UUBND THÀNH PHỐ BẮC NINH KỲ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI CẤP THÀNH PHỐ

PHÒNG GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO NĂM HỌC 2023-2024

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Môn: Tiếng Anh - Lớp 9
ĐỀ CHÍNH THỨC Thời gian làm bài: 150 phút (không kể thời gian giao đề)
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PART I: LISTENING (4.0 POINTS)
I. Listen to the recording and complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS/ NUMBER for each answer (2.0 points)
The use of soil to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere
Rattan Lai:
Claims that 13% of CO2 in the atmosphere could be absorbed by agricultural soils
Erosion is more likely in soil that is (1) ________
Lai found soil in Africa that was (2) ________
It was suggested that carbon from soil was entering the atmosphere
Soil and carbon:
Plants turn CO2 from the air into sugars and other (3) ________
Some CO2 moves from the (4) _______ of plants to microbes in the soil
Carbon was lost from the soil when agriculture was invented
Regenerative agriculture:
Uses established practices to make sure soil remains fertile and (5) ________
E.g. through year-round planting and increasing the (6) ________ of plants that are grown
California study:
Taking place on a big (7) ________ farm
Uses compost made from waste from agriculture and (8) ________
Australia study:
Aims to increase soil carbon by (9) _______ that are always green
Future developments may include:
Reducing the amount of fertilizer used in farming
Giving farmers (10) ________ for carbon storage, as well as their produce
II. You will hear a psychologist being interviewed about friendship, choose the answer
which fits best according to what you hear. (1.0 point)
1. From three to five years old, children __________
A. are happy to play alone. B. prefer to be with their family.
C. have rather selfish relationships. D. have little idea of ownership.
2. From age five to eight or ten, children __________
A. change their friends more often. B. decide who they want to be friends with.
C. admire people who don’t keep to rules. D. learn to be tolerant of their friends.
3. According to Sarah Browns, adolescents __________
A. may be closer to their friends than to their parents.
B. develop an interest in friends of the opposite sex.
C. choose friends with similar personalities to themselves.
D. want friends who are dependable.
4. Young married people __________
A. tend to focus on their children. B. often lose touch with their friends.
C. make close friends less easily. D. have fewer friends than single people.
5. In middle or old age people generally prefer__________
A. to stay in touch with old friends. B. to see younger friends more often.
C. to have friends who live nearby. D. to spend more time with their friends
III. Listen to the news about Britain and decide weather they are True or False (1.0 point)
1. Keira Knightley and Princess Diana share a distant ancestor.
2. The film is set in the 1700s.
3. In the film Keira Knightley plays the mistress of an aristocrat.
4. Keira Knightley was 23 when Princess Diana died.
5. In the 18th Century divorce was seen as an acceptable action by most people.
PART TWO: PHONETICS (1.0 POINT)
I. Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from
the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions. (0.4 point)
1. A. cousin B. basin C. surprising D. amusing
2. A. exercised B. laughed C. injured D. breathed
II. Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word that differs from the other three in
the position of primary stress in each of the following questions. (0.6 point)
1. A. advocate B. nonsense C. neglect D. rubbish
2. A. discriminate B. intellectual C. hesitation D. universal
3. A. impression B. remember C. character D. attention
PART THREE: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR (6.0 POINTS)
I. Choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) to each of the following questions and write your
answers (A, B, C, or D) on the answer sheet. (1.0 point)
1. Frankly, you’re completely wrong and you haven’t got a ______ to stand on.
A. foot B. leg C. podium D. platform
2. I don’t suppose you’ll go, but ______ go, let me know.
A. should B. ought you to C. should you D. ought you
3. Why did you have to ______ the fact that Dennis has lost his job?
A. bring up B. brush up C. take up D. turn up
4. I passed all my exams - I'm _________!
A. out of this world B. the sky's the limit
C. over the moon D. once in a blue moon
5. Mai is talking to Mark about sharing the chores.
Mai: “From my point of view, all family members should share the chores equally.”
Mark: “______.”
A. It’s a breathtaking view B. You lied to me
C. But you're right D. There’s no doubt about it
6. Could you show me how to get a good rate of for my money?
A. interest B. debt C. bargain D. credit
7. Windmills are a common ______ in this part of the country.
A. view B. look C. sight D. scenery
8. Teachers in modern classrooms are _________ because their main task is to set goals and
organise the learning process accordingly.
A. decision-makers B. facilitators C. facilities D. directions
9. Peter and Jimmy have just watched a movie
Peter: “That movie was so awful!”
Jimmy: “ ”!
A.That’s life B.You can say that again C.It was a breeze D. I beg your pardon
10. Don’t look so worried! You should take the boss’s remarks with a of salt.
A. teaspoon B. dose C. pinch D. grain
II. Give the correct tense/ form of the given verb in each of the following questions to
complete the sentences. (1.0 point)
1. Peter, together with his family members, (visit) ______ Ha Long Bay twice this year.
2. It is necessary that everyone (be) ________ calm in times of danger.
3. I (know) _______ the answer, I would tell you right away.
4+5. I (inform)____________that they postponed (deliver)_________ our furniture.
6+7. The speed limit is 30 miles an hour but Tom (drive)_________ at 50 miles at that time. He
shouldn’t (be)__________driving so fast..
8. Only yesterday I (realize)__________ what was going on.
 9. People always (blame)________their circumstances for what they are.
10. Her belongings (destroy)__________ in a fire.
III. The passage below contains 10 errors. Find and correct them. (2.0 points)

Line

1 In some cultures, when you are invited to have meal at someone’s house, you
might consider rude if you don’t say how nice the food is. In Britain, for example,
2
it’s normal for someone complimenting the cook on the tastiness of the meal. You
3 can say something like, “That was delicious. Do, please, write down the receipt for
4 me!”. In other culture, however, people tend not to be so full of enthusiasm for the
meal. You might be regarded of being rude, as the cook might associate your praise
5 with surprise. He or she might think “So, they’re shocking that I can cook well”. If
6 you’re not sure how to react, the best advice is to wait and look how other people at
the table react. If that doesn’t help, be careful about which you say! I would
7
suggest that one solution should been to say, “That was delicious, but then I knew
8 it would be!”
9
10
11

Line Error Correction

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 5
Line 5
Line 6
Line 8
Line 9
Line 10
Line 11
IV. Give the correct form of the word in each bracket and write your answers on the
answer sheet (2.0 points).1. Friend’s family has suffered from his ______.
EXPEND
2. The water from the stream should be ______ before you drink it. PURE
3.John told everyone that he worked for a large company, but the company is _____. EXIST
4. Jim is very disorganized and not very_______. BUSINESS
5. The principal said some_______ words to the pupils before the exam. COURAGE
6. Although we were in danger, Ann seemed quite________. CONCERN
7. Some parents feel dismayed because of their children’s_________. BEHAVE
8. My sister has good _________ skills. She can relate to teenagers very well. PERSON
9. These young people are ________supporters of the new plan of our city. ENTHUSIASM
10. My uncle is in his forties. He is a well-built ________man AGE
PART FOUR: READING (5.0 POINTS)
I. Read the text below and choose the word that best fits each of the blanks in the following
passage. (2.0 points)
When in Britain, you must never complain. Complaining is very un-British. If you are
(1)_______waiting half an hour in a shop, if a bus (2) ________is rude to you, if a waiter brings
your food ice-cold, you keep your mouth shut. The stiff upper lip is the British way. Other
nationalities might make a (3) , protest loudly or call for the manager, but not the British.
Remember also that British ears are simply not tuned to complaints. A friend of mine was a
regular(4) _______ at a famous and expensive London restaurant. Every day at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m.
the (5)_______ manager would come out (as he had been doing for the last 37 years), go from
table to table and (6) _______“Did you enjoy your meal?”. For 37 years, hundreds of thousands
of properly (7) ________up British people had replied to him: “Very much indeed.” The man
would smile, say “Thank you very much,” and progress to the next table.
One day, however, the lunch was so (8) that my friend (Dutch mother, Albanian
father) decided to tell him the naked truth. So, when the antiquated manager appeared at his table
as usual and asked, “Did you enjoy your meal, sir?” my friend replied: “(9)
, not at all. It was appalling.” To which the manager gave his (10) ,
obsequious smile, said: “Thank you very much, sir,” and moved on, quite satisfied.
1. A. made B. kept C. stayed D. held
2. A. conductor B. attendance C. assistant D. steward
3. A. discussion B. argument C. quarrel D. fuss
4. A. supporter B. purchaser C. customer D. guest
5. A. mature B. elderly C. outdated D. vintage
6. A. inquire B. query C. request D. probe
7. A. raised B. grown C. educated D. brought
8. A. offensive B. painful C. abominable D. harrowing
9. A. sincerely B. largely C. bluntly D. frankly
10. A. customary B. average C. commonplace D. daily
II. Read the passage below and choose the best answer from the four options marked A,
B, C or D. Identify your answer by writing the corresponding letter A, B, C or D on the
answer sheet. (1.0 point)
Jupiter is the largest and most massive planet and is fifth in order of distance from the sun. It is
well placed for observation for several months in every year and on average is the brightest of the
planets apart from Venus, though for relatively brief periods Mars may outshine it. Jupiter’s less
than 10-hour rotation period gives it the shortest day in the solar system insofar as the principal
planets are concerned. There are no true seasons on Jupiter because the axial inclination to the
perpendicular of the orbital plane is only just over 30 - less than that for any other planet.
The most famous mark on Jupiter is the Great Red Spot. It has shown variations in both
intensity and color, and at times it has been invisible, but it always returns after a few years. At its
greatest extent it may be 40,000 kilometers long an 14,000 kilometers wide, so its surface area is
greater than that of Earth. Though the latitude of the Red Spot varies little, it drifts about in
longitude. Over the past century the total longitudinal drift has amounted to approximately 1200 0.
The latitude is generally very close to -22 0. It was once thought that the Red Spot might be a solid
or semisolid body floating in Jupiter’s outer gas. However, the Pioneer and Voyager results have
refuted that idea and proven the Red Spot to be a phenomenon of Jovian meteorology. Its
longevity may well be due to its exceptional size, but there are signs that it is decreasing in size,
and it may not be permanent. Several smaller red spots have been seen occasionally but have not
lasted.
1. According to the passage, Jupiter has the shortest day among the principal planets because
A. its rotation period is shorter than 10 hours
B. the axial inclination is only just over 30
C. it is on the average the brightest of all the planets
D. There is the interference of the Great Red Spot
2. The author’s tone in this passage is
A. argumentative B. supportive C. enthusiastic D. neutral
3. According to the passage, Mars outshine Jupiter
A. on a regular basis B. from time to time
C. every several months D. less often than any other planet
4. This passage would be of most interest to
A. students of anthropology B. geologists
C. mathematicians D. amateur astronomers
5. It can be inferred from this passage that Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
A. will become brighter with time B. will one day vanish
C. will continue expanding D. is made of floating gases
III. Read the passage carefully and fill in each gap with ONE suitable word. (2.0 points)
MOTORBIKE STUNT RIDER
I work as a motorbike stunt rider - that is, I do tricks on my motorbike at shows. The Le Mans
race track in France was (1)______ I first saw some guys doing motorbike stunts. I’d never
seen(2) ______ riding a motorbike using just the back wheel before and I was (3)______
impressed that I went straight home and taught (4) to do the same. It wasn’t
very long before I began to(5) ______ my living at shows performing my own motorbike stunts.
I have a degree (6) mechanical engineering; this helps me to look at the physics (7)
lies behind each stunt. In addition to being responsible for design changes to the
motorbike, I have to work out (8) stunt I do. People often think that my work is very
dangerous, but, apart (9) some minor mechanical problem happening occasionally during a
stunt, nothing ever goes wrong. I never feel in (10) ______ kind of danger because I’m very
experienced.
PART FIVE: WRITING (4.0 POINTS)
I. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the
sentence printed before it (1.0 point).
1. I don't feel like going to the party.
I am not in _______________________________________________
2. David is proud of the fact that he is never late.
David prides ____________________________________________
3. You should not only balance your diet but also do sports.
In addition ______________________________________________
4. Immediately after their arrival, the meeting was delayed.
Barely _________________________________________________
5. If you don’t pay on time, your booking will be cancelled.
Failure ________________________________________________
II. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using
the word given without changing it in any way. (1.0 point)
1. After six-year relationship, Martha and Billy have decided to get married. (KNOT)
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Noise is something that it is not possible for me to tolerate. (PUT)
___________________________________________________________________________3.
He is becoming quite famous as an interviewer. (NAME)
___________________________________________________________________________4.
He makes sure that he isn't associated with policies he disagrees with. (DISTANCES)
___________________________________________________________________________5. I
really don't know what you're talking about. (FAINTEST)
___________________________________________________________________________
III. Essay writing (2.0 points)
“Education is the most important weapon to change the world”
Do you agree or disagree with this idea?
Write an essay of about 250 words to express your idea.
-------- THE END --------
 Name: ………………………… Room No: …………..
UBND THÀNH PHỐ BẮC NINH HƯỚNG DẪN CHẤM
PHÒNG GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO KỲ THI CHỌN HỌC SINH GIỎI CẤP THÀNH PHỐ
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ NĂM HỌC 2023-2024
(Hướng dẫn có 02 trang) Môn: Tiếng Anh - Lớp 9
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

PART I: LISTENING (4.0 POINTS)

I. Complete the form below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer
(2.0 points)
1. dry 6. variety
2. extremely hard 7. cattle
3. carbon-based substances 8. gardens/ gardening
4. roots 9. cultivating grasses
5. moist/ damp/ wet 10. payment/ payments/ money

II. Listen to the conversation between a woman and a man. For each question, choose the
correct answer. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (1.0 point)
1. C 2. B 3. D 4. C 5. A
III. Listen to an interview about listening skills then decide the following sentences are true
or false.(1.0 point)
1. F 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. F
PART TWO: PHONETICS (1.0 POINT)
I. Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from
the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions. (0.4 point)
1. B 2. B
II. Choose the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word that differs from the other three in
the position of primary stress in each of the following questions. (0.6 point)
1. C 2. A 3. C
PART THREE: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR (6.0 POINTS)
I. Choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) to each of the following questions. (1.0 point)
1. B 2. C 3. A 4. C 5. D
6. A 7. C 8. B 9. A 10. C
II. Give the correct tense/ form of the given verb in each of the following questions to
complete the sentences. (1.0 point)
1. has visited 2. be 3. Were ... to know 6. was driving 7. have been 8. did I realize
4. have been informed 5. delivering 9. are always blaming 10. were destroyed
III. The passage below contains 10 errors. Find and correct them. (2.0 points)
Line Error Correction
 Line 1 meal a meal
Line 2 consider be considered
Line 3 complimenting to compliment
Line 5 receipt recipe
Line 5 culture cultures
Line 6 regarded of regarded as
Line 8 shocking shocked
Line 9 look see
Line 10 which what
Line 11 been be
IV. Give the correct form of the word in each bracket. (2.0 points).
1. overexpenditure 6. unconcerned
2. purified 7. misbehaviors/ misbehaviours
3. non-existent 8. interpersonal
4. businesslike 9. enthusiastic
5. encouraging 10. middle-aged

PART FOUR: READING (5.0 POINTS)

I. Read the text below and choose the word that best fits each of the blanks in the following
passage. (2.0 points)
1. B 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. B
6. A 7. D 8. C 9. D 10. A
II. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer A, B, C or D, to each of the
following questions. (1.0 point)
1. A 2.D 3. B 4. D 5. B
III. Read the passage carefully and fill in each gap with ONE suitable word. (2.0 points)
1. where 2. anyone/anybody 3. so 4. myself 5. earn

6. in 7. which/that 8. every/each 9. from 10. any

PART FIVE: WRITING (4.0 POINTS)

I. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the
sentence printed before it (1.0 point).
1. I am not in the mood for going to the party.
2. David prides himself on being never late.
3. In addition to balancing your diet, you should do sports.
4. Barely had they arrived when the meeting was delayed.
5. Failure to pay on time will cancel your booking.
II. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using
the word given without changing it in any way. (1.0 point)
1. After six-year relationship, Martha and Billy have decided to tie the knot.
2. I find it impossible to put up with noise.
3. He is making quite a name for himself as an interviewer.
4. He makes sure (that) he distances himself from policies he disagrees with.
5. I don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about
III. Essay writing (2.0 points)
The mark given to this part is based on the following criteria:
1. Content (0.7 pt): (35% of total mark)
a. Providing all main ideas and details as required (0.35 pt)
b. Communicating intentions sufficiently and effectively (0.35 pt)
2. Organization & Presentation (0.6 pt): (30% of total mark)
a. Ideas are well organized and presented with coherence, cohesion, and clarity (0.3 pt)
b. The composition is well-structured (0.3 pt)
3. Language (0.6 pt): (30% of total mark)
a. Demonstration of a variety of vocabulary and structures appropriate to the level of English
language gifted upper-secondary school students (0.3 pt)
b. Good use and control of grammatical structures (0.3 pt)
4. Punctuation, spelling and handwriting (0.1 pt): (5% of total mark)
a. Good punctuation and no spelling mistakes (0.05 pt)
b. Legible handwriting (0.05 pt)
TRANSCRIPT

- PART I- LISTENING

I.

As we saw in the last lecture, a major cause of climate change is the rapid rise in the level of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last century. If we could reduce the amount of CO 2,
perhaps the rate of climate change could also be slowed down. One potential method involves
enhancing the role of the soil that plants grow in, with regard to absorbing CO 2. Rattan Lai, a soil
scientist from Ohio State University, in the USA, claims that the world’s agricultural soils could
potentially absorb 13 per cent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – the equivalent of the
amount released in the last 30 years. And research is going on into how this might be achieved.

Lai first came to the idea that soil might be valuable in this way not through an interest in climate
change, but rather out of concern for the land itself and the people dependent on it. Carbon-rich
soil is dark, crumbly and fertile, and retains some water. But erosion can occur if soil is dry,
which is a likely effect if it contains inadequate amounts of carbon. Erosion is of course bad for
people trying to grow crops or breed animals on that terrain. In the 1970s and ‘80s. Lai was
studying soils in Africa so devoid of organic matter that the ground had become extremely hard
like cement. There he met a pioneer in the study of global warming, who suggested that carbon
from the soil had moved into the atmosphere. This is now looking increasingly likely.
Let me explain. For millions of years, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been
regulated, in part, by a natural partnership between plants and microbes – tiny organisms in the
soil. Plants absorb CO2 from the air and transform it into sugars and other carbon-based
substances. While a proportion of these carbon products remain in the plant, some transfer from
the roots to fungi and soil microbes, which store the carbon in the soil.

The invention of agriculture some 10,000 years ago disrupted these ancient soil-building
processes and led to the loss of carbon from the soil. When humans started draining the natural
topsoil, and ploughing it up for planting, they exposed the buried carbon to oxygen. This created
carbon dioxide and released it into the air. And in some places, grazing by domesticated animals
has removed all vegetation, releasing carbon into the air. Tons of carbon have been stripped from
the world’s soils – where it’s needed – and pumped into the atmosphere.

So what can be done? Researchers are now coming up with evidence that even modest changes to
farming can significantly help to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

Some growers have already started using an approach known as regenerative agriculture. This
aims to boost the fertility of soil and keep it moist through established practices. These include
keeping fields planted all year round, and increasing the variety of plants being grown. Strategies
like these can significantly increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil, so agricultural
researchers are now building a case for their use in combating climate change.

One American investigation into the potential for storing CO 2 on agricultural lands is taking place
in California. Soil scientist When dee Silver of the University of California, Berkeley, is
conducting a first-of-its-kind study on a large cattle farm in the state. She and her students are
testing the effects on carbon storage of the compost that is created from waste – both agricultural,
including manure and cornstalks, and waste produced in gardens, such as leaves, branches, and
lawn trimmings.

In Australia, soil ecologist Christine Jones is testing another promising soil-enrichment strategy.
Jones and 12 farmers are working to build up soil carbon by cultivating grasses that stay green all
year round. Like composting, the approach has already been proved experimentally: Jones now
hopes to show that it can be applied on working farms and the resulting carbon capture can be
accurately measured.

It’s hoped in the future that projects such as these will demonstrate the role that farmers and other
land managers can play in reducing the harmful effects of greenhouse gases. For example, in
countries like the United States, where most farming operations use large applications of
fertilizer, changing such long-standing habits will require a change of system. Rattan Lai argues
that farmers should receive payment not just for the corn or beef they produce, but also for the
carbon they can store in their soil.

Another study being carried out …

II:

Interviewer And now Sarah Brown is here to talk to us about her latest book, Patterns of
Friendship. Sarah, you've found that there are quite noticeable patterns in the way that people
make friends ...
Sarah Brown: Mmm, absolutely. For example, friendship becomes important quite early on, in
children as young as three. But up to about five, children have what you could call unchosen
playmates, based quite practically on what's available, they can't exactly go out to look for
them ... often the children of their parents' friends, or family relations. And it's actually quite an
egoistic relationship at this stage (1C) - there may be frequent quarrels over possessions - toys
and so on ...
I: Yes, you think they'll play together happily sharing their toys and the next thing you know,
one's in floods of tears and you have to sort it out...
SB: Yes, but by the time the child's about five it starts to change. Once they're at school,
children begin to choose their own playmates. (2B) - other children in the same class, or living
nearby, maybe in the same street And they start to cooperate more. But friendship's still a way of
serving self-interest, and friends are expected to keep to certain rules.
I: Yes, I've noticed with my own kids that they can get really upset with their friends ...
SB: Yes, exactly, and this carries on to eight or ten years old, but gradually they begin to be able
to see things from other people's point of view - and this, er, marks the point at which
the child is beginning to acquire knowledge of social relationships.
I: And how do they develop these social skills?
SB: Well, from 12 onwards, as they enter adolescence, children are beginning to stand on their
own feet, er, the
influence of their parents tends to decline, and they feel the need for a close friend, nearly
always with someone of the same sex. They're looking for friends who are people they admire,
who they see as similar to the sort of person they'd like to be ... and these friendships take on
great importance. Friends have got to be trustworthy.(3D) and friendships are very exclusive,
but at the same time there's the group thing, they're developing networks of friends, having fun
together ...
I: So they go to clubs and cafes in big groups ...
SB: Mmm, yes, and spend a lot of their free time together. And this continues for some years -
so young adults - from 18 to 25, or when they get married, have close friendships, like
adolescents, and may see their friends every day, and spend hours on the phone ...
I: I suppose that for most of us, this is probably the period when our circle of friends is at its
widest, isn't it? But is it affected by marriage?
SB: Oh, yes, quite considerably - the couple may move away, they may have children. Friends
still see one another, but instead of every day or every week, they might get together once a
month or just at special times ... parties and so on.
I: And what about new friends?
SB: They may make some, but they tend to be based more on neighbourhood and work contacts,
and they're often less intimate than the friendships formed earlier on. (4C)
I: So less in the way of sharing secrets and confidences.
SB: Yes, exactly. And in middle age, between 55 and 65 - or even older, after retirement, people
take on new friends even less easily. At this time of life they hold on to earlier friendships. (5A)
which are often more intimate than the more recent ones, even though they see these older
friends less often. Friends now aren't based so much on neighbourhood - they can be with
people of any age. And ironically, when they give up work there's a further decline in contacts
with friends.
I: Really?
SB: Yes, because of transport difficulties, illness, that sort of thing. They're more likely to turn
back to their families at this point - full circle, as you might say!
I: Sarah Brown, thank you ...

III. T/F
The British actress Keira Knightley has rejected claims that her latest film The Duchess, a
historical drama set in the 18th Century, parallels the life of Princess Diana. The film tells the
true life story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was the great-great-great-great aunt of
Diana, Princess of Wales.
In the film Knightley plays an aristocratic woman who is trapped in a marriage to a man who is
in love with his mistress. It is this storyline that mimics the experiences of Princess Diana, who
married Prince Charles only to discover that he was continuing a long-standing clandestine
relationship with another woman. Even the film's tag line, "There were three people in her
marriage", suggests a link to Diana's story, as it bears a remarkable similarity to the words the
princess used to describe her own situation in a highly candid 1995 television interview.
Speaking to the BBC, Keira Knightley was quick to play down the similarities in the stories,
saying her character was "an interesting enough person to warrant a film completely about her,
without comparisons".
In fact the 23-year-old actress claims not to remember the story of Prince Charles and Princess
Diana's doomed marriage. "I was 11 when Diana died, so I don't really know what the actual
story is, so I don't feel I can comment on the parallels," Knightley scolded reporters at a recent
press conference.
Whether the Diana connection exists or not, The Duchess provides a fascinating insight into
personal relationships in a society where divorce was taboo.
The film is also a visual feast as the architecture and fashions of 18th Century England are
painstakingly recreated down to the smallest detail.\