ĐỀ THAM KHẢO THPN (Đề 2)

I. LISTENING (5.0 points)

Part 1. For questions 1-5, listen to part of a discussion between two experts, Nick
and Allison, on the performance of the company Facebook since it floated on the
stock exchange, hosted by Emily. Decide whether the following are mentioned by
only one of the speakers, or by both of them. In the corresponding numbered boxes
provided, write:
N for Nick
A for Allison
B for Both of the speakers
1. A rival company that can potentially pose a problem
2. A measure that may worsen problems if taken
3. An estimate not based on extensive analysis
4. An existing problem that can be solved in the future
5. A development to the disadvantage of a business model
Part 2. For questions 6-10, listen to a short talk on spicy food and match each
number in Column I with one letter in column II to make a correct statement
according to what is stated or implied by the speaker. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Column I Column II
A. creates a “spicy” sensation that only milk can have any effect
on
B. is used as the raw material in the creation of tear gas
C. are considered as the archetypal “spicy” food
D. contains a compound that binds with sensory receptors in the
6. Chili peppers
nose
7. Jalapenos
E. make people feel as if their mouth is being burned by fire
8. Ginger and black
F. contain compounds that can trigger a range of heat receptors
pepper
G. triggers the same receptors in our body that bind with
9. Wasabi
capsaicin
10. Szechuan pepper
H. alerts your body even if only a small amount touches the
mouth
I. need to be consumed in large amounts to create any heat
J. have compounds that work like capsaicin, but to a lesser
degree

Part 3. For questions 11-15, listen to an expert talking about detecting scam
supplements and write the letter A, B, C, or D in the numbered boxes provided to
indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions according to what you
hear.
11. Which of the following is true about prenatal vitamins?
A. They are one of the few medicines for pregnancy that is evidence-based.
B. They provide pregnant women with nutrients that are lacking in diets.
C. They are meant to be a dietary supplement, but many people ignore this.
D. They contain folate and other micronutrients necessary for our body.
12. According to the speaker, “medical benefit” supplements _____.
A. cannot include information about benefits unless approved by the FDA
B. were mostly not developed based on a strong scientific foundation
C. present potential risks due to them being unsupported by any evidence
D. vary in terms of how science- and evidence-based they actually are
13. The speaker suggests questioning all of the following about a supplement EXCEPT _____.
A. whether trusted authorities recommend it B. what tests have been conducted on it
C. who is advertising or endorsing it D. if it is vital to consume it
14. What is the major concern with supplements, according to the speaker?
A. You do not have a clear understanding of how they work.
B. You have no access to essential data for verification purposes.
C. You do not really know if the ingredients are approved or not.

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 D. You cannot be absolutely sure about the truth of claims.
15. Which of the following can be inferred from the talk?
A. Critical thinking is very important when purchasing supplements.
B. You should only buy supplements that fall into dietary supplement category.
C. The FDA is not doing enough to stop fake supplements from entering the market.
D. The stronger the claims about a supplement, the more suspicious it is.
Part 4. For questions 16-25, listen to a short news report and complete the following
summary. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the recording. Write your
answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
Though fictional, the Robin Hood story is actually (16) _____ with a historical document
named the Magna Carta, which marked the establishment of many rights such as tax limitation,
due process, and (17) _____. Originally signed in order to prevent an uprising by (18) _____, the
document is considered the (19) _____ to the US Declaration of Independence. Given its
importance, it is quite (20) _____ that Harvard Law School possesses one of the few original
copies, a fact (21) _____ to them until recently. This newly discovered copy can be traced back
to a British abolitionist, who subsequently passed it on to a (22) _____ during World War I, after
which it came into the possession of an (23) _____ named Sweden Maxwell before finally being
purchased by Harvard. Discussing its significance, the speaker asserts that the Magna Carta’s
purpose is to prevent a (24) _____ (e.g. state authority) to impose its own power and
compromise the autonomy of an individual or a (25) _____ like Harvard.
II. READING (8.0 points)
II.1. LANGUAGE IN USE (3.0 points)
Part 1. For questions 26-35, read the passage below and decide which answer (A, B,
C or D) best fits each space. Write the letter A, B, C, or D in the numbered boxes
provided.
Could extraterrestrial technology be (26) _____ in our backyard – on the Moon, Mars or in the
asteroid belt? The idea that a planet like Mars might host cities and technology (27) _____
traction in scientific circles when Percival Lowell popularised his theory of ‘canals’ on Mars
between 1894 and 1908. He claimed that these were artificial irrigation channels built by
Martians to transport water from the poles to equatorial cities. Not (28) _____ astronomers
agreed with Lowell, but the possibility of an inhabited Mars couldn’t be immediately dismissed.
The excitement generated by his hypothesis eventually went on to (29) _____ works of science
fiction like War of the Worlds in the year 1989, (30) _____ Martian invaders come to colonise
Earth and exploit its resources.
What would it mean to find alien technology close to Earth? The implications would be
transformative. Such a discovery would instantly (31) _____ humanity’s sense of itself in the
hierarchy of the cosmos, suggesting that we are not alone after all, but that visitors have, (32)
_____, been here before. In a universe where distances render most forms of contact nearly
impossible, proximity changes everything. Lowell’s hypothesis about canals on Mars did not
last, of course. By the 1930s, improved instruments revealed that the ‘canals’ were (33) _____
illusions. By the 1960s, scientific evidence had (34) _____ disproved the idea of alien
civilisations in the solar system. Venus was too hot, while Mars was simply too barren. Science
fiction (35) _____ faraway stars and, with the discovery of exoplanets, Earth-like worlds that
could be habitable, so did science.
26. A. sneaking B. creeping C. lurking D. edging
27. A. gathered B. won C. gained D. obtained
28. A. every B. all C. any D. some
29. A. inspire B. endorse C. promote D. foster
30. A. of that B. in which C. when D. where
31. A. upend B. upside C. upturn D. upswing
32. A. henceforth B. consequently C. in fact D. nevertheless
33. A. perception B. sight C. visual D. optical
34. A. efficiently B. productively C. effectively D. impressively
35. A. turned over B. turned in C. turned to D. turned away
Part 2. For questions 36-40, read the passage, and then fill in each of the spaces
with the correct form of the words given in the box. Write your answers in the
numbered boxes provided. There are FOUR words that you do not need to use. The
first one, (0), has been done as an example.
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 LANGUAGE SYSTEM CONTROL EMERGE AIR
ORDER ACTION RISE NUMBER COLLECT

When thousands of starlings swoop and swirl in the evening sky, no single bird is
choreographing this (0) _____ ballet. Each bird follows simple rules of interaction with its closest
neighbours, yet out of these local interactions emerges a complex, highly (36) _____ dance
between individual birds that can respond swiftly to predators and environmental changes. This
same principle – where sophisticated behaviours (37) _____ not from central control but from
the interactions themselves – appears across nature and human society.
Consider how market prices emerge from (38) _____ individual trading decisions, none of
which alone contains the ‘right’ price. Each trader acts on partial information and personal
strategies, yet their interaction produces a dynamic system that integrates information from
across the globe. Human language evolves through a similar process of (39) _____. No
individual or committee decides that ‘LOL’ should enter common usage or that the meaning of
‘cool’ should expand anywhere beyond temperature. Instead, these changes result from
millions of daily linguistic interactions, with new patterns of speech bubbling up from the (40)
_____ behaviour of speakers.
Your answers: 0. aerial
Part 3. The extract below contains FIVE grammatical mistakes. For questions 41-45,
UNDERLINE the mistakes and WRITE THEIR CORRECT FORMS in the numbered boxes
provided. The first one has been done as an example.
There are currently 43.7 million refugee worldwide. These are people who have been forced
to flee their home countries due to severe threats to their lives, human rights and basic needs.
Yet, having fled in search of safety, they have not always found it. Instead, the vast majority
live in squalid and dangerous camps or facing destitution in urban areas, in regions
neighbouring their own states in the Global South. In these conditions, refugees continue to
face severe human rights violations. A small minority undertake perilous journeys to find safety
in the Global North. Thousands lose their lives on the way.
How should states in the Global North respond to this situation? This question polarises
debate. Some philosopher, including Peter Singer, argue that states must admit refugees until
the point of societal collapse; the others argue that states are not necessarily obligated to
admit a single refugee. Some politicians advocate for expansive resettlement, others seek to
prevent refugees from seeking asylum at the border, or even deport it. Some citizens march
the streets proclaiming ‘refugees welcome here’, others attempt to burn down a hotel with
refugees inside. In the face of such volatile disagreement, there is an urgent need for an
understanding of what an ethical response to refugees would it be.
Your answers: 0. refugees
II.2. READING COMPREHENSION
Part 1. For questions 46-55, read the passage below and fill in each of the numbered
spaces with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered
boxes provided.
Life is immensely complex. At (46) _____ level, from molecules and cells to entire organisms
and the intricate ecological balance between species, biologists are invariably amazed by the
staggering complexity and interconnectedness of life.
Peering into the tapestry of complexity, one way to approach the complexity of life is to
search for general threads of order that weave (47) _____ seemingly disparate facts. For
example, while life is incredibly diverse, all living things are well fit to their environment.
Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, discovered that one (48) _____ process explained how
this happened – he called it natural selection. All species have variation in their traits – (49)
_____ have thicker fur or longer beaks – and if any of those differences help the organism
survive and reproduce, it will pass on that (50) _____ to future generations.
Over (51) _____, this moulds organisms to become well-adapted to their environment. In this
view, evolutionary theory becomes a unifying idea in biology. All organisms, from microbes to
jellyfish, ferns to elephants, are connected by the (52) _____ thread of evolution. If there are
truly universal laws governing how organisms evolve, then we should be able to represent
these rules mathematically in the same way a physicist expresses (53) _____ universal
concepts as Newton’s laws of motion. This (54) _____ has been taken by population genetics –

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since its beginnings in the 1910s, population geneticists have derived hundreds of
mathematical equations to describe how evolution occurs (55) _____ a myriad of conditions.
Part 2. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
The first stories were probably narrated to people crouching around a bonfire. These
included tales of mighty adventures, like near-death encounters, hunting excursions, or an
escape from mortal peril, or perhaps a mystery or divine anecdotes. However, irrespective of
the subject, there was one principal objective behind all these tales: to keep the listener
intrigued and engaged, to make them overlook their worries or fatigue, and only one query
must prevail in their mind – what happens next?
Finding the initial stories ever told in human history is like herding cats, as these were
preserved in the minds of the storytellers. This kind of storage or memorisation, however, shall
not be deemed as ineffective. Several documented oral traditions of Australia, Balkans, and
other parts of the world apprise us of master storytellers and poets of the time that could recite
thousands of verses and proses from their memory, word to word. However, while such
memorisation seems like art or sorcery, the essential idea of creating symbols is to have a
system of reminders or mnemonics that helps one recall specific information in one's mind. In a
few Polynesian societies, the storytellers used a notched memory stick for assistance in
successive stages of recitation. However, among many other global communities, the art of
storytelling led to the invention or development of writing systems. For instance, the onset of
literacy in ancient Greece is attributed to the fact that the epic tales of the Trojan War and the
Voyage of Odysseus were so captivating that there was a need to preserve them. Thus, the
Greeks, in 750 B.C. – 700 B.C. borrowed the alphabet system from their east Mediterranean
neighbours, the Phoenicians.
The pristine practice of documenting stories on parchment and other materials can be
traced to many ancient civilisations. The priestly papyrus archives of ancient Egypt and the
birch-bark scrolls used by North American Ojibway Indians are excellent examples. It has
emerged as a tried and tested practice, thanks to which stories are today synonymous with
words on paper. Even the practice of oral storytelling is believed to have been taken over by
journals, novels, comic strips, etc. However, written texts are not the primary source for
humans to access stories. But then, what is it?
The chief storyteller of the day is none other than the cinema. Each year, over seven billion
people head towards the silver screens to watch the latest offerings of national and
international cinema. Movies encompass storytelling in the form of motion pictures, which is a
contemporary phenomenon in comparison to reading information on paper or still photography.
It is more so an illusion that was originally accepted by the method of sequencing images in a
particular order. Even so, it is imperative to acknowledge that the art of visual storytelling must
hold a profoundly atavistic vibe to it. In spite of the advantage, the conventional patterns of
storyline and characterisation that have been instilled in storytelling for ages are indispensable
for a good story.
While thousands of scripts land dust on the desks of major film studios, all an aspiring
screenwriter needs to look up to is the fourth-century Greek philosopher, Aristotle. In his
incomplete work, The Poetics, he left several lecture notes describing the art of storytelling in
multiple literary and dramatic mediums. Though it is highly unlikely that he envisaged the
popcorn-fuelled atmosphere of today's multiplexes, he had ample perception of how to gather
and retain large crowds to such creative centres. He states that when a story fascinates us, we
lose the sense of where we are, our fears, and accept fiction. This is one of Aristotle's principles
of theatre, which he calls ‘the suspension of disbelief’. The audience know the feeling. They
might have experienced episodes of horror, grief, astonishment or ecstasy, sitting on the
theatre seats or even days after the show, knowing that it is all fiction yet letting it impact their
state of mind. They seldom think through why they are caught in the web of the storyteller.
Aristotle taught at Athens, the city where theatre emerged as a prime mode of public's
leisure and entertainment. So it is evident that he might have observed suspended disbelief in
action. Two theatrical storytelling types, tragedy and comedy, made Athenians immerse
themselves in gloom and glee, respectively. Of which, Aristotle explicitly acknowledged tragedy
as a potent weapon to trigger the most heartfelt emotions of the spectators, so he explored
over the factors in the storyteller's art that brought about such a subconscious commotion. For
this, he studied the masterpieces of classical Greek tragedies by Euripides, Aeschylus,
Sophocles, and even that of Homer.

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 Even at that time, Homer's stories commanded the same awe as today. His Iliad and the
Odyssey were considered literary landmarks and used as a scale to measure all other stories.
So what is the mystery behind Homer's captivating narratives? Homer conceived credible
heroes that were powerful and majestic but did not turn into fantasy figures in the end. He
made them sulk, quarrel, cheat, and whine. They were the characteristics that an audience
could relate to, or wish to follow. This naturally intrigued them to know what happens next. As
Aristotle observed, the heroes with a human side, a mix of flaws and vulnerability to which
humans are inclined, are aptly dramatic.
For questions 56-61, decide whether each of the following statements is True (T),
False (F) or Not Given (NG). Write T, F, or NG in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
56. Early stories focused primarily on near-death experiences to ensure that storytellers can
constantly hold the attention of the listener.
57. Tracking down the first stories is extremely hard since these exist solely in storytellers’
memories.
58. Many writing systems of ancient communities emerged out of necessity, as people were
trying to find a way to preserve stories that captivated them.
59. With the development of writing systems and documentation practices, written stories
quickly replaced oral storytelling traditions.
60. The art of visual storytelling, which resulted from the advent of motion pictures, completely
changed how a good story is told.
61. In The Poetics, readers will find descriptions of the art of storytelling in the form of fully
written lectures by the Greek philosopher Aristotle.
For questions 62-69, read the summary and fill in each space with NO MORE THAN
THREE WORDS taken from the passage. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes provided.
Although he may not have been able to imagine cinemas, where billions of people today
enjoy the (62) _____ of the film industry, Aristotle still possessed an (63) _____ of ways in which
storytelling captivates humans. In his work, the Greek philosopher explained how a story can
be engaging to such an extent that (64) _____ is embraced, similar to how movie-goers may go
through emotional (65) _____ long after a movie has ended. Such a strong state of immersion,
referred to as (66) _____, can be triggered in many ways. Theatrical performances in ancient
Athens, for instance, made use of tragedy as a (67) _____ to stir the emotions of the audience.
Meanwhile, Homer, well-known today for his (68) _____ (Iliad and the Odyssey), infused drama
into his classical tragedies by developing heroic characters with a human angle that the
audience could easily connect with. Thanks to such attachment, readers become (69) _____ in
the fates of these characters.
Part 3. In the passage below, six paragraphs have been removed. For questions 70-
75, read the passage and choose from paragraphs A-G the one which fits each gap.
There is ONE extra paragraph which you do not need to use. Write the letters A - G
in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Artificial intelligence (AI) can already predict the future. Police forces are using it to map
when and where crime is likely to occur. Doctors can use it to predict when a patient is most
likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Researchers are even trying to give AI imagination so it
can plan for unexpected consequences.
70.
If we want AI to really benefit people, we need to find a way to get people to trust it. To do
that, we need to understand why people are so reluctant to trust AI in the first place.
71.
Trust in other people is often based on our understanding of how others think and having
experience of their reliability. This helps create a psychological feeling of safety. AI, on the other
hand, is still fairly new and unfamiliar to most people.
72.
Many people are also simply not familiar with many instances of AI actually working,
because it often happens in the background. Instead, they are acutely aware of instances

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where AI goes wrong. Embarrassing AI failures receive a disproportionate amount of media
attention, emphasising the message that we cannot rely on technology.
73.
This suggests people use relevant evidence about AI in a biased manner to support their
existing attitudes, a deep-rooted human tendency known as “confirmation bias”. As AI is
represented more and more in media and entertainment, it could lead to a society split
between those who benefit from AI and those who reject it.
74.
Simply having previous experience with AI can significantly improve people’s opinions about
the technology, as ??? was found in the study mentioned above. Evidence also suggests the
more you use other technologies such as the Internet, the more you trust them.
75.
We don’t need to understand the intricate inner workings of AI systems, but if people are
given a degree of responsibility for how they are implemented, they will be more willing to
accept AI into their lives.
Missing paragraphs:
A. Take the case of Watson for Oncology, one of technology giant IBM’s supercomputer
programs. Their attempt to promote this program to cancer doctors was a PR disaster. The AI
promised to deliver top-quality recommendations on the treatment of 12 cancers that
accounted for 80% of the world’s cases. But when doctors first interacted with Watson, they
found themselves in a rather difficult situation. On the one hand, if Watson provided guidance
about a treatment that coincided with their own opinions, physicians did not see much point in
Watson’s recommendations. On the other hand, if Watson generated a recommendation that
contradicted the experts’ opinion, doctors would typically conclude that Watson wasn’t
competent.
B. If so, there’s little reason to think it will stop there. Machines will be free of many of the
physical constraints on human intelligence. Our brains run at slow biochemical processing
speeds on the power of a light bulb, so they are far from the physical limits of thought. Once
machines are better than us at designing even smarter machines, progress towards these
limits could accelerate.
C. Feelings about AI run deep. In a recent experiment, people from a range of backgrounds
were given various sci-fi films about AI to watch and then asked questions about automation in
everyday life. It was found that, regardless of whether the film they watched depicted AI in a
positive or negative light, simply watching a cinematic vision of our technological future
polarized the participants’ attitudes. Optimists became more extreme in their enthusiasm for AI
and skeptics became even more guarded
D. Many decisions in our lives require a good forecast, and AI is almost always better at
forecasting than we are. Yet for all these technological advances, we still seem to deeply lack
confidence in AI predictions. Recent cases show that people prefer to trust human experts,
even if these experts are wrong.
E. It may also be a good idea to reveal more about the algorithms which AI uses and the
purposes they serve. Several high-profile social media companies and online marketplaces
already release transparency reports about government requests and surveillance disclosures.
A similar practice for AI could help people have a better understanding of the way algorithmic
decisions are made.
F. Even if it can be technically explained, and that’s not always the case, AI’s decision-making
process is usually too difficult for most people to comprehend. And interacting with something
we don’t understand can cause anxiety and give us a sense that we’re losing control.
G. More pertinently, refusing to accept the advantages offered by AI could place a large group
of people at a serious disadvantage. Fortunately, we already have some ideas about how to
improve trust in AI.
Part 4. For questions 76-85, read the following passage and write A, B, C, or D in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided to indicate the correct answer which fits
best according to what is stated or implied in the text.
(1) We see with our eyes and taste with our tongues. Ears are for hearing, skin is for feeling
and noses are for smelling. Would anyone claim that ears can smell, or that tongues can see?

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As a matter of fact, yes. Paul Bach-y-Rita, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin at
Madison, believes that the senses are interconnected; for instance, a tongue can be used for
seeing. This ‘revolutionary’ study actually stems from a relatively popular concept among
scientists; that the brain is an accommodating organ. It will attempt to carry out the same
function, even when part of it is damaged, by redirecting the function to another area of the
brain. As opposed to the previously mainstream compartmentalized view of the human
brain, it is now more acceptable to scientists that the individual parts of the brain could be
somewhat interchangeable.
(2) Paul Bach-y-Rita’s experiments suggest that “we experience the five senses, but where the
data comes from may not be so important”. In the article ‘Can You See With Your Tongue?’, a
journalist was blindfolded with a small video camera strapped to his forehead, connected to a
long plastic strip which was inserted into his mouth. A laptop computer would convert the
video’s image into a fewer number of pixels, and those pixels would travel through the plastic
strip as electric current, reaching the grid of electrodes that was placed inside the man’s
mouth. The scientist told the man that she would soon be rolling a ball towards his right side,
left side, or center, and he would have to catch it. And as the journalist stated, “my eyes and
ears have no way to tell where it’s going. That leaves my tongue… has more tactile nerve
endings than any part of the body other than the lips”. The scientist rolled the ball and a
‘tingling’ passed over the man’s tongue, and he reached out with his left hand and caught the
ball. [A]
(3) If the brain can see a ball through a camera and a wet tongue, many new questions arise.
What does this concept imply in terms of blindness and deafness? Rather than attempting to
reserve these sensory disabilities through surgeries and hearing aids, should we be trying to
circumvent them by using different receptors? Can we still trust in the idea of the five senses,
or was it wrong to categorize our perception of the outside world so strictly?
(4) [B] Aside from the emerging possibility of interchanging a tongue and an eye, there is the
highly accepted possibility that our original list of senses is incomplete. Many scientists would
add at least these two senses to the list: the kinesthetic sense and the vestibular sense. The
first is a sense of self, mostly in terms of limbs and their placement. For instance, I know where
my right foot is without looking or feeling for it. It is something that my brain ‘knows’. This is
said to be because of information sent to the brain by the muscles. If more observations were
to be collected on this subject, a more accommodating explanation could potentially be
reached. Secondly, the vestibular sense is what most would consider a sense of balance.
(5) Why were these two senses not included in our limited list? It might be the result of a lack
of external symbolism. A nose or an eye is an obvious curiosity because of the question it
generates: “What does this thing do?” But we have no limb or facial organ dedicated to
balance or to kinesthetic awareness. On the other hand, if the vestibular sense and the
kinesthetic senses occur solely in the brain, are they truly senses? Should experiences be
labeled as senses without representation by an external organ? If one believes that the brain is
the true sensory organ and the rest are simply interchangeable receptors, then yes, we should
remain open to labeling many new ‘experiences’ as ‘senses’. But, is there perhaps an overlying
truth that directly relates the five senses to the human experience of life? [C]
(6) One way of gaining new insight is to explore the animal world of senses. Migrating animals,
for example, are said to have a ‘sixth sense’, a term which alludes to all unexplainable
phenomenon. In reality, what we call the sixth sense includes any number of unrelated senses
that everyday humans do not possess and therefore know little about. Perhaps there is a sense
of placement on the earth, similar to the kinesthetic sense of bodily placement, which helps
animals return home. Perhaps it is simply a ‘sense of direction” that is more developed or more
substantial than what human possess. Scientists have even conjectured that traces of
magnetite, found in pigeons and monarch butterflies, could be used as a compass, enabling the
animal to sense the magnetic fields of the earth. Those who use the term ‘sixth sense’ rarely
give details about which of these strange abilities they are referring to? The term relating to
“past our understanding” is used in such a sweeping, general way that there is no one solid,
falsifiable hypothesis. This term does not bring us closer to our understanding of the senses.
(7) In addition to internal mysteries, many animals also possess external sensory organs which
we do not. Fish, for instance, have an organ that runs along the sides of their bodies called the
lateral-line system. It is made of tiny hair-like sensors that receive information about
movements in the water. There is even the ability to distinguish between ordinary, background
movement and strange movement that could signify a predator or another creature. This sense
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also helps the fish to orient themselves within the current and the stream flow. Interestingly,
land vertebrates lost their lateral-line systems somewhere along the evolutionary path. Of
course, we no longer consider this sense to be a human perception of life because we no longer
possess the organ. But has the sense remained? Perhaps the feeling of being watched, of being
followed on a dark sidewalk, is a dull shadow of the sense we used to possess. It is
particularly noteworthy that this ‘feeling’ of being followed is often referred to as ‘intuition’.
How is intuition related to senses? In the same sense, how are emotions and senses the same?
(8) New stories that could expand our categorical concepts of the senses are emerging
constantly, but we seem to prefer holding onto the old concept of five senses. We would urge
towards expanding that category numerically and conceptually. There is much to be explored in
terms of the relation of sense and emotion, the utilizations and disabilities of the senses, and a
vertebrate’s need for senses compared to other types of animals, in terms of participating in
life. The interconnectedness of our senses within the brain and among the external organs is a
concept worthy of more exploration, and it will be explored more easily when the old, rather
arbitrary myth of the five senses is replaced with insights from new data. [D]
76. It can be inferred that the compartmentalized view considers brain regions to _____.
A. function independently from one another
B. have different mechanisms but share the same goal
C. work together as a single unit
D. not be able to communicate information
77. The experiment described in paragraph 2 was most likely meant to prove that _____.
A. Technology may help us explore our process of sensing input more effectively.
B. Different senses can actually interpret the same type of external input.
C. Visual input is not the only type of input that can be quickly perceived by humans.
D. The same information can be conveyed with different types of sensory input.
78. Why did the author mention surgeries and hearing aids in paragraph 3?
A. to question the effectiveness of conventional methods for hearing interventions
B. to raise the possibility of a new approach towards addressing sensory impairments
C. to exemplify how science has tried to counter the effects of sensory disabilities over time
D. to show that a fresh perspective is needed to develop better sensory interventions
79. Which of the following can most likely be inferred from paragraph 4?
A. There is now overwhelming evidence to completely disprove the ‘five senses’ view.
B. Muscles may be considered a sensory organ if the kinesthetic sense is recognised.
C. Scientists have not made enough observations to verify the existence of new senses.
D. The vestibular sense can be simply defined, but its mechanisms remain a mystery.
80. The list of ‘five senses’ can be described as all of the following EXCEPT _____.
A. inadequate B. orthodox C. unexplained D. questionable
81. In paragraph 5, the author suggests the possibility that _____.
A. limbs or facial organs are poor representations of senses
B. we should rethink the way we define what a sense truly is
C. the brain should be the unified symbol for the sensory system
D. the indicators of senses should be internal instead of external
82. The author suggests that the term ‘sixth sense’ _____.
A. is only useful when we examine the animal world
B. actually refers to one sense that has yet to be found
C. prevents us from exploring senses in a meaningful way
D. leads to a false and unproductive interpretation of senses
83. The phrase a dull shadow was used to convey the point that _____.
A. human perception of life may have vague similarities with that of animals
B. the subconscious feeling of being watched might once be conscious
C. our sensory system lost critical functions such as helping us stay alert
D. human senses are deeply but subconsciously connected to our emotions
84. With which of the following conclusions would the author most likely agree?
A. The interconnection between senses might become the starting point of future sensory
studies.
B. It will take much more research to put the traditional scientific view of senses into
question.
C. Future research on sensory systems should prioritise animals as research subjects.

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 D. Our current categorization of senses is hindering further progress into understanding
them.
85. Which of the following square brackets [A], [B], [C], or [D] best indicates where in the
passage the sentence “In fact, the ‘five senses’ may well be another story that should
be discarded in light of new scientific observations.” can be inserted?
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]
Part 5. For questions 86-95, read the following passage and choose form the
sections (A-E). The sections may be selected more than once. Write the letter A, B,
C, D, or E in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
A. The recent blockbuster film Inception, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, concludes
with a 45-minute setpiece in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s team of brain-hopping idea thieves
descends through nested dreams, in each of which time runs more slowly than in any previous
layer. Any graphic novel fans in the audience would have watched this complex sequence with
nods of recognition. But perhaps with sighs of exasperation too: the film’s showpiece effect –
creating the illusion of relative time, of events happening simultaneously but being
experienced at different paces – is much easier to achieve in the world of graphic novels. Years
of experimentation, combined with certain defining features of the form, have resulted in a
complex medium that excels at portraying multiple time schemes and shifting conceptions of
reality. Three new works bear testimony to this.
B. Air by G Willow Wilson is a love story in a breathless narrative of industrial espionage. Its
protagonist, Blythe, is plunged into a world of dizzy reversals, in which the only constant is the
philosophical notion that by redrawing our impressions of the world we can remake it for
ourselves. Character and motivation are almost absent as Wilson’s hapless heroine is dragged
from pillar to post by an arbitrary narrative fuelled by fitful quips. More seriously, the layout
and structure show a distinct lack of invention. Just as hope is flagging, however, Wilson pulls
out of the dive, and Air becomes both stranger and more interesting in concept and execution.
One extended chapter consists of a sequence of flashbacks in a plane diving towards the
ground, as Blythe finds herself simultaneously inhabiting the memories of her lover. Drawings
of a falling, entwined couple are interleaved with the panels, a kind of metaphor for the
movements of the plane.
C. Matt Kidnt’s graphic novel Revolver is an interesting addition to the genre in that it works
around a single, but effective, manipulation of narrative time. Each morning its protagonist
Sam finds himself waking up either in his everyday life, in which he edits pictures for a
newspaper, or in an America under siege, where he is forced to fight for his life. Drawn by its
author in a scrappy, offhand style that belies a deft grasp of form and scenic arrangement,
Kindt’s novel still ultimately feels like less than the sum of its parts. Although attractively
realised, the basic set-up, in which the audience is encouraged to wonder whether a troubled
man is hallucinating or not, is becoming something of a familiar trope after Fight Club,
Memento and others. Where Revolver succeeds is in the quiet suggestiveness with which his
arrangement of panels blurs our perspective on the action.
D. Last, and strangest, is Charles Burns’s X’ed Out, the first of a projected series of graphic
novels by this idiosyncratic writer-illustrator. Burns is revered in comic circles for Black Hole, a
surrealist saga. Grotesque but compelling, Burns’s drawings told the story of a group of teens
who contract a disease that turns them into mutants and social outcasts. The author’s
subsequent contention that the book was a metaphor for adolescence came nowhere near to
explaining the work’s dark and haunting depths. X’ed Out is designed in full colour but its
seamless and troubling transitions between its teenage protagonist’s dreams and waking
moments show that Burns has lost none of his touch. He withholds many of the traditional
devices used within the genre to shape a reader’s idea of time and causality, such as sound
effects, motion blurs, panel comments and the like. The effect is highly unsettling.
E. Graphic novels are good at representing complicated sequences in time, and contemporary
creators seem particularly interested in constructing stories that place this at the centre. We
can posit reasons pandering to popular clichés of ‘comic-book’ entertainment, generalised
discontent with Hollywood five-act stories, or simple celebration of a medium so suited to non-
straightforward entertainment. Whatever its origin, a complex interest in time extends
throughout the medium. Even the latest addition to the new Batman series, written by Grant
Morrison, skips wildly across the epochs of human history, following a Caped Crusader who has

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come adrift in time. As the medium continues to evolve, this abiding formal interest in a largely
unconscious process of perception may come to seem its most defining feature.
In which section are the following mentioned?
86. individual bits of a work being better than the overall effect
87. an author improving on an earlier weakness
88. the quality of an author’s work staying consistent
89. a protagonist’s confusion in an unstable and impermanent world
90. graphic novel authors are possibly influenced by expectations
91. a hurried, imperfect art style being a deliberate choice
92. a work being more complex than its author claims
93. mixed reactions of those familiar with a certain genre
94. the unoriginal nature of a central theme being a potential issue
95. images from a character’s past symbolizing present events
III. WRITING (5.0 points)
Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarise it. Your
summary should be between 120 and 150 words.
Tamsen Fadal remembers the exact moment that she thought she was losing her mind:
10:30 p.m. on November 19, 2019. The longtime prime-time news anchor couldn’t remember
how to pronounce the word ‘subpoena’. But she had been experiencing word loss as well as
anxiety, mood shifts, and insomnia for months prior. She chalked it up to a few life-rattling
events – a nasty divorce, an aging parent, a new relationship at midlife.
Fadal is not alone in her experience. Every woman who is blessed to live to middle age and
older will undergo menopause – some 1.3 million women each year in the United States alone.
And while every woman won’t necessarily have the same symptoms as Fadal, most experience
mood swings, anger, irritability, and anxiety due to large fluctuations in the hormones estrogen
and progesterone.
Women in perimenopause – the months to years leading up to menopause – which typically
starts in their mid-40s, tend to suffer the most. “Because hormonal control is dysregulated, the
highs are higher and the lows are lower,” says Dr. Karen Adams, a clinical professor of
obstetrics and gynecology. Not only do many women feel out of control, but a 2024 study found
that women are 40% more likely to experience depressive symptoms and be diagnosed with
depression during perimenopause than women who are not yet perimenopausal. Other
research indicates that perimenopausal women without a previous history of bipolar disorder
are more than twice as likely to develop mania for the first time.
All too often, however, women are not getting the support and screening they need because
many have little to no knowledge of this phase of their life, according to a new study by AARP
of 4,436 women aged 18 and older. Worse, only half of the women in perimenopause,
menopause, or post-menopause said they spoke to a health care provider about their issues
and what help might be available – and a mere 41% actually used medical treatments such as
menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) to manage their symptoms.
Part of the problem is that there’s still a lot of shame and stigma around menopause –
typically couched as a period of decline and decay – and aging in general, experts say. After all,
societal narratives about women who can no longer reproduce are unfortunately ageist and
sexist. Midlife is when women are seen as being irrelevant, asexual, invisible, and undesirable.
At the same time, there is a lot of shame and stigma around mental health issues, as well.
Part 2. Write an essay of at least 300 words on the following topic.
AI should be banned in universities to encourage critical thinking and deter
academic dishonesty.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Provide specific reasons and
examples to support your answer.
(You may write overleaf if you need more space.)
Great appreciation to authors of published works whose adaptations have been included in this
test!
May the odds be ever in your favour.
THE END

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