PRACTISE TEST BỒI DƯỠNG HỌC SINH GIỎI 9

PRACTICE TEST 2
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II.
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Choose the best answer.
The prospects of picking up any survivors are now ______.
A. thin
B. narrow
C. slim
D. restricted
Hopes of finding the missing boat are beginning to ______.
A. darken
B. go
C. fade
D. drain
The silver medalist was later ______ for running outside her lane.
A. banned
B. disqualified
C. disallowed
D. outlawed
Mecci’s second goal was ______ because he was off-side.
A. banned
B. disqualified
C. disallowed
D. outlawed
I’ll ______ the idea with the other members in the family and let you know.
A. discuss
B. argue
C. explain
D. talk
Can you ______ to it that no one uses this entrance?

A ensure
B guarantee
C assure
D see
The minister ______ to say whether all the coal mines would be closed.
A refused
B avoided
C denied
D bothered
Our local youth club tries to ______ for all interests.
A equip
B apply
C organise
D cater
Next year I hope to ______ my ambition of climbing Mont Blanc.
A complete
B follow
C realise
D impose
Police had told everyone not to ______ anything in case evidence was destroyed.
A. annoy
B. disturb
C. bother
D. confuse
Only ______ of the students did well in the test.
A. a few
B. few
C. little
D. a little
This book will be a delight to ______ readers of science fiction.

A. amateur
B. skilled
C. seasoned
D. loving
Pauline managed to win the car rally at the first ______.
A. attempt
B. try
C. rate
D. entry
Our town has a real problem with youth crime, ______ do many other British towns.
A. so
B. nor
C. as
D. like
When we start work in the morning, I usually ______ at the schedule for the whole day.
A. glimpse
B. watch
C. monitor
D. glance
The doorway is low, so ______ your head when you go in.
A mind
B attend
C observe
D notice
As it’s not out on DVD yet, we might ______ get it on video, I suppose.
A. also
B. as well
C. too
D. as such
The more challenging the exercises are, ______ we feel.

A. the less bored
B. the least bored
C. the less boring
D. the least boring
Sam is on his way, so make him a coffee ______ he arrives.
A. if
B. until
C. while
D. when
He works hard, but ______ of his health
A. at the expense
B. at the limit
C. at a cost
D. at a loss
Fill in each gap with one suitable particle or preposition.
Once he has signed the agreement, he won't be able to back ________ ________ the scheme.
Watch ________ ________ the signpost. I don't want to miss the turning.
That chair is not very strong. Do you think it is ________ ________ your weight?
She went ________ ________ a bad cold just before Christmas.
The Italian course started in September and it's March now. I'm afraid you won't be able to catch
________ ________ the class now.
Whenever he runs ________ ________ a difficulty he always comes to me for help.
A mother will usually stand ________ ________ her children, no matter what they have done.

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There's no point in doing ________ ________ the old regulations if you are going to introduce equally
stupid new ones.
I'm afraid there's no milk left; we'll have to fall ________ ________ dried milk for our tea.
It's your turn to make some suggestions; I've run ________ ________ ideas.

III.
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Supply the correct form of the word given.
It is said that she was quite an ____________ in her youth! EYE
The thief was caught in the very ____________. ACTIVITY
What is done can’t be ____________. DO
It is ____________ of him to lose his temper like that. He’s usually very calm. CHARACTER
I was surprised by the ____________ of the occasion. All the men wore dark suits and ties. FORMAL
The unresponsive audience made the lecturer somewhat ____________. What a shame! HEART
Any opposition to the rule is ____________. TOLERATE
The report was kept secret because of its ____________ nature. CONTROVERSY
High vehicles must take an ____________ route because of low clearance under the bridge. ALTER
I leave a light on when I am out to ____________ burglars. COURAGE

IV.

Read the text carefully. Some of the lines are correct and some have a word which should not
be there. If a line is correct, put a tick (✓)? in the space provided. If a line has a word which
should not be there, write it in the space provided.
THE SURPRISING SEASON
Throughout all history, spring weather conditions have
0. all
varied more than those of the other three seasons. In the
00. ✓
early spring of 1083 the River Thames it froze for over
1. __________
14 weeks, while in spring 1412 it is dried up.
2. __________
Spring flooding in 1092 meant to the year
3. __________
was remembered for much poor crops. In fact,
4. __________
through the centuries the most greatest number of
5. __________
major droughts, floods, hurricanes and earthquakes
6. __________
will have occurred during springtime. Indeed, looking
7. __________
at agricultural records, 1660 is the only spring having
8. __________
recorded as “very pleasant”. Spring arrives at slightly
9. __________
different times in different regions of the British Isles.
10. __________

In lowland English it appears on around the middle
11. __________
of March. In the west and south, it arrives even at
12. __________
earlier, while the north and in hilly areas it does
13. __________
not come until April. Here, spring is mentioned about,
14. __________
it means the average temperature which is over 60C.
15. __________

WRITING
Complete the second sentence in such a way that it is closest in meaning to the sentence printed
before it. Use the word given. DO NOT change the word given.
1.
Most of the committee voted for the proposal. FAVOUR
The majority ____________________________________________________________________.
2.
Margaret is said to be a very good cook. REPUTATION
Margaret _______________________________________________________________________.
3.
John was disappointed not to win the competition. CAME
Not winning the competition ________________________________________________________.
4.
They should have given us more time to finish the work. INSUFFICIENT
We were _______________________________________________________________________.
5.
I imagine it was tough for you to refuse every beggar that asked you for money. TURN
It must _________________________________________ every beggar that asked you for money.

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Pop in for a chat whenever you are in town. HAPPEN
If _______________________________________________________ in town, pop in for a chat.
We get on very well with Laura’s parents. TERMS
We _____________________________________________________________ Laura’s parents.
Dr Sharp wants you to look after his patients while he’s away. CARE
Dr Sharp would like you to ______________________________________________ his absence.
I was surprised not to see Meg at the party but I later heard she was ill. APPARENTLY
I was surprised that Meg _________________________________________________ she was ill.
I don't mind staying in on a Saturday night if I have good company. AVERSE
I'm ____________________________________________________ night if I have good company.

READING
I.
Read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, С or D) best fits each gap.
CHEAPER HOLIDAYS
We can (0) ______ money on all aspects of our holiday, from where and when to go to how to get to and
from the airport; here are some (1) ______ on how to get the most for your money when (2) ______ a
holiday.
For the best deals (3) ______ your holiday between the high and low seasons; you could save up to 70%

on some holiday (4) ______ while still enjoying good weather and other high season (5) ______ and there
will be fewer crowds.
You can also save money by going somewhere where living costs are (6) ______. It might cost more to get
there but once you are there you will (7) ______ less on eating out and getting around as food and
transport will be (8) ______ cheaper.
And start saving before you even leave the country by choosing the most cost effective way to the airport.
There are many bus services from (9) ______ cities to airports which are cheaper than trains. If you go by
train book well in (10) ______ to get cheaper tickets and if you do decide to go by car, book your carparking
as soon as possible; some airports offer up to 50% (11) ______ for early bookings.
Finally, make sure you research all the available options on-line. Signing up to email (12) ______ can be a
good idea as then you will be the first to know about cheap offers. The earlier you book the better the
bargains are likely to be.
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A. save
A. information
A. deciding
A. book

A. places
A. pros
A. lower
A. pay
A. largely
A. main
A. ahead
A. under
A. alarms

В. keep
В. advice
В. choosing
В. ask for
В. sites
В. advantages
В. smaller
В. cost
В. obviously
В. important
В. before
В. below
В. warnings

С. store
С. tips
С. agreeing
С. order
С. situations
С. favours

С. poorer
С. spend
С. quite
С. great
С. advance
С. off
С. news

D. guard
D. clues
D. electing
D. buy
D. resorts
D. drawbacks
D. greater
D. waste
D. significantly
D. major
D. early
D. over
D. alerts

II.

Fill in each gap with one suitable word.
THE NILE RIVER
The Nile allowed the first Egyptians (0) __________ settle successfully in the otherwise very dry part of

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North Africa; The great river provided a dependable source (1) __________ water that was used for
everything from irrigation, transport, cooking, drinking, hunting and fishing (2) __________ waste disposal.
(3) __________ its river, Egypt would have been no more than an unforgiving desert. Instead, it became
the most fertile land in the whole Mediterranean. (4) __________ to its position and many natural
resources, Egypt was able to remain an independent country for 3,000 years; (5) __________ the deserts
were used for their valuable minerals, they were uninhabitable.
The narrowness of the belts of fertile land on (6) __________ side of the Nile prevented expansion (7)
__________ the east or west. Villages were situated (8) __________ the river (9) __________ beads on a
thread. Agriculture in ancient Egypt relied completely on the annual flooding (10) __________ July and
October. (11) __________ flood waters cleaned the land and laid down a thick layer of highly fertile silt.
(12) __________ an added bonus, fish were left in the fields (13) __________ the water levels had fallen,
and they were dried and smoked for future consumption.
As Egypt relied totally on the Nile, it is (14) __________ surprising that the water level was closely watched
at (15) __________ times. Too high, and the water would flood the towns; too low, and there would be food
shortages, unrest, and perhaps (16) __________ the downfall of a dynasty.
III.

You are going to read an extract from a novel. Choose the answer (А, В, С or D) which you
think fits best according to the text.
Emily woke up before her alarm went off and knew instantly something wasn’t quite right in the house.
Bailey, her chocolate-coloured pet Labrador, should have been there at the bedroom door demanding food
but there was no sound of him. She decided to get up and go and see where he was. It felt cold in the hall
but she knew she had left the heating on last night. As she walked down the stairs she heard a noise in the
kitchen; the strange feeling that something was wrong was getting stronger. What was going on? She got
to the bottom of the stairs and opened the door to the living room, which led to the kitchen. Why was the
door closed? She always left it open. Bailey was nowhere to be seen and his toys, which were usually all
over the living room floor, were in a neat pile in the corner next to his basket. Had they been there when

she had gone to bed last night? She couldn’t remember. She walked into the kitchen and turned the light
on, it didn’t work, nothing happened. She stood very still and listened, nothing. There wasn’t a sound. That
was really strange; she lived in the middle of a busy city, there were always people around. She woke up to
the sound of traffic, car horns, police cars, her neighbours shouting in the house next door, how could there
be silence at 8 o’clock on a Friday morning? She went back into the living room and turned the TV on, but
again nothing happened. She went back into the kitchen and looked out of the window; it was a bright clear
day. The back door was shut but when she tried the handle she realised it was unlocked. She walked out
into the tiny back garden and opened the back gate; still nothing, not a sound and no sign of Bailey. She
called him but he didn’t come. She went back into the house and did what she realised she should have
done as soon as she got up and called her mother. But there was no answer. She called her boyfriend but
his mobile was switched off and she got the answer phone message. She tried a couple of other numbers
but with equal success. She sat down on the sofa and thought about what she could do. She couldn’t
decide if she should stay at home or go out and find someone. Just as she decided the best thing would be
to stay at home and wait, there was a loud banging on the front door. She jumped up and ran to the door.
‘Who is it?’ she shouted through the door. ‘It’s me,’ came the reply. But she had no idea who ‘me’ was. She
didn’t want to open the door until she was sure she knew who it was, not with all the other strange things
that were happening this morning, and she didn’t want to shout through the thick front door, so she walked
back into the living room and tried to look through the front window to see who was standing at the front
door. It was a man but she couldn’t make out who he was; he didn’t look familiar. He was tall and was
wearing a big coat with a hood over his head. Just as she was thinking of running out the back door she
saw that the man had Bailey with him, and Bailey seemed quite happy, which meant that the man had to be
someone he knew and liked; he would have been barking otherwise. She still wasn’t taking any chances
though; she put the safety latch on the door and opened it just enough to see who was there. She was
instantly relieved; it was her brother, who lived just a few streets away. She opened the door all the way



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and let him in. As he walked through the door he was almost knocked over by Bailey jumping up and
looking more pleased than ever to see her. ‘So what’s going on?’ she asked her brother. He looked at her
as if she was stupid. ‘Haven’t you heard?’
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How did Emily know there was something wrong?
A. Her alarm clock didn’t go off.
В. Her dog wasn’t outside the bedroom door.
С. Her dog was quieter than usual.
D. She had woken up very early.
How did she feel when she opened the living room door?
A. confused
В. excited
С. annoyed

D. strong
What could she hear when she stood in the kitchen?
A. traffic and everyday noises of the city
В. silence
С. the television
D. something in the garden
Why did she go into the garden?
A. to see what the weather was like
В. to talk to her neighbours
С. to look for Bailey
D. to make a phone call
Who did she speak to on the telephone?
A. her mother
В. her boyfriend
С. two friends
D. no one
Why did she return to the living room after someone knocked on the front door?
A. Because she didn’t want to leave the house.
В. Because she wanted to try and see who was at the front door.
С. Because she didn’t want to talk to the person at the front door.
D. Because she wanted to sit down and think about what to do.
Why did she think she must know the man at the door?
A. She recognised the clothes he was wearing.
В. Bailey was barking at him.
С. Bailey seemed relaxed with him.
D. She recognised his voice.
What does the author mean when it says that ‘she still wasn’t taking any chances though’?
A. She wasn’t feeling lucky.
В. She was going to take advantage of the situation.
С. She wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.

D. She wasn’t going to take any risks.

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