This document contains a reading comprehension test for grade 11 students in Binh Dinh province, Vietnam. It consists of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions testing vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension skills. The test covers topics such as synonyms, verb tenses, prepositions, inference, and summarizing a table of data about overseas students enrolling in Australian language schools from 1996 to 1998.

1. SỞ GD&ĐT BÌNH ĐỊNH
TRƯỜNG THPTTRƯNG VƯƠNG ĐỀ THI HỌC SINH GIỎI KHỐI 11
Năm học : 2006 – 2007(Thời gian : 120 phút)
I. READING: (14ms)
PART 1: In this section you must choose the word or phrase that has the same meaning or
that best completes each sentence. Write your answers in the spaces below: (2ms)
1. The younger you are , …………. it is to learn.
A. easier B. you are easier C. the easier D. the easy.
2. …….... porpoises and dolphins, whales are mammals.
A. As B. Also C. Like D. When
3. The Romans used central heating systems very much like ………….
A. those of today B. today’s do C. those they do D. the systems which are now
4. Despite the bad weather, he ………….. get to the airport in time.
A. could B. couldn’t C. was able to D. almost.
5. Alan and Mary ……. an argument. They’re not speaking to each other.
A. must have B. might have C. must have had D. might had.
6. The car is old but reliable; so far it hasn’t let me …………
A. in B. up C. down D. through.
7. The restaurants on the island are expensive, so it’s worth …….. a packed lunch.
A. take B. to take C. taking D. taken.
8. When the alarm went off, Mick just turned …….. and went back to sleep.
A. down B. over C. up D. out
9. People have different ways of preparing ………….
A. their exams B. to exams C. for exams D. in exams
10. If I were you, ……. phone and tell her you are going to be late.
A. I’d B. I’ll C. I’d have D. I
YOUR ANSWERS:
1…………….. 2……………….. 3………………. 4. ………………… 5. …………………
6…………….. 7……………….. 8………………. 9. …………………10. …………………
PART 2: Complete each space with the correct form of one of the verbs given in the box.
Remember that there are more verbs than needed. Number 0 is an example. Write your answers in
the space below:(2ms)
I (0)….. up while the flight attendant (1)…… breakfast. The plane was crossing the
Channel, and when I (2) ………. out of the window, I could see ships far below. I (3)………
home after a long time abroad. I had been away for over twenty years. I didn’t know what (4)
…….. . I wondered whether things (5) …….. much.
The plane landed and the bus (6)…….. us to the terminal building. After I (7)……my
luggage, I walked out of the baggage hall. I didn’t know whether anyone (8) ……. there to meet
me . But when I (9)……., I had a big surprise. Almost half my family was there. It (10)…
wonderful.
build look serve change come collect wake
take be destroy expect recognize fell appear

2. YOUR ANSWERS: 0 . woke
1…………….. 2……………….. 3………………. 4. ………………… 5. …………………
6…………….. 7……………….. 8………………. 9. …………………10. …………………
PART 3: There are eleven mistakes in the following passage. Find and correct them. The first
one has been done for you as an example. Write your answers in the spaces below (2ms)
Personal computers, or PCs, is an important part of our everyday lives. Many
people can not imagine life with them. One of the most important people in make these
machines work is Bill Gates.
Bill Gates was born in 1955 in Washington State. He grew up in the rich family. His
parents sent him to a private school. There he met his business partner, Paul Allen. When they
were in the eight grade, they were writing programs for business computers and made money.
In 1973, Gates was accepting at Harvard University. His parents were happy. They
thought he would get over his obsession with computer and became a lawyer like his father. Two
years later, Gates dropped out off Harvard to work on a computer program with his friend Allen.
They worked eighteen hours a day in a dormitory room at Harvard. They were writing the
program that would run one of the first personal computers. In 1975, they created a company
called Microsoft to sell their product.
Allen became ill about cancer and left Microsoft in 1983. He recovered a few years later
and started his own company. Meanwhile, Microsoft became a giant company. By 1990, at the
age of thirty - four , Gates was the younger billionaire in the history of the United States. He was
the “ King of Software” . He achieved his success with a lot of hard work. For more than ten
years, he worked sixteen- hours days, seven days a week. He had a dream and the will to succeed.
By 1997, he is the richest man in the United State.
YOUR ANSWERS: 0 : is -> are
1…………….. 2……………….. 3………………. 4. ………………… 5. …………………
6…………….. 7……………….. 8………………. 9. …………………10. …………………
PART 4: Use the word given in brackets to form a word that fits in the space. Write your answers
in the spaces below: (2ms)
1. The rule is not ………………… in this case. ( apply).
2. When Bill and Jean retire, they’re planning to spend all their …… on a Mediterranean
holiday . ( save)
3. Third time lucky! After two …….. attempts , Mary’s finally passed his driving test. (success)
4. You can’t really depend on Peter to do anything. He’s most …….. ( rely )
5. Not just …….. but health too, improved thanks to the washing machines. (cleanly)
6. It’s by no means a …………… That we’ll win. (certain)
7. They no longer use the water in that well because of its ………… ( pure).
8. You shouldn’t leave …… things on car seats in full view of people walking past. ( value).
9. They’re incredibly …… family. You should see how much food they throw away. ( waste)
10. He’s a good ………… We like and respect him . ( lead)
YOUR ANSWERS:
1…………….. 2……………….. 3………………. 4. ………………… 5. …………………
6…………….. 7……………….. 8………………. 9. …………………10. …………………

3. PART 5: Read the passage and fill in the blanks with a, an, the or 0 ( no article) (2ms)
In many parts of (1)………… world, there are many places called (2) ….. deserts. In (3)
….. desert we find sand and stones, but very few trees, and it is rare to find water or things to eat.
In (4)……. north of Africa and in parts of Asia, there are people called Arabs. (5)……. Arab
once lost his way in (6) …… desert. He had no food and was nearly dying. Then he was (7)…..
pool of water. (8) …… Arab went up to (9) ……. pool, but found no water in it. Just then he was
(10)…… bag lying on the sand.
YOUR ANSWERS:
1…………….. 2……………….. 3………………. 4. ………………… 5. …………………
6…………….. 7……………….. 8………………. 9. …………………10. …………………
PART 6: Read the text below and then decide which word(s) below best fits each space. Write
your answers in the spaces below: (2ms)
Many parents believe that they should begin to teach their children to read when they are
scarcely more than toddlers. This is fine if the child shows a real interest but (1) ……a child
could be counter – productive if she isn’t ready. Wise parents will have a (2) ………. attitude and
take the lead from their child. What they should provide is a selection of (3) ……books, and
other activities . Nowadays, there is a plenty of good (4) ….. available for young children, and of
course, seeing plenty of books in use about the house will also (5)….them to read.
Of course, books are no longer the only (6) ….. of stories and information. There is also a
huge range of videos, which can (7) …… and extend the pleasure a child finds in books and are
(8) ……. valuable in helping to increase vocabulary and concentration. Television gets a bad (9)
….. as far as children are concerned, mainly because too many spend too much time watching
programmes not intended for their age (10) …….
1. a. insisting b. forcing c. making d.starting
2. a. cheerful b. contented c. hopeful d. relaxed
3. a. bright b. thrilling c. stimulating d. energetic
4. a. material b. sense c. amusement d. produce
5. a. provoke b. encourage c. provide d. attract
6. a. source b. site c. style d. basis.
7. a. uphold b. found c. reinforce d. assist
8. a. properly b. worthily c. perfectly d. equally
9. a. review b. press c. criticism d. result
10. a. set b. band c. group d. limit
YOUR ANSWERS:
1…………….. 2……………….. 3………………. 4. ………………… 5. …………………
6…………….. 7……………….. 8………………. 9. …………………10. …………………
PART 7 : Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one
word in each space. Write your answers in the spaces below : (2ms)
THE GREAT LIBRARY IN ALEXANDRIA
Today, there are libraries in almost every town in the world. Even in areas(1)…….. there
are no libraries, there are often mobile libraries which take books from one village to (2)
………… But in the days when books are copied by hands (3) …… than printed, libraries were
very rare. The reason is simple: books took a very (4) ………. time to produce, and there were far
(5) ……. copies of any given work around. The greatest library (6) ……… all, that in
Alexandria, had 54.000 books. In the ancient world, this number (7) ……. .considered huge. It

4. was the first time that anyone (8) …… ever collected so many books from all around the world
(9) …. one roof. There are many theories about (10) ….. these books were lost.
YOUR ANSWERS:
1…………….. 2……………….. 3………………. 4 . ………………… 5. …………………
6…………….. 7……………….. 8………………. 9 . ………………….10………..………..
PART 8: Fill in each place a suitable preposition. Write your answers in the spaces below
(1m)
1. Pointing …….. a comfortable chair, he said: “ Make yourself at home”.
2. He stuck ……… his story which did not change after many repetitions.
3. The baby calmed …………as soon as he was back ……. his mother’s lap.
4. He took the blind man ………. the arm and let him ……. the street.
5. If you are …… doubt about the route, have another look ……… the map.
6. He no longer seems to care ……. football as he once did.
7. The car was going ………. full speed.
YOUR ANSWERS:
1…………………….. 2…………………… 3……………………. 4 . ………………..
5. …………………….6…………………… 7…………………….
PART 9: Read the passage and choose the best answers. Write your answers in the spaces
below (1m)
Statistics regarding cigarette smoking are anything but encouraging. The Federal Trade
Commission recently announced that in 1980 Americans purchased 628,2 billion cigarettes, an
appallingly greater number than ever before. The average smoker consumed 11.663 cigarettes, of
which 44,8 percent were low-tar cigarettes containing less than 15 milligrams of tar. In 1968 the
average tar content was 22 milligrams.
Despite the fact that every cigarette pack has a printed warning from the Surgeon General,
those who still smoke are smoking more heavily. Many people have forsworn smoking in fear of
lung cancer. The American Cancer Society reports that death rates from lung cancer have
escalated, whereas those for other major cancers have levelled off or declined.
Last year 111.000 Americans died of lung cancer, while it is estimated that 117.000 will
succumb this year. Lung cancer heads the list in killing 35 percent of males who died from
cancer. Lung cancer accounts for 17 percent of women’s cancer deaths. An estimated 440.000
death from cancer will occur this year, 9.000 more than the previous year. Lung cancer accounts
for two thirds of the increase. Although many cancer patients have survied the disease, the
prognosis for lung cancer patients is most disheartening . Ninety one percent of all diagnosed
cases of lung cancer do not survive..
1. You may infer that low- tar cigarettes
A. reduce the dangers of smoking B. appeal to a majority of smokers.
C. cause lung cancer D. have the Surgeon General’s approval
2. Statistics show average smokers smoke
A. less than they did in the past B. more than they did in the past.
C. the same as they did in the past. D. none of the above.
3. It is predicted that the number of deaths from lung cancer this year will be
A. reduced from the number last year B. the same as the number last year.
C. 9.000 more than last year D. 111.000
4. The percentage of women’s lung cancer deaths is
A. equal to that of men’s lung cancer deaths.

5. B. rising annually.
C. about half the percentage of men’s cancer deaths.
D. an indication that women are not susceptible to lung cancer.
5. You may infer from the passage that lung cancer
A. can be treated effectively. B. is always related to smoking.
C. will cause cigarettes to be taken off the market. D. currently has no infalliable cure.
YOUR ANSWERS:
1…………….. 2……………….. 3………………. 4 . ………………… 5. ………………
II. WRITING: (4ms)
PART 1: Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same
as the sentence printed before it: (2ms)
1. I’m always inviting him for a weekend with us but he’s always too busy.
No matter ……………………………………………………………………………………...
2. The last time it snowed here was six years ago.
It …………………………………………………………………………………….............
3. Someone rang the alarm as soon as the burglars left the building.
No sooner ……………………………………………………………………………………....
4. It is believed that the man escaped in a stolen car.
The man is ……………………………………………………………………………………...
5. He knows nearly everything there is to know about whales.
There’s ……………………………………………………………………………………........
6. I only realized what I had missed when they told me about it later.
Only when ……………………………………………………………………………………...
7. As television programmes become more popular, they seem to get worse.
The more …………………………………………………………………………………….....
8. Since we had nothing else to do, we decided to go for a walk.
Having ……………………………………………………………………………………….
9. If we can solve the problem soon, it will be better for all concerned.
The sooner ……………………………………………………………………………………...
10. I invited my friend to have a cup of tea.
I asked my friend if ……………………………………………………………………………
PART 2: (2ms) The table below shows the number of overseas students enrolling in
language schools in Australia between 1996 and 1998 and the geographical areas from where
they come .
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown in the table. You
should write at least 150 words.
Nationality 1996 1997 1998
Asian 64.841 59.857 43.220
European 6.695 8.012 4.378
Central and South American 839 1.392 1.345
African - 126 499
Total 72.534 69.387 49.442
Total enrolments 1996, 1997 and 1998.
- Good luck to you -

6. ĐÁP ÁN CHẤM HỌC SINH GIỎI KHỐI 11- NĂM HỌC 2006- 2007
I. READING : (16ms)
PART 1: 10 x 0,2 = 2ms
1. C 2. C 3. B 4. C 5. C 6. C 7. C 8. B 9. B 10.A
PART 2: 10 x 0,2 = 2ms.
1. was serving 2. looked 3. was coming 4. to expect 5. had changed
6. took 7. had collected 8. was/would be 9. appeared 10. was
PART 3: 10 x 0,2 = 2ms.
1. with -> without 2. make -> making 3. the -> a 4. made -> making
5. accepting -> accepted 6. off -> of 7. about -> with 8. younger -> youngest
9. is -> was 10. United State -> United States.
PART 4: 10 x 0,2 = 2ms.
1. applicable 2. savings 3. unsuccessful 4. unreliable 5. cleanliness
6. certainly 7. impurity 8. valuable 9. wasteful 10. leader
PART 5: 10 x 0,2 = 2ms
1. the 2. 0 3. a 4. the 5. an 6. a 7. a 8. the 9. the 10. a
PART 6: 10 x 0,2 = 2ms
1. B 2. D 3.C 4. A 5. B 6. A 7. C 8.D 9. B 10.C
PART 7: 10 x 0,2 = 2ms
1. where 2. another 3. rather 4. long 5. fewer
6. of 7. was 8. had 9. under/beneath 10. how
PART 8: 10 x 0,1 = 1m
1. to 2. to 3. down/ in 4. by /across 5. in / at 6. for 7. at.
PART 9: 10 x 0,2 = 1m
1. C 2.B 3. C 4. C 5. D
II. WRITING: 4ms
PART 1: (2ms)
1. No matter how often I invite him for a weekend with us, he’s always too busy to come.
2. It last snowed here six years ago. / It hasn’t snowed here for six years.
or It was six years ago that / when it last snowed here.
3. No sooner had the burglars left the building than someone rang the alarm.
4. The man is believed to have escaped in a stolen car.
5. There’s very little hardly anything than someone rang the alarm.
6. Only when they told me about it later did I realize what I had missed.
7. The more popular television programmes become, the worse they seem to get.
8. Having nothing else to do, we decided to go for a walk.
9. The sooner we (can )solve the problem , the better it will be for all concerned.
10. I asked my friend if he would like a cup of tea.
PART 2 : Viết bảng thống kê . Giám khảo chấm theo ý của HS. (2ms)