ĐỀ THI HSG LỚP 8 (SO 1)

SECTION I: LISTENING ( 3.0 Pts)

Part 1: Listen to Greta, talking to Jayden, about school work. Choose the correct answer A, B, C for each of the
following [Link] your awnsers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
1. What school work is the most important to Greta at the moment?
A. art B. music C. maths
2. What was Greta’s brother doing while she was doing her homework?
A. packing a suitcase B. looking at maps C. playing on the coputer
3. What did Greta want to find out about?
A. the rainforest B. climate change C. deserts
4. When is Greta taking part in the public speaking debate?
A. Wednesday afternoon B. Thursday morning C. Thursday afternoon
5. What would Greta like to be one day?
A. a farmer B. a scientist C. a photographer
Part 2: You will hear a part of a lecture about advertising. Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN
TWO WORDS for each [Link] your awnsers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
The important factor to consider
● The (6)_____________ customers must travel affects the possibility that they will buy the product.
Methods of communication
●(7)________________ are easier to remember if there is a sound played with them.
● Mandy’s Candy Store appeals to people’s (8) ____________ of smell to draw in customers.
● To an ad campagne for digital products, it is (9)______________ that is extremely important.
Effect on your product sales
● The customer’s (10) ________________ after he or she experiences the ad is most important.
Marketing strategies
● On (11) _______________ flights, it is wise for the advertisement to be displayed in the common languages of
most passengers.
● Very few young people buy (12)_____________.
● The UNESCO website would be a good place to advertise for companies (13) _____________ to improve the
environment.
● One good location to place ads for (14) __________________ is the swimming pool.
● A good scene for a water purification commercial would be (15) _____________.
Part 3: For questions 16-20, listen to a discussion between a teacher and Mrs Bromley, a student’s mother
about her son Billy and decide whether these statements are true (T) or False (F). Write your awnsers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
16. The teacher asked to see Mrs Bromley to discuss why Billy performed poorly in his exams.
17. Billy has become more isolated from his parents since his brother left home.
18. The teacher says that children tend to act out scenes from the violent films they watch.
19. The teacher suggests that Billy should seek professional help.
[Link] teacher feels optimistic about finding a solution.
SECTION II: GRAMMAR AND LEXICAL ITEMS (6.0 Pts)
Part 1: Choose the correct word and phrase to complete each sentence.
1. Anyone __________ scholastic record is above average can apply for the scholarship.
A. who has B. with C. whose D. has
2. ____________ that at the age of 15 he would be playing for his country.
A. Did he know little B. Little did he know C. Little he knew D. A little he knew
3. How beautiful she is ! She is wearing a _______________.
A. pretty purple silk dress B. purple pretty silk dress C. dress silk pretty purple D. silk pretty purple dress
[Link] and his friend, Margaret are talking about her cooking.
Peter: What a fantastic cook you are, Margaret! Margaret: “ ___________”
A. It’s kind of you to say so B. No, no, it’s true C. Sorry, I don’t think so D. I’d prefer it
5. It is necessary that a life-guard __________ the swimming pool while the children are taking their swimming
lessons.
A. monitored B. monitors C. monitoring D. monitor
6. It was found that he lacked the _________to pursue a difficult task to the very end.
A. persuation B. commitment C. engagement D. obligation
7. The doctor said that sweets should be eaten in ___________.
A. compulsion B. restriction C. moderation D. qualification
8. Using bare toes, lift a towel from the floor 10 times with the painful foot, then 10 times with ______.
A. another B. each other C. the other D. others
9. When he was a child, he loved taking things to ___________ - to see how they worked.

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 A. pieces B. objects C. components D. bites
10. What he told me was a __________ of lies
A. load B. mob C. pack D. flock
11. The new curriculum has been designed to ______ students’ learning by combining theory with hands-on practice.
A. alleviate B. optimize C. sharpen [Link]
12. My father is going to go up to the_________ when he found out I’ve lost the car keys.
A. fence B. wall C. rampart D. mountain
13. If Jenkins fails to ________ the goods one more time, I’ll fire him.
A. distribute B. transport C. convey D. deliver
14. Shakespear’s plays have stood the ____________ of time because they are so well-written.
A. test B. quiz C. exam D. road
15. The popular press often contains a lot more ________ than hard facts.
A. tolerance [Link] C. speculation D. realism
16. There has been a(n) ________ of the disease in several villages in the south of the country.
A. breakout B. outbreak C. breakdown D. breakup
17. When I started to study archaeology, I knew ______ no Latin, but within a year I could read it rather well.
A. barely B. entirely C. scarcely [Link]
18. What the company needs is a ___________ actor who can take on a variety of roles.
A. variable B. changeable C. diverse D. versatile
19. Our hosts had prepared a ______ meal with seven courses to celebrate our arrival.
A. generous B. lavish C. spendthrift D. profuse
20. A major problem in the construction of new buildings ______________________.
A. is that windows have been eliminated while air conditioning systems have not been perfected.
B. is they have eliminated windows and still don’t have good air conditioning.
C. is because windows are eliminated but air conditioners don’t work.
D. is depend on the fact that while they have eliminated windows, they are not capable to produceefficient air
conditioning systems.
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning
1. Face-to-face socializing is not as preferred as virtual socializing among the youth.
A. instant B. available C. direct D. facial
2: With so many daily design resources, how do you stay-up-date with technology without spending too much time
on it? A. connect to the Internet all day
B. update new status C. use social network daily D. get latest information
3: How many countries took part in the last Olympic Games?
A. participated B. succeeded C. hosted D. performed
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word or phrase that is OPPOSITE in meaning.
1: I clearly remember talking to him in a chance meeting last summer.
A. unplanned B. deliberate C. accidental D. unintentional
2: The International Organizations are going to be in a temporary way in the country.
A. soak B. permanent C. complicated D. guess
3: The US troops are using much more sophisticated weapons in the Far East.
A. expensive B. complicated C. simple and easy D. difficult to operate
Part 2: Choose the underlined word or phrase in each sentence that needs correcting
1. Not until he got home he realized he had forgotten to give her the present.
A. got B. he realized C. her D. the present
2. The longer the children waited in the long queue, the more impatiently they became
A. the longer B. waited C. the long queue D. impatiently
3. Mrs. Stevens, along with her cousins from Canada, are planning to attend the firework display in Da Nang,
Vietnam.
A. with B. her cousins C. are D. to attend
4. If one type of manufacturing expands, it is like that another type will shrink considerably.
A. expands B. like C. another D. considerably
5. For thousands of years, man has created sweet-smelling substances from wood, herbs and flowers and using
them for perfumes or medicine.
A. man B. sweet-smelling C. using them D. or
Part 3: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words in capital letters. (10 pts)
1. Despite her severe………….., she fulfilled her goals in life. DISABLE
2. Being……………. is the worst thing that can happen to someone. EMPLOY
3. If you buy presents in the summer your…………………… can be very high. SAVE
4. Due to the pilot's…………………, the copilot managed to land safely. GUIDE
5. It's important to also see the less………………… sides of the job. DESIRE

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6. I was surprised at his………………… to give up. REFUSE
7. Children are by nature………………….. of danger. AWARE
8. She is always……………. towards her parents. RESPECT
9. The hospital has the best medical……………. and fast ambulances. EQUIP
10. You can relax in the comfortable………………….. of the hotel. SURROUND
SECTION IV: READING (6.0pts)
Part 1: Read the following passage and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each gap.
It is important to recognize that online learning has (1) _____advantages and disadvantages. Although
students’ grades appear to be unaffected by the mode of instruction, certain courses are more challenging to students
who (2) ____ their studies in the virtual environment than in the classroom. However, in online classes, participation
in learning activities may be less (3)______, especially for shy students, and the quality and quantity of student-
student and teacher-student interaction may be higher. Increasingly, it is a/an (4) ______ issue for designers of online
curriculums to decide how to match the advantages of different modes of instruction to specific courses, by offering
not only fully classroom-based or online courses, but also that take the best element of both types to (5) _____ the
needs of students and teachers and to (6) ____ the most efficient use of resources. Students who study online tend to
lack a sense of community, trust and positive interaction with other course members and teachers - all elements that
were in the past believed to increase the effectiveness of classroom learning, amongst least confident learners.
However, online students generally also feel that they learn at a similar rate to their (7) ____ in the classroom, and in
fact at my college their grades are just as good as those who are taught in (8) ____. But just imagine how much more
effective our online courses could be if they fostered a culture of class cohesion, spirit, trust and interaction, both
among students and between students and faculty. Perhaps the most effective way to achieve this improvement is for
online educators to give more (9) ____ contact and to encourage students to collaborate. Online learning provides a far
more student-centered teaching approach than the traditional classroom method, and all school (10) ____should aim to
adopt it as their main means to deliver education.
1. A. infinite B. definite C. defined D. intimate
2. A. take out B. set out C. carry out D. give out
3. A. disgusting B. interestings C. appealing D. daunting
4. A. crucial B. apparently C. obviously D. expendable
5. A. insatiate B. cater C. address D. respond
6. A. put B. make C. earn D. gain
7. A. peers B. counterparts C. partners D. partakers
8. A. private B. person C. individual D. secret
9. A. one-for-one B. one-by-one C. one-in-one D. one-on-one
10. A. directors B. workers C. benefactors D. designers
Part 2: Fill in the gap with ONE suitable word. Write the answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
THE BIRTH OF YOUTUBE
In 2005, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, two software (11) ______ from Silicon Valley in California, were invited to
dinner party. Several people had brought their camcorders to the party and these people were complaining about (12)
_____ difficult it was to share home videos online. That was when Chad and Steve came up with the idea for
YouTube, the site which makes it easy to upload home videos onto the Internet. They formed a company, borrowed
some money and set themselves up in (13)_________. It (14)______ out that millions of people already had short
home video clips that they thought it (15)______ be fun to share with other enthusiasts around the world. Launched in
December 2005, YouTube soon contained more than a million short video clips. People were uploading 8,000 clips a
day, and watching three million a day. They had mostly heard about the site through (16)______ of mouth, email and
hyperlink, and eighty percent of the clips had been (17)______ by amateurs. So why was YouTube (18)_____ an
immediate success? Researchers found that, on (19)______, people were spending fifteen minutes on the site during
each visit, which was enough time to view several short funny clips. In (20)_____ words, they were using YouTube to
give them a little break from their work or study.
Part 3: Read the passage below and then choose the correct answer A, B, C or D. (5 pts)
It is sometimes very difficult to decide which career to choose when you leave school. British students are helped
by careers teachers, who inform them about different careers, the qualifications needed and try to help them make up
their minds. Mr Hemmings, a careers teacher as well as a History teacher, talks about his experience. ‘I’ve been a
careers teacher for around five years and, on the whole, I’ve found it a rewarding experience. Our students have
careers lessons once a week for the fourth and the fifth years (15 and 16 years old). My task consists of explaining as
accurately as possible the qualifications required for each job, as well as the type of work and personal skills involved.
Advising teenagers can be rather difficult – some youngsters have no idea at all of what they want to do, or of what
the real world outside school really is. They come to me and say ‘I don’t like routine nine-to-five jobs… I’d like
something exciting that pays well…’ What can I say? That we’re running out of exciting jobs? But they usually end
up facing reality and come down to their senses after a while… Anyway here in school we only give them a piece of
advice according to what we know about their favorite and weakest subjects, pastimes and personality. But if you ask
me, things are happening so quickly around here, with our economy in the dumps that sometimes you just don’t know

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what to say. A few days ago I asked a fifteen- year-old boy what job he had in mind and he replied ‘I haven’t any
plans… You see, Sir, I don’t know what new jobs will replace today’s’. What could I say?
1. What do careers teachers in Britain help students?
A. Inform them about different careers B. Tell them the qualifications needed for careers
C. Help them make up their minds D. All of the above
2. How has Mr Hemmings found his job as a career’s teacher?
A. An easy job B. a rewarding experience C. A stressful job D. a challenging experience
3. How often do British students have careers lessons?
A. Once a week B. twice a weekC. Once a fortnight D. twice a month
4. Why is it difficult to advise teenagers?
A. Teenagers have no idea of what exciting jobs are. B. Many youngsters never go outside of their houses.
C. Some of them don’t know what careers they want. D. Many teenagers only like doing jobs that pay well.
5. Why hasn’t the student got any plans about his future job?
A. There will be many new jobs in the future. B. His parents haven’t told him about his future job.
C. He is too young to think about it. D. He is busy studying his favorite subjects.
IV. In the following text, six sentences or parts of sentences have been removed. Above the extract you will
find the six removed sentences PLUS one sentence which doesn't fit. Choose from the sentences (A-G) the
one which fits each gap (1-6). Remember, there is one extra sentence you do not need to use. Write the
correct letter in the box.
Choose from the following sentences to fill the spaces in the text. There is ONE extra.
A. Using a microwave for cooking a large food mass is difficult due to limited penetration of microwaves.
B. This can be overcome by leaving the food to stand for a few minutes when cooking is completed.
C. It is advised that the water should be poured slowly into another container that already contains the powder.
D. In this way, buying a microwave oven with a turntable ensure the food is cooked throughout.
E. Conversely the microwaves do not heat glass, ceramic and plastic containers.
F. If the microwaves are not absorbed inside the oven, the oven can be damaged by electrical arcs and
overheating of the microwave source.
G. When water in that state is disturbed, it can suddenly and unexpectedly boil violently.
MICROWAVING
Microwaving is a method of cooking where food is bombarded by microwaves, usually within an appliance
called a microwave oven which excite the water, fat and sugar molecules, thereby heating (cooking) both the
outside and center of the food at the same time. (1)…………………
(A common myth is that a microwave oven cooks from the center of the food outward. This appears to happen
because heat generated at the surface escapes more readily from the surface of the food into the surrounding air.)
One advantage of microwaving is that small amounts of food can be heated very quickly, making it useful for
reheating leftovers.
The disadvantage is that food which is microwaved does not undergo some of the chemical reactions, such as
browning, which makes the food visually attractive. Primitive microwave ovens often do not cook evenly,
leading to a concern that bacteria easily killed by more traditional cooking methods may survive the quick
cooking time in "cold spots", though the food item as a whole is cooked to a safe average temperature. (2) ……
Some high-end microwave ovens are combined with a convection oven which basically cook the food using
microwave and hot air simultaneously to achieve both the fast cooking time and browning effect.
(3) …………………
However microwave ovens are used in some fast food chains and special microwave bags are available for
cooking fowl or large joints of meat.
Professional chefs generally recommend using microwaves for a limited set of tasks, including: melting fats
(such as butter) and chocolate, cooking grains like oatmeal and grits, cooking rice, thawing frozen meats and
vegetables before cooking by other methods and quickly reheating already-cooked foods.
Using a microwave to boil water is potentially dangerous, due to superheating. In a microwave, water can be
raised quickly to a temperature above the boiling point before major bubbles form, especially if it is purified and
in a very clean glass vessel. (4) …………………
This effect is rare, even for scientists who try to deliberately recreate it, and any seed whatsoever for boiling is
likely to prevent the problem. Boiling water with, for instance, a teabag already in it will prevent any dangers by
providing a seed, as will using a mug that is not perfectly clean.
The risk greatly increases when water has already been boiled once in the same container. This situation can
occur if the user of the oven boiled the water once, forgot about it, then came back later to boil it again. The first
time the water boils, the seed bubbles (microscopic bubbles of air around which larger steam bubbles grow) are
used up and largely eliminated from the water as it cools down. When the water is heated again, the lack of seed
bubbles causes superheating, and a risk of a steam explosion when the water's surface is disturbed.
Placing something in the water before heating can mostly alleviate this risk. If you are planning to mix
something with the water, say tea or hot chocolate, adding it before heating will insure that the water boils.

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Otherwise, placing a wood object, for instance a chopstick, in the water before heating will also work.
Care should be taken when removing heated water from a microwave. Make sure that the hands are protected
from possible liquid boil-over, place the container on a level, heat-proof surface and stir liquid with a warm
spoon. Also, never add powdered substances (such as instant coffee or cocoa mix) to the container taken from
the microwave, due to the addition of all those seed bubbles and the potential for violent, spontaneous boiling.
(5) …………………
Metal objects, such as metal utensils, in a microwave oven can lead to dangerous situations. Metals do not
absorb microwaves effectively. Instead, metals reflect microwaves, thereby preventing the latter from reaching
the food. (6) …………………
Thin metal layers, such as metal foil and mugs with metal trim can melt or burn due to the strong electrical
currents that are generated in metal objects. However, small solid metal objects, such as spoons, in combination
with a large amount of absorbing food or liquid, normally do not lead to problems.
SECTION V: WRITING (5pts)
Part 1. Rewrite each of the following sentences using the word(s) given so that its meaning stays the same.
1. Although it was expected that he would stand for the election, he didn’t.
-Contrary to _________________________________________________________________.
2. I am having a lot of trouble now because I lost my passport last week.
-If I________________________________________________________________________.
3. The world’s population has risen dramatically over the last fifty years.
-There has been ______________________________________________________________.
4. The staff hated Frank’s new policies intensely and so went on strike.
-So intense___________________________________________________________________.
5. Just thinking about his face at that moment makes me laugh.
-The very____________________________________________________________________.
6. His appearance was completely unexpected.
-His appearance. ---------------------------------------------------------------
7. She said nothing, but stood looking at him.
-Without ___________________________________________________________________
8. They think the owner of the house is abroad.
-The owner ___________________________________________________________________
9. I prefer to go by myself
-I would ___________________________________________________________________
10. My mother was the first woman who went to university in London.
-My mother ___________________________________________________________________
Part 2. Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first printed, using the word
given
1. Man continues to take minerals from the earth in immense quantities. (Taken)
- Minerals .................................................................................the earth in immense quantities.
2. "I have to criticized by non-professionals" the football star said. (Objected)
- The football star .................................................................................by non-professionals.
3. “Would you like me to help you, Daisy?” Peter said. (OFFERED)
-Peter .................................................................................Daisy.
4. You can avoid tooth decay by brushing your teeth every day. (IF)
-If you .................................................................................tooth decay.
6. Mary cried her eyes out just after she was told she’d been rejected for the job. (BROKE)
-Mary ________________________________she heard that she’d been rejected for the job.
7. Everybody knows that the president died in a plane crash. ( KNOWLEDGE)
-It is__________________________________________ the president died in a plane crash.
8. The reforms will not succeed unless they are carefully planned. ( CRUCIAL)
-Careful______________________________________________ the success of the reforms.
9. The sales director told his staff nothing about the new marketing post. (DARK)
-The sales director ____________________________________about the new marketing post.
10. She wasn’t speaking seriously. (TONGUE)
-She was speaking with _______________________________________________________.
Part 3: Write an essay of about 200 words on the following topic.
Some people think that students perform better in school when they are rewarded rather than punished.
To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from
your own knowledge or experience.

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