Đề thi thử Anh Chuyên vào 10 Chuyên Sư Phạm năm 2024 - Lần 1

Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.

Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.

Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.

Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.

Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.

Today, the ancient game of ulama, which has been played in Mexico for at least 3,000 years, is facing extinction. The game, in which players use their hips to hit a rubber ball around a court, survived the rise and fall of the Maya and Aztec civilizations as well as the Spanish conquest. Ulama was once played by 6.1indigenousethnictribalubiquitous people throughout Central America, but today only about two hundred players 6.2prevailsurviveremaincontinue. This, and the fact that the number of younger players is 6.3decliningminimisingreducingeroding confirm the game's unofficial 6.4characteristicreputationstatusprestige as an endangered sport. A variety of 6.5effectsfeaturesfactorsrestrictions have combined to bring ulama to this 6.6insecurehazardousdamagingprecarious position, including the geographical isolation of the areas where it is still played and competition from newer sports.

The sport's survival is also threatened by a lack of natural rubber. In the time of the Aztec Empire, the southern Gulf Coast of Mexico was an important centre for rubber production, but today the forests have been 6.7phasedwipedblackedstamped out to make way for building developments. As a result, ulama balls can be difficult to obtain and may cost as much as $1,000. With the annual income of the average player some $250 less than this, 6.8spendingcoveringprovidingbearing the cost of a new ball obviously presents a problem. For ulama to survive, an alternative material must be found.

It is also important that more people be encouraged to play, or at least follow, the sport. If interest in ulama can be 6.9manifestedpreservedcultivatedenhanced then perhaps the current trend could be 6.10reverseddisruptedalteredreplaced so that this ancient game will survive.

Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).

The new employee was thrown in at the deep end, having to manage the project on the first day.

Choose the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s).

His eloquent speech captivated the audience, leaving a lasting impression on everyone present.

John is rumoured _____ a job by a rival company.

The actor responded to the interviewer's question with an angry _____.

The accident wouldn't have occurred _____.

The plan was progressing well, but then things _____ a downward turn.

In the meeting, Emily _____ a compelling proposal for restructuring the department, emphasizing the potential benefits of the new organizational structure.

The _____ performance by the orchestra received a standing ovation from the audience.

Underneath the old oak tree _____ providing shade for picnickers.

The _____ car sped past us on the highway.

_____ with freshly baked bread, this soup is quite filling.

The college course was so hard that the _____ rate was high.

After the team lost the game, the coach didn't want to _____ and immediately started planning for the next match.

When teenagers commit crimes, parents should _____ some of the blame.

The baker _____ customers into the shop with an appetising display of cakes.

The artist created a beautiful and _____ masterpiece that captivated everyone at the gallery.

Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).

Despite his initial reluctance, he eventually acquiesced to the proposal and joined the team.

Choose the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s).

The company decided to cut corners to meet the budget, compromising the quality of the product.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

The psychological effect of making a to-do list

Lilian Papla is a psychologist who investigates why people make to-do lists

Many people make lists for everything, whether it's a shopping list or a to-do list of things that need to be done. Research has shown though, that it's the simple strategy of writing down something that provides the pleasure, rather than the actual completion, as it frees the mind from the worry of uncompleted jobs.

According to David Allen in his book Getting Things Done - known simply as GTD - people are often paralysed by the sheer volume of tasks remaining to be done. Allen's best-selling book advises a personal productivity system, and despite the book being over a decade old, his advice still rings true today and is just as effective now as it was then. Scientific research has also proved him right.

The nucleus of his system is to write absolutely everything down that you have to remember and then file it efficiently. This might seem obvious, but his ideas are not built on using a filing cabinet and a scrappy piece of paper with your to-do list scribbled on it. Allen's method is more like owning a bicycle or a sports car. You can immediately see and feel the difference.

Allen advocates a three-tier filing system. The first is an archive where your to-do lists are kept until you need them. These can be forgotten about until then. The second is a list of current tasks that need doing, but these are filed as an 'action', and the last, 'a tickler file' of forty-three folders. These folders are labelled one for cach of the thirty-one days in a month, as well as one for each of the twelve months. In these files you note reminders of tasks to do.

The second file, the 'current task to-do list', is somewhat special, as the tasks listed are characterised by the first action that is required to advance them. This might again sound obvious, but it is amazingly successful in prompting us to plan the first stages of dealing with the task. The idea is to break each task down into its constituent parts to encourage you to make the first move to actually doing it. For instance, one item on a to-do list might be 'redecorate the spare bedroom' which becomes 'ring Maureen and find out who wallpapered her living room', or better still, 'ring Maureen, 7835 159 019, and ask her who wallpapered her living room'. By breaking cach task down into small steps, it provides the inspiration to alter tasks from just something written on a piece of paper to the physical act of resolving it. Or you can file it again, content with the thought that you have taken some action, however small, and it is now in your filing system.

Every day you check the folder for that day and either take some action or delay by placing it in a folder for another day or month. According to Allen, this is absolutely vital to making a complete self-management system because your filing system is doing the remembering and monitoring for you. But is there any real psychology to support Allen's theory? E J Masicampo and Roy Baumeister of Florida State University have been investigating the Zeigarnik Effect, whereby our propensity to be preoccupied by unfinished tasks consumes our thoughts rather than those tasks we have completed. For example, think of something you need to remember short term, like buying a loaf of bread, which you instantly forget once you have bought it. People do not fixate on tasks they have completed.

Masicampo and Baumeister tested the Zeigarnik Effect - whether an uncompleted task hinders the brain's faculties to carry out a successive task. The two men determined that the volunteers they tested performed badly on a brainstorming activity when they had been stopped from completing a previous task, because the previous task was still at the forefront of their active memory. Interestingly, they then allowed some people to write down what they were going to do to complete the warm-up task, not to actually physically finish it, only plan how to do it. Their performance on the brainstorming tasks improved dramatically because their minds were no longer diverted by the warm-up task being unfinished.

As regards the GTD system, it would seem that people's attention has a restricted capability. In other words, there is a limit to how much can be on the mind at any one time. The GTD system acts as a reminder and a plan for how to do and complete a task, freeing the part of the mind that is labouring to remind you what has to be done on your to-do list. Instead of completing them Allen, Masicampo and Baumeister have shown that we only need to plan how to do them, which satisfies something in our brain, enabling us to forget about them for the time being.

What point is the writer making about writing to-do lists in the first paragraph?

In comparing a bicycle and a sports car, the writer _____.

The writer seems to think the current 'task to-do' list in the second file is _____.

Why does the writer refer to buying a loaf of bread?

The phrase "active memory" refers to the fact that the volunteers _____.

In the final paragraph, the writer mentions Allen, Masicampo and Baumeister in order to _____

Five paragraphs have been removed from the passage. 

A. Even if an influencer's audience never grows above the tens of thousands, that doesn't automatically mean that they will have less of an impact than one with hundreds of thousands as larger followings can sometimes result in reduced engagement.

B. This type of attitude from an influencer may be frustrating and even surprising to company executives who are used to focusing on the bottom line. However, the freedom to choose what they will endorse results in a level of authenticity that is important in ensuring the marketing campaign is successful, making it more worthwhile in the long run.

C. Knowing who and what you are working with is key. It's important for the brand to have a history of interaction with the influencer in order to understand factors such as how they respond to negative feedback, how often they post new content and whether it is of consistent quality.

D. So, why this return to the promotional basics? These pop culture personalities are so effective precisely because of how much influence they have over their audience; they are so engaged and responsive to the people that follow them that these followers are more likely to trust something that they endorse.

E. One such successful blogger is Daniella Barbosa, who writes about healthy eating. She says that the most effective campaigns she has worked on were those that allowed her to help determine the content. 'I once worked with a supermarket chain which turned up with a list of recipes for me to cook; I felt they just wanted to use me for my skills and audience. On the other hand, another whole food brand told me which products they wanted to promote and asked me to use them in the way I thought best. It was a much more enjoyable experience.

F. The key is to find someone who is 'on brand', whose own personal brand and audience aligns with the target market of the company's products. Many influencers will readily turn down an offer that doesn't fit with their ideology, even if it means rejecting a large fee.

G. There are so many social media personalities and bloggers nowadays that it's hard to stand out from the crowd. Influencers have to believe in their own potential to sell a product or a brand.

Read the following passage. Choose from paragraphs (A-G) the one which best fits each gap. There is one extra paragraph that you do not need to use.

Influencer marketing promotes products and services using people that consumers admire and respect. Called 'influencers', these people are usually prominent users of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and You Tube, with impressive audiences. Social media influencers are seen as an authentic and trusted source-and using them can be an effective strategy. In a somewhat paradoxical twist, the most forward-thinking brands are relying on the simplest, most traditional form of advertising; word-of-mouth. 

31.1

This could also be indicative of a certain level of cynicism from consumers, who get tired of having products pushed on them by companies. Think about it this way: are you more likely to buy something that your friend recommended or something recommended by the company making money off that product?

31.2

Celine Leroy, a fashion and lifestyle blogger, claims to only accept offers from companies whose products have something to do with her brand identity, saying, 'For example, I recently reviewed some rainbow-coloured nail varnishes on my vlog. It made sense because my logo has a rainbow in it. On the other hand, I turned down some lucrative offers to advertise products because they had nothing to with what I stand for. I'm not just going to push any old product onto my followers'.

31.3

Eric Woodward, a video game YouTuber, confirms this need for caution. 'A lot of my followers have been watching my videos since they were the poorly-edited ones I made with bad lighting in my university halls,' he says. 'They helped me get to where I am now; by liking and sharing my videos, so I don't feel it's fair to exploit that to make some quick cash. There is so much competition nowadays that I feel protecting my brand is the most important thing. Otherwise, people will just unfollow me and follow someone else'.

31.4

In addition to freedom over who they work with, most influences prefer to have freedom over how they work. One of the crucial mistakes brands make when approaching influences is to assume that they know best. It's easy to forget that although an influencer may have limited tools at their disposal, those tools were enough to enable them to become powerful marketing force.

31.5

As with most things in business, timing is everything. While bidding for a well-known influencer to represent your product might get a brand immediate coverage, building a relationship with someone with fewer followers could bring bigger returns in the long run.

31.6

So, at the same time as brands are moving into a future of social media-based advertising strategies, they are also leaning on the age-old adage of quality over quantity.

You are going to read about ecotourism. Write the correct letter (A-D) in each blank. Some may be chosen more than once.

The pros and cons of ecotourism

A. Ecotourism lacks a universally-accepted definition, but is generally regarded as responsible and sustainable travel to natural areas that both conserves the environment and improves the well-being of those living there. At the heart of it is the assumption that in a predominantly capitalist world where nature plays second fiddle to creating wealth, any conservation needs to pay for itself. Money generated from ecotourism is invested back into the conservation of the environment it impacts upon. Supporters argue that, by involving residents in accommodating tourists and acting as guides, for example, ecotourism aids development, both regionally and nationally. In many cases, communities work as equal partners with ecotourism organizations rather than just as employees. However, some detractors point out that the environment is effectively prioritized above the needs of residents. Ecotourism's apparent obsession with this, far from giving a boost to the development of wealth in a community, can actually damage the ability of the majority of inhabitants to lift themselves out of poverty.

B. The travel industry contributes over seven trillion dollars to the world economy each year. Having a holiday is big business! Despite what its critics may say, giving a hand to nature in this way has the potential to offer communities some serious economic opportunities as it now accounts for about a fifth of this total, and is continuing to expand.  It generates money from natural environments by encouraging tourists to pay for items like accommodation, souvenirs and entrance fees during their stay. Seeing the environment as a valuable resource that communities can use to generate income encourages them to make choices that will help them to take care of it. Yet, inevitably, a fine balance has to be kept to prevent the influx of eco-tourists from degrading the very environment they came to see. Unleashing hundreds of visitors on a delicate ecosystem can, even with the best of intentions, lead to unforeseen environmental impact, such as inadvertently encouraging the animals that live there to become dependent on being fed by tourists.

C. It's estimated that, of all the money that travelers spend on traditional holidays, only around half of it stays in the area or country that they visit. The remainder leaks out of the host region and through the books of international hotel chains and tour operators. One intention of ecotourism is to limit as much of this bleeding away of capital from the local economy as possible through maximizing the involvement of local businesses and people. The recent wave of successful environmentally-friendly commerce has also led some regular chains and operators to label themselves as ecotourism-friendly by making very minor changes to their existing practices through a process known as greenwashing. They can market themselves in the same way as a genuinely sustainable project by simply changing their cleaning products or recycling more of their waste. Anyone seeking their dream eco-holiday should check the credentials of seemingly environmentally-friendly organizations very carefully indeed. That said, sustainability is becoming much more mainstream and increasing numbers of businesses are genuinely adopting good environmental and social practices.

D. One powerful motivation that drives eco-tourism is the chance for holidaymakers to take a look at and experience civilizations that are very different to their own, which in turn can have a positive and affirming knock-on effect on that society. Allowing local people to show their way of life to the world not only tends to make them more positive about tourism, but also empowers them as a community. However, there can of course be less welcome results, such as traditional symbols and artefacts being transformed merely into merchandise to sell to visitors. There can also be disharmony created between previously friendly local factions if one is seen or thought to benefit more than others. Another question ecotourism raises is whether it has a role to play in conservation on anything other than a small scale. By its very nature, it can only take place in a highly limited range of ecosystems as issues of access, susceptibility to damage and the elusive nature of wildlife make some areas inappropriate for exploitation by ecotourism.

In which section does the writer

explain how some non-green businesses exploit the market for ecological holiday? 32.1

mention the nature of the relationship between travel firms and local people? 32.2

suggest that ecotourism is largely insignificant in solving the world's environmental problem? 32.3

exemplify an effect of ecotourism on local wildlife? 32.4

describe a negative result of putting the preservation of nature above economic well-being? 32.5

explain why conventional tourism benefits a region less than it should? 32.6

states the proportion of tourism as a whole that ecotourism represents? 32.7

mention how the meaning of important cultural objects can change? 32.8

explain the underlying principle on which the ecotourism industry is based? 32.9

describe how the financial incentives of ecotourism encourage local people to protect nature? 32.10

Fill in each blank with one best word.

In today's era, the enhancement of new technology really causes an impact on the young generation, and also technology changed the world in 33.1 field of life but how is technology affecting the younger generation in 2024.

With every passing day, technology is growing and making lives happier and convenient for everyone, 33.2 for the young generation. Technology has enabled our young generation to 33.3 their goals and opened up the paths of success for them. For them, technology is a 33.4 of information, entertainment, and distraction all at the same time, and each has a direct effect 33.5 our youth development.

Today's younger generation is also called as Digital generation because modern technology is 33.6 making them smarter or making them dumb depending upon the usage made by them.

Technology is creating a huge generation 33.7 and each generation is different and unique from that of the previous one only 33.8 to the rapid advancements in the field of technology.

It is a well-known fact that technology will never 33.9 to an end and technology will never 33.10 the same but the thing is that every new generation must have the capability to control themselves with the fastest and rapidly growing technology.

Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap. There is an example at the beginning.

Healthy eating and keeping physically active are (0. PARTICULAR) --- particularly --- important for children and (ADOLESCENCE) 34.1. Their nutrition and lifestyle have a direct impact on their (GROW) 34.2 and development. Moreover, worldwide trends in obesity in children and teenagers are becoming (INCREASE) 34.3 worrying. Being overweight or obese has been linked to a greater (OCCUR) 34.4 of various health complaints later in life. One way to improve the dietary habits of schoolchildren is to make (ADJUST) 34.5 to the food served for lunch. Several leading UK chefs have launched campaigns to improve the (NUTRITION) 34.6 quality of the food on school menus. Despite (CONSIDER) 34.7 publicity, the improvements to school dinners have not really (MATERIAL) 34.8. Attention has now turned to reducing excess sugar in foods and beverages. Some local authorities are introducing a tax on drinks with more than a permitted amount of sugar. (MANUFACTURE) 34.9 have already begun decreasing the quantity of sugar in their drinks. Health campaigners are delighted with this reduction and also with the news that (COME) 34.10 raised from tax will go towards school sports.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in brackets. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given. Do NOT change the word given.

I've shown George how to do this, but he still can't manage it. (HANG)

=> George the fact I've shown him.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in brackets. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given. Do NOT change the word given.

Most websites think about user privacy when they encourage people to change their passwords regularly. (CONSIDERATION)

=> Most websites when they encourage people to change their passwords regularly.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in brackets. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given. Do NOT change the word given.

Very few tickets are left, so book now. (HARDLY)

=> Book now; because left.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in brackets. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given. Do NOT change the word given.

We sometimes wonder if Maria lives here at all, she is so seldom around. (RARELY)

=> So that we sometimes wonder if she lives here at all.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in brackets. You must use between three and eight words, including the word given. Do NOT change the word given.

The headmaster was determined to stop all bullying at the school. (END)

=> The headmaster was determined to to all bullying at the school.

Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.

We have had reports that the Prime Minister is making a surprise visit to Syria.

=> The Prime Minister ...........

Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.

You only have a short time to do this work, so don't waste time.

=> You are working ...........

Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.

Gary is proud of the fact that he is never late.

=> Gary prides ...........

Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.

My parents were against my taking their car to school yesterday.

=> My parents would ...........

Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.

If we tried to force him to repay the debt, we would be wasting time.

=> There was no ...........

Write a paragraph of about 150 words to express your opinion on the following topic:

"How important and necessary is it for family members to have meals together?"