de-thi

Lưu ý: Thí sinh làm bài trực tiếp vào đề của thí này, không được sử dụng tài liệu và bất kỳ loại tài liệu nào. Cán bộ coi thi không giải thích gì thêm.

LISTENING (3.0 PTS)

Part 1: You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1-6, circle the answer (A, B, or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract. You are going to listen twice.

Extract One

You hear a husband and wife talking about their child’s education.

1. The couple agree __________

2. Compared to the man, the woman is __________

Extract Two

You hear a specialist discussing color blindness.

3. Total color blindness __________

4. Color blindness __________

Extract Three

You hear part of a lecture by a sociologist.

5. According to the lecture, many people left their homes due to __________

6. The speaker believes that people’s attitudes to work were based on __________

Part 2: You will hear a report on how English has become a global language. For questions 7-15, fill in each blank with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS according to what you hear. You are going to listen twice. (1.8 pts)

The spread of English around the globe means it is now termed a (7) ____________________.

English first started to spread when explorers made (8) ____________________ to the other side of the world.

The influence of Britain in the past and the influence of American businesses are the (9) __________ which give English its present significance.

The number of people whose (10) ____________________ is English is sign

ificantly greater in the USA than in the UK.

It is difficult to (11) ____________________ the communicative functions of English in some countries.

It is sometimes suggested that English is (12) ____________________ superior to other languages.

People tend to judge languages using subjective rather than (13) ____________________.

English sentence structure is (14) ____________________.

Language success is (15) ____________________ on a variety of different things.

PHONETICS (2.0 PTS)

I. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others by circling A, B, C or D. (1.0 pt)

II. Choose the word whose main stress pattern is different from that of the others by circling A, B, C or D. (1.0 pt)

VOCABULARY – GRAMMAR (4.0 PTS)

I. Circle the best option A, B, C or D to complete the following sentences. (1.5 pts)

1. I wrote down the names of all the places that I had ever been to in order to __________ his memory, but to no avail.

2. A new generation of performers, __________ those who by now had become household names, honed their skills before following the same path onto television.

3. A new government report delivers __________ warnings about climate change and its impacts on the planet.

4. A large proportion of the households in this area will be __________ to the Internet thanks to a generous foreign donor.

5. The van eventually exploded, __________.

6. It __________ be Annie who is crossing the street, Annie is taller.

7. Everyone has to hand in their assignments by noon but __________ Sam, I’ll make an exception.

8. Mr. Smith is held in high __________ for his dedication to the school.

9. – John: “I hear Paul has a job at a restaurant.”

– Kelly: “Well, it’s __________ a restaurant as a café nearby.”

10. So enthusiastically did audiences react to her performances that she felt __________ on to even greater achievements.

11. It’s vital that __________ at this time.

12. __________ non-verbal language is __________ important aspect of interpersonal communication.

13. Being a __________ entrepreneur, you will have to make a special effort for people to take you seriously.

14. __________ how interesting this course was going to be, I would have enrolled.

15. The old woman is reported __________ found a huge sum of money in a secret hiding place in the attic.

II. Circle the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word or phrase CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word or phrase in each of the following questions. (0.2 pts)

1. Even faced with a barrage of criticism, she stood her ground, refusing to back down from her principles.

2. In my book, honesty and integrity are the most important qualities in a friend.

III. Circle the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word or phrase OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word or phrase in each of the following questions. (0.2 pts)

1. The captain ordered the soldiers to gather on the double, even though they were sleeping.

2. Constant immediate correction by a language teacher is often counter-productive, as students may become discouraged to speak at all.

IV. Give the correct form of the words in brackets to complete the passage. (0.8 pts)

Nowadays, there is a huge range of clothing designed for winter outdoor pursuits. The traditional wax jacket and rubber boots have largely been superseded by man-made fabrics such as ‘Gortex’ and designer hiking boots.

(1) __________ (RESPECT) of your preference in clothing on your winter walks, the main priority is to keep you warm and dry. To this end, the old adage to use the (2) __________ (LAYER) technique still applies. Thermal underwear and socks, topped with an outer shell of jackets and overtrousers in (3) __________ (PERMEATE) fabric which keep out the wind and (4) __________ (MOIST) and are also breathable, keep you warm and dry. For wet weather or shore walking, rubber boots are best, but these are (5) __________ (SUIT) for real walking. This will require proper hiking boots, which these days are sturdy and light. Boots designed (6) __________ (SPECIFY) for hiking have a stiff insole and provide good ankle support as well as giving good traction on (7) __________ (SLIP) surfaces. A small rucksack of 15-25 litre capacity is suitable for short walks, but the more intrepid hiker will probably need a substantially larger backpack of around 25-40 litres. Hiker’s rucksacks have been considerably (8) __________ (LIGHT) over the last few years and new fabric technology will make them even lighter.

V. Complete each sentence using a verb from column A in the correct form and a particle from column B. You use each verb and particle once ONLY. (0.8 pts)

1. Don’t ____________________ an entire chocolate cake; you will get indigestion.
2. Although my new house is fine, I still prefer the old one which ____________________ a river.
3. There is no need to ____________________ the cracks, I know you are having problems, just tell me.
4. It was very childish of you to ____________________ your opponent’s failure immediately on the stage when the result was announced.
5. My teacher ____________________ over my article to make it sound less aggressive.
6. She ____________________ at her homework until after midnight.
7. I know his name but I haven’t managed to ____________________ where he lives.
8. John __________ always __________ about his coin collection.

VI. Think of ONE word which can be used appropriately in all THREE sentences. (0.5 pts)

1. ____________________a) I could barely __________ the faint aroma of coffee brewing downstairs. b) The room had a __________ of peacefulness that calmed my nerves. c) His words made no __________ leaving me completely confused.
2. ____________________a) Please __________ my order quickly, I’m really hungry. b) The caterpillar undergoes a fascinating __________ of transformation into a butterfly. c) She was deeply engrossed in the __________ of writing her novel, letting the words flow freely.
3. ____________________ a) The city’s two football __________ are in need of new turf, so they will be closed for the weekend. b) Although the castle buildings are closed during the week, the __________ are open to the public from 9 to 5 every day. c) Since all possible problems have been foreseen, there should be no __________ for any complaint.
4. ____________________a) As Sue __________ paper into the printer, I made photocopies of the tests. b) Since he was constantly __________ misinformation by those around him, he was never aware of the real situation. c) Children __________ on plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables are generally healthier than those who are not.
5. ____________________a) I am not exactly sure what the rate of unemployment is, though it is certain to be in double __________. b) Mary could just make out some dim __________ standing in the doorway. c) These __________ are expressed as a percentage of the total.

READING (6.0 PTS)

I. Read and choose the best option by circling A, B, C or D to complete the passage. (2.0 pts)

The expression on your face can usually dramatically alter your feelings and perceptions, and it has been proved that (1) __________ smiling or frowning can create corresponding emotional responses. The idea was first (2) __________ by a French physiologist, Israel Waynbaum, in 1906. He believed that different facial (3) __________ affected the flow of blood to the brain, and that this could create positive or negative feelings. A happy smile or irrepressible (4) __________ increased the blood flow and contributed to joyful feelings. But sad, angry expressions decreased the flow of oxygen-carrying blood and created a vicious circle of gloom and depression by effectively (5) __________ the brain of essential fuel.

Psychologist Robert Zajonc rediscovered this early subject and suggests that the temperature of the brain could affect the production and synthesis of neurotransmitters – which definitely influence our moods and energy levels. He argues that an impaired blood could not only deprive the brain of oxygen, but create further chemical imbalance without inhibiting these vital hormonal messages. Zajonc goes on to propose that our brains remember smiling associated with being happy, and that by deliberately smiling through your tears you can (6) __________ your brain to release uplifting neurotransmitters – replacing a depressed condition (7) __________ a happier one. People suffering from psychosomatic (8) __________, depression and anxiety states could (9) __________ from simply exercising their zygomatic (10) __________ – which pull the corners of the mouth up and back to form a smile- several times an hour.

II. Choose which of the paragraphs A – G that fits into the numbered gaps in the following magazine article. There is one extra paragraph, which does not fit into any of the gaps. (1.2 pts)

Chewing gum culture

It’s fashionable, classless and Americans chew 12 million sticks of it a day. Discover how an ancient custom became big business.

Chewing gum contains fewer than ten calories per stick, but it is classified as a food and must therefore conform to the standards of the American Food and Drug Administration. Today’s gum is largely synthetic, with added pine resins and softeners which help to hold the flavour and improve the texture.

1. ____________________

American colonists followed the example of the Amero-lndians of New England and chewed the resin that formed on spruce trees when the bark was cut. Lumps of spruce for chewing were sold in the eastern United States in the early 1800s making it the first commercial chewing gum in the country. Modern chewing gum has its origins in the late 1860s with the discovery of chicle, a milky substance obtained from the sapodilla tree of the Central American rainforest.

2. ____________________

Yet repeated attempts to cultivate sapodilla commercially have failed. As the chewing gum market has grown, synthetic alternatives have had to be developed.

3. ____________________

Most alarming is the unpleasant little chicle fly that likes to lodge its eggs in the tapper’s ears and nose. Braving these hazards, barefooted and with only a rope and an axe, an experienced chiclero will shin a mature tree in minutes to cut a path in the bark for the white sap to flow down to a bag below.

4. ____________________

Yet, punishing though this working environment is, the remaining chicleros fear for their livelihood. Not so long ago, the United States alone imported 7,000 tonnes of chicle a year from Central America. Last year just 200 tonnes were tapped in the whole of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. As chewing gum sales have soared, so the manufacturers have turned to synthetics to reduce costs and meet demands.

5. ____________________

Plaque acid, which forms when we eat, causes this. Our saliva, which neutralises the acid and supplies minerals such as calcium, phosphate and fluoride, is the body’s natural defence. Gum manufacturers say 20 minutes of chewing can increase your salivary flow.

6. ____________________

In addition, one hundred and thirty-seven square kilometres of America is devoted entirely to producing the mint that is used in the two most popular chewing gums in the world.

Missing paragraphs

1. Gum made from this resulted in a smoother, more satisfying and more elastic chew, and soon a whole industry was born based on this product.
2. Meanwhile, the world’s gum producers are finding ingenious ways of marketing their products. In addition to all the claims made for gum – it helps you relax, peps you up and eases tension (soldiers during both world wars were regularly supplied with gum) – gum’s greatest claim is that it reduces tooth decay.
3. Research continues on new textures and flavours. Glycerine and other vegetable oil products are now used to blend the gum base. Most new flavours are artificial – but some flavours still need natural assistance.
4. This was not always the case, though. The ancient Greeks chewed a gum-like resin obtained from the bark of the mastic tree, a shrub found mainly in Greece and Turkey. Grecian women, especially, favoured mastic gum to clean their teeth and sweeten their breath.
5. Each chiclero must carry the liquid on his back to a forest camp, where it is boiled until sticky and made into bricks. Life at the camp is no picnic either, with a monotonous and often deficient maize-based diet washed down by a local drink distilled from sugar cane.
6. The chicleros grease their hands and arms to prevent the sticky gum sticking to them. The gum is then packed into a wooden mould, pressed down firmly, initialled and dated ready for collection and export.
7. Today the few remaining chicle gatherers, chicleros, eke out a meagre and dangerous living, trekking for miles to tap scattered sapodilla in near-100% humidity. Conditions are appalling: highly poisonous snakes lurk ready to pounce and insects abound.

III. Read the passage carefully and do the exercises below. (2.8 pt)

When Conversations Flow

We spend a large part of our daily life talking with other people and, consequently, we are very accustomed to the art of conversing. But why do we feel comfortable in conversations that have flow, but get nervous and distressed when a conversation is interrupted by unexpected silences? To answer this question we will first look at some of the effects of conversational flow. Then we will explain how flow can serve different social needs.

The positive consequences of conversational flow show some similarities with the effects of ‘processing fluency’. Research has shown that processing fluency the ease with which people process information influences people’s judgments across a broad range of social dimensions. For instance, people feel that when something is easily processed, it is more true or accurate. Moreover, they have more confidence in their judgments regarding information that came to them fluently, and they like things that are easy to process more than things that are difficult to process. Research indicates that a speaker is judged to be more knowledgeable when they answer questions instantly; responding with disfluent speech markers such as ‘uh’ or ‘urn or simply remaining silent for a moment too long can destroy that positive image.

One of the social needs addressed by conversational flow is the human need for ‘synchrony’ to be ‘in sync’ or in harmony with one another. Many studies have shown how people attempt to synchronize with their partners, by coordinating their behavior. This interpersonal coordination underlies a wide array of human activities, ranging from more complicated ones like ballroom dancing to simply walking or talking with friends.

In conversations, interpersonal coordination is found when people adjust the duration of their utterances and their speech rate to one another so that they can enable turn-taking to occur, without talking over each other or experiencing awkward silences. Since people are very well trained in having conversations, they are often able to take turns within milliseconds, resulting in a conversational flow of smoothly meshed behaviors. A lack of flow is characterized by interruptions, simultaneous speech or mutual silences. Avoiding these features is important for defining and maintaining interpersonal relationships.

The need to belong has been identified as one of the most basic of human motivations and plays a role in many human behaviors. That conversational flow related to belonging may be most easily illustrated by the consequences of flow disruptions. What happens when the positive experience of flow is disrupted by, for instance, a brief silence? We all know that silences can be pretty awkward, and research shows that even short disruptions in conversational flow can lead to a sharp rise in distress levels. In movies, silences are often used to signal noncompliance or confrontation (Piazza, 2006). Some researchers even argue that ‘silencing someone’ is one of the most serious forms of exclusion. Group membership is of elementary importance to our wellbeing and because humans are very sensitive to signals of exclusion, a silence is generally taken as a sign of rejection. In this way, a lack of flow in a conversation may signal that our relationship is not as solid as we thought it was.

Another aspect of synchrony is that people often try to validate their opinions to those of others. That is, people like to see others as having similar ideas or worldviews as they have themselves, because this informs people that they are correct and their worldviews are justified. One way in which people can justify their worldviews is by assuming that, as long as their conversations run smoothly, their interaction partners probably agree with them. This idea was tested by researchers using video observations. Participants imagined being one out of three people in a video clip who had either a fluent conversation or a conversation in which flow was disrupted by a brief silence. Except for the silence, the videos were identical. After watching the video, participants were asked to what extent the people in the video agreed with each other. Participants who watched the fluent conversation rated agreement to be higher than participants watching the conversation that was disrupted by a silence, even though participants were not consciously aware of the disruption. It appears that the subjective feeling of being out of sync informs people of possible disagreements, regardless of the content of the conversation.

Because people are generally so well trained in having smooth conversations, any disruption of this flow indicates that something is wrong, either interpersonally or within the group as a whole. Consequently, people who do not talk very easily may be incorrectly understood as being less agreeable than those who have no difficulty keeping up a conversation. On a societal level, one could even imagine that a lack of conversational flow may hamper the integration of immigrants who have not completely mastered the language of their new country yet. In a similar sense, the ever increasing number of online conversations may be disrupted by misinterpretations and anxiety that are produced by insuperable delays in the Internet connection. Keeping in mind the effects of conversational flow for feelings of belonging and validation may help one to be prepared to avoid such misunderstandings in future conversations.

For questions 1 to 6, do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the text? Write:

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1. Conversation occupies much of our time. __________
2. People assess information according to how readily they can understand it. __________
3. A quick response to a question is thought to show a lack of knowledge. __________
4. Video observations have often been used to assess conversational flow. __________
5. People who talk less often have clearer ideas than those who talk a lot. __________
6. Delays in online chat fail to have the same negative effect as disruptions that occur in natural conversation. __________

For questions 7 to 14, complete the summary below by choosing NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.

SYNCHRONY

There is a human desire to co-ordinate (7) __________ in an effort to be ‘in harmony’. This co-ordination can be seen in conversations when speakers alter the speed and extent of their speech in order to facilitate (8) __________. This is often achieved within milliseconds: only tiny pauses take place when a conversation flows; when it doesn’t, there are (9) __________ and silences, or people talk at the same time.

Our desire to (10) __________is also an important element of conversation flow. According to research, our (11) __________ increase even if silences are brief. Humans have a basic need to be part of a group, and they experience a sense of (12) __________ if silences exclude them.

People also attempt to co-ordinate their opinions in conversation. In an experiment, participants’ judgement of the overall (13) __________ among speakers was tested using videos of a fluent and a slightly disrupted conversation. The results showed that the (14) __________ of the speakers’ discussion was less important than the perceived synchrony of the speaker.

WRITING (5.0 PTS)

I. Finish the second sentence in such a way that is similar to the original one, using the given words. (1.0 pt)

1. I’d never let anyone use a photograph of my children in an advertisement.

I’d never have a ____________________________________________________________________________

2. There’s every chance of industrial action being taken by the union.

The union _________________________________________________________________________________

3. Two weeks passed before the letter arrived.

Not until __________________________________________________________________________________

4. It’s widespread assumption that George was wrongly accused.

George ___________________________________________________________________________________

5. The sports centre presents a certificate of attendance to every student when they leave.

All students at the sports centre ________________________________________________________________

II. Rewrite the following sentences without changing their meaning using the words in the brackets. Do not change the words given. (1.0 pt)

1. She has finally accepted the fact that her novel will never be a best-seller. (resigned)

At last, she __________________________________________________________________ sales of her novel.

2. We have taken umbrellas as we’re afraid the weather may get worse. (lest)

We have taken umbrellas _____________________________________________________________ get worse.

3. I can’t resist musicals, and this one almost moved me to tears. (lump)

I am partial to musicals, and _____________________________________________________________ throat.

4. I wish she weren’t worried about changing her job. (qualms)

If _________________________________________________________________________ changing her job.

5. She’s much better than me at skating. (streets)

She _____________________________________________________________________________ at skating.

III. Write an essay of about 200-250 words on the following question. (3.0 pts)

The modern-day hectic routine leading to a lack of communication supposedly contributes to the widening generation gap between parents and children. What are viable solutions that both adults and children can employ to tackle this issue?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

———- HẾT ———-

dap-an

NGHE (0.2 điểm/câu)

I. Chọn đáp án đúng (6 câu)

1. B
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. B
6. A

II. Điền từ (9 câu)

7. world language
8. voyages of discovery
9. two (2) factors
10. mother tongue
11. determine
12. inherently
13. objective standards
14. (highly) complex
15. dependent

NGỮ ÂM (0.2 điểm/câu)

I. Chọn từ có cách phát âm khác (5 câu)

1. B
2. C
3. C
4. A
5. D

II. Chọn từ có cách dấu trọng âm khác (5 câu)

1. B
2. C
3. C
4. D
5. D

TỪ VỰNG – NGỮ PHÁP (0.1 điểm/câu)

I. Chọn phương án đúng (15 câu)

1. D
2. A
3. B
4. C
5. D
6. B
7. C
8. B
9. D
10. C
11. D
12. A
13. B
14. B
15. C

II. Chọn từ đồng nghĩa (2 câu)

1. D
2. B

III. Chọn từ trái nghĩa (2 câu)

1. C
2. D

IV. Viết dạng đúng của từ (8 câu)

1. irrespective
2. layering
3. impermeable
4. moisture
5. suitable
6. specifically
7. slippery
8. lightened

V. Điền cụm từ (8 câu)

1. wolf down
2. backs onto
3. paper over
4. gloat over
5. waters down
6. was beavering away
7. ferret out
8. is (always) rabbiting on

VI. Điền 1 từ vào 3 chỗ trống (5 câu)

1. sense
2. process
3. grounds
4. fed
5. figures

ĐỌC (0.2 điểm/câu)

I. Chọn đáp án đúng (10 câu)

1. C
2. D
3. C
4. A
5. B
6. B
7. D
8. B
9. C
10. A

II. Điền đoạn văn vào chỗ trống (10 câu)

1. D
2. A
3. G
4. E
5. B
6. C

III. Viết đáp án đúng (10 câu)

1. YES
2. YES
3. NO
4. NOT GIVEN
5. NOT GIVEN
6. NO
7. (their) behaviour/ activities
8. turn-taking
9. interruptions
10. belong
11. distress levels
12. rejection
13. agreement
14. content

VIẾT – Bài I, II: 0.2 điểm x 10 = 2.0 điểm, Bài III viết luận: 3.0 điểm

I.

1. I’d never have a photograph of my children used in an advertisement.
2. The union is/ are (very) likely/ almost certain to/ will probably take industrial action.
3. Not until two weeks had passed did the letter arrive.
4. George is widely assumed to have been wrongly accused.
5. All students at the sports centre are presented with a certificate of attendance when they leave.

II.

1. At last she resigned herself to the low sales of her novel.
2. We have taken umbrellas lest the weather should get worse.
3. I am partial to musicals, and this one brought a lump to my throat.
4. If only she didn’t have/ were not having (any) qualms about changing her job.
5. She is streets ahead of me at skating.

III. Viết Luận

• Introduction (2-3 sentences) 0.5 điểm
• Body (2-3 paragraphs) 2.0 điểm
• Conclusion (2-3 sentences) 0.5 điểm

———- HẾT ———-

transcripts

AUDIOSCRIPTS

Part 1.

Practice test 3. Paper 3, listening. This is the Certificate of Proficiency in English listening test. Test 3. I’m going to give you the instructions for this test.

I’ll introduce each part of the test and give you time to look at the questions. At the start of each piece, you’ll hear this sound. You’ll hear each piece twice.

Remember, while you’re listening, write your answers on the question paper. You’ll have 5 minutes at the end of the test to copy your answers onto the separate answer sheet. There will now be a pause.

Please ask any questions now, because you must not speak during the test. Part 1. Now open your question paper and look at part 1. You will hear 3 different extracts. For questions 1 to 6, choose the answer A, B, or C, which fits best according to what you hear.

There are 2 questions for each extract. Extract 1. Now George, calm down. I know you always had high hopes for Rob, but that doesn’t mean he has to follow in your footsteps.

Haven’t you always emphasised, and quite rightly, that he needs to be independent? What’s wrong with being a professional musician anyway? Is that what you’d call someone playing in a rock band? He looks down his nose at me and my colleagues, but imagine where we’d all be now if I hadn’t knuckled down and worked hard. Where does he think the money for the music lessons came from in the first place? Oh, George, don’t be so pompous. Pomposity has absolutely nothing to do with it.

These days, you need credible qualifications to succeed in life. Well, George, there are a great number of very well-known people who have none… What does a 17-year-old know about life? I’m sorry, but… Would you please stop this and get back to the subject? Rob has made up his mind, and I think the least we can do is to back him in his choice. After all, he is a mature, well-balanced individual who doesn’t act on impulse.

I’m sure it was a well-thought-out decision. Now, George, calm down. I know you always had high hopes for Rob, but that doesn’t mean he has to follow in your footsteps.

Haven’t you always emphasised, and quite rightly, that he needs to be independent? What’s wrong with being a professional musician anyway? Is that what you’d call someone playing in a rock band? He looks down his nose at me and my colleagues, but imagine where we’d all be now if I hadn’t knuckled down and worked hard. Where does he think the money for the music lessons came from in the first place? Oh, George, don’t be so pompous. Pomposity has absolutely nothing to do with it.

These days, you need credible qualifications to succeed in life. Well, George, there are a great number of very well-known people who have none. What does a 17-year-old know about life? I’m sorry, but… Would you please stop this and get back to the subject? Rob has made up his mind, and I think the least we can do is to back him in his choice.

After all, he is a mature, well-balanced individual who doesn’t act on impulse. I’m sure it was a well-thought-out decision. Total color blindness, in which all hues are perceived as variations of gray, is known as achromatopsia, or monochromatism.

This is a far more serious defect than partial color blindness, unfortunately extremely rare. Unlike simple color blindness, monochromatism affects men and women equally. Partial color blindness, called dichromatism, consists generally of the inability to differentiate between the reds and greens of the color spectrum, or to actually be unable to perceive reds or greens.

Dichromatism is the most common form of color blindness, affecting about 7% of men and less than 1% of women, and is normally a hereditary characteristic. It is interesting that the vision of most colorblind people is normal in all other respects. They can generally learn by experience to associate colors with varying sensations of brightness.

Consequently, many people live their lives without even being aware that they are colorblind. Some only discover that they have the condition when they take obligatory tests like obtaining driving licenses, or when applying for certain jobs, in which color distinction is necessary. Total color blindness, in which all hues are perceived as variations of gray, is known as achromatopsia, or monochromatism.

This is a far more serious defect than partial color blindness, unfortunately extremely rare. Unlike simple color blindness, monochromatism affects men and women equally. Partial color blindness, called dichromatism, consists generally of the inability to differentiate between the reds and greens of the color spectrum, or to actually be unable to perceive reds or greens.

Dichromatism is the most common form of color blindness, affecting about 7% of men and less than 1% of women, and is normally a hereditary characteristic. It is interesting that the vision of most colorblind people is normal in all other respects. They can generally learn by experience to associate colors with varying sensations of brightness.

Consequently, many people live their lives without even being aware that they are colorblind. Some only discover that they have the condition when they take obligatory tests like obtaining driving licenses, or when applying for certain jobs, in which color distinction is necessary. Extract 3 If I could continue, please.

As the 19th century progressed, more and more farmers who relied on the adverse terms of credit, advanced by moneylenders, were reduced to bankruptcy and many were ultimately forced to sell their land. The power of large landowners and merchants then drove or kept many individuals from ownership of land. By the 1840s, thousands of landless people were forced into dependent employment as farm laborers or workers on the construction of roads, canals and railways.

The fact that many individuals were unsuccessful in the pursuit of employment is shown by the high rate of migration within the country and by emigration to other countries. In their new countries, despite the fact that the lives of so many people at this time had been affected by capitalist institutions, priorities of work and life were not ordered strictly in terms of economic criteria. Cultural factors were important.

Upper Canadians, for example, who mainly came from the British Isles, had been exposed in their native lands to the Protestant ethic and its positive enjoyment of hard work and frugality. Thus, considerations of what was useful, rather than what could be exchanged on the market, were also important in the production of goods. If I could continue, please.

As the 19th century progressed, more and more farmers who relied on the adverse terms of credit advanced by money lenders were reduced to bankruptcy and many were ultimately forced to sell their land. The power of large landowners and merchants then drove or kept many individuals from ownership of land. By the 1840s, thousands of landless people were forced into dependent employment as farm labourers or workers on the construction of roads, canals and railways.

The fact that many individuals were unsuccessful in the pursuit of employment is shown by the high rate of migration within the country and by emigration to other countries. In their new countries, despite the fact that the lives of so many people at this time had been affected by capitalist institutions, priorities of work and life were not ordered strictly in terms of economic criteria. Cultural factors were important.

Upper Canadians, for example, who mainly came from the British Isles, had been exposing their native lands to the Protestant ethic and its positive enjoyment of hard work and frugality. Thus, considerations of what was useful, rather than what could be exchanged on the market, were also important in the production of goods. That’s the end of part 1.

Part 2.

Now, English is either the dominant or official language in over 60 countries, and is spoken in every continent and across the three major oceans, the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific. It is without any doubt a world language now. But this wasn’t always the case.

How did English achieve this extraordinarily wide representation? Well, English started to move around the world with the early voyages of discovery to the Americas, Asia and the Antipodes, and continued in the 19th century when colonies were established in Africa and the South Pacific. Then in the 20th century, it took a significant further step when many newly independent states adopted it as an official or semi-official language. Two factors make English important today.

The expansion of British colonial power, which peaked towards the end of the 20th century, and the emergence of the US as the dominant economic power of the 20th century. It is this which continues to explain the position of the English language today. Although there are people in Britain who find this difficult to accept.

But if you look at the statistics, you’ll see that the USA contains nearly four times as many English mother tongue speakers as the UK. And although together these two countries comprise 70% of all English mother tongue speakers in the world, this dominance gives the Americans a controlling interest in the way the language is likely to develop. But as we’ve already seen, Britain and the US are not the only places where English is used as an important vehicle for communication.

In countries where English is a second or foreign language, or where English is used simultaneously as a first and a second language like Canada, for example, or in a country like India, where a history of language contact has produced a legacy of language conflict, it is not easy to determine how and in what situations English is used. One reason you find people often put forward for English having achieved its worldwide status is its intrinsic linguistic features. People have claimed that it is inherently a more logical or beautiful language than others, or it’s easier to pronounce, or it’s simpler, or it has a larger vocabulary.

This is simply not true. There are no objective standards of logic or beauty to compare different languages. And questions of phonetic, grammatical, or lexical complexity are never capable of simple answers.

For example, English may not have many inflectional endings, which is what most people are thinking of when they talk about English as grammatically simple, but it has a highly complex syntax. The number of endings actually has no bearing on whether a language becomes used worldwide. You just have to look at the success of Latin or Ancient Greek in the past to see that.

There has always been one language in a particular era which was high in world esteem, and probably always will. What gives a language this particular position is dependent on many factors, political, economic, social, religious, literary maybe, but not necessarily linguistic.