11 Trường THPT chuyên Thăng Long – Đà Lạt – Lâm Đồng

A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40 PTS) I. PH ONO LOGY Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others. 1. A. apathy B. unanimous C. catalyst D. attorney 2. A. tarantula B. restitution C. congratulation D. Portuguese 3. A. hierarchy B. machete C. moustache D. niche 4. A. immunity B. inundated C. munificent D. dubious 5. A. audit B. raucous C. draught D. manslaughter

Choose the word which is stressed differently from the other three. 6. A. ubiquitous B. infuriating C. promotional D. hypocritical 7. A. meningitis B. anaesthetic C. congenital D. promiscuous 8. A. homicide B. internship C. incumbent D. sycophant 9. A. tyrannical B. subservient C. obstentably D. taxidermy 10. A. zealot B. hermit C. morbid D. concoct

II. WORD CHOICE (5 pts): Choose the best options to complete the following sentences. 1. You shouldn't……………into other's people private lives.

A. prowl B. prod C. proceed D. pry 2. he will be sued for…………… of contract if he does not do what he promised.

A. fracture B. crack C. rupture D. breach 3. Sandra's…………… sin is pride.

A. redeeming B. overriding C. besetting D. overwhelming 4. In spite of working their fingers to the …………… , all the staff were made redundant.

A. nail B. edge C. flesh D. bone 5. It was her…………… powers at the keyboard rather than her age which eventually forced her retirement.

A. meteoric B. waning C. slippery D. negative 6. He has been……………for gross misconduct.

A. impressed B. impounded C. impeached D. impelled 7. It seems our application has been refused……………

A. point blank B. bull's eye C. carte blanche D. about face 8. I don't believe there's a ……………of evidence that could be held against him.

A. shred B. grain C. drop D. strain 9. I find the prose style of many American writers virtually……………

A. illegible B. impenetrable C. impermeable D. incorrigible 10. I thought the bill for just two people was simply ……………

A. exhaustive B. exorbitant C. execrable D. exalted 11. Mozart's mature compositions are……………better than his juvenilia.

A. significantly B. utterly C. flatly D. strenuously 12. Mr Parris said he'd like…………… by Monday, if that's possible,

A. finished the report B. the report finished

C. the report will be finished D. have the report finished 13. Were……………my dad, I would never have started playing tennis in the first place.

A. it for B. it to be for C. it hadn't been for D. it not for 14. It's amazing how Jenny acts as though she and Darren ……………serious problems at the moment.

A. aren't having B. hadn't had

C. weren't having D. hadn’t been having

207 15. The rents in this area are ……………the highest in the city.

A. far from away B. away by far C. far and away D. far to away 16……………I’d like to help you out, I’m afraid I just haven't got any spare money at the moment.

A. Even B. Despite C. Much as D. Try as 17. This government would destroy all our civil liberties,……………half a chance.

A. given B. being given

C. giving D. having been given 18. So…………… that they actually finished three weeks early.

A. were the builders fast B. fast the builders were

C. the builders were fast D. fast were the builders 19. I feel ……………to inform the committee that a number of members are very unhappy with the decision.

A. my duty B. this my duty C. it my duty D. that my duty 20. I'm ……………my brother is.

A. nowhere like so ambitious B. nothing as ambitious than

C. nothing near as ambitious as D. nowhere near as ambitious as

III. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS. (5 pts) 1. You can bank…………… our support any time you are in need.

A. at B. in C. on D. from 2. Her method of fishing for comments will certainly be ……………siege.

A. at B. for C. under D. with 3. After 10 years in business, the Browns have……………2 million dollars.

A. called up B. collected up C. pulled up D. racked up 4. His classmates are always…………… him for his oversized nose.

A. lazing around B. picking on C. running down D. shrinking from 5. It seems a lot of us are putting ourselves……………the mercy of material comfort.

A. at B. in C. on D. under 6. It wasn't clear to me what they were……………by those sentences.

A. driving at B. getting on C. stabbing at D. opting out 7. That your son keeps himself aloof…………… people is quite worrying.

A. from B. for C. of D. to 8. What I hate about Alice is that she’s always trying to ……………teachers for favors.

A. crying out for B. making up for C. pinning down to D. sucking up to 9. The Prime Minister's declaration that taxes will be raised has put the public…………… an uproar.

A. at B. in C. to D. with 10. I personally never…………… the idea that to be attractive you have to be thin.

A. dream up B. hold back C. buy into D. fall out

IV. GUIDED CLOZE READING (10 pts): Choose the word/phrase that best fits each blank in the following texts. TEXT 1

Parent-teen relationships are among the most important in a youth's life. Whether a parent is (1)……… love, criticism, or old-fashioned rulemaking, the structure and stability of a healthy parental relationship with teens can make a huge impact (2)…………… their stressful adolescent lives. A healthy parent-teen relationship may mean the difference between swift justice and months of harassment. Mothers, fathers, and family communication (3)……………are all important in unique ways.

The mother-teen relationship is one of the most important relationships a child can have. Research has (4)…………… that a mother has great influence over their child's decisions about sex, drugs, alcohol, body image, ... Fathers also have a special (5)…………… in the lives of healthy teens. Fathers are the backbone

of American family life, and it’s often on them that the foundations for their children's future lives they are (6)……………. Involved fathers are present in a child’s life to give everything from advice to independence. For example, teens with fathers who are active in their lives are more independent as adults, have (7)…………… self-esteem, are less likely to be (8)……………or commit suicide, and are often happier. For daughters, a "daddy's little girl" relationship is a large pail of what (9)…………… happy teenage girls. Dads build self-confidence in young women and give them a special (10)……………of achievement that can only come when given by an authoritative male figure. 1. A. donating B. offering C. providing D. supplying 2. A. in B. on C. under D. to 3. A. in general B. in all C. in contrast D. in full 4. A. expressed B. hinted C. implied D. suggested 5. A. emphasis B. part C. place D. status 6. A. lay B. lied C. laid D. lain 7. A. longer B. deeper C. higher D. larger 8. A. depressed B. desperate C. hurt D. stressed 9. A. brings up B. makes up C. sets up D. turns up 10. A. emotion B. feeling C. impression D. sentiment

TEXT 2

Adult education is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and (1)…………. self-educating activities in order to gain new (2)………….of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. It can mean any form of learning adults engage in beyond traditional schooling, (3)…………. basic literacy to personal (4)…… as a lifelong learner.

In particular, adult education reflects a specific philosophy about learning and teaching based on the (5)…………. that adults can and want to learn, that they are able and willing to take responsibility for that learning, and that the learning itself should respond to their needs.

Driven by what one needs or wants to learn, the opportunities (6)…………., and the manner in which one learns, adult learning is affected by demographics, globalization and technology. The learning happens in m any ways and in many (7)…………. just as all adults' lives differ.

Educating adults differs from educating children in several ways given, that adults have (8)…………. knowledge and work experience which can add to the learning experience. Most adult education is voluntary, therefore, the participants are (9)…………. self-motivated, unless required to participate, by an employer. The science and art of helping adults learn, the practice of adult education is referred to as andragogy, to distinguish it from the traditional school-based education for children pedagogy. Unlike children, adults are seen as more (10)…………., rather than relying on others for help. 1. A. attain B. pertain C. retain D. sustain 2. A. forms B. means C. patterns D. shapes 3. A. decomposing B. decompressing C. encompassing D. encroaching 4. A. contentment B. fulfilment C. recognition D. realization 5. A. assumption B. notion C. resumption D. speculation 6. A. at will B. in hand C. in store D. on offer 7. A. contexts B. manners C. occurrences D. situations 8. A. accomplished B. accommodated C. accumulated D. accredited 9. A. all in all B. by and large C. in principle D. on the whole 10. A. self-absorbed B. self-accessed C. self-directed D. self-possessed

V. READING COMPREHENSION Read the texts below and choose the best answer to each question. READING 1

A DANCER'S LOT

209

All across London, they emerge from underground stations and buses; bags slung over their shoulders and taut stomachs beneath thick winter overcoats. Nobody recognises them, as they head for freezing upstairs rooms in tatty gymnasiums or slink into backstage theatre doors, even though they appear regularly in sold-out musicals and favourite television shows. They earn precious little, even those who perform live with famous singers, and have no real prospects, doing what they're doing, despite having hustled and sweated themselves to the 10 heights of one of Britain's most demanding professions. But still they go, every morning, to their grim upstairs rooms in gyms and their backstreet backstage doors, to dance.

Most have left behind worried parents in faraway towns and villages; made repeated promises to look after themselves and is taken trains, in-their late teenage years, for London. There's much to despise about the city, where talent and a reptilian grade of resilience, although prerequisites, provide no guarantee of success. Even auditions are becoming rare. Conscious of deadlines and financial constraints, choreographers call in talent from the blessed pool of their own chosen. If you aren't the right height, don’t have the right face, hair or sartorial style, then don't expect a look in. Although choreographers occasionally seek out the beautiful, they’re mostly instructed to hunt the bland: those least likely to outshine the stars. And, as many dancers will tell you, it’s getting to the point where mediocrity is acceptable; there’ll be someone over there out of sync, someone over there who can't hold her arm still.

And if they get a part, increasingly dancers are turning up for jobs where the choreographer just stands there and works them endlessly, fingers clicking: ‘Again, again, again’. As one dancer Melanie Grace says, 'You dance for the love and the passion, and keep your mouth shut because you don't want to get a reputation.' It’s not always easy though. You think the television shows provide changing rooms? For dancers? Even the big budget ones have them disrobing in a comer of the canteen - and the pay's lousy. But you have to ignore it, keep your head down. You're in London now. You’re one of many; one of nothing. The sooner you accept that, the better you'll get on. Of the fleets of talented dancers who try only a quarter make it, the rest simply can't process the ruthlessness - to dance in London is hard on the soul.

Yet most of the dancers have agents, who you might think would negotiate a better fee or conditions for their dancers, but no. You'll never meet a dancer who thinks their agent deserves their twenty percent cut of the fee. Mostly you’ll just get a text or email notifying you of an audition and a single agent might have as many as two hundred dancers on, their books. As Melanie says, ‘It's catch-22, because you won’t hear about the auditions without one .’ Here’s the job, take it or leave it, and if so you leave it, they'll just hire someone straight out of college and pay them even less.

Oh, the annual churn of the colleges. The dancers hear it constantly the sound of the machine in the distance, its ceaselessly grinding gears that, with every coming year; push out hundreds of new dancers, each one younger and hungrier and less jaded than you. And with every release of fresh limbs into the stew of the city things get harder. The worst thing the kids can do is accept a job for no pay. They do it all the time. One website has become notorious for television and pop-video production companies scrounging for trained people to work for nothing but exposure. And if the youngsters are fresh out of dance school, despairing of their blank CV and craving the love of those ranks of sparkle-eyed strangers, they’ll leap at the chance. It’s the reason things are getting harder. How to describe the London dance scene today? The word Melanie chooses is 'savage'. 1. In the first paragraph, the writer paints a picture of dancers who are

A. careful not to be recognised by fans in the street..

B. deserving of the fame they have achieved.

C. unlikely to be making further advances in their careers.

D. hoping to find work on stage alongside established stars. 2. What do we learn about auditions in the second paragraph?

A. Increasingly higher standards are expected of dancers.

B. The best dancers do not necessarily get the jobs on offer.

C. It's difficult for dancers to find the time to attend very many.

D. Dancers with family connections in the business get invited to more.

3. The word “tatty” in the passage is closest in meaning to ………….

A. shabby B. modern C. abusive D. well- designed 4. What is implied about choreographers in the third paragraph?

A. They expect dancers to do as they are told.

B. They dislike it when dancers criticise each other.

C. They are intolerant of dancers who make mistakes.

D. They are sensitive to the pressures-that dancers are under. 5. What point is made about agents in the fourth paragraph?

A. Dancers are largely satisfied with their service.

B. Most dancers recognise that they are essential.

C. They tend to represent only the less experienced dancers.

D. They make every effort to get the best deal for dancers. 6. The word “mediocrity” in the passage is closest in meaning to …………

A. average B. excellence C. extravagance D. extremity 7. The writer uses the image of a machine in the last paragraph to underline

A. the attitude of training institutions. B. the dubious activities of a website.

C. the constant supply of new talent. D. the exploitation of young people. 8. The word “lousy” in the passage is closest in meaning to …………

A. wonderful B. awful C. terrific D. satisfying 9. In the text as a whole, the writer is suggesting that dancers in London

A. should demand much better pay and working conditions.

B. have to regard the experience as useful for the future,

C. should be rewarded for dedication and perseverance.

D. have to accept the realities o f a competitive industry. 10. What does the phrase “do it all the time” refer to:

A. accept a job for no pay B. hear the sound of the annual churn

C. leave the job D. push out hundreds of new dancers

READING 2

IMAGE AND THE CITY

In the city, we are barraged with images of the people we might become. Identity is presented as plastic, a matter of possessions and appearances; and a very large proportion of the urban landscape is taken up by slogans, advertisements, flatly photographed images of folk heroes - the man who turned into a sophisticated dandy overnight by drinking a particular brand of drink, the girl who transformed herself into a femme fatale with a squirt of cheap scent. The tone of the wording of these advertisements is usually pert and facetious, comically drowning in its own hyperbole. But the pictures are brutally exact: they reproduce every detail of a style of life, down to the brand of cigarette-lighter, the stone in the ring, and the economic row of books on the shelf.

Yet, if one studies a line of ads across from where one is sitting on a tube train, these images radically conflict with each other. Swap the details about between the pictures, and they are instantly made illegible. If the characters they represent really are heroes, then they clearly have no individual claim to speak for society as a whole. The clean-cut and the shaggy, rakes, innocents, brutes, home-lovers, adventurers, clowns all compete for our attention and invite emulation. As a gallery, they do provide a glossy mirror of the aspirations of a representative city crowd; but it is exceedingly hard to discern a single dominant style, an image of how most people would like to see themselves.

Even in the business of the mass-production of images of identity, this shift from the general to the diverse and particular is quite recent. Consider another line of stills: the back-lit, soft-focus portraits of the first and second generations of great movie stars. There is a degree of romantic unparticularity in the face of each one, as if they were communal dream-projections of society at large. Only in the specialised genres of westerns, farces and gangster movies were stars allowed to have odd, knobbly cadaverous faces. The

211 hero as loner belonged to history or the underworld: he spoke from the perimeter of society, reminding us of its dangerous edges.

The stars of the last decade have looked quite different. Soft-focus photography has gone, to be replaced by a style which searches out warts and bumps, emphasises the uniqueness not the generality of the face. Voices, too, are strenuously idiosyncratic; whines, stammers and low rumbles are exploited as features of ‘star quality’. Instead of romantic heroes and heroines, we have a brutalist, hard-edged style in which isolation and egotism are assumed as natural social conditions.

In the movies, as in the city, the sense of stable hierarchy has become increasingly exhausted; we no longer live in a world where we can all share the same values, the same heroes. (It is doubtful whether this world, so beloved of nostalgia moralists, ever existed; but lip-service was paid to it, the pretence, at least, was kept up.) The isolate and the eccentric push towards the centre of the stage; their fashions and mannerisms are presented as having as good a claim to the limelight and the future as those of anyone else. In the crowd on the underground platform, one may observe a honeycomb of fully-worked-out worlds, each private, exclusive, bearing little comparison with its nearest neighbour. What is prized in one is despised in another. There are no clear rules about how one is supposed to manage one’s body, dress, talk, or think. Though there are elaborate protocols and etiquettes among particular cults and groups within the city, they subscribe to no common standard.

For the new arrival, this disordered abundance is the city’s most evident and alarming quality. He feels as if he has parachuted into a funfair of contradictory imperatives. There are so many people he might become, and a suit of clothes, a make of car, a brand of cigarettes, will go some way towards turning him into a personage even before he has discovered who that personage is. Personal identity has always been deeply rooted in property, but hitherto the relationship has been a simple one - a question of buying what you could afford, and leaving your wealth to announce your status. In the modern city, there are so many things to buy such a quantity of different kinds of status, that the choice and its attendant anxieties have created, a new pornography of taste.

The leisure pages of the Sunday newspapers, fashion magazines, TV plays, popular novels, cookbooks, window displays all nag at the nerve of our uncertainty and snobbery. Should we like American cars, hardrock hamburger joints, Bauhaus chairs ...? Literature and art are promoted as personal accessories: the paintings of Mondrian or the novels of Samuel Beckett ‘go’ with certain styles like matching handbags. There is in the city a creeping imperialism of taste, in which more and more commodities are made over to being mere expressions of personal identity. The piece of furniture, the pair of shoes, the book, the film, are important not so much in themselves but for what they communicate about their owners; and ownership is stretched to include what one likes or believes in as well as what one can buy. 1. What does the writer say about advertisements in the first paragraph?

A. Certain kinds are considered more effective in cities than others.

B. The way in which some of them are worded is cleverer than it might appear,

C. They often depict people that most other people would not care to be like.

D. The pictures in them accurately reflect the way that some people really live. 2. The word “pert” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to …………..

A. cheerful B. pleasant C. serious D. argumentative 3. The writer says that if you look at a line of advertisements on a tube train , it is clear that

A. city dwellers have very diverse ideas about what image they would like to have.

B. some images in advertisements have a general appeal that others lack.

C. city dwellers are more influence d by images on advertisements than other people are.

D. some images are intended to be representative of everyone’s aspirations. 4. What does the writer imply about portraits of old movie stars?

A. They tried to disguise the less attractive features of their subjects.

B. Most people did not think they were accurate representations of the stars in them.

C. They made people feel that their own faces were rather unattractive.

D. They reflected an era in which people felt basically safe.

5. The word “they” in the third paragraph refers to:

A. the aspirations B. the portraits of old movies stars

C. gangster movie s D. generations 6. What does the writer suggest a bout the stars of the last decade?

A. Some of them may be uncomfortable about the way they come across.

B. They make an effort to speak in a way that may not be pleasant on the ear.

C. They make people wonder whether they should become more selfish.

D. Most people accept that they are not typical of society as a whole. 7. The writer uses the crowd on an underground platform to exemplify his belief that

A. no single attitude to life is more common than another in a city.

B. no one in a city has strict attitudes towards the behaviour of others.

C. views of what society was like in the past are often inaccurate.

D. people in cities would like to have more in common with each other. 8. The writer implies that new arrivals in a city may

A. change the image they wish to have too frequently.

B. underestimate the importance of wealth.

C . acquire a certain image without understanding what that involves.

D. decide that status is of little importance. 9. The word “commodities” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ………..

A. products B. companies C. entrepreneurs D. luxuries 10. What point does the writer make about city dwellers in the final paragraph?

A. They are unsure as to why certain things are popular with others.

B. They are aware that judgments are made about them according to what they buy.

C. They want to acquire more and more possessions.

D. They are keen to be the first to appreciate new styles.

B. WRITTEN TEST (70 pts) I. OPEN CLOZE TEST (20 pts): Read the texts below and think of ONE word which best fits each blank. TEXT 1

Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the (1)………… that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy or increased health problems. Body mass index (BMI), a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people (2)………… overweight (pre-obese) when their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, and obese when it is greater than 30 kg/m2.

Obesity' increases the (3) ………… of various diseases, particularly heart disease, breathing difficulties during sleep, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive dietary calories, (4)…………of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused primarily by genes, endocrine disorders, medications or psychiatric illness. Evidence to support the view that some obese people eat little (5)…………gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited; (6)………… average obese people have a greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass.

The primary treatment for obesity is dieting and physical exercise. To supplement this, or in case of failure, anti-obesity drugs may be (7)………… to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery is performed or an intragastric balloon is placed to (8)………… stomach volume and/or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.

Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities (9)………… it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity is stigmatized in much of the modern world (particularly in the Western world),(10)….. it was widely perceived as a symbol of wealth and fertility at other times in history, and still is in some

213 TEXT 2

In consecutive interpreting (CI), the speaker is required to pause to allow interpretation. (1)………… , the time needed is much greater (possibly double the time needed). Traditionally, the interpreter will sit or stand near the speaker. Consecutive interpretation can be (2)………… in a pattern of short or long segments according to the interpreter's preference. In short CI, the interpreter relies mostly on memory (3) …………, in long CI most interpreters will rely on note-taking. The notes must be clear and legible in order to not waste time on reading them. Consecutive interpreting of whole thoughts, (4)………… than in small pieces, is desirable so that the interpreter has the whole meaning before rendering it in the target language. This (5)…………a truer, more accurate, and more accessible interpretation than where short CI or simultaneous interpretation is used.

A consensus about lengths of segments may be (6)…………prior to commencement, depending upon complexity of the subject matter and purpose of the interpretation, though speakers generally face difficulty adjusting to unnatural speech patterns. (7)………… occasion, document sight translation is required of the interpreter during consecutive interpretation work. Sight translation (8)………… interpretation and translation; the interpreter must render the source-language document to the target-language as if it were written in the target language. Sight translation occurs usually, (9) …………not exclusively, in judicial and medical work.

Consecutive interpretation may be the chosen mode when bilingual listeners are present who wish to hear both the original and interpreted speech or where, as in a court setting, a (10)………… must be kept of both.

II. WORD FORMATION PART 1: Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses. 1. It’s absolutely…………why the council decided to close down the youth club. (EXPLAIN) 2. I’m scanning my gran’s photos onto my computer because they’d be…………if anything happened to them. (PLACE) 3. Astronomers at the………… have announced that they have discovered a new comet. (OBSERVE) 4. The man was later charged with ………… a police officer. (PERSON) 5. If you can respond calmly and…………, then I think that would be the best way forward. (AGGRESSIVE) 6. I’m looking for a flatmate so I’m going to put an ad in the………… (CLASS) 7. The positive relationship between a business and a customer, often referred as ‘…………’, is difficult to quantify financially. (GOOD) 8. After ten matches, we had the…………record of played ten, won none, lost ten. (ENVY) 9. Don't you think it's a bit early to…………blame? (PORTION) 10. The rumours are completely ………… and I would urge everyone not to believe them.(SUBSTANCE)

PART 2: Complete the passage with the appropriate forms from the words given in the box.

argue be direct heart idea intelligence marriage reach reduction rigour

Historically, most advocates of correspondence theories have been ontological realists; that is, they believe that there is a world external to the minds of all humans. This is in contrast to metaphysical (1)…………who hold that everything that exists is, in the end, just an idea in some mind. However, it is not strictly necessary that a correspondence theory be (2)………… to ontological realism. It is possible to hold, for example, that the facts of the world determine which statements are true and to also hold that the world (and its facts) is but a collection of ideas in the mind of some supreme (3)………….

One attack on the theory claims that the correspondence theory succeeds in its appeal to the real world only in so far as the real world is (4)…………by us. The direct realist believes that we directly know objects as they are. Such a person can (5)…………adopt a correspondence theory of truth. The (6)……… theorist believes that there are no real objects. The correspondence theory appeals to imaginary undefined entities, so it is incoherent. The skeptic believes that we have no knowledge. The correspondence theory is simply false.

Other positions hold that we have some type of awareness, perception, etc. of real-world objects which in some way falls short of direct knowledge of them. But such an (7)………… awareness or perception is itself an idea in one's mind, so that the correspondence theory of truth (8) …………to a correspondence between ideas about truth and ideas of the world, whereupon it becomes a coherence theory of truth.

If no theory of the world is offered, the (9) ………… is so vague as to be useless or even (10)………: truth would then be supposed to be correspondence to some undefined, unknown or ineffable world. It is difficult to see how a candidate truth could be more certain than the world we are to judge its degree of correspondence against.

III. ERROR CORRECTION (10 pts): The following passage contains 10 errors. Identify and correct them.

10

15

20

25 Brain drain, which is the action of having highly skilled and educated people leaving their country to work abroad, have become one of the developing countries concern. Brain drain also refers as human capital flight. More and more Third World science and technology educated people are heading for more prosperous countries seeking higher wages and better working conditions. This, of course, has serious consequences on the sending countries. While many people believe that immigration is a personal choice that must be understood and respected, others look at the phenomenon at a different perspective. What makes those educated people leave their countries should be seriously considered and a distinct between push and pull factors must be made. The push factors include low wages and lack of satisfactory working and living conditions. Social unrest, political conflicts and wars may also be determined causes. The pull factors, however, include intellectual freedom and substantial funds for research. Brain drain has negative impact on the sending countries economic prospects and competitiveness. They will reduce the number of dynamic and creative people who can contribute to the development of their country. However, with more entrepreneurs taking their investments abroad, developing countries are missing an opportunity of wealthy creation. This has also negative consequences on tax revenue and employment. Most of the measures made so far have not had any success in alleviating the effects of brain drain. A more global sight must take into consideration the provision of adequate working and living conditions in the sending countries. Another option should involve encouraging the expatriates to contribute their skill to the development of their countries without necessarily physically relocating.

1……………… 2……………… 3……………… 4……………… 5……………… 6……………… 7……………… 8……………… 9………………

215 IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20 pts): Rewrite the following sentences using the words given. 1. I didn’t dare to tell the truth because my father was there. (GUTS) → Hadn’t it………………………………………………………………………… 2. Looking back, we could have managed things in a more organized way. (SHIP) → With …………………………………………………………………………….. 3. It was a shame I couldn't come to his father's funeral. (RESPECT) → I'd like……………………………………………………………………………. 4. Despite the effort we made, our plan just wouldn't come off. (PIE) → Hard……………………………………………………………………………… 5. When it comes to his political view, his comments are sometimes inappropriate. (PALE)

→……………………………………………………………………………………. 6. I hate it that I. always have to attract the boss’s criticism when things go wrong. (FIRE) → I object to ………………………………………………………………………… 7. It was bad the adults pretended to be unaware of the kids' problems. (SAND) → The adults shouldn't……………………………………………………………… 8.1 haven’t been told exactly what I will have to do in my new job. (REQUIRED) → It hasn't been……………………………………………………………………… 9. Andrew's determination to become a doctor despite his poor health should receive fervent support from his father. → It is crucial that Andrew’s parents……………………………………………….. 10. A committed’ atheist, Stephen Hawking believes that the universe is only governed by the laws of science. → Stephen Hawking holds……………… due to his ………………

A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (40 PTS) I. WORD CHOICE (5 PTS): Choose the best options to complete the following sentences. 1. Mr. Minh is held in high ………….. for his dedication to the school.

A. respect B. esteem C. honor D. homage 2. Marine construction technology like this is very complex, somewhat …………..to trying to build a bridge under water.

A. analogous B. correlative C. synchronized D. incumbent 3. The car wheels ………….. as they curved and bounced over the rough broken ground.

A. squeaked B. squished C. screeched D. sputtered 4. He was disappointed by his result, but he is now …………..to having to re-take the exam.

A. composed B. submitted C. reconciled D. subdued 5. Adults exchange drinks around a pub bar in ………….. of temporary friendship.

A. commemoration B. breach C. reference D. token 6. Fighting among rebel soldiers………….. last night and a curfew has now been imposed on the city.

A. enhanced B. aggravated C. heightened D. intensified 7. Our journey was ………….. by the icy roads, which forced, us to drive very slowly.

A. obstructed B. impeded C. barred D. blocked 8. Many poets have………….. the beauties of the countryside.

A. feared B. excited C. extolled D. inhibited 9. Mary is a( n)…………..liar. She was even arrested for lying to a police officer.

A. physical B. congenital C. naive D. abnormal 10. The Prime Minister will decide whether to release the prisoner or not; that’s his…………..

A. prerogative B. derogatory C. abdication D. humanity

II. G RAMMAR AND STRUCTURES (5PTS): Choose the best options to complete the following sentences. 11. He started hammering on the adjoining wall but Mary carried on …………..

A. notwithstanding B. regardless C. irrespective D. nevertheless 12. ………….. hundreds of people dead during the evacuation from the war-torn area in the Middle East.

A. It is estimated to be B. There is estimated to be

C. There are estimated to be D. It is estimated that 13. Jane was not…………..the landlady had imagined she was.

A. what B. that C. which D. at all 14.…………..the party began.

A. The music turning on B. The music having been turned on

C. Turning on the music D. Having turned the music on 15. Would you be…………..?

A. kind enough in order to answer the phone for me

B. so kind as to answer the phone for me

C. too kind to answer the phone for me

D. that too kind and answer the phone for me 16. ………….., I could attend the conference now.

A. Were the flight to have taken off on time

B. Were it not for the abrupt delay

C. Were the flight not have been postponed at last minutes

D. Were it to be a punctual flight 17………….., the youngest mountain climber got lost with the rest of his team when his walkie-talkie malfunctioned.

217 A. As luck would have it B. By a stroke of luck

C. Be it lucky or not D. To put it down to luck 18………….., the meeting stops here.

A. I f no question being asked B. Without any question, however

C. No questions asked D. There being no question 19. Two weeks………….., we will celebrate our coronation.

A. yet B. hence C. hitherto D. albeit 20. In your place, I ………….. to others for help. There’s no way of getting the project finished yourself.

A. would have turned B. must have turned C. will turn D. would turn

III. PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS (5 PTS) 31. ‘‘Don't be a law ………….. yourself!” - the mom shouted.

A. onto B. up after C. in for D. unto 32. Linda was ………….. herself with joy when her friends threw a surprise party for her birthday.

A. beyond B. on and off C. beside D. at 33. Until this evening, Hannah is still ………….. away at her unfinished report.

A. hammering B. grinding C. whiling D. axing 34. After a four-day holiday, they began to work…………..

A. on end B. out of bounds C. in proportions D. in earnest 35. The fact that a member holding authoritative power rides roughshod…………..innocent residents exists in any society, even the democratic one.

A. on B. over C. at D. against 36. One’s childhood heavily rubs ………….. one’s character traits.

A. off on B. together C. in with D. along 37. You don't …………..all this nonsense, do you?

A. cordon off B. buy into C. edge out D. hit on 38. After our busy day, we both sat and…………..in front of the TV.

A. nodded off B. slipped out C. flaked off D. knocked out 39. The story draws heavily………….. how strict the writer’s upbringing was.

A. toward B. in C. on D. into 40. Jacobin cuckoo is a………….. of monsoon.

A. forerunner B. harbinger C. premonition D. herald

IV. COLLOCATIONS AND IDIOMS 31. This lovely new dress fist like a …………..

A. treat B. gauntlet C. gown D. glove 32. The designer refuses to gild the………….. , preferring clean, simple lines for his creations.

A. lily B. flower C. rose D. daisy 33. Gina finally…………..and admitted that she had broken the vase.

A. threw in the towel B. made a clean breast of it

C. read her the riot act D. let her hair down 34. There are no hills around and the area is as flat as a …………...

A. stick B coin C. feather D. pancake 35. It's time we changed the………….. regarding the roles in the family.

A. idée fixe B. carte blanche C. hoi polloi D. social milieu 36. During pioneer days a lot of land in the United States was up for…………...

A. gain B. promotion C. taking D. grabs 37. I warned her not to say sensitive things but she was like a bull in a(n)………….. shop

A. India B. Nepal C. China D. Japan 38. The argument drove a ………….. between party members.

A. wedge B. linchpin C. needle D. sword 39. The government is making little …………..in its fight to beat inflation.

A. advance B. headway C. forward D. forward 40. It must be true. I heard it straight from the ………….. mouth.

A. dog's B. horse's C. camel's D. cat's

V. GUIDED CLOZE I (5PTS): Read tile text below and decide which answer best fits each space. INDUSTRY 4.0

Digitally connected manufacturing, often (41)………….“Industry 4.0”, (42)………….a wide variety of technologies, ranging from 3D printing to robotics, new materials and production systems.

A move towards Industry 4.0 would benefit the private sector. Large, integrated manufacturers would find in it a way to (43)…………. and shorten their supply chain, for example via flexible factories. A more digitalized manufacturing would also open new market (44)…………. for SMEs providing such specialized technologies as sensors, robotics, 3D printing or machine-to-machine communications.

For developed nations, Industry 4.0-a term initially (45)………….in Germany-could be a way to regain manufacturing competitiveness. This is particularly relevant in the case of Western Europe, which, unlike the US, does not currently enjoy reduced energy costs.

As for (46) …………. markets, Industry 4.0 could provide the much-needed route to moving up the value chain, something that has become increasingly important to achieve in the (47)………….of rising labor costs. For example, China’s new ten-year plan, issued last May and (48)………….named “Made in China 2025”, targets key sectors such as robotics, information technology and energy (49)…………. turning the country from a “manufacturing giant” into a “world manufacturing power.

As promising as it is, much more work remains to be done to make Industry 4.0 a large scale reality. On the regulatory side, for instance, policy makers will have to ensure that data-the (50) …………. of Industry 4.0- can move freely and securely throughout the supply chain, including across borders. This is an effort that is likely to take some time. 41. A. deferred to as B. referred to as C. deferred to D. referred to 42. A. involves B. supports C. encompasses D. necessitates 43. A. optimize B. maximize C. customize D. legitimize 4 4 .A. chances B. possibilities C. opportunities D. places 45. A. yielded B. pieced C. lauded D. coined 46. A. novel B. emerging C. premature D. immature 47. A. loop B. teeth C. feat D. wake 48. A. aptly B. particularly C. unwittingly D. distinctively 49. A. in the interests of B. in lieu of C. in awe of D. in the hope of 50. A. pins and needles B. nuts and bolts C. root and branch D. part and parcel

GUIDED CLOZE 2 (5PTS): Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space. BITCOIN

The UK and other EU governments are planning a (51)………….on bitcoin, also known as a cryptocurrency that is not (52) ………….by banks, amid growing concerns that the digital currency is being used for money laundering and tax (53) ………….?

The Treasury plans to regulate bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to bring them (54)…………. antimoney-laundering and counter-terrorism financial legislation. Traders will be forced to reveal their identities, ending the (55)…………. that has made the currency attractive for drug dealing and other illegal activities.

Under the EU-wide plan, online platforms where bitcoins are traded will be required to carry out (56) ………….diligence on customers and report suspicious transactions. The UK government is negotiating

219 amendments to the anti-money-laundering directive to ensure firms’ activities are (57)………….by national authorities.

Economists have compared bitcoin’s meteoric rise with past (58)…………., such as the tulip mania of the 17th century and the dotcom that began in the late 90s with the Nasdaq index in New York and burst in 2000. Both examples foreshadow a painful collapse for a currency that has no (59)…………. value to those who hold it beyond that (60) ………….to it by a community of owners. Should they realise the emperor has no clothes en masse, there could be a rude awakening. 51. A. crackdown B. walk-out C. lowdown D. toss-up 52. A. underscored B. underwritten C. upholstered D. underpinned 53. A. invasion B. elusion C. indictment D. evasion 54. A. in line with B. in line for C. on line with D. on line for 55. A. animosity B. anonymity C. pseudonym D. misnomer 56. A. preemptive B. tender C. prudish D. due 57. A. overlooked B. overseen C. overdriven D. overthrown 58. A. insinuations B. economies of scale C. bubbles D. junctures 59. A. intrinsic B. intricate C. civic D. immaculate 60. A. preordained B. ascribed C. etched D. conferred

VI. READING COMPREHENSION: PASSAGE 1

If you think that we are the only creatures on Earth with a moral sense, then you're in good company. Most experts in behavior believe that morality is a uniquely human trait, without which our complex social life would never have emerged - yet I'm convinced that many animals can distinguish right from wrong. Decades spent watching wild and captive animals have persuaded me that species living in groups often have a sense of fair play built on moral codes of conduct that help cement their social relationships. The notion of Nature being naturally ruthlessly and selfishly competitive doesn't hold true for those of us who have observed and analyzed animal relationships.

That's not all. I suspect that herein lies the origin of our own virtue. Biologists have had real problems trying to explain why people are frequently inexplicably nice to each other. It just doesn't make sense in evolutionary terms, unless there are ulterior motives behind our seemingly altruistic actions. Perhaps we expect a payback somewhere down the line, or maybe our good deeds are directed only towards kin, with whom we share a biological heritage. Nobody has really considered the possibility that being considerate to your neighbors might sometimes be the best way to survive. But I'm starting to find evidence that a welldeveloped sense of fair play helps non-human animals live longer, more successful lives.

I'm particularly interested in social play amongst youngsters because it has its own special rules of engagement, allowing participants to reinterpret acts that might otherwise seem aggressive. My studies of infant dogs, wolves and coyotes reveal that they use a special signal to prevent misinterpretation of playful actions. They perform a 'bow' - which entails crouching on the forelimbs while keeping the rear upright - when initiating play, or in association with aggressive actions such as biting, to modify their meaning. And role reversal is common, so that during play a dominant animal will often allow a subordinate to have the upper hand. Such behaviors reduce inequalities in size, strength and dominance between playmates, fostering the co-operation and reciprocity that are essential for play to occur. Indeed, on the rare occasions when an animal says 'Let's play' and then beats up an unsuspecting animal, the culprit usually finds itself ostracized by its former playmates.

My belief is that a sense of fairness is common to many animals, because there could be no social play without it, and without social play individual animals and entire groups would be at a disadvantage. If I'm right, morality evolved because it is adaptive. It helps many animals, including humans, to survive and flourish in their particular social environment. This may sound like a radical idea, particularly if you view morality as uniquely human and a sort of mystical quality that sets us apart from other animals. But if you accept my argument that play and fairness are inextricably linked, you're halfway there.

[A] As with any behavioral trait, the underlying genetics is bound to be complex, and environmental influences may be large. [B] No matter. Provided there is variation in levels of morality among individuals, and provided virtue is rewarded by a greater number of offspring, then any genes associated with good behavior are bound to accumulate in subsequent generations. [C] And the observation that play is rarely unfair or uncooperative is surely an indication that natural selection acts to weed out those who don't play by the rules. [D]

What does this tell us about human morality? First, we didn't invent virtue - its origins are much more ancient than our own. Secondly, we should stop seeing ourselves as morally superior to other animals. True, our big brains endow us with a highly sophisticated sense of what's right and wrong, but they also give us much greater scope for manipulating others - to deceive and try to benefit from immoral behavior. In that sense, animal morality might be 'purer' than our own. We should accept our moral responsibility towards other animals, and that means developing and enforcing more restrictive regulations governing animal use. While animal minds may vary from one species to another, they are not so different from our own, and only when we accept this can we truly be moral in our relations with nature as a whole. 61. In the first paragraph, what does the writer state about morality?

A. Humans are the only creatures that demonstrate true emotional behavior.

B. A well-developed moral code does not lead to civilization.

C. Humans and animals share the same selfish instincts for survival.

D. There is a common misconception that animals are not moral. 62. What point does the writer make in the second paragraph?

A. People who are generous to others are not always sure why they behave that way.

B. People who do not possess good social skills achieve less in life.

C. People who behave considerately to others have selfish reasons for doing so.

D. People who treat acquaintances better than relatives are unusual. 63. Neighbors are mentioned as an example to ………….

A. illustrate the fact that another aspect of the driving force may have been overlooked

B. reiterate the notion that being nice to others is not hereditary

C. strengthen his belief that longevity does come into play concerning how kind we are

D. report that many folks are becoming increasingly disillusioned with their proclivity to helping others 64. The word altruistic in paragraph two most likely means…………..

A. strange B. democratic C. selfless D. immaterial 65. What has the writer deduced about social play from his observation of animals?

A. It provides an opportunity for physically weaker animals to develop survival skills.

B. It allows animals to prove who is dominant in the group without using real aggression.

C. It requires animals to abide by the rules or they will be excluded from the group.

D. It demonstrates that certain animals possess a large range of emotions. 66. Which of the following best summarizes the writers argument in the fourth paragraph?

A. There are different degrees of morality between various cultures.

B. Humans adopted moral behavior as a means of survival,

C. Groups benefit from social play more than individuals do.

D. Spirituality and morality are inseparable. 67. What does the writer state about the evolution of morality?

A. There may be a particular gene responsible for morality.

B. Moral development depends on physical hardships.

C. There is little point in seeking the origin of moral behavior.

D. Animals that behave fairly are more likely to breed. 68. In the final paragraph, according to the writer, people………….

A. must treat animals on equal terms with humans.

B. should be less arrogant in their view of themselves.

221 C. are more advanced as they use immorality to their advantage.

D. should discriminate between which animals display morality and those that do not. 69. The writer concludes that in our relations with nature as a whole, …………..

A. an open mind is of paramount importance

B. any exploitation should be dispensed with

C. bilateral responsibility is not always conducive to a long-standing relationship

D. virtue should be perceived with a new level of intricacy 70. “I am not putting the case forward for a specific gene for fair or moral behavior” .

The sentence is extracted from somewhere in paragraph five. Where should this sentence be located?

A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]

PASSAGE 2

THE MORECAMBE & WISE SHOW

It happened one night. It happened, to be precise, at 8:55 p.m on the night of 25 December 1977, when an estimated 28,835,000 people - more than half of the total population of the United Kingdom - turned their television sets to BBC 1 and spent the next hour and ten minutes in the company of a rather tall man called Eric and a rather short man called Ernie. It was an extraordinary night for British television. It was - at least as far as that catholic and capacious category known as “light entertainment” was concerned - as close as British television had ever come, in some forty - one years of trying, to being a genuine mass medium . None of the usual rigid divisions and omissions were apparent in the broad audience of that remarkable night; no stark class bias, no pronounced gender imbalance, no obvious age asymmetry, no generalized demographic slant. It was also, of course, an extraordinary night for the two stars of the show: Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise - by far the most illustrious, and the best - loved, double - act that Britain has. ever produced. Exceptionally professional yet endearingly personable, they were wonderful together as partners, as friends, as almost a distinct entity: not “Morecambe and Wise” but “Morecambewise”. There was Eric and there was Ernie: one of them an idiot, the other a bigger idiot, each of them half a star, together a whole star, forever hopeful of that “brand new, bright tomorrow” that they sang about at the end of each show. True, Eric would often slap Ernie smartly on the cheeks, but they clearly thought the world of each other, and the world thought a great deal of them, too.

There show succeeded in attracting such a massive following on that memorable night because it had, over he course of the previous night years or so, established, and then enhanced, an enviable reputation for consistency, inventiveness, unparalleled professional polish and, last but by no means least, a strong and sincere respect for its audience. The Morecambe & Wise Show stood for something greater, something far more precious, than mere first-rate but evanescent entertainment; it had come to stand - just as persuasively and as proudly as any earnest documentary or any epic drama - for excellence in broadcasting, the result not just of two gifted performers (great talent, alas, does not of itself guarantee that great television) but also of a richly proficient and supremely committed production team.

The show, culminating in the record-breaking triumph of that 1977 special, represented an achievement in high-quality popular program-making that is now fast assuming the aura of a fairy tale - destined, one fears, to be passed on with bemused fascination from one doubtful generation to its even more disbelieving successor as the seemingly endless proliferation of new channels and novel forms of distraction continue to divide and disperse the old mass audience in the name of that remorseless quest for “quality demographics" and “niche audiences”. The Morecambe & Wise Show appeared at a time before home video, before home satellite dishes and cable technology, before the dawning of digital revolution, a time when it was. still considered desirable to make a television program that might - just might - excite most of the people most of the time.

Neither Morecambe nor Wise ever looked down on, or up at, anyone (except, of course, each other); both of them looked straight back at their audience on level terms. No celebrated was ever allowed to challenge this comic democracy: within the confines of the show, the rich and famous went unrecognized and frequently unpaid (a running gag); venerable actors with grand theatrical reputations were mocked

routinely by Eric's sotto voce comments; and two resolutely down-to-earth working-class comedians gleefully reaffirmed the remarkably deep, warm and sure relationship that existed between themselves and the British public.

“It was,” reminisced Ernie Wise, “a sort of great big office party for the whole country, a bit of fun people could understand." From the first few seconds of their opening comic routine to the final few notes and motions of their closing son g and dance, Morecambe and Wise did their very best to draw people together rat her than drive them apart. Instead of pandering submissively to the smug exclusivity of the cognoscenti (they were flattered by a well -regarded critic praised the sly “oeillade” that accompanied Eric's sarcastic asides , but they still mocked him mercilessly for his use of the word), and instead of settling - as so many of their supposed successors would do with unseemly haste - for the easy security of a “cult following”, Morecambe and Wise always aimed to entertain the whole nation .

When viewers watched that show at the end of 1977, they witnessed a rare and rich compendium of the very best in popular culture: the happy summation of a joint career that had traversed all of the key developments associated with the rise of mass entertainment in Britain, encompassing the faint but still discernible traces of Victorian music-hall, the crowded animation of Edwardian Variety, the wordy populism of the wireless, the spectacular impact of the movie s and, finally , the more intimate pervasiveness of television. When that career was all over, it was sorely missed. They were simply irreplaceable. 71. The writer implies in the first paragraph that one reason why the show on 25 December 1977 was extraordinary was that………….

A. light entertainment program s had been the targets of criticism before then.

B. no one had thought that a British television program could appeal to all classes,

C. its audience included people who might not have been expected to watch it.

D. people tuning into it knew that they were taking part in a phenomenal event. 72. The word capacious in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to …………..

A. large B. spacious C. roomy D. restricted 73. In the second paragraph, the writer implies that Morecambe and Wise………….

A. would probably not have been successful had they been solo performers

B. had a different relationship in real life from the one they had on television

C. were keen for audiences to realize how professional they were

D. probably did not know how popular they were 74. The writer says in the third paragraph that one reason why the Morecambe & Wise Show remained so popular was that………….

A. It adapted to changes in audience attitudes to what constituted good entertainment.

B. It appealed to people who normally preferred other kinds of program.

C. The people who made it knew that its popularity was guaranteed.

D. The contribution of people other than its s tars was a key element in it. 75. The writer suspects that The Morecambe & Wise Show will in the future be regarded as ………….

A. something which might only catch on with certain audiences

B. something which has acquired an exaggerated reputation

C. the kind of program that program - makers will aspire to

D. the kind of program that illustrates the disadvantages of technological advances 76. The word evanescent in paragraph 3 most likely means ………….

A. transient B. contemptible C. malevolent D. cynical 77. According to the writer, one feature of The Morecambe & Wise Show was………….

A. the way in which it reflected developments in British society

B. its inclusion of jokes that only certain people would understand

C. the consistent way in which other stars were treated on it

D. its careful choice of other stars to appear on it 78. In the sixth paragraph, the writer implies that………….

223 A. other comedians have attempted to appeal to only a particular group of people.

B. Morecambe and Wise usually disregarded what critics said about them.

C. other comedians have not accorded Morecambe and Wise the respect they deserve.

D. Morecambe and Wise realized that there were some people who would never like them. 79. In the last paragraph, the writer implies that one remarkable feature of the show was that ………….

A. it exceeded even the expectations of its audience.

B. it contained elements that could have been regarded as old-fashioned,

C. it showed the similarities between earlier forms of entertainment.

D. it contained a hint of sadness despite being so entertaining. 80. The word compendium in paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to …………..

A. performance B. perfection C. attempt D. combination

B. WRITTEN TEST I. CLOZE TEST: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE WORD for each space. OPEN CLOZE 1 (10PTS)

Resembling real bank notes but not an officially (1)…………. currency, the custom of burning Hell Money is also believed to distract evil spirits (2)…………. that they chase the cash instead of the departed soul of the dead.

Hell Money, also known as Ghost Money and Spirit Money, has been discovered in archaeological (3)…………. and its use can be (4)………….back to the first millennium BCE - however, money was not in (5)………….form then, but instead made of stone, bones and later metal. The design of Hell Money banknotes is intrinsically an art form. They are printed on joss paper in vivid colors and elaborate designs, with the King of Hell featuring on their front side. The size can (6)………….but in most cases they all have huge denominations. (7)………….most banknotes display values in the millions and billions, there are a few notes with values of tens or hundreds. The 100 dollar note is particularly interesting with the King of Hell (8)………….four-fold because the Chinese word for “four” is a homonym of the word “death”.

On most bills, there are phrases like "Hell Bank Note", while some are designed in (9) ………….a way that is similar to known, existing currencies, say, American dollars or British- pounds. Some Hell Money banknotes contain signatures, serial numbers and other elements that make them look like real money.

The Hungry Ghost Festival and Dongzhi Festival are two common occasions that sees many Chinese commemorate their ancestors by offering (10)………….including the burning of Hell Money.

OPEN CLOZE 2 (10PTS) (1)…………. along the way, Black Friday made the giant leap from congested streets and crowded stores to fevered shoppers fist-fighting over parking spaces and pepper-spraying each other as they tussle (2)………….the last Tickle Me Elmo. When did Black Friday become the (3)…………. frenzy, over-thetop shopping event it is today?

That would be in the 2000s, when Black Friday was officially designated the biggest shopping day of the year. Until then, that (4) ………….had gone to the Saturday before Christmas. Yet as more and more retailers started touting “can’t miss” post-Thanksgiving sales and the Black Friday discounts grew deeper and deeper, American consumers could no longer (5)………….the pull of this magical shopping day.

Retailers may spend an (6)…………. year planning their Black Friday sales. They use the day as an opportunity to offer rock-(7) ………….prices on overstock inventory and to offer doorbusters and discounts on seasonal items, such as holiday decorations and typical holiday gifts. Retailers also offer significant discounts on big-ticket items and top-selling brands of TVs, small devices and other electronics, luring customers in the hope that, (8)…………. inside, they will purchase higher-margin goods. The contents of Black Friday advertisements are often so (9)………….anticipated that retailers go to great (10)…………. to ensure that they don't leak out publically beforehand.