ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC
KỲ THI TUYỂN SINH LỚP 10 NĂM 2024
TIẾNG ANH (CHUYÊN)
Thời gian làm bài: 150 phút
PART 1. LANGUAGE USE — GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (Questions 1–50)
Choose the answer (A, B, C, or D) which fits best.
She had prepared extensively for the interview; ______ she didn't get the job.
- whereas
- hence
- albeit
- nevertheless
He practiced his lines diligently, ______ he forgot them during the performance.
John was determined to finish the marathon, even though he had injured his ankle early on in the race, and he pushed through the pain ______.
- regardless
- irrespective
- notwithstanding
- however
I would rather you ______ my message to him yesterday.
- had delivered
- delivered
- have delivered
- will deliver
Not only ______ to the party, but he also brought a gift.
- comes he
- does he come
- came he
- did he come
Bananas are one of ______ and they are believed to help raise serotonin levels.
- the available fruits most nutritious
- the fruits most nutritious available
- the most nutritious fruits available
- the most available nutritious fruits
In no way ______ to be misunderstood.
- she wants
- wants she
- does she want
- she does want
The art exhibit featured a variety of sculptures, each ______ with precision by a renowned artist.
- crafted
- to craft
- craft
- crafting
It is important that she ______ her passport before traveling.
- would renew
- renew
- renews
- renewed
After the financial crisis, many families were reduced ______ in temporary shelters, struggling to rebuild their lives from scratch.
- to living
- to live
- to be living
- to be lived
Demands for tickets were high, ______ inflating resell prices to 300%.
- and so
- thereby
- resulting in
- which consequently
One of the students was caught ______ during the exam and was removed from the room.
- having cheated
- cheating
- to cheat
- to have cheated
The company is said ______ victory over its rival through a smear campaign.
- to having achieved
- to achieve
- to have been achieving
- to have achieved
Nobody is really what they seem, ______?
- is it
- aren't they
- isn't it
- are they
______ the acrobat couldn't make the final landing gracefully.
- Disappointed as we were
- Much to our disappointment
- Greatly were we disappointed
- Despite our disappointment
The cult leader, along with his 2 closest associates, ______ a life sentence.
- was receiving
- were to receive
- was to receive
- were receiving
______ your school uniform? We're just going to the mall with our classmates.
- Need you have worn
- Have you to wear
- Couldn't you have worn
- Don't you wear
Max cheated his sister out of the inheritance money, ______ she would never forgive him.
- for that
- for which
- of that
- of which
Your road to recovery is likely long. ______ you have the best healthcare service available right now.
- Saying that
- Having said
- That said
- To say that
Potential delays ______ this airline service isn't so bad.
- notwithstanding
- despite
- regardless
- though
After working for several hours straight, Sarah was ______ and needed to take a break.
- running out of steam
- pulling her weight
- hitting the nail on the head
- burning the midnight oil
The politician's promise to lower taxes turned out to be nothing but ______.
- a piece of cake
- hot air
- a bitter pill to swallow
- a storm in a teacup
The chef prepared a ______ feast, featuring a variety of delicious dishes.
- tongue-in-cheek
- fine-tooth
- mouth-watering
- lip-smacking
The media has been reporting non-stop about this scandal for weeks. It's time to stop ______.
- flogging a dead horse
- skinning a cat
- crying wolf
- counting sheep
Enjoy your holiday and keep me ______ about anything exciting!
You have been having terrible luck, I suggest you ______ and stop playing.
- tighten your purse
- cut your losses
- lower the stakes
- cash in your chips
These ______ office cubicles are drab, plain, and depressing to work in.
- cookie-cutter
- bread-and-butter
- vanilla
- eye candy
That's not very prim and ______ of her to chew with her mouth wide open.
I'm sorry, but I have to ______ my plans for tonight due to unexpected circumstances.
- turn down
- put off
- bring up
- do without
The company decided to ______ 50 employees in order to reduce costs.
- lay off
- cut down
- give up
- turn away
The teacher asked the students to finish and ______ their assignments by Friday.
- give away
- hand in
- pass up
- bring forth
She had to ______ the courage to speak in front of such a large audience.
The board was unconvinced by the idea at first, but after the demonstration, most of them ______.
- caved in
- gave into
- came round
- keeled over
Mickey is not telling us the whole story. There's more than he ______.
- showed off
- let on
- brought forth
- put across
Even though the house was built just a year ago, we are starting to see signs of paint ______ off.
- tearing
- cracking
- dusting
- chipping
The highway accident led to a terrible ______ of over 50 vehicles and 100 casualties including deaths.
- pileup
- turnover
- gridlock
- backlash
She ______ her gratitude for the opportunity to work on such an important project.
- espoused
- extended
- expanded
- extorted
The students eagerly participated in a ______ debate, discussing various aspects of the novel.
- lively
- heated argument
- casual conversation
- shop talk
The team's ______ performance in the playoffs ended their tournament run prematurely.
- lackluster
- hideous
- lukewarm
- stale
A.I. is bringing about a ______ shift in what is normally considered 'skilled, intellectual, creative' fields.
- paragon
- paradigm
- paramount
- paradox
It is ______ normal to live with your parents. You don't have to move out if you don't have the means.
- utterly
- absolutely
- exceptionally
- incredibly
Read your contract carefully before signing as the terms in there are legally ______.
- secure
- enforced
- binding
- obligatory
Skeptics ______ to the view that 'alternative medicine' is just placebo without any medicinal properties.
- allude
- amount
- resign
- subscribe
The company decided to ______ a new marketing strategy to boost sales and attract more customers.
- enforce
- instill
- implement
- mandate
The hiker had to ______ a steep mountain to reach the summit.
- ascend
- descend
- traverse
- wander
The detective's keen observation skills helped him ______ the mystery behind the missing diamond.
- unearth
- underpin
- unravel
- underline
The author's prose is ______ so even first-time readers of the genre find it easy to follow the story.
- lucid
- explicit
- cohesive
- plain
The Amazon rainforest ______ over 3 million species of plants and animals, many of which unique to the region and under serious threat.
The striking laborers ______ demands regarding their working conditions, healthcare, and paid leave.
- instigated
- propagated
- mitigated
- stipulated
Most humans are instinctively ______ to snakes, which are a danger to our primate ancestors.
- averse
- perverse
- inverse
- adverse
PART 1. GUIDED CLOZE (Questions 51–60)
Choose the answer (A, B, C, or D) which fits best.
'Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived' goes the famous rhyme that ______ 51 the fates of King Henry VIII's six wives. The story of King Henry VIII's six wives has been told for centuries, but never before has it been heard in the way 'SIX' shares it. A new Broadway musical show, 'SIX' gives ______ 52 and tune to the women who served as queens in a modern and upbeat way.
Telling the story of King Henry's wives, some of whom were killed by order of the king himself, the show does not, however, feature a character playing the king. ______ 53, it is centered on the women, allowing them to tell their own stories through music.
The entire 80-minute production takes place on a ______ 54 that appears to be a concert stage. The Tudor queens and the band, known as the 'Ladies in Waiting,' are on stage the entire time. Despite being based on historical events and characters, 'SIX's take on the Tudor era is heavily fictionalized. ______ 55 is clear the moment the actresses stepped out in bejeweled and glittering outfits, and the stage, with modern ______ 56 like bass guitar and keyboard, feels more at home at a pop concert than a historical play.
"It can catch you off guard," said Sterlyn Termine, a band member. "As soon as the curtains open and you see guitar, a drum set and keyboards, you will realize that this is going to sound a lot more modern than you thought." Still, ______ 57 the era and region the storyline takes place in, there are hints of the music from 500 years ago. "There is harpsichord, but it is a synthesized harpsichord, and one of the songs is polka/German-folk inspired that is accompanied by dubstep and airhorn sounds. It is a creative and clever fusion," Termine said. Each queen also has hints of modern-day celebrities, dubbed 'Queenspirations,' with their music, intertwined into their characters and songs, paying ______ 58 to 'pop queens, the likes of Beyoncé, Adele, and Ariana Grande.
The show is high energy from start to finish and does not include an intermission. Many of the ______ 59 loved how it was fast-paced and shorter than some other productions, adding that though they didn't know what to expect ______ 60 the show, they left highly impressed. "We thought we booked the wrong show, but as the curtains closed, me and my family were all clapping and cheering." Said a member in attendance.
'Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived' goes the famous rhyme that ______ 51 the fates of King Henry VIII's six wives. The story of
- recounts
- recalls
- recollects
- recants
before has it been heard in the way 'SIX' shares it. A new Broadway musical show, 'SIX' gives ______ 52 and tune to the women who served as queens in a modern
y order of the king himself, the show does not, however, feature a character playing the king. ______ 53, it is centered on the women, allowing them to tell th
- Presumably
- Rather
- Particularly
- In turn
them to tell their own stories through music. The entire 80-minute production takes place on a ______ 54 that appears to be a concert stage. The Tudor queens a
- scenario
- set
- scenery
- setting
ed on historical events and characters, 'SIX's take on the Tudor era is heavily fictionalized. ______ 55 is clear the moment the actresses stepped out in bejew
- So it
- So much
- As such
- That much
ment the actresses stepped out in bejeweled and glittering outfits, and the stage, with modern ______ 56 like bass guitar and keyboard, feels more at home at a
- devices
- equipment
- gadgets
- instruments
ards, you will realize that this is going to sound a lot more modern than you thought." Still, ______ 57 the era and region the storyline takes place in, there
- in honour of
- on behalf of
- in relation to
- on account of
ubbed 'Queenspirations,' with their music, intertwined into their characters and songs, paying ______ 58 to 'pop queens, the likes of Beyoncé, Adele, and Arian
- lip service
- homage
- respects
- court
The show is high energy from start to finish and does not include an intermission. Many of the ______ 59 loved how it was fast-paced and shorter than some othe
- audience
- spectators
- viewers
- participants
ed and shorter than some other productions, adding that though they didn't know what to expect ______ 60 the show, they left highly impressed. "We thought we b
- in the wake of
- by the end of
- prior to
- throughout
PART 1. OPEN CLOZE 1 (Questions 61–70)
Complete each blank with ONE most suitable word.
Roughly two-thirds of the world's cocoa is grown in West Africa, ______ 61 of it concentrating in Ivory Coast and Ghana, and farmers there have faced extreme weather brought by changing climate ______ 62 for a few years: heavy rains and flooding, high winds during the dry season. ______ 63 has worsened crop disease and road conditions, which disrupts bean deliveries to ports.
The International Cocoa Organization forecasts that global cocoa supply will decline by almost 11% this season. Other cocoa-growing countries have been unable to fill the ______ 64 because ramping up production is expensive and ______ 65; it takes years for newly planted trees to produce cocoa beans. This extensive shortfall of cocoa has ______ 66 buyers scrambling, pushing prices up, and the historic rally has drawn in speculators, exacerbating the price volatility. Normally, if prices are very high, people start producing more of that commodity, but that is not the ______ 67 with cocoa. Thus, these prices are going to stay higher than they were for a while.
The damaging weather also compounded other ongoing problems. Trees in West Africa have been aging and yielding less cocoa; farmers in Ghana and Ivory Coast have struggled to battle pests and disease. In fact, those farmers rarely benefit from the surging cost of cocoa on the ______ 68, because they typically pre-sell the beans at agreed-upon prices in ______ 69. Unfortunately, the amounts they earn for selling their cocoa cannot ______ 70 up for the costs to replant, buy fertilizers, buy pesticides, etc. The sourcing of cocoa and the model for producing and trading cocoa in the world is not a sustainable model.
Roughly two-thirds of the world's cocoa is grown in West Africa, ______ 61 of it concentrating in Ivory Coast and Ghana, and farm
vory Coast and Ghana, and farmers there have faced extreme weather brought by changing climate ______ 62 for a few years: heavy rains and flooding, high winds
climate ______ 62 for a few years: heavy rains and flooding, high winds during the dry season. ______ 63 has worsened crop disease and road conditions, which d
decline by almost 11% this season. Other cocoa-growing countries have been unable to fill the ______ 64 because ramping up production is expensive and ______
ountries have been unable to fill the ______ 64 because ramping up production is expensive and ______ 65; it takes years for newly planted trees to produce coc
es years for newly planted trees to produce cocoa beans. This extensive shortfall of cocoa has ______ 66 buyers scrambling, pushing prices up, and the historic
y, if prices are very high, people start producing more of that commodity, but that is not the ______ 67 with cocoa. Thus, these prices are going to stay highe
pests and disease. In fact, those farmers rarely benefit from the surging cost of cocoa on the ______ 68, because they typically pre-sell the beans at agreed-u
of cocoa on the ______ 68, because they typically pre-sell the beans at agreed-upon prices in ______ 69. Unfortunately, the amounts they earn for selling thei
-upon prices in ______ 69. Unfortunately, the amounts they earn for selling their cocoa cannot ______ 70 up for the costs to replant, buy fertilizers, buy pest
PART 1. OPEN CLOZE 2 (Questions 71–80)
Complete each blank with ONE most suitable word.
If you've seen the movie or television show M*A*S*H, then you've seen an 'ambulance.' No, not those trucks that bring patients to hospitals. Back then, the field hospital ______ 71 was the ambulance. It brought the care to patients, not the other way around. Just look at the word, it has the same ______ 72 as words like "ambulatory" or "amble." ______ 73 essence, the word means "walking." The French term from which ______ 74 was "hôpital ambulant," but English dropped "hôpital." The emphasis here was on walking and movement.
______ 75 came the Crimean War (1853-1856). Sometimes considered the first "modern" war, this struggle for control of the former Ottoman Empire was the first to use railroads and telegraphs tactically. In ______ 76 to that, the Crimean War was when people began to ______ 77 to ambulances as the conveyances moving troops from the field to places where their injuries were ______ 78. This change likely occurred because the war had so many different theaters. Field hospitals couldn't possibly have ______ 79 up with all of the battles. Thus, ambulances took you to the hospital instead of being the hospital. Field hospitals still exist today, of ______ 80, but they're no longer called ambulances.
bulance.' No, not those trucks that bring patients to hospitals. Back then, the field hospital ______ 71 was the ambulance. It brought the care to patients, no
brought the care to patients, not the other way around. Just look at the word, it has the same ______ 72 as words like "ambulatory" or "amble." ______ 73 essen
round. Just look at the word, it has the same ______ 72 as words like "ambulatory" or "amble." ______ 73 essence, the word means "walking." The French term fro
mbulatory" or "amble." ______ 73 essence, the word means "walking." The French term from which ______ 74 was "hôpital ambulant," but English dropped "hôpital."
pital ambulant," but English dropped "hôpital." The emphasis here was on walking and movement. ______ 75 came the Crimean War (1853-1856). Sometimes considered
trol of the former Ottoman Empire was the first to use railroads and telegraphs tactically. In ______ 76 to that, the Crimean War was when people began to ____
oads and telegraphs tactically. In ______ 76 to that, the Crimean War was when people began to ______ 77 to ambulances as the conveyances moving troops from th
ambulances as the conveyances moving troops from the field to places where their injuries were ______ 78. This change likely occurred because the war had so ma
ccurred because the war had so many different theaters. Field hospitals couldn't possibly have ______ 79 up with all of the battles. Thus, ambulances took you
took you to the hospital instead of being the hospital. Field hospitals still exist today, of ______ 80, but they're no longer called ambulances.
PART 2. READING 1 — Shared Space (Questions 81–90)
Questions 81–85: choose A–D. Questions 86–90: choose section A–E.
A. Like a naturalist conducting a tour of the jungle, he led the way to a busy intersection in the center of town, where several odd things immediately became clear. Not only was it virtually naked, stripped of all lights, signs, and road markings, but there was no division between road and sidewalk. It was, basically, a bare brick square.
But in spite of the apparently anarchical layout, the traffic, a steady stream of trucks, cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians, moved along fluidly and easily, as if directed by an invisible conductor. When Mr. Monderman, a traffic engineer and the intersection's proud designer, deliberately failed to check for oncoming traffic before crossing the street, the drivers slowed for him. No one honked or shouted rude words out of the window. (1) "Who has the right of way?" he asked rhetorically. "I don't care. People here have to find their own way, negotiate for themselves, use their own brains."
B. Used by some 20,000 drivers a day, the intersection is part of a road-design revolution pioneered by the 59-year-old Mr. Monderman. His work in Friesland, the district in northern Holland that takes in Drachten, is increasingly seen as the way of the future in Europe.
His philosophy is simple, if counterintuitive. To make communities safer and more appealing, Mr. Monderman argues, you should first remove the traditional paraphernalia of their roads—the traffic lights and speed signs; the signs exhorting drivers to stop, slow down and merge; the center lines separating lanes from one another; even the speed bumps, speed-limit signs, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian crossings. In his view, it is only when the road is made more dangerous, when drivers stop looking at signs and start looking at other people, that driving becomes safer.
"All those signs are saying to cars, 'This is your space, and we have organized your behavior so that as long as you behave this way, nothing can happen to you,'" Mr. Monderman said. "That is the wrong story." The Drachten intersection is an example of the concept of "shared space," a street where cars and pedestrians are equal, and the design tells the driver what to do. "It's moving away from regulated, legislated traffic toward space which, by the way it's designed and configured, makes it clear what sort of behavior is anticipated," said Ben Hamilton-Baillie, a British specialist in urban design and movement and a proponent of many of the same concepts.
Highways, where the car is naturally king, are part of the "traffic world" and another matter altogether. In Mr. Monderman's view, shared-space schemes thrive only in conjunction with well-organized, well-regulated highway systems. Variations on the shared-space theme are being tried in Spain, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, and Britain, among other places. The European Union has appointed a committee of experts, including Mr. Monderman, for a Europe-wide study.
C. Mr. Monderman is a man on a mission. On a daylong automotive tour of Friesland, he pointed out places he had improved, including a town where he ripped out the sidewalks, signs, and crossings and put in brick paving on the central shopping street. An elderly woman crossed slowly in front of him. (2) "This is social space, so when Grandma is coming, you stop, because that's what normal, courteous human beings do," he said.
Planners and curious journalists are increasingly making pilgrimages to meet Mr. Monderman, considered one of the field's great innovators, although until a few years ago he was virtually unknown outside Holland. Mr. Hamilton-Baillie, whose writings have helped bring Mr. Monderman's work to wider attention, remembers with fondness his own first visit. Mr. Monderman drove him to a small country road with cows in every direction. Their presence was reinforced by a large, standard-issue European traffic sign with a picture of a cow on it.
He said: "What do you expect to find here? Wallabies??" Mr. Hamilton-Baillie recalled. "They're treating you like you're a complete idiot, and if people treat you like a complete idiot, you'll act like one."
D. Here was someone who had rethought a lot of issues from complete scratch. Essentially, what it means is a transfer of power and responsibility from the state to the individual and the community. Dressed in a beige jacket and patterned shirt, with scruffy facial hair and a stocky build, Mr. Monderman has the appearance of a football hooligan, but the temperament of an engineer, which indeed he trained to be. His father was the headmaster of the primary school in their small village; Hans liked to fiddle with machines. "I was always the guy who repaired the TV sets in our village," he said. He was working as a civil engineer building highways in the 1970s when the Dutch government, alarmed at a sharp increase in traffic accidents, set up a network of traffic safety offices. Mr. Monderman was appointed Friesland's traffic safety officer.
In residential communities, Mr. Monderman began narrowing the roads and putting in design features like trees and flowers, red brick paving stones, and even fountains to discourage people from speeding, following the principle now known as psychological traffic calming, where behavior follows design.
He made his first nervous foray into shared space in a small village whose residents were upset at its being used as a daily thoroughfare for 6,000 speeding cars. When he took away the signs, lights, and sidewalks, people drove more carefully. Within two weeks, speeds on the road had dropped by more than half. In fact, he said, there has never been a fatal accident on any of his roads.
E. Several early studies bear out his contention that shared spaces are safer. In England, the district of Wiltshire found that removing the center line from a stretch of road reduced drivers' speed without any increase in accidents.
[...] Mr. Monderman concedes that road design can do only so much. It does not change the behavior, for instance, of the 15 percent of drivers who will behave badly no matter what the rules are. Nor are shared-space designs appropriate everywhere, like major urban centers, but only in neighborhoods that meet particular criteria. Recently a group of well-to-do parents asked him to widen the two-lane road leading to their children's school, saying it was too small to accommodate what he derisively calls "their huge cars." He refused, saying the fault was not with the road, but with the cars. (3) "They can't wait for each other?" he asked. [...]
What is the most appropriate title for the passage?
- Traffic safety officer: Challenges and Opportunities
- Road Safety without Road signs
- Eliminating Europe's hidden traffic dangers
- How cars have lost their status as 'king of the road'
What word means the CLOSEST to "anarchical" (section A)?
- confusing
- orderly
- empty
- chaotic
According to the text, what is TRUE about the concept of "shared space"?
- It dictates certain behaviours from traffic participants.
- It first gained popularity in some European countries.
- It might need certain conditions to be used on highways.
- It prioritizes pedestrians over vehicle drivers.
What can be inferred about Monderman from his comments (1), (2), and (3)?
- He is passionate about his projects.
- He is critical of the conventional traffic designs.
- He is confident about the effectiveness of his designs.
- He is curious about the behaviours of people in traffic.
What is NOT TRUE about Monderman's first experiment with the "shared space" concept?
- He was sure it would be a success.
- It arose from complaints by local people.
- Driving awareness increased as a result.
- It did not take long to yield results.
a reference to reckless drivers
a concrete example of unnecessary signage
an authority's attempt to take the design to a larger scale
a description of strange traffic settings
influence of the engineer's background on his career choice
PART 2. READING 2 — Good Video Games and Good Learning (Questions 91–99)
Questions 91–96: TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN. Questions 97–99: choose THREE features (A–H), any order.
Video games are a relatively new technology replete with important, and not yet fully understood, implications. Scholars have historically viewed the human mind through the lens of a technology they thought worked like the mind. Locke and Hume, for example, argued that the mind was like a blank slate on which experience wrote ideas, taking the technology of literacy as their guide. Much later, modern cognitive scientists argued that the mind worked like a digital program, calculating generalizations and deductions via a logic-like rule system. More recently, some cognitive scientists, inspired by distributed parallel-processing computers and complex adaptive networks, have argued that the mind works by storing records of actual experiences and constructing intricate patterns of connections among them.
Human societies get better through history at building technologies that more closely capture some of what the human mind can do and getting these technologies to do mental work publicly. Writing, digital computers, and networks each allow us to externalize some functions of the mind. Though they are not commonly thought of in these terms, video games are a new technology in this same line. They are a new tool with which to think about the mind and through which we can externalize some of its functions. Video games of the sort I am concerned with—games like Half-Life 2, Rise of Nations, Full Spectrum Warrior, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and World of WarCraft—are what I would call "action-and-goal-directed preparations for and simulations of, embodied experience."
Human understanding is not primarily a matter of storing general concepts in the head or applying abstract rules to experience. Rather, humans think and understand best when they can imagine (simulate) an experience in such a way that the simulation prepares them for actions they need and want to take in order to accomplish their goals. Let's take weddings as an example, though we could just as well have taken war, love, inertia, democracy, or anything. You don't understand the word or the idea of weddings by meditating on some general definition of weddings. Rather, you have had experiences of weddings, in real life and through texts and media. On the basis of these experiences, you can simulate different wedding scenarios in your mind.
You construct these simulations differently for different occasions, based on what actions you need to take to accomplish specific goals in specific situations. You can move around as a character in the mental simulation as yourself, imagining your role in the wedding, or you can "play" other characters at the wedding (e.g., the minister), imagining what it is like to be that person. You build your simulations to understand and make sense of things, but also to help you prepare for action in the world. You can act in the simulation and test out what consequences follow, before you act in the real world. You can role-play another person in the model and try to see what motivates their actions or might follow from them before you respond in the real world. So I am arguing that the mind is a simulator, but one that builds simulations to purposely prepare for specific actions and to achieve specific goals.
Video games turn out to be the perfect metaphor for what this view of the mind amounts to, just as slates and computers were good metaphors for earlier views of the mind. Video games usually involve a visual and auditory world in which the player manipulates a virtual character (or characters). They often come with editors or other sorts of software with which the player can make changes to the game world or even build a new game world. The player can make a new landscape, a new set of buildings, or new characters. The player can set up the world so that certain sorts of actions are allowed or disallowed. The player is building a new world, but is doing so by using and modifying the original visual images that came with the game. One simple example of this is the way in which players can build new skateboard parks in a game like Tony Hawk Pro Skater. The player must place ramps, trees, grass, poles, and other things in space in such a way that players can manipulate their virtual characters to skate the park in a fun and challenging way.
Even when players are not modifying games, they play them with goals in mind, the achievement of which counts as their "win state," and it's the existence of such win states that, in part, distinguishes games from other simulations. These goals are set by the player, but certainly, in collaboration with the world the game designers have created, and, at least in more open-ended games, players don't just accept developer's goals, they make real choices of their own. Players must carefully consider the design of the world and consider how it will or will not facilitate specific actions they want to take to accomplish their goals. One technical way that psychologists have talked about this sort of situation is through the notion of 'affordances'. An 'affordance' is a feature of the world (real or virtual) that will allow for a certain action to be taken, but only if it is matched by an ability in an actor who has the wherewithal to carry out such an action. For example, in the massive multiplayer game World of WarCraft stags can be killed and skinned (for making leather), but only by characters that have learned the 'Skinning' skill. So a stag is an affordance for skinning for such a player, but not for one who has not acquired said skill. The large spiders in the game are not an affordance for skinning for any players, since they cannot be skinned at all. Affordances are relationships between the world and actors. Playing World of WarCraft, or any other video game, is all about such affordances. The player must learn to see the game world—designed by the developers, but set in motion in particular directions by the players, and, thus, co-designed by them—in terms of such affordances. Broadly speaking, players must utilize their resources and think in terms of 'What are the features of this world that can enable the actions I am capable of carrying out and that I want to carry out in order to achieve my goals?'
The view of the mind I have sketched, in fact, argues that the mind works rather like a video game. For humans, effective thinking is more like running a simulation than it is about forming abstract generalizations cut off from experiential realities. Generalizations are formed, when they are, bottom up from experience and imagination of experience. Video games externalize the search for affordances, for a match between character (actor) and world, but this is just the heart and soul of effective human thinking and learning in any situation.
The view of the mind as a software predates that of the mind as a record to store information. (T/F/NG)
Technology became more advanced as the result of growing complexity of the mind. (T/F/NG)
The wedding scenario best exemplifies the necessity of simulations in thinking. (T/F/NG)
Roleplaying in simulations can benefit decision-making in real life. (T/F/NG)
A simulation always requires participants to achieve some kind of victory. (T/F/NG)
The more freedom players are allowed to modify the game world, the more fun and engaging their experience is. (T/F/NG)
Choose ONE feature (A–H) that describes video game affordances.
Choose ONE feature (A–H) that describes video game affordances.
Choose ONE feature (A–H) that describes video game affordances.
PART 2. GAPPED TEXT — Heart on Your Sleeve (Questions 100–105)
Choose from paragraphs A–F and sentences G–K. Two extra paragraphs and three extra sentences.
HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE
Fitness trackers that let you self-screen for heart conditions risk doing more harm than good, argues Margaret McCartney.
Self-empowered, self-motivated, self-aware: we have got used to the idea that more knowledge about our health is good for us. This ethos has fuelled an explosion in wearable technologies - fitness trackers, step counters and other gizmos - that give us real-time feedback on key physiological stats such as heart rate.
______ 100
Atrial fibrillation is a relatively common heart condition in which the two atria of the heart - the upper chambers - don't contract regularly. ______ 101 It increases the risk of blood clots forming and causing a stroke. Those with the condition may need medication to thin their blood and allow their hearts to work efficiently.
______ 102
The problem is that this is mass screening via the back door, with all the associated positives and negatives. ______ 103 It, however, causes far more damage than the disease itself through false positives and unnecessary worry and treatment.
______ 104
A recent US paper suggests that 10,000 asymptomatic older people would have to be screened to detect 50 people with atrial fibrillation, and all those 50 would have to be treated to prevent one stroke. Meanwhile preliminary results of one study, funded by Apple, find that diagnoses of atrial fibrillation could be confirmed by a subsequent electrocardiogram only in about a third of cases.
______ 105
In the UK, the SAFER (Screening for Atrial Fibrillation with ECG to Reduce stroke) study is getting under way to test whether mass screening for atrial fibrillation is useful, with ethics committee oversight and informed consent. In the meantime, if you have symptoms - breathlessness, chest pain - you should see a doctor. If you want to be screened, enter a trial. Just because early detection sounds sensible doesn't mean it is good for us.
other gizmos - that give us real-time feedback on key physiological stats such as heart rate. ______ 100 Atrial fibrillation is a relatively common heart cond
- In the UK, the National Health Service follows evidence-based recommendations made by the National Screening Committee. Its current advice is clear: don't screen for atrial fibrillation. That is because we have evidence that treatment works for people with symptoms, or those found to have the condition while being assessed for another condition. There is no evidence that treatment benefits outweigh the risks for a wider, asymptomatic population.
- With major breakthroughs in semiconductors and nanotech, personal health appliance industry has mushroomed around the globe. Not only tech giants but also young startups such as Misfit have entered the race and introduced their own wearable products, ranging from smart wristbands to invisible health widgets to the market.
- Recently, the makers of the bestselling fitness tracker, the Apple Watch, began to roll out a new feature: the ability to monitor heart rhythm, and specifically to detect atrial fibrillation.
- All this matters because the side effects of the blood thinners used to treat atrial fibrillation can be severe, ranging up to bleeding into the brain or gut. Such treatment would of course only be prescribed after consultation with a doctor. But if you are already finding it difficult to get a doctor's appointment, think of the impact of a lot of false positives landing on their desk.
- Such contradicting results have raised concerns among health providers and policy makers who ought to watch over the system even from the smallest change. Not to mention the opportunity costs one would have to bear from their individual perspective.
- So why wouldn't you want to know if you had it? Certainly, some doctors I have spoken to welcome the diagnostic possibilities that wearables bring; many are enthusiastic users themselves.
condition in which the two atria of the heart - the upper chambers - don't contract regularly. ______ 101 It increases the risk of blood clots forming and causi
- They malfunction sometimes, though not impacting the heart.
- Arguably, its negatives are evidenced by research and policy practices.
- It can be constant, or intermittent, and becomes more common with age.
- Individuals may find the health benefits of screening outweigh its drawbacks.
- K. Admittedly, it could facilitate early disease detection to avoid adverse consequences.
condition may need medication to thin their blood and allow their hearts to work efficiently. ______ 102 The problem is that this is mass screening via the ba
- In the UK, the National Health Service follows evidence-based recommendations made by the National Screening Committee. Its current advice is clear: don't screen for atrial fibrillation. That is because we have evidence that treatment works for people with symptoms, or those found to have the condition while being assessed for another condition. There is no evidence that treatment benefits outweigh the risks for a wider, asymptomatic population.
- With major breakthroughs in semiconductors and nanotech, personal health appliance industry has mushroomed around the globe. Not only tech giants but also young startups such as Misfit have entered the race and introduced their own wearable products, ranging from smart wristbands to invisible health widgets to the market.
- Recently, the makers of the bestselling fitness tracker, the Apple Watch, began to roll out a new feature: the ability to monitor heart rhythm, and specifically to detect atrial fibrillation.
- All this matters because the side effects of the blood thinners used to treat atrial fibrillation can be severe, ranging up to bleeding into the brain or gut. Such treatment would of course only be prescribed after consultation with a doctor. But if you are already finding it difficult to get a doctor's appointment, think of the impact of a lot of false positives landing on their desk.
- Such contradicting results have raised concerns among health providers and policy makers who ought to watch over the system even from the smallest change. Not to mention the opportunity costs one would have to bear from their individual perspective.
- So why wouldn't you want to know if you had it? Certainly, some doctors I have spoken to welcome the diagnostic possibilities that wearables bring; many are enthusiastic users themselves.
hat this is mass screening via the back door, with all the associated positives and negatives. ______ 103 It, however, causes far more damage than the disease i
- They malfunction sometimes, though not impacting the heart.
- Arguably, its negatives are evidenced by research and policy practices.
- It can be constant, or intermittent, and becomes more common with age.
- Individuals may find the health benefits of screening outweigh its drawbacks.
- K. Admittedly, it could facilitate early disease detection to avoid adverse consequences.
e damage than the disease itself through false positives and unnecessary worry and treatment. ______ 104 A recent US paper suggests that 10,000 asymptomatic o
- In the UK, the National Health Service follows evidence-based recommendations made by the National Screening Committee. Its current advice is clear: don't screen for atrial fibrillation. That is because we have evidence that treatment works for people with symptoms, or those found to have the condition while being assessed for another condition. There is no evidence that treatment benefits outweigh the risks for a wider, asymptomatic population.
- With major breakthroughs in semiconductors and nanotech, personal health appliance industry has mushroomed around the globe. Not only tech giants but also young startups such as Misfit have entered the race and introduced their own wearable products, ranging from smart wristbands to invisible health widgets to the market.
- Recently, the makers of the bestselling fitness tracker, the Apple Watch, began to roll out a new feature: the ability to monitor heart rhythm, and specifically to detect atrial fibrillation.
- All this matters because the side effects of the blood thinners used to treat atrial fibrillation can be severe, ranging up to bleeding into the brain or gut. Such treatment would of course only be prescribed after consultation with a doctor. But if you are already finding it difficult to get a doctor's appointment, think of the impact of a lot of false positives landing on their desk.
- Such contradicting results have raised concerns among health providers and policy makers who ought to watch over the system even from the smallest change. Not to mention the opportunity costs one would have to bear from their individual perspective.
- So why wouldn't you want to know if you had it? Certainly, some doctors I have spoken to welcome the diagnostic possibilities that wearables bring; many are enthusiastic users themselves.
illation could be confirmed by a subsequent electrocardiogram only in about a third of cases. ______ 105 In the UK, the SAFER (Screening for Atrial Fibrillati
- In the UK, the National Health Service follows evidence-based recommendations made by the National Screening Committee. Its current advice is clear: don't screen for atrial fibrillation. That is because we have evidence that treatment works for people with symptoms, or those found to have the condition while being assessed for another condition. There is no evidence that treatment benefits outweigh the risks for a wider, asymptomatic population.
- With major breakthroughs in semiconductors and nanotech, personal health appliance industry has mushroomed around the globe. Not only tech giants but also young startups such as Misfit have entered the race and introduced their own wearable products, ranging from smart wristbands to invisible health widgets to the market.
- Recently, the makers of the bestselling fitness tracker, the Apple Watch, began to roll out a new feature: the ability to monitor heart rhythm, and specifically to detect atrial fibrillation.
- All this matters because the side effects of the blood thinners used to treat atrial fibrillation can be severe, ranging up to bleeding into the brain or gut. Such treatment would of course only be prescribed after consultation with a doctor. But if you are already finding it difficult to get a doctor's appointment, think of the impact of a lot of false positives landing on their desk.
- Such contradicting results have raised concerns among health providers and policy makers who ought to watch over the system even from the smallest change. Not to mention the opportunity costs one would have to bear from their individual perspective.
- So why wouldn't you want to know if you had it? Certainly, some doctors I have spoken to welcome the diagnostic possibilities that wearables bring; many are enthusiastic users themselves.
PART 3. WRITING — WORD FORMATION (Questions 106–115)
Provide the most suitable form of the given word in brackets. Write no more than ONE word.
PRESCRIPTION ERRORS
In Europe, medical prescriptions were historically written in Latin, for many centuries the universal language among the educated. A prescription for eye drops written in Amsterdam could be filled in Paris, because the abbreviation OS meant "left eye" in both places. With the ______ 106 (APPEAR) of Latin as a lingua franca, however, these abbreviations can be confusing even to trained professionals. In the early 1990s, two infants died in separate but identical tragedies: they were each administered 5 milligrams of morphine, rather than 0.5, as the ______ 107 (DOSE) was written without an initial zero. The naked decimal (.5) was subsequently misread. The personal and economic costs of these ______ 108 (INTERPRET) medical prescriptions are hard to quantify, yet anecdotal evidence suggests that they are prevalent. While mistakes will always happen in any human endeavor, taking simple corrective steps and also pushing for additional safeguarding policies would help reduce these unfortunate incidents.
Certain measures are widely agreed upon. For instance, the American Medical Association has publicly advocated against the use of Latin abbreviations and other relics of historical ______ 109 (PHARMACY). As a result, incidents of mixing up qd (everyday), qid (four times a day), and qod (every other day) seem to be on the decline. Still, enforcing these changes might be difficult due to the ______ 110 (CENTRAL) of the healthcare system where each institution has its own authority. Regulators who ______ 111 (SEE) potential areas of confusion, such as drug names have adopted certain changes, such as when the FDA asked a manufacturer to change the name of Levoxine, a thyroid medication, to Levoxyl so that confusion with Lanoxin, a heart failure drug, would be reduced. ______ 112 (LIKE), in 1990, the antacid Losec was renamed Prilosec to ______ 113 (DIFFERENCE) it from Lasix, a diuretic.
Other measures are controversial or require significant investment and consensus building. Switching to ______ 114 (COMPUTER) prescriber order entry systems seems to fix the ______ 115 (FAME) problem of illegible handwriting, but many systems still permit naked decimals and other dangerous practices. Moreover, since humans must still enter and retrieve the data, any technological fixes must be accompanied by substantial training. Ultimately, a manifold approach is likely needed to thoroughly address this issue.
ould be filled in Paris, because the abbreviation OS meant "left eye" in both places. With the ______ 106 (APPEAR) of Latin as a lingua franca, however, these a
tical tragedies: they were each administered 5 milligrams of morphine, rather than 0.5, as the ______ 107 (DOSE) was written without an initial zero. The naked
ero. The naked decimal (.5) was subsequently misread. The personal and economic costs of these ______ 108 (INTERPRET) medical prescriptions are hard to quantify
n has publicly advocated against the use of Latin abbreviations and other relics of historical ______ 109 (PHARMACY). As a result, incidents of mixing up qd (ev
r day) seem to be on the decline. Still, enforcing these changes might be difficult due to the ______ 110 (CENTRAL) of the healthcare system where each institut
CENTRAL) of the healthcare system where each institution has its own authority. Regulators who ______ 111 (SEE) potential areas of confusion, such as drug names
medication, to Levoxyl so that confusion with Lanoxin, a heart failure drug, would be reduced. ______ 112 (LIKE), in 1990, the antacid Losec was renamed Prilose
drug, would be reduced. ______ 112 (LIKE), in 1990, the antacid Losec was renamed Prilosec to ______ 113 (DIFFERENCE) it from Lasix, a diuretic. Other measures
sures are controversial or require significant investment and consensus building. Switching to ______ 114 (COMPUTER) prescriber order entry systems seems to fix
s building. Switching to ______ 114 (COMPUTER) prescriber order entry systems seems to fix the ______ 115 (FAME) problem of illegible handwriting, but many syst
PART 3. WRITING — ERROR CORRECTION (Questions 116–120)
Identify FIVE errors. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each correction.
1 Family relationships are often seen as a backbone of the society, playing a pivotal role in shaping our values and identities. 2 Over the years, many families have grappled for maintaining close-knit relationships amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life. 3 Engaging in heart-to-heart conversations, cherishing sharing memories, and keeping family traditions alive have all been cited as crucial to fostering strong bonds. 4 However, as technology advances, the way we connect with our loved one has evolved, sometimes in the expense of genuine face-to-face interactions. 5 Thus, making time for our family and nurturing these relationships remain more important than ever.
Error: Line 1 | the society → ?
Error: Line 2 | grappled for → ?
Error: Line 3 | sharing memories → ?
ERROR CORRECTION (Ques — 119. Error: Line 4 | loved one → ?
Error: Line 4 | in the expense → ?
PART 3. WRITING — SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (Questions 121–130)
Complete the second sentence using the word given. Write THREE to EIGHT words including the given word.
For the audience, the effortless performance of the acrobats was astonishing. (HOW)
→ The audience was ______ performed.
Molly told me it is not a good idea to throw away the receipts. (HOLD)
→ 'You had ______' Molly told me
Being uncharismatic made it hard for her to become a successful actress. (BARRED)
→ Her lack of ______ success in acting.
If we want to finish before the deadline, we have to work faster. (PICK)
→ The deadline cannot ______ the pace.
They will do whatever it takes to save the company. (STOP)
→ They will ______ the company going.
'You must tell me how the money got lost!' the boss demanded. (ACCOUNT)
→ The boss demanded that ______ money.
There is a severe shortage of clean water in our community after the disaster. (DIRE)
→ Our community ______ after the disaster.
The economy is in crisis, so it is very likely that many companies will go bankrupt. (VERGE)
→ Many companies are ______ to the economic crisis.
The manager covered up the mistake because he didn't want to be criticized. (FEAR)
→ The manager swept the mistake ______ criticism.
The touring company stopped to have some food before continuing their journey. (BITE)
→ Having ______ their journey.