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ĐỀ THI VÀO LỚP 10 CHUYÊN ANH – PTNK NĂM HỌC 2021–2022

TIẾNG ANH (CHUYÊN)

Thời gian làm bài: 120 phút

Kết quả

I. Reading — Courier service (1–10)

Choose A–D.

The Development of the Courier Service

In ancient times, runners, pigeons and riders on horseback were used to deliver messages. Before there were mechanized courier services, foot messengers physically ran miles to their destinations. To this day, there are marathons directly related to actual historical messenger routes. In cities today, there are often bicycle couriers or motorcycle couriers, but for products requiring delivery over greater distance networks, this may often include trucks, railways and aircraft. §1.

The same-day courier market expanded with the help of taxi companies, but soon expanded into dedicated motorcycle dispatch riders with the taxi companies setting up separate arms to their companies to cover the courier work. During the late 1970s small provincial and regional companies were popping up throughout the country. Today, there are many large companies offering next-day courier services, including worldwide couriers such as APC Overnight, FedEx, DHL, UPS and TNT. There are many “specialist” couriers usually for the transportation of items such as freight/palettes, sensitive documents and liquids. §2.

There are thousands upon thousands of independent couriers and localized companies, offering next-day and same-day services. Since the turn of the millennium, there has been a noticeable increase in owner-drivers, self-employed couriers, operating mainly from home with a sole vehicle. Advantages of this rather than working for an established same-day courier firm are that they are able to offer far better rates to their customers. Self-employed couriers come from varied employment backgrounds from non-skilled through to highly qualified tradespeople. Motorbike couriers still exist, but mainly in and around cities, where there is often congestion, as they are much cheaper to run in heavy traffic. §3.

Large couriers often require an account to be held (and this can include daily scheduled collections). Senders are therefore primarily in the commercial/industrial sector (and not the general public); some couriers such as DHL do, however, allow public sending (at higher cost than regular senders).

The courier industry has long held an important place in United States commerce and been involved in important moments in the nation’s history, such as westward migration and the gold rush. Wells Fargo was founded in 1852 and rapidly became the preeminent package delivery company. The company specialized in shipping gold, packages and newspapers throughout the West, making a Wells Fargo office in every camp and settlement a necessity for commerce and connections to home. Shortly afterward, the Pony Express was established to move packages more quickly than the traditional method, which was the stagecoach routes. It also illustrated the demand for timely deliveries across the nation, a concept that continued to evolve with the railroads, automobiles and interstate highways and which has emerged into today’s courier industry. §4.

The courier industry in the United States is a $59 billion industry, with 86% of the business shared by only four companies, including DHL, FedEx and UPS. The remaining 14% shared among almost 11,900 other small businesses ranging in size from 1 employee to over 600.

How did the courier market expand?

by using bicycles
with the help of cab companies
by using motorcycles
with the use of trucks

What is the meaning of the word freight in paragraph 2?

valuables
edibles
wastes
cargo

Who were the forerunners of our modern day courier services?

marathon racers
foot messengers
pigeons
riders

What does the passage say about self-employed couriers?

One person does everything.
They are highly qualified employees.
They are mostly skilled laborers.
They are not as dependable.

At which numbered point would this sentence best fit?
“And of course they are much faster than using cars.”

What is true about the sole vehicle company?

Its service is slower.
Its service is faster.
It is more expensive.
It gives better prices.

According to the passage, DHL

only services the commercial sector.
is not used by the general public.
services the industrial customers.
has higher prices for non-commercial customers.

Which provided the first delivery services in the U.S.?

DHL
the Pony Express
Wells Fargo
the stagecoaches

What is true about present day courier service?

They employ 600 people.
It has become a giant industry.
There are only 4 companies left.
Its forerunner was the Pony Express.

The author feels that

the courier industry is an important part of American commerce.
courier companies have helped build the highway system.
courier companies should do more online business.
there aren’t enough “specialist” courier companies.

I. Cloze — Self-driving cars (11–20)

Choose A–D.

The UK Government has said it (1)________ to allow self-driving cars on public roads for the first time later this year. Drivers of cars (2)________ with an automated lane-keeping system (ALKS) will be allowed to take their hands (3)________ the steering wheel in certain situations.

ALKS uses cameras and sensors to monitor the speed of nearby vehicles and (4)________ a safe distance. Under new plans, drivers will be able to use the system on motorways when (5)________ is moving at less than 37 miles per hour. However, the driver must still be ready to take control when requested or (6)________ the car will automatically slow down.

The Department for Transport says that self-driving cars could make the roads safer and reduce accidents caused by human (7)________. According to Mike Hawes of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, up to 47,000 accidents could be (8)________ over the next decade thanks to self-driving systems. (9)________ Thatcham Research, which conducts car-safety tests, has (10)________ people that ALKS still requires a lot of human involvement.

targets
aims
designs
goals

furnished
supplied
geared
fitted

away
on
off
out

keep
control
lay
hold

car
vehicle
means
traffic

other
else
so
not

defect
fault
error
flaw

caused
occurred
prevented
restrained

Furthermore
However
Therefore
Besides

warned
alarmed
alerted
threatened

I. Gapped text — Early football (21–26)

Choose A–H. Two extra sentences.

Early Football

Documented evidence of what is possibly the oldest activity resembling football can be found in a Chinese military manual written during the Warring States Period in about the 476 BC-221 BC. (1) ________ During the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), cuju games were standardized and rules were established. Variations of this game later spread to Japan and Korea, known as kemari and chuk-guk respectively. By the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618-907), the feather-stuffed ball was replaced by an air-filled ball and cuju games had become professionalized, with many players making a living playing cuju. Also, two different types of goal posts emerged. (2) ________

The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have played many ball games, some of which involved the use of the feet. The Roman writer Cicero describes the case of a man who was killed whilst having a shave when a ball was kicked into a barber’s shop. The Roman game harpastum is believed to have been adapted from a team game known as pheninda that is mentioned by Greek playwright, Antiphanes (388-311BC) and later referred to by Clement of Alexandria. (3) ________

There are a number of references to traditional, ancient, and/or prehistoric ball games, played by indigenous peoples in many different parts of the world. (4) ________ There are later accounts of an Inuit game played on ice, called aqsaqtuk. (5) ________ In 1610, William Strachey of the Jamestown settlement, Virginia recorded a game played by Native Americans, called pahsaheman. In Victoria, Australia, indigenous people played a game called Marn Grook (“ball game”). An 1878 book by Robert Brough-Smyth quotes a man called Richard Thomas as saying that he had witnessed Aboriginal people playing the game: the foremost player will drop kick a ball made from the skin of a possum and other players leap into the air in order to catch it. (6) ________

One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field.
They often look much different in different places.
This game appears to have resembled rugby.
It is widely believed that Marn Grook had an influence on the development of Australian football.
Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team’s line and then at a goal.
Although this is true only in certain societies.
For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland.
It describes a practice known as cuju (literally “kick ball”), which originally involved kicking a leather ball through a hole in a piece of silk cloth strung between two 30-foot (9.1 m) poles.

One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field.
They often look much different in different places.
This game appears to have resembled rugby.
It is widely believed that Marn Grook had an influence on the development of Australian football.
Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team’s line and then at a goal.
Although this is true only in certain societies.
For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland.
It describes a practice known as cuju (literally “kick ball”), which originally involved kicking a leather ball through a hole in a piece of silk cloth strung between two 30-foot (9.1 m) poles.

One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field.
They often look much different in different places.
This game appears to have resembled rugby.
It is widely believed that Marn Grook had an influence on the development of Australian football.
Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team’s line and then at a goal.
Although this is true only in certain societies.
For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland.
It describes a practice known as cuju (literally “kick ball”), which originally involved kicking a leather ball through a hole in a piece of silk cloth strung between two 30-foot (9.1 m) poles.

One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field.
They often look much different in different places.
This game appears to have resembled rugby.
It is widely believed that Marn Grook had an influence on the development of Australian football.
Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team’s line and then at a goal.
Although this is true only in certain societies.
For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland.
It describes a practice known as cuju (literally “kick ball”), which originally involved kicking a leather ball through a hole in a piece of silk cloth strung between two 30-foot (9.1 m) poles.

One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field.
They often look much different in different places.
This game appears to have resembled rugby.
It is widely believed that Marn Grook had an influence on the development of Australian football.
Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team’s line and then at a goal.
Although this is true only in certain societies.
For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland.
It describes a practice known as cuju (literally “kick ball”), which originally involved kicking a leather ball through a hole in a piece of silk cloth strung between two 30-foot (9.1 m) poles.

One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field.
They often look much different in different places.
This game appears to have resembled rugby.
It is widely believed that Marn Grook had an influence on the development of Australian football.
Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team’s line and then at a goal.
Although this is true only in certain societies.
For example, in 1586, men from a ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people in Greenland.
It describes a practice known as cuju (literally “kick ball”), which originally involved kicking a leather ball through a hole in a piece of silk cloth strung between two 30-foot (9.1 m) poles.

I. Gapped paragraphs — NY mayor (27–33)

Choose A–H. One extra paragraph.

UNCERTAINTY AND THE CITY

Next month’s primary is the first in a generation to be run while the city seems to be shrinking.

Times Square is the only neighbourhood in New York City where regulations require a minimum amount of display lighting. Before the pandemic, tourists flocked there to gawk at the dazzling lights or to take selfies with someone dressed as Elmo or Spiderman, or maybe with the guitar-strumming Naked Cowboy (who in fact wears Y-fronts). (1) ________

On promises to make New York’s lights shine brighter than ever, about a dozen Democrats are running for mayor, known as the second-toughest job in America. They are elbowing one another for attention from the city’s diminished media. New Yorkers are still struggling to keep track of their names, much less the fine points of policy that (sort of) distinguish them. The candidate leading in the polls is the one with the most name recognition, Andrew Yang, who competed for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, and who is positioning himself as the field’s tech-savvy moderate. (2) ________

Typically mayoral candidates find themselves arguing about how to manage New York’s growth. This is the first election for a generation in which they are confronting the hazards of shrinkage. Reliable numbers are hard to come by, but even before the epidemic the population was declining very slightly. (3) ________

With so many commuters vanishing, thousands of small businesses have closed their doors, taking one out of every eight jobs with them. On once-busy commercial streets, storefronts are empty and dark. Though Broadway is set to reopen in September, the hospitality industry has taken a beating during the pandemic: more than seven in ten of those working in the sector lost work last year. Across the city, employment is not expected to recover its pre-pandemic levels before 2024. (4) ________

He compared gun violence to a virus. “If we do not inoculate against it now, it will spread and spread and it will mean the death of countless New Yorkers and the city we have built.” Fearmongering, perhaps, but also a sign of how fearful many constituents are. When Mr Adams recently strolled down Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Avenue, which he once patrolled, many passersby shared their concerns about violence with him. “I’m afraid to walk to work,” said one Fed-Ex worker. (5) ________

Another New York specific problem is the subway, beset before the pandemic by delays caused by an ageing signal system and now seeing a decline of two-thirds in daily riders, which was 5.6m before COVID-19 struck. New York’s governor actually has more control over the subway, which only makes the next mayor’s task harder: the city will not rebound if the subway doesn’t. Not only the virus but fear of crime is keeping New Yorkers from going down into the tunnels. The current mayor, Bill de Blasio, has felt it necessary to create a travel-buddy scheme for city employees. (6) ________

Each candidate has a plan for the city’s recovery. Ray McGuire, a former Citigroup executive, says through measures like salary subsidies to small businesses he will bring back 500,000 jobs. He ticks a lot of boxes. He had a modest upbringing by a single mother, but at Citi he advised on transactions even bigger than the city’s $99bn budget. (7) ________

Mr Yang has some intriguing ideas, and New York’s mayors are supposed to do things that other cities copy. But he stands apart mainly because the city likes a star: Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg were all well-known before they became mayors. Mr Yang has said he would hire Kathryn Garcia, an experienced problem-solver in city government, to help him run the place. Like a true New Yorker, Ms Garcia, who is also a candidate, shot back that Mr Yang could work for her.

He was quick to condemn the shooting, saying “everything is contingent upon whether our streets and our subways are safe”. The Democratic primary is on June 22nd, and it is likely to be decisive. There are two Republican candidates running, but Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city seven to one.
Crime is still much lower than it was at its height three decades ago, but New Yorkers list it among their top three priorities for the next mayor, along with stopping the spread of COVID-19 and kick-starting the economy. Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president and a former policeman, is second in most polls and has made combating crime a focus.
For the first time in a mayoral primary, city voters will be able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. When the Board of Elections begins tabulating the results, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, all votes for the lowest-performing candidate will be eliminated, and those voters’ second-choice picks will be counted instead. The cycle continues until one winner remains.
But for decades until the mid-1990s, New Yorkers and visitors alike avoided this “Crossroads of the World” because of its reputation for crime and drugs. On May 8th, when a gunfight erupted in Times Square and a toddler and two visitors were wounded, New Yorkers feared, not the first time, that their city was sliding back into its old ways.
Several progressive candidates, including Dianne Morales, a former non-profit executive, are calling for new programmes and higher taxes on the wealthy. But the city cannot raise taxes without the state government’s approval, and New York City already faces the highest income-tax rate in the country.
Last year it shrank by perhaps 300,000 people (an estimate from CBS, a broadcaster, based on postal changes of address). Perhaps more worrying, the Partnership for New York City, an industry group, surveyed the city’s big employers and found that only 10% of Manhattan’s office workers had returned to their desks by March. Employers expect only 46% of their people back at their desks by September, and they expect 56% will work remotely at least part of the time after that.
New Yorkers have more reason than usual to master fine distinctions among all the candidates because this is the first big-city election to be decided by ranked-choice voting. Voters will be able to express their preference, in order, for up to five candidates. But whom to rank where?
Crime is again confronting many American cities. But the next mayor will also face problems that are peculiar to New York. One is how to raise taxes enough to finance more spending without prompting more Wall Street firms to leave town. Several, including Blackstone, a private equity giant, have already opened offices in Florida, where taxes are far lower.

He was quick to condemn the shooting, saying “everything is contingent upon whether our streets and our subways are safe”. The Democratic primary is on June 22nd, and it is likely to be decisive. There are two Republican candidates running, but Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city seven to one.
Crime is still much lower than it was at its height three decades ago, but New Yorkers list it among their top three priorities for the next mayor, along with stopping the spread of COVID-19 and kick-starting the economy. Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president and a former policeman, is second in most polls and has made combating crime a focus.
For the first time in a mayoral primary, city voters will be able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. When the Board of Elections begins tabulating the results, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, all votes for the lowest-performing candidate will be eliminated, and those voters’ second-choice picks will be counted instead. The cycle continues until one winner remains.
But for decades until the mid-1990s, New Yorkers and visitors alike avoided this “Crossroads of the World” because of its reputation for crime and drugs. On May 8th, when a gunfight erupted in Times Square and a toddler and two visitors were wounded, New Yorkers feared, not the first time, that their city was sliding back into its old ways.
Several progressive candidates, including Dianne Morales, a former non-profit executive, are calling for new programmes and higher taxes on the wealthy. But the city cannot raise taxes without the state government’s approval, and New York City already faces the highest income-tax rate in the country.
Last year it shrank by perhaps 300,000 people (an estimate from CBS, a broadcaster, based on postal changes of address). Perhaps more worrying, the Partnership for New York City, an industry group, surveyed the city’s big employers and found that only 10% of Manhattan’s office workers had returned to their desks by March. Employers expect only 46% of their people back at their desks by September, and they expect 56% will work remotely at least part of the time after that.
New Yorkers have more reason than usual to master fine distinctions among all the candidates because this is the first big-city election to be decided by ranked-choice voting. Voters will be able to express their preference, in order, for up to five candidates. But whom to rank where?
Crime is again confronting many American cities. But the next mayor will also face problems that are peculiar to New York. One is how to raise taxes enough to finance more spending without prompting more Wall Street firms to leave town. Several, including Blackstone, a private equity giant, have already opened offices in Florida, where taxes are far lower.

He was quick to condemn the shooting, saying “everything is contingent upon whether our streets and our subways are safe”. The Democratic primary is on June 22nd, and it is likely to be decisive. There are two Republican candidates running, but Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city seven to one.
Crime is still much lower than it was at its height three decades ago, but New Yorkers list it among their top three priorities for the next mayor, along with stopping the spread of COVID-19 and kick-starting the economy. Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president and a former policeman, is second in most polls and has made combating crime a focus.
For the first time in a mayoral primary, city voters will be able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. When the Board of Elections begins tabulating the results, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, all votes for the lowest-performing candidate will be eliminated, and those voters’ second-choice picks will be counted instead. The cycle continues until one winner remains.
But for decades until the mid-1990s, New Yorkers and visitors alike avoided this “Crossroads of the World” because of its reputation for crime and drugs. On May 8th, when a gunfight erupted in Times Square and a toddler and two visitors were wounded, New Yorkers feared, not the first time, that their city was sliding back into its old ways.
Several progressive candidates, including Dianne Morales, a former non-profit executive, are calling for new programmes and higher taxes on the wealthy. But the city cannot raise taxes without the state government’s approval, and New York City already faces the highest income-tax rate in the country.
Last year it shrank by perhaps 300,000 people (an estimate from CBS, a broadcaster, based on postal changes of address). Perhaps more worrying, the Partnership for New York City, an industry group, surveyed the city’s big employers and found that only 10% of Manhattan’s office workers had returned to their desks by March. Employers expect only 46% of their people back at their desks by September, and they expect 56% will work remotely at least part of the time after that.
New Yorkers have more reason than usual to master fine distinctions among all the candidates because this is the first big-city election to be decided by ranked-choice voting. Voters will be able to express their preference, in order, for up to five candidates. But whom to rank where?
Crime is again confronting many American cities. But the next mayor will also face problems that are peculiar to New York. One is how to raise taxes enough to finance more spending without prompting more Wall Street firms to leave town. Several, including Blackstone, a private equity giant, have already opened offices in Florida, where taxes are far lower.

He was quick to condemn the shooting, saying “everything is contingent upon whether our streets and our subways are safe”. The Democratic primary is on June 22nd, and it is likely to be decisive. There are two Republican candidates running, but Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city seven to one.
Crime is still much lower than it was at its height three decades ago, but New Yorkers list it among their top three priorities for the next mayor, along with stopping the spread of COVID-19 and kick-starting the economy. Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president and a former policeman, is second in most polls and has made combating crime a focus.
For the first time in a mayoral primary, city voters will be able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. When the Board of Elections begins tabulating the results, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, all votes for the lowest-performing candidate will be eliminated, and those voters’ second-choice picks will be counted instead. The cycle continues until one winner remains.
But for decades until the mid-1990s, New Yorkers and visitors alike avoided this “Crossroads of the World” because of its reputation for crime and drugs. On May 8th, when a gunfight erupted in Times Square and a toddler and two visitors were wounded, New Yorkers feared, not the first time, that their city was sliding back into its old ways.
Several progressive candidates, including Dianne Morales, a former non-profit executive, are calling for new programmes and higher taxes on the wealthy. But the city cannot raise taxes without the state government’s approval, and New York City already faces the highest income-tax rate in the country.
Last year it shrank by perhaps 300,000 people (an estimate from CBS, a broadcaster, based on postal changes of address). Perhaps more worrying, the Partnership for New York City, an industry group, surveyed the city’s big employers and found that only 10% of Manhattan’s office workers had returned to their desks by March. Employers expect only 46% of their people back at their desks by September, and they expect 56% will work remotely at least part of the time after that.
New Yorkers have more reason than usual to master fine distinctions among all the candidates because this is the first big-city election to be decided by ranked-choice voting. Voters will be able to express their preference, in order, for up to five candidates. But whom to rank where?
Crime is again confronting many American cities. But the next mayor will also face problems that are peculiar to New York. One is how to raise taxes enough to finance more spending without prompting more Wall Street firms to leave town. Several, including Blackstone, a private equity giant, have already opened offices in Florida, where taxes are far lower.

He was quick to condemn the shooting, saying “everything is contingent upon whether our streets and our subways are safe”. The Democratic primary is on June 22nd, and it is likely to be decisive. There are two Republican candidates running, but Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city seven to one.
Crime is still much lower than it was at its height three decades ago, but New Yorkers list it among their top three priorities for the next mayor, along with stopping the spread of COVID-19 and kick-starting the economy. Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president and a former policeman, is second in most polls and has made combating crime a focus.
For the first time in a mayoral primary, city voters will be able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. When the Board of Elections begins tabulating the results, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, all votes for the lowest-performing candidate will be eliminated, and those voters’ second-choice picks will be counted instead. The cycle continues until one winner remains.
But for decades until the mid-1990s, New Yorkers and visitors alike avoided this “Crossroads of the World” because of its reputation for crime and drugs. On May 8th, when a gunfight erupted in Times Square and a toddler and two visitors were wounded, New Yorkers feared, not the first time, that their city was sliding back into its old ways.
Several progressive candidates, including Dianne Morales, a former non-profit executive, are calling for new programmes and higher taxes on the wealthy. But the city cannot raise taxes without the state government’s approval, and New York City already faces the highest income-tax rate in the country.
Last year it shrank by perhaps 300,000 people (an estimate from CBS, a broadcaster, based on postal changes of address). Perhaps more worrying, the Partnership for New York City, an industry group, surveyed the city’s big employers and found that only 10% of Manhattan’s office workers had returned to their desks by March. Employers expect only 46% of their people back at their desks by September, and they expect 56% will work remotely at least part of the time after that.
New Yorkers have more reason than usual to master fine distinctions among all the candidates because this is the first big-city election to be decided by ranked-choice voting. Voters will be able to express their preference, in order, for up to five candidates. But whom to rank where?
Crime is again confronting many American cities. But the next mayor will also face problems that are peculiar to New York. One is how to raise taxes enough to finance more spending without prompting more Wall Street firms to leave town. Several, including Blackstone, a private equity giant, have already opened offices in Florida, where taxes are far lower.

He was quick to condemn the shooting, saying “everything is contingent upon whether our streets and our subways are safe”. The Democratic primary is on June 22nd, and it is likely to be decisive. There are two Republican candidates running, but Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city seven to one.
Crime is still much lower than it was at its height three decades ago, but New Yorkers list it among their top three priorities for the next mayor, along with stopping the spread of COVID-19 and kick-starting the economy. Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president and a former policeman, is second in most polls and has made combating crime a focus.
For the first time in a mayoral primary, city voters will be able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. When the Board of Elections begins tabulating the results, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, all votes for the lowest-performing candidate will be eliminated, and those voters’ second-choice picks will be counted instead. The cycle continues until one winner remains.
But for decades until the mid-1990s, New Yorkers and visitors alike avoided this “Crossroads of the World” because of its reputation for crime and drugs. On May 8th, when a gunfight erupted in Times Square and a toddler and two visitors were wounded, New Yorkers feared, not the first time, that their city was sliding back into its old ways.
Several progressive candidates, including Dianne Morales, a former non-profit executive, are calling for new programmes and higher taxes on the wealthy. But the city cannot raise taxes without the state government’s approval, and New York City already faces the highest income-tax rate in the country.
Last year it shrank by perhaps 300,000 people (an estimate from CBS, a broadcaster, based on postal changes of address). Perhaps more worrying, the Partnership for New York City, an industry group, surveyed the city’s big employers and found that only 10% of Manhattan’s office workers had returned to their desks by March. Employers expect only 46% of their people back at their desks by September, and they expect 56% will work remotely at least part of the time after that.
New Yorkers have more reason than usual to master fine distinctions among all the candidates because this is the first big-city election to be decided by ranked-choice voting. Voters will be able to express their preference, in order, for up to five candidates. But whom to rank where?
Crime is again confronting many American cities. But the next mayor will also face problems that are peculiar to New York. One is how to raise taxes enough to finance more spending without prompting more Wall Street firms to leave town. Several, including Blackstone, a private equity giant, have already opened offices in Florida, where taxes are far lower.

He was quick to condemn the shooting, saying “everything is contingent upon whether our streets and our subways are safe”. The Democratic primary is on June 22nd, and it is likely to be decisive. There are two Republican candidates running, but Democrats outnumber Republicans in the city seven to one.
Crime is still much lower than it was at its height three decades ago, but New Yorkers list it among their top three priorities for the next mayor, along with stopping the spread of COVID-19 and kick-starting the economy. Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s borough president and a former policeman, is second in most polls and has made combating crime a focus.
For the first time in a mayoral primary, city voters will be able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. When the Board of Elections begins tabulating the results, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes, all votes for the lowest-performing candidate will be eliminated, and those voters’ second-choice picks will be counted instead. The cycle continues until one winner remains.
But for decades until the mid-1990s, New Yorkers and visitors alike avoided this “Crossroads of the World” because of its reputation for crime and drugs. On May 8th, when a gunfight erupted in Times Square and a toddler and two visitors were wounded, New Yorkers feared, not the first time, that their city was sliding back into its old ways.
Several progressive candidates, including Dianne Morales, a former non-profit executive, are calling for new programmes and higher taxes on the wealthy. But the city cannot raise taxes without the state government’s approval, and New York City already faces the highest income-tax rate in the country.
Last year it shrank by perhaps 300,000 people (an estimate from CBS, a broadcaster, based on postal changes of address). Perhaps more worrying, the Partnership for New York City, an industry group, surveyed the city’s big employers and found that only 10% of Manhattan’s office workers had returned to their desks by March. Employers expect only 46% of their people back at their desks by September, and they expect 56% will work remotely at least part of the time after that.
New Yorkers have more reason than usual to master fine distinctions among all the candidates because this is the first big-city election to be decided by ranked-choice voting. Voters will be able to express their preference, in order, for up to five candidates. But whom to rank where?
Crime is again confronting many American cities. But the next mayor will also face problems that are peculiar to New York. One is how to raise taxes enough to finance more spending without prompting more Wall Street firms to leave town. Several, including Blackstone, a private equity giant, have already opened offices in Florida, where taxes are far lower.

II. Grammar and vocabulary (34–57)

Choose A–D.

“Do you think Greg was at the gym on Sunday?” “He _______. It’s closed on weekends.”

shouldn’t have been
could be
can’t have been
didn’t need to be

The mayor announced his plan _______ a new library

that will construct
for the construction of
to be constructed
constructed

The state of the economy is poor. _______, the unemployment rate is rising.

Since
Seeing that
Thanks to
Consequently

You _______ to be here an hour ago!

supposed
were supposing
had supposed
were supposed

I’ve been buying all my clothes from second-hand stores _______.

today
now
lately
all day

The fantastic view was _______ me to buy this apartment.

that it convinced
what convinced
how I was convinced
which convinced

Dean has two sisters, both _______ work abroad.

of whose
of whom
of them
of who

Magie didn’t seem _______ concerned when Jack told her about the snake.

at least
in least
leastways
the least bit

I’ve made my decision. _______ you say will change my mind!

Whatever
Nothing
No matter
Anything

Bob _______ as a baggage handler until he can find something more suitable.

works
is working
worked
has worked

…he is worthy of his _______ success.

influential
aspiring
phenomenal
resourceful

My brother _______ a total transformation during adolescence.

underwent
undermined
underlined
underpinned

There is _______ parking for both staff and customers.

single
hard-pressed
mere
ample

A therapist is trying to help the couple _______ with the strain of the situation.

appreciate
fester
condone
cope

William _______ to becoming a powerful politician…

persists
determines
aspires
perseveres

Will you _______ all these books and papers to my office, please?

fetch
bring
take
set

we spent hours _______ about her problem

talking
speaking
discussing
listening

You will find the stockbrokers’ offices in the city’s central _______ district.

business
industrial
rural
provincial

I was completely _______ the book I was reading.

absorbed in
acquainted with
appealed to
spontaneous about

You’ll have to reverse out – it’s a _______ and we can’t go any further.

next-door
run-down
built-up
dead-end

Her _______ success at the polls is the best indicator of her popularity.

unprecedented
unabridged
unrequited
unrelenting

The little boy was _______ by the storekeeper, who charged him twice…

set down
ripped off
torn up
shaken out

Jackie lives on the fourth floor of a _______ in London’s West End.

bungalow
block of flats
detached house
terraced house

your cat will soon get used to her new _______

surrounded
surrounding
surround
surroundings

III. Word formation (58–67)

One word from the prompt.

THE 1,000-YEAR BENDER
Even if you are teetotal, you cannot deny that humans, as a species, like to drink. We consume wine, beer, cider, spirits… in fact, the (0) fermented product of almost anything we can turn into alcohol. Our (1)________ for this toxic substance, the cause of so much trouble, is something of a mystery. Maybe it is enough to say that we drink because it makes us feel good. But to understand our love of alcohol we need a bigger, more (2)________, explanation. The story of alcohol is one of an intimate relationship between humans and yeasts, an affair that began millions of years ago and is still playing out today. We like to cast ourselves as the star of this drama, but in fact yeasts are the (3)________ lead character. Ours is a symbiotic connection – a mutually beneficial (4)________. It is also one in which the balance of power is constantly shifting. If anything, the yeasts seem to have had the (5)________ hand, at least since our ancestors began brewing their own grog. We cultivate yeasts, ensuring they survive and thrive, and in return we get, at best, a good night out and a (6)________ the next morning. Once upon a time, however, yeast and alcohol may have offered us more (7)________ rewards. Today the costs of our love of alcohol often (8)________ any benefits. But, being a story of evolution, it doesn’t end there. Already some humans have acquired (9)________ changes that encourage them to drink less. If this trend continues, it is possible that one day this long and (10)________ relationship will reach a kind of tenuous truce.

IV. Open cloze — COVID (68–77)

ONE word each gap.

Graphic detail looked at the economic impact of COVID-19 (1) ________ suicide rates (April 24th). The reported decrease in suicide, perhaps surprising (2) ________ many people’s financial hardship, could be explained by the work of Emile Durkheim. In “Suicide”, the late 19th-century French sociologist studied people who (3) ________ their own life and how they interacted (4) ________ society. He described four types of suicide, one of which is egoistic suicide, when an individual does not feel a (5) ________ of belonging. It is well known that in (6) ________ of war suicide rates drop. This is generally ascribed (7) ________ a “we’re all in it together” sentiment in a unified fight (8) ________ a common foe. It is plausible that the (9) ________ on COVID has united societies in this way and suicide rates have fallen as a (10) ________.

IV. Open cloze — Sleep (78–87)

ONE word each gap.

When was the last time you had a good night’s sleep? By that I mean: you said goodbye to the waking world an hour or two (1) ________ than usual, left your phone in another room and didn’t set an (2) ________ for the next morning. Sounds good, doesn’t it? But in reality, it’s something few of us ever indulge (3) ________.

You might even feel like our sleeping hours are (4) ________ threat. Celebs and self-proclaimed lifestyle gurus often boast about how (5) ________ they sleep – productivity comes (6) ________. And how many of us are guilty of bringing our smartphones into bed, where a few TikToks or tweets quickly turn into hours of lost sleep? And let’s not get into how the pandemic has wreaked (7) ________ with our sleeping patterns.

Unfortunately, while we all struggle to get a decent rest, scientists are discovering just (8) ________ important sleep is. Of course, we all know the consequences of (9) ________ an all-nighter, but it seems that even just an hour of lost sleep can have a profound effect (10) ________ our overall health and wellbeing.

V. Key-word transformation (88–97)

3–8 words including the given word.

Simon would found a new company whenever he ran into difficulties. (TO)
Whenever Simon ran into difficulties, __________ up a new company

Larry sought to dissuade them from selling the ranch. (TALK)
Larry tried __________ the ranch.

“I’ll take you anywhere, no matter where it is,” Jim promised her. (WHEREVER)
Jim promised to __________ wanted to go.

He is sure to figure out what happened eventually. (MATTER)
It’s only __________ out what happened.

I was forced to confess to cheating in the exam. (MADE)
They __________ up to cheating in the exam.

Mark didn’t want to be discovered, so he carried out his plan in the middle of the night. (FOR)
Mark carried out his plan in the middle of the night __________ out.

Most people won’t tolerate being lied to. (UP)
Very __________ being lied to.

He advised me so half-heartedly that I was left wondering what to do. (ADVICE)
He gave me such __________ a loss as to what I should do.

It’s a pity they can’t abolish military service. (ONLY)
If __________ with military service.

“Your new hairstyle looks great, Sylvia!” I said. (COMPLIMENTED)
I __________ new hairstyle.

VI. Error correction (98–102)

Find five mistakes and correct them.

Alongside the growth in modern institutional distance learning have come Web-based or facilitated personal educational services, including e-tutoring, e-mentoring, and research assistance. In addition, they are many educational assistance companies that help parents choose and contact local tutors for their children while the companies handle the contracts. The use of distance learning programs and tutoring services have increased particularly among parents whose homeschool their children. Many universities have some online tutoring services for remedial help with reading, writing, and basic mathematics, and some even have online mentor programs to help doctoral candidates through the dissertation process. Finally, many Web-based personal-assistant companies offered a range of services to adults seeking continuing education or professional development.

In addition, they are many educational assistance companies…

The use of distance learning programs and tutoring services have increased…

among parents whose homeschool their children

online mentor programs to help doctoral candidates

companies offered a range of services

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