it is cruel to keep
animals in cages. Even in the best zoos, animals may suffer (48)________ the places in which they have to
live are both restricted and artificial. This can cause them to experience stress and affect their health.
Secondly, they believe that money would be better spent (49)________ protecting animals in their daily
environment. Finally, opponents (50)________ out that most people nowadays can see well-made nature
documentaries on television and that this is much more valuable experience than going to a zoo.
41. A. to take B. to be taken C. taking D. being taken
42. A. moment B. event C. occasion D. time
43. A. deep B. considerable C. large D. important
44. A. activity B. function C. situation D. occupation
45. A. several B. both C. all D. every
46. A. ways B. reasons C. methods D. opportunities
47. A. completely B. increasingly C. totally D. greatly
48. A. although B. because C. so D. but
49. A. on B. in C. with D. into
50. A. pick B. point C. show D. speak

YOUR ANSWERS:
41. 42. 43. 44. 45.

46. 47. 48. 49. 50.

Part 2: Fill in each numbered space with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes.
BEWARE OF VITAMINS

Vitamins are good for our health, aren’t they? Perhaps not. New research suggests that high doses of
certain vitamins may be (51)______harm than good and could even put you in an early grave.
A (52)______ of recent studies suggest that these vitamins, when taken in very high doses, may
actually (53)______ the risks of cancer and a range of debilitating diseases. Scientists are unsure as to
(54)______ vitamins, so essential to health, can be toxic in high doses. The most likely explanation is that
the body is only equipped to (55)______ with the levels found naturally in the environment. If the intake is
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too far above the normal range, then there (56)______ appear an imbalance in the body’s internal chemistry.
What this means is that the commercially sold vitamins and those provided by nature are not always
compatible. The commercial forms may interfere with the body’s internal chemistry by “crowding out” the
more natural and beneficial forms of the nutrients. The vitamins obtained (57)______ food are also allied
with a lot of other substances (58)______ may lower their activity in the body.
The latest advice is to eat a balanced (59)______ to ensure you get all the nutrients you need, and if
you must take supplements make sure you take the lowest recommended dose and (60)______the
instructions on the bottle.
Part 3: Read the passage below and choose the best answer from A, B, C or D to each question. Write
your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.

We find that bright children are rarely held back by mixed-ability teaching. On the contrary, both
their knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming pupils.
It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. It can have a bad effect on both
the bright and the not-so-bright child. After all, it can be quite discouraging to be at the bottom of the top
grade!
Besides, it is rather unreal to grade people just according to their intellectual ability. This is only one
aspect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full, not
just their academic ability. We also value personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed-ability
teaching contributes to all these aspects of learning.
In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the
opportunity to learn to co-operate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also learn how to cope
with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyze and evaluate, and to
communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teachers.
Sometimes the pupils work in pairs; sometimes they work on individual tasks and assignments, and
they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is appropriate. We
encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this effectively.
An advanced pupil can do advanced work; it does not matter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to
do their best, not their least, and we give them every encouragement to attain this goal.
61. In the passage, the author’s attitude towards “mixed-ability teaching” is ______.
A. objective B. questioning C. approving D. critical
62. The words “held back” in 1st paragraph means “______”.
A. forced to study in lower classes B. prevented from advancing
C. made to lag behind in study D. made to remain in the same classes
63. The author argues that a teacher’s chief concern should be the development of the pupils’ __.
A. learning ability and communicative skills B. intellectual abilities
C. personal and social skills D. total personality
64. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Group work provides the pupils with the opportunity to learn to be capable organizers.
B. Pupils also learn to develop their reasoning ability.
C. Group work gives pupils the opportunity to learn to work together with others.
D. Pupils also learn how to participate in teaching activities.
65. The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to ______.
A. recommend pair work and group work classroom activities
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B. argue for teaching bright and not-so-bright pupils in the same class
C. offer advice on the proper use of the school library
D. emphasize the importance of appropriate formal classroom teaching
66. According to the passage, which of the following is an advantage of mixed-ability teaching?
A. Formal class teaching is the important way to give the pupils essential skills such as those to be used in
the library.
B. A pupil can be at the bottom of a class.
C. Pupils can be hindered from an all-round development.
D. Pupils as individuals always have the opportunities to work on their own.
67. Which of the following statements can best summaries the main idea of the passage?
A. Children, in general, develop at different rates.
B. Bright children do benefit from mixed-class teaching.
C. Various ways of teaching should be encouraged in class.
D. The aim of education is to find out how to teach the bright and not-so-bright pupils.
68. According to the author, mixed-ability teaching is more preferable because ______.
A. it doesn’t have disadvantages as in streaming pupils
B. it aims at developing the children’s total personality
C. children can learn to work with each other to solve personal problems
D. formal class teaching is appropriate
YOUR ANSWERS:

61. 62. 63. 64.

65. 66. 67. 68.

Part 4: Read the following passage and do the tasks below.

DESTINATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH STUDENTS
Paragraph A
At any given time, more than a million international students around the world are engaged in the
study of the English language in a predominantly English-speaking country. The five most popular
destinations, in order of popularity, are the U. S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The reasons
for choosing to study English abroad differ with each individual, as do the reasons for the choice of
destination.
Paragraph B
Numerous studies conducted in Britain and the United States show that the country of choice
depends to a large extent on economic factors. While this should not provoke much surprise, careful analysis
of the data suggests that students and their parents are most influenced by the preconceptions they have of
the countries considered for study abroad, which, in turn, influence the amount they or their parents are
prepared to outlay for the experience. The strength of international business connections between countries
also gives a good indication of where students will seek tuition. In the main, students tend to follow the
traditional pattern of study for their national group.
Paragraph C
The United States attracts the most diverse array of nationalities to its English language classrooms -
this heterogeneity being largely due to its immense pulling power as the world's foremost economy and the
resulting extensive focus on U.S. culture. Furthermore, throughout the non-European world, in Asia and

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North and South America especially, the course books used to teach English in most elementary and high
schools introduce students to American English and the American accent from a very early age. Canada also
benefits from worldwide North American exposure, but has the most homogenous group of students - most
with French as their first language. Before furthering their English skills, students in Europe study from
predominantly British English material; most Europeans, naturally, opt for neighbouring Britain, but many
Asian, Middle-Eastern, and African students decide upon the same route too.
Paragraph D
Australia and New Zealand are often overlooked, but hundreds of thousands of international students
have discovered the delights of studying in the Southern Hemisphere. The majority are Asian for reasons
that are not difficult to comprehend: the proximity of the two countries to Asia, (Jakarta, the capital of
Australia's closest Asian neighbor, Indonesia, is only 5506 kilometers from Sydney), the comparatively
inexpensive cost of living and tuition, and, perhaps of most importance to many Asian students whose
English study is a prelude to tertiary study, the growing awareness that courses at antipodean universities
and colleges are of an exceptionally high standard. In addition, revised entry procedures for overseas
students have made it possible for an increasing number to attend classes to improve their English for
alternative reasons.
Paragraph E
Australia and New Zealand have roughly the same mix of students in their language classrooms, but
not all students of English who choose these countries are from Asia. The emerging global consciousness of
the late twentieth century has meant that students from as far as Sweden and Brazil are choosing to combine
a taste for exotic travel with the study of English 'down under' and in 'the land of the long white cloud'. But
even the Asian economic downturn in the 1990s has not significantly altered the demographic composition
of the majority of English language classrooms within the region.
Paragraph F
Nor have the economic problems in Asia caused appreciable drops in full-time college and university
attendances by Asian students in these two countries. This is partly because there has always been a greater
demand for enrolment at Australian and New Zealand tertiary institutions than places available to overseas
students. In addition, the economic squeeze seems to have had a compensatory effect. It has clearly caused a
reduction in the number of students from affected countries who are financially able to study overseas.
However, there has been a slight but noticeable shift towards Australia and New Zealand by less wealthy
Asian students who might otherwise have chosen the United States for English study.
Paragraph G
The U.S. and Britain will always be the first choice of most students wishing to study the English
language abroad, and it is too early to tell whether this trend will continue. However, economic
considerations undoubtedly wield great influence upon Asian and non-Asian students alike. If student
expectations can be met in less traditional study destinations, and as the world continues to shrink, future
international students of English will be advantaged because the choice of viable study destinations will be
wider.
Choose the most suitable heading from the list of headings below for the seven paragraphs of Reading
Passage “Destinations for International English Students". Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes.

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 List of Heading
i. Heterogeneity in the language classroom
ii. Enrollment demand in Australia & New Zealand.
iii. Reasons for the choice of destination
iv. The attractions of studying in the antipodes
v. Conclusion
vi. Additional student sources
vii. Student destinations

YOUR ANSWERS:

69. Paragraph A______ 70. Paragraph B______ 71. Paragraph C_____ 72. Paragraph D______

73. Paragraph E______ 74. Paragraph F______ 75. Paragraph H______

SECTION IV: WRITING

Part 1: Sentence transformation: Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the
first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.
76. I think cycling is preferable to walking RATHER
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
77. He’s certainly not stupid MEANS
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
78. Everyone but Jane failed to produce the correct answer SUCCEEDED
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
79. Local residents said that they were against the new traffic scheme. DISAPPROVAL
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
80. Jack and Rose never agree on how to bring up their children. EYE
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Part 2: Sentence transformation: Rewrite the sentences in such a way that they mean almost the same
as those printed before them. Use the word given at the beginning of the sentences
81. The journalists only heard about the changes to the wedding plans when they arrived at the venue.
It was only …………………………………………………………………………………..
82. Its lack of regular verbs makes Esperanto a unique language.
Unlike…………………………………………………………………………………………
83. I wasn’t a bit surprised to hear that Karen had changed her job
It came……………………………………………………………………………………
84. When they told the Minister about the strike, he was very angry.
On …………………………………………………………………………………………….
85. He didn’t try to conceal his dislike for me.
He made no …………………………………………………………………………………………….
Part 3: Write a paragraph (150 words) on the following topic:
“Is online education as effective as traditional on-campus schooling?”
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and
experience.

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