UBND TỈNH KON TUM
SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
ĐỀ THI CHÍNH THỨC

KỲ THI CHỌN ĐỘI TUYỂN DỰ THI
CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA THPT
NĂM HỌC 2021 – 2022
Môn: TIẾNG ANH
Thời gian: 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)
Ngày thi: 28/9/2021
(Đề thi có 15 trang, gồm 100 câu và 2 bài viết)

Giám thị 1
(Ký và ghi rõ họ tên)

Giám thị 2
(Ký và ghi rõ họ tên)

....................................

................................................

............................................

.........................................................

Họ và tên thí sinh:........................................................................Số báo danh:
Nam hay nữ:.....................................................................
Ngày sinh:........................................................................
Nơi sinh:...........................................................................

SỐ PHÁCH

Do Hội đồng chấm thi ghi

Học sinh trường:..............................................................
Đang học lớp:..................................................................
Chú ý:

-

Thí sinh phải ghi đầy đủ các mục ở trên.
Thí sinh làm bài trực tiếp trên đề thi.
Thí sinh không được ký tên hoặc dùng bất cứ ký hiệu gì để đánh dấu bài thi.
Bài thi không được viết bằng mực đỏ, bút chì; không viết bằng 2 thứ mực. Phần
viết hỏng, ngoài cách dùng thước gạch chéo không được tẩy xoá bằng bất kỳ
cách gì khác (kể cả bút xoá).
Trái với các điều trên, bài thi sẽ bị loại.

UBND TỈNH KON TUM
SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
ĐỀ THI CHÍNH THỨC

Bằng số

Điểm

Bằng chữ

KỲ THI CHỌN ĐỘI TUYỂN DỰ THI
CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI QUỐC GIA THPT
NĂM HỌC 2021 – 2022
Môn: TIẾNG ANH
Thời gian: 180 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)
Ngày thi: 28/9/2021

Giám khảo 1

SỐ PHÁCH
(Do Hội đồng chấm
thi ghi)

Giám khảo 2

ĐỀ THI
(Đề thi gồm 15 trang)
(Học sinh làm bài trên đề thi. Hướng dẫn được ghi bằng tiếng Anh)
I. LISTENING (50 points)
HƯỚNG DẪN PHẦN THI NGHE HIỂU
 Bài nghe gồm 4 phần, mỗi phần THÍ SINH ĐƯỢC NGHE 2 LẦN, mở đầu và
kết thúc mỗi phần nghe có tín hiệu
 Thí sinh có 2 phút để hoàn chỉnh bài trước khi nhạc hiệu kết thúc bài nghe
 Mọi hướng dẫn cho thí sinh đã có trong bài nghe
___________________________________
Part 1: For questions 1-5, you will hear a radio interview about fox hunting. Choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear. Write your answers in
the corresponding numbered boxes.
1. What surprises the interview about the hunt?
A. The dogs are no longer allowed to run free.
B. Nothing seems to have changed after a the new law on hunting.
C. The hunters seem to have adopted a strange system of hunting.
D. The dogs seemed to be losing their ability to find a fox.
2. According to Brian Hook, ______.
A. he enjoys the thrill of the hunt as much as ever
B. the hunters try to deceive the public
C. it's difficult to keep up with a hunt to see what is really happening
D. it is impossible for them to moniotr all the hunts
3. The new law ______.
A. forbids dogs to chase foxes
B. allows dogs to kill a fox as long as the kill is
monitored
C. has proved to be difficult to enforce
D. forbids foxes to be shot
Page 1/15

4. What was done wrong in the case of Richard Black?
A. He should not have used dogs to flush the fox out of the hole.
B. He was slow to intervene when the fox was caught.
C. He realised too late that his dogs had caught a fox.
D. He shot the fox and then gave it to the dogs.
5. Hook believes that ______.
A. the countryside will be overrun with foxes
B. the law was intended to make the killing of foxes less cruel
C. the fox could become an endangered species
D. traditional hunting methods are the only way to control the fox population
Your answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Part 2: For questions 6-10, listen to part of a news report about the rush to develop a
coronavirus vaccine and answer the questions. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS
taken from the recording for each answer. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes.
6. What will the vaccine at Moderna go through after the first successful testing phase?
_________________________________________________________________________
7. According to WHO, other than medical staff and senior citizens, who may receive early
vaccination?
_________________________________________________________________________
8. What is the later generation of vaccines projected to do?
_________________________________________________________________________
9. What proportion of the public may need immunization to get back to normal life?
_________________________________________________________________________
10. At what pace are operations working to distribute their vaccine to the world?
_________________________________________________________________________
Your answers
6.
7.
8.
9.

10.

Part 3: For questions 11-15, listen to a lecture about Australian Aboriginal art and
decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE. Write your answers in the corresponding
numbered boxes.
11. Sand drawings are an example of Australian ancient art.
12. One of the oldest arts by Aborigine is rock painting.
13. Ancient Aborigine used rock art as a kind of language.
14. Aboriginal people used ochre to paint because it could be found eveywhere.
15. Honey was also as paint.
Your answers
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Page 2/15

Part 4: For questions 16-25, listen to a report on the world's cleanest cities and supply
the blanks with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS
taken from the recording for each answer in the corresponding numbered boxes.
- In December 2015, China issued a (n) (16) __________________ for their capital,
Beijing, due to its excessive particle levels.
- Many (17) __________________ occupied top spots in terms of cleanliness according
to the Green City Index report.
- While Denmark and Switzerland impose heavy restrictions on high polluting vehicles,
there is also a(n) (18) __________________ to use environmentally-friendly modes of
transport.
- Curitiba in Brazil was the first city to introduce (19) __________________ in 1970s.
- Singapore keep the city clean through (20) __________________ and infrastructure
investment. (21) __________________ recycling and water treatment plants in Singapore
are designed around supplying the uniquely compact city.
- Recycling a significant amount of waste, San Francisco is described as a(n) (22)
__________________ city. A way to maintain low use of energy in San Francisco is to
require (23) __________________ to submit energy usage reports on a regular basis.
- Accra in Ghana get high scores for establishing a(n) (24) __________________ with the
government.
- In general, it is (25) __________________ to be involved that fundamentally
contributes to the protection of the environment.
Your answers
16.
17.
18.
19.

20.

21

22.

23.

24.

25.
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (50 points)
Part 1: For questions 26-40 Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) which best
completes each sentence. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
26. According to the _____ of the contract, tenants must give six months' notice if they
intend to live.
A. laws
B. rules
C. terms
D. details
27. No one could contemplate fame these days without knowing beforehand of its _____.
a. laisez-faire
B. outburst
C. insight
D. downside
28. Books taken from the short _____ section are due to be returned the next day.
A. borrowing
B. credit
C. loan
D. return
Page 3/15

29. She was so undisciplined and disobedient that, as the manager, I just had to put my
_____ down.
A. stamp
B. shoe
C. fist
D. foot
30. When Wilson's company was hit by the recession, he decided to take early _____.
A. redundancy
B. retirement
C. resignation
D. redeployment
31. I am sure your husband-to-be will lend you a _____ ear when you explain the situation
to him.
A. merciful
B. compassionate C. pitiful
D. sympathetic
32. The whereabouts of the exiled president remains a _____ guarded secret.
A. highly
B. closely
C. deeply
D. entirely
33. It's a shame to fall out so badly with your own _____.
A. heart to heart
B. flesh and blood C. heart and soul
D. skin and bone
34. Life's very easy for you. You were born with a _____ spoon in your mouth.
A. silver
B. golden
C. bronze
D. diamond
35. There has been a lot of _____ surrounding the government's proposed scheme.
A. controversy
B. consent
C. conformity
D. consequence
36. You can't bury your head _____ and hope that this problem goes away, you know.
A. in the mud
B. in the pool
C. in the sand
D. in the water
37. Fiona's offered to help you. Don't ask why – never look a gift _____ in the mouth.
A. horse
B. cow
C. deer
D. dog
38. Sandra's unpleasant _____ suggested that she knew about Amanda's terrible secret.
A. grimace
B. smirk
C. wince
D. snort
39. Few people can do creative work unless they are in the right _____ of mind.
A. frame
B. trend
C. attitude
D. tendency
40. He was arrested for trying to pass _____ notes at the bank.
A. camouflaged
B. artificial
C. counterfeit
D. fraudulent
Your answers
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Part 2: For questions 41-50, complete the following sentences with the words given in the
brackets. You have to change the form of the word. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes.

A Great Staycation
Holidays at home are usually a last (41.COURSE) ____________ when all other
options have been ruled out for one reason or another, but, in these tough times when
money is perhaps tighter than ever before, the grim (42. REAL) ____________ that the
stay-at-home vacation may be the only realistic (43.ALTER) ____________ is one that
more and more of us are faced with.
However, this does not have to mean a (44.MISERY) ____________ time in the
same old (45.ROUND) ____________ you are in for the other 355-odd days of the year.
For those willing to think outside the box a little, there are, in fact, a (46. MULTIPLE)
____________ of possibilities that should be explored.

Page 4/15

Ever thought about a house swap, for example? The house swap is ultimatr holiday (47.
RECEDE) ____________ buster. And there are now websites on which (48. MIND)
____________ individuals, couples and families looking to get a flavour of the life lived
in some else's home can hook up and start house swapping.
Okay, so it's not the two weeks in Gran Canaria you might have hoped for, but
staying in someone else's (49. RESIDE) ____________ for a few days at least, whether it
be ten, fifty or one hundred miles away, sure beats (50. SLOUCH) ____________ around
at home on your sofa.
Your answers
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

III. READING (50 points)
Part 1: For questions 51-60, read the passage and fill each of the following numbered
blanks with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered
boxes provided
It is widely recognised that we must automate our industry or else we shall find
(51)_________ unable to compete. But technical changes in the field of automation are so
rapid that it is difficult for anyone not directly involved to understand (52)_________ and
what they imply. One cannot reasonably expect the typical Member of Parliament, mainly
concerned (53)_________ he is bound to be with the many day-to-day problems of the
constituency, to go much more deeply (54)_________ the subject than to examine the
likely impacts of aumomation upon employment, and therefore (55)_________ voting, in
his area. Yet, fortunately, politics are not only the business of politicians, but necessarily
involve the (56)_________ of citizens. It is an urgent political task to educate the people as
a (57)_________ so as to make them (58)_________ of the broad problems and
opportunities of automation, and we must strive for a national policy on this issue. One of
the bases on which (59)_________ a policy ought to rest is an organisation, perhaps made
up jointly of government, industry and trade unions, which can engage in a vigorous drive
to (60)_________ people understand the full implications of automation
Your answers
51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

Part 2: Read the following passage and do the task that follow
Charities, it is still widely believed, are separate from government, staffed entirely
by volunteers and spend every penny donated on the cause they support. Noble stuff, but
inmost cases entirely wrong. Yet these misapprehensions underpin much of the trust and
goodwill behind giving. And there is concern that such outdated perceptions could blow up
in charities' faces as people begin to discover what the voluntary sector is really about.
High profile international programmes of awareness-raising activities such as Make
Poverty History have dragged the voluntary sector into the spotlight and shown charity
workers to be as much business entrepreneurs as they are angels of mercy. But with the
spotlight comes scrutiny and unless charities present compelling cases for political
campaigning, six-figure salaries and paying the expenses of celebrities who go on
Page 5/15

demanding trips to refugee camps for nothing, they may get bitten. If people become more
skeptical about how charities use their donations, they will be less inclined to give money,'
says Nick Aldridge, director of the strategy at the Association of Chief Executives of
Voluntary organizations (ACEVO)
A wide range of initiatives has been undertaken to secure long-term trust in the
sector by explaining what charities do and publishing the figures. But it's still difficult to
give donors a complete picture because, unlike profit-driven businesses, charities can't
measure achievement purely by the bottom line.
The report Funding Success suggests this might explain some of the communication
difficulties charities face. Nevertheless, it suggests there are sound reasons for trying. Many
funders, it claims regard high overheads on, for example, premises, publicity and so on, that
are properly accounted for as a sign of an efficiently run organization, rather than a waste of
resources. Detailed reporting can be an important element in efforts to increase
transparency. Better information might also unlock more money by highlighting social
problems, and explaining what might be done to address them.
Some charities are also taking steps in this direction. The Royal National Institute
For The Deaf (RNID) introduced annual Impact reporting to tell people about the effects of
its work in a broader sense than an annual report would usually allow.
Each impact report looks back at what has been achieved over the previous 12
months and also states the charity's aims for the year ahead. Brian Lamb, director of
communications at RNID, says the sector has been complacent about transparency because
of the high level of trust it enjoys. 'We have not been good at educating the public on issues
such as why we do a lot of campaigning,' he says. 'But, the more high profile the sector
becomes, the more people will ask questions.
Baroness Onora O'Neill, chair of the Nuffield Foundation, says building trust goes
deeper than providing information. She points out that the additional reporting and
accounting requirements imposed on institutions across all sectors in recent years may have
made them more transparent, but it has not made them more trusted. If we are to judge for
ourselves, we need genuine communication in which we can question and observe, check
and even challenge the evidence that others present. Laying out the evidence of what has
been done, with all its shortcomings, may provide a rather better basis for placing – or
refusing trust than any number of glossy publications that trumpet unending success.
Not everyone thinks the public needs to be spoon-fed reams of information to
maintain confidentiality. 'There isn't any evidence that there is a crisis of confidence in
charities,' says Cathy Pharoah, research director at the Charities Aid Foundation. The facts
support her claim. In a Charity Commissions report published in November last year, the
public awarded charities 63 out of 10 on trust. Pharoah believes key donors are savvier than
they are portrayed. 'There is heavy dependence on middle-class donors for charity income,
and I would be amazed if they didn't realize charities had to pay to get professional staff,
she says.
She believes the biggest threats to trust are the kind of scandals that blighted the
Scottish voluntary sector in 2003. Two high-profile charities, Breast Cancer Research
(Scotland) and Moonbeams, were exposed for spending a fraction of their profits on their
causes. The revelations created intensely damaging media coverage. Even charity stalwarts
were shocked by how quickly the coverage snowballed as two bad stories turned into a
sector-wide crisis. 'Those two incidents caused a media frenzy as journalists took every
opportunity to undermine the sector,' says Fiona Duncan, director of external affairs at
Page 6/15

Capability Scotland. After suffering a media grilling herself, Duncan launched Giving
Scotland to redress the balance. Fourteen charities plus the Scottish Council for Voluntary
Organisations and the institution of Fund Raising Scotland Joined together to put out
communications restoring confidence in charities. The Scottish executive pledged £30,000
and with donations from corporate supporters, the campaign was able to secure advertising
worth £300,000 for a lightning two-week campaign over Christmas 2003.
Two months before the campaign was launched, The Herald newspaper published a
poll revealing that 52 percent of the people were less likely to give because of the scandals.
Giving Scotland did a similar poll in February 2004 and this time more than half of the
population said they were more likely to consider giving because of the campaign. 'We
learned about strength in numbers, and the importance of timing – because it was Christmas
we were able to get good coverage,' says Duncan.
It was an effective rearguard campaign. The numerous proactive initiatives now
underway across the UK give charities the chance to prevent the situation ever getting that
bad again – but their success will depend on whether they are prepared to shed their saintly
image and rally to the cause of creating a newer, bolder one.
For questions 61-67, decide whether the following statements are True (T), False (F) or
Not Given (NG). Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
61. Charity involvement in some prominent campaigns has meant that they are undergoing
a more careful examination by the public.
62. Famous people insist on a large fee if they appear for a charity
63. The new RNID documents outline expected to progress as well as detailing past
achievements
64. People have been challenging the RNID on their promotional activities
65. The two charities involved in a scandal have altered their funding program
66. Following the scandal, the media attacked the charity sector as a whole
67. Charity donations in Scotland are back to their pre-scandal level
Your answers
61.

62.

63.

65.

66.

67.

64.

For questions 68-74, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes
68. What do we learn about charities in the first paragraph
A. People trust charities because they are approved by the government
B. Not all the funds a charity receives to go on practical aid for people
C. Charities do not disclose their systems for fear of losing official status
D. People who work for charities without pay are not fit for the job.
69. Why in the writer's view is it hard for charities to inform the public properly
A. They calculate their success differently from other businesses
B. They are unable to publish a true financial report.
C. The number of resources needed changes radically, year by year
D. Donors may be disappointed if they see large profits in the business
70. One of the conclusions of the report 'Funding Success' is that
A. Charities must cut down on any unnecessary expenditure.
Page 7/15

B. Raising more money for their cause should be the charity's main aim
C. Charities should give the public an assessment of the results of their work.
D. Clarifying the reasons for administration costs would not dissuade donors
71. Baroness O' Neill's main recommendation is that charities should
A. Follow the current government's requirements for reporting.
B. Encourage the people to examine and discuss the facts
C. Publicize any areas in which they have been effective.
D. Make sure the figures are laid out as clearly as possible.
72. What is Cathy Pharoah most concerned about
A. The public's adverse reaction to the money spent on charity personnel
B. The effect on general donations if a charity misuses their funds
C. The reliance of many charities on a single sector of the population
D. The findings of a Charity Commissions report on public confidence
73. Why does Fiona Duncan think the Giving Scotland campaign succeeded
A. The message came over strongly because so many organizations united
B. People did not believe the critical stories that appeared in newspapers
C. Private donors paid for some advertising in the national press
D. People forgot about the scandals over the Christmas holidays
74. The writer suggests that in the future charities
A. May well have to face a number of further scandals
B. Will need to think up some new promotional campaigns
C. May find it hard to change the public's perception of them.
D. Will lose the public's confidence if they modernize their image
Your answers
68.

69.

70.

72.

73.

74.

71.

Part 3. In the passage below, six headings have been removed. For questions 75-80, read
the passage and choose the most suitable heading A-H for each part of the article. Write
your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided
A
A break with tradition
B
A chance to make a good impression
C
Gradual acceptance
D
An established idea
E
A fortunate coincidence
F
A positive first response
G
Comparing approaches
H
Under expert guidance
Dance methods are being used to increase the fitness of promising
young footballers
0

H

In a room beneath a football stadium in Sheffield, a city in the
north of England, the teenagers who hope to be the football stars of
tomorrow are dancing up and down, balancing on one leg and
performing various steps and hops to the jazz music of Robbie Williams.
Page 8/15

Dressed in the traditional red and white stripes of the local professional
football club, members of the club's youth team are being coached by
Jane McClaren, a fully-trained jazz dancer.
75
The dance and football programme in Sheffield came about as a
result of a meeting between local football coaches and professional
dancers. The aim was to share ideas on fitness and training and see how
experts in different fields dealt with similar problems. The programme
that followed has been so successful that other teams are now
considering setting up similar schemes.
76
The idea for the meeting came originally from Mileva Drljaca, a
specialist in contemporary dance. As she recalls, it happened quite by
chance: 'I joined a gym which, it turned out, was also being used by
injured players from the local professional football team. As I watched, I
realised that some of the training techniques used by ballet dancers
might help them towards recovery, and so I mentioned it to their
trainer.'
77
It is mainly thanks to her suggestion that football clubs are now
discovering the concept of the 'strong centre', one familiar to dancers for
decades. 'Both traditional and modern dance styles rely on strong
stomach muscles, she explains. 'You can prevent injury to the back and
make It loose by having a strong centre. Footballers need a loose back
so that they can kick and twist, jump and head the ball, and then land
without injury.'
78
17-year-old Lewis Killeen, one of the young players, was an instant
convert. 'I'm not really into dancing and don't go to discos: he said.'But
as soon as I started doing it, I could see how it would help. The
movements are very similar to those we do in football, especially when
you have to turn quickly with the ball.'
79
According to the club's trainer, however, the initial reaction of most
players to the new idea was more cautious. Some of them were
obviously worried that they might be laughed at. But having tried it,
most began to see the advantages of the programme. 'They realise
there are benefits to be gained from other disciplines: he said. 'And
anything that improves balance, co-ordination and overall fitness must
be a good thing: Young players at the club are now also being taught
rock climbing and swimming as an extension of the scheme.
80
Page 9/15

Meanwhile, back at the stadium, the youth team players are training hard. They are
going to perform their dance routine at half-time when Sheffield play an important match
next month. It will be the first opportunity they've had to run on to the pitch in front of all
the club's fans, and they are keen not to put a foot wrong.
Your answers
75.

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

Part 4. For questions 81-85, read the passage and choose the best answer A, B, C or D
which fits best according to the test
Writers learn as apprentices do except that they have no master to work for except
themselves and the market.
The fact is that writing is an empirical art, which can only be learned by doing it.
This fact is no reflection on the art of writing. Because skill is acquired in a "seemingly
haphazard way, it is none the worse, indeed sometimes the better, for it. As in every art you
must have at least the foundation of a gift, without which it is useless to proceed; but if the
foundation exists, then success -not merely economic- is largely a matter of persistence and
of making the most of opportunities. Experience is a hard school. Wastage among aspiring
writers is high and most survivors have to rely on another job. The pros and cons of that
situation are debatable. Working out in the world is not solely a form of insurance; it can
also be a vital source of material and incentive, particularly in the fiction writer. Many wellknown authors laboured away at other jobs for part or all of their lives, and either profited
therefrom or made their names notwithstanding.
Economic security frees the mind from worry, but a routine job also consumes
mental energy which might otherwise be harnessed to creative output. This applies as much
to freelance journalism and other ancillary activities of authorship as to non-literary
employment. A regular stint of reviewing, reading manuscripts for publishers, broadcasting,
lecturing, and the like, may oil the machinery of the mind, but it may also use up
horsepower to the point of exhaustion. Moreover, continuity of creation is often vitalwhether for the construction of a work of fiction or for historical research or, indeed, for
any idea that has to be digested into literary form. Interruptions nowadays, however, are a
professional hazard that all authors have to contend with, but they are not insuperable and
not the worst threat to a living literature.
81. According to the author, how is the skill of writing acquired?
A. by methodical practice
B. by studying the market
C. by following another writer's example
D. by producing one's own work
82. In the author's opinion, it is impossible to become a successful writer without
A. some talent.
B. early publication.
C. another source of income
D. consideration for the reader.
83. How does the author regard a writer's second job?
A. usually harmful to one's writing
B. essential in most cases
C. too time-consuming
D. helpful in researching facts
84. How might a second job damage a writer?
A. by restricting his imagination
B. by using up his mental strength
C. by destroying his talent
D. by removing the need to write
85. How do modern writers differ from those of the past?
A. They have less mental energy.
Page 10/15

B. They need to rely on another job.
C. They cannot expect to work without interruption.
D. They learn their art more thoroughly.
Your answers
81.

82.

83.

84.

85.

Part 5. For questions 86-90, read the passage and choose the best answer A, B, C or D
which fits best according to the test
Mr Handforth in his old age, in his second childhood - advanced by his stroke - had
kept his wits about him, and they, as old people's wits sometimes will, inclined him to be
critical of those who were nearest and dearest to him.
Undoubtedly, it was Judith who was - or who had been - nearest and dearest to him.
Throughout the many years of his widowerhood - how many! - she had been at his beck and
call, neglecting, as she herself had said and as he had had ample opportunities of
confirming, her own family and her own affairs to console him in his solitude. She had
even suggested, and he had gratefully though guiltily agreed to her suggestion, that her
family would have been larger than it was, that Charlotte might have had brothers and
sisters, as Seymour hoped she would have, if she had not felt that her father was her first
priority.
This combined feeling of guilt and gratitude he had tried to acknowledge to her from
time to time, by presents smaller and greater; and he had made and re-made his will many
times, with the object of leaving the residue of his estate, already much reduced by Judith's
inroads on it, in unequal shares, to Judith and Hester - shares that should seem equal,
though they were not. Thus he got his house and its contents valued at a very low figure,
well knowing that it would be worth far more at his death, to balance a rather high figure of
shares to Hester, the value of which he had good reason for thinking would go down rather
than up.
Not that he was not fond of Hester, but in his mind and affections she had always
prayed second fiddle to her sister; though younger, she had married earlier; like an almost
unfledged bird she had abandoned the nest, and made another for herself far, far away. It
was natural, of course; Jack had swept her off her feet,...