Đề thi thử Đại học môn Tiếng anh đề số 13

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to show the underlined part that needs correction in each of the questions . 

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress in each of the following questions 

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Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word for each of the blanks from 51 to 60.

British parents are always complaining that their children spend too much time glued to the telly and not enough time on other activities (51) ____ sports and reading. A survey recently (52) ____ on  people’s viewing habits does not disprove this. It shows that young people in Britain spend on average 23 hours a week in front of the television, (53) ____ works out at over three hours every day.

(54) ____ is surprising, however, is the fact that the average adult watches even more: an incredible 28 hours a week. We (55) ____ to have become a nation of addicts. Just about every household in the country has a television and over half have two or more. According to the survey, people just watch television sitting in their living-rooms, they watch it in the kitchen and in bed (56) ____ .

The Education Minister said a few weeks ago that Britain’s pupils (57) ____ spend more time reading. Unfortunately, parents are not setting a good example: adults do (58) ____ reading than young people. In fact, reading is at the (59) ____ of their list of favouring pastimes. They would (60) ____ listen to the radio, go to the cinema or hire a video to watch on their televisions at home.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions .

Life on Mars: Does it Exist?

In 1976, two American spacecraft landed on Mars in order to search for signs of life. The tests that the Viking landers performed had negative results. However, scientists still have questions about our close neighbour in space. They want to investigate further into the possibility of life on Mars.

Scientists’ interest in the Red Planet is based on an assumption. They believe that 4.5 billion years ago, Mars and Earth began their existence under similar conditions. During the first billion years, liquid water - in contrast to ice - was abundant on the surface of Mars. This is an indication that mars was much warmer at that time. Mars also had a thicker atmosphere of carbon dioxide (CO2). Many scientists think it is possible that life began under these favourable conditions. After all, Earth had the same conditions during its first billion years, when life arose. At some point in time, Earth developed an atmosphere which is rich in oxygen, and an ozone layer. Ozone (O3) is a form of oxygen. The ozone layer protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet light from the Sun. While life not only began on Earth, it also survived and became more complex. In contrast, Mars lost its thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Ultraviolet radialion intensified. The planet eventually grew colder, and its water Froze. (...)

Scientists believe there are other areas on Mars that are similar: specific places on Earth which support life. For example, an area in Antarctica, southern Victoria Land, which is not covered by ice. Resemble an area on Mars. In its dry valleys, the temperature in southern Victoria Land averages below zero, yet biologists found simple life forms (microorganisms) in rocks and frozen lakes. Perhaps this is also true of places on Mars.

Scientists want another investigation of Mars. They want to search for fossils, the ancient remains of life. If life ever existed on Mars, future missions may find records of it under sand or in the ice.

Even if future missions discover no evidence of past or present life on Mars, the new missions may clarify our understanding of how life begins. Scientists will better understand the conditions that are necessary for the survival of life - on Earth or in the universe. They will look for the answers to other intriguing questions. How is the Earth different from Mars? How can we explain the development of life here on our planet and not on Mars, our close neighbour? Are we alone in the universe?

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions .

From Farmland to Desert

It doesn't take long lo turn farmland into desert. American farmers found this out in the 1930s. They planted wheat in large areas of grassland in the south central United States. For a few years there was plenty of rain and lots of wheat. Then the rains stopped, as they often do in this dry region. The wheat dried up and the top soil tumed to dust. Before long, it had all blown away in great dust storms. The area became known as the "Dust Bowl".

What happened in the Dust Bowl is a perfect example of erosion caused by modern farming methods. Top soil blows away more easily when it is no longer protected by grasses or trees. In ten years or less, several feet of good soil can disappear. And once it is gone, there is no way to get it back quickly. It may takefrom one hundred to a thousand years for new top soil to form.

Unfortunately, it seems that farmers have not learned from the example of the Dust Bowl. In the United States alone, five billion tons of top soil are lost every year. Farmers continue to use the same destructive methods. They plant the same crops and use tons of chemical fertilizers.

The situation in other parts of the world is even more serious. The total loss of top soil worldwide is 24 billion tons a year. Areas of the earth with a dry dimate (about one third of the planet) are hit worst. In these areas, about 12 million hectares of land are lost to agriculture per year because of erosion.

In developing countries, this often leads to hunger and death. The recent history of one part of Africa, the Sahel, is a good example. In the 1960s and 1970s much good farmland was taken over for export crops, such as sugar and cotton. Many people moved into the drier interior areas to grovv their food.During that period, there was more rain than usual. Food and cattle production increased and so did the population.

Before long, there were too many people in these areas. The land began to suffer the effects. It was no longer protected by trees, which had been cut down for fírewood. The grass and bushes were gone, eaten by the eattle, sheep, and other animals. Animal manure was used for burning instead of for fertilizing the soil.

Then came a long period of no rain. The ruined top soil quickly blew away. The Sahara Desert advanced in some areas as much as 100 kilometers. In other areas, the semi-desert land became completely unproductive. Now millions of people have no way to make a living. Many have died of hunger, while others have moved to the already crowded cities.

The events in the Sahel were an important lesson for government officials and farmers around the world. But again, the lesson has been ignored. More and more people are hungry on our planet, but farmland continues to be ruined.