IX. Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
Câu 1: He's just so flexible. He'll adapt to any situation.


A. Flexible as he is, he cannot adapt to any situation.


B. He's too flexible to adapt to any situation.


C. He's enough flexible to adapt to any situation.


D. He's so flexible that he'll adapt to any situation.
Câu 2: I find it very challenging. It requires a lot of concentration and determination.


A. I find it very challenging, so it requires a lot of concentration and determination.


B. I find it very challenging, yet it requires a lot of concentration and determination.


C. I find it very challenging, for it requires a lot of concentration and determination.


D. I find it very challenging, though it requires a lot of concentration and determination.
Câu 3: I judge by the car he drives. I'd say he's got a pretty good job.


A. Because I judge by the car he drives, I'd say he’s got a pretty good job.


B. When I judge by the car he drives, I'd say he's got a pretty good job.


C. Unless I judge by the car he drives, I'd say he's got a pretty good job.


D. Judging by the car he drives, I'd say he's got a pretty good job.
Câu 4: You gave us timely warning. We were unaware of the danger.


A. But for your timely warning, we would have been unaware of the danger.


B. Because of your timely warning, we would have been unaware of the danger.


C. Despite your timely warning, we would have been unaware of the danger.


D. Instead of your timely warning, we would have been unaware of the danger.
Câu 5: I didn't understand his instructions. I asked him to repeat what he had said.  


A. I didn't understand his instructions because I asked him to repeat what he had said.


B. I didn't understand his instructions, and I asked him to repeat what he had said.


C. I didn't understand his instructions, for I asked him to repeat what he had said.


D. I didn't understand his instructions, so I asked him to repeat what he had said.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 1. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 1 – 5.            Newspapers and television news programs always seem to report about the bad things happening in society. However, there is a place where readers can find some good news. That place is the website called HappyNews. The man behind HappyNews is Byron Reese. Reese set up HappyNews because he thought other news sources were giving people an unbalanced view of the world. Reese said about HappyNews, “The news media gives you a distorted view of the world by exaggerating bad news, misery, and despair. We’re trying to balance out the scale.”            Not everyone agrees with Reese’s view, though. Many people think that news sources have a responsibility to provide news that is helpful to people. People need to know about issues or problems in today’s society. Then they are better able to make informed decisions about things that affect their daily lives. Reese said that HappyNews is not trying to stop people from learning about issues or problems. HappyNews is just trying to provide a balanced picture of today’s world.          By the end of its first month online, HappyNews had more than 70,000 unique readers. About 60 percent of those readers were women. Something else unique makes HappyNews different from any of  the other news or information websites that are on the Internet. Unlike many other websites, HappyNews gets fan mail from its readers on a daily basis.
Câu 1: Which of the following is the best title for this passage?


A. “Byron Reese Tells People How to Be Happy” 


B. “Good News for a Change”


C. “Newspapers vs. Online News” 


D. “Why Women Like HappyNews”
Câu 2: How is HappyNews different than other news sources?


A. All of the stories are written by Reese.     


B. HappyNews does not exaggerate its stories.


C. Its stories are not about bad things.          


D. The website only has stories about women.
Câu 3: The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to                    .


A. sources                   


B. problems                             


C. people                     


D. issues
Câu 4: Why might some people NOT like HappyNews?


A. It doesn’t tell them about important issues or problems.


B. Reese’s stories are about misery and despair.


C. Some sources give a balanced view.


D. The stories are from around the world.
Câu 5: What does “exaggerating” mean in this reading?


A. improving               


B. explaining                           


C. editing                    


D. worsening

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 3. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 11 – 15.            The word robot first appeared in a 1921 stage play by Czech writer Karel Capek. In the play, a man makes a machine that can think, which he calls a robot and which ends up killing its owner. In the 1940s, the American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote a series of stories about robots and invented the term robotics, the science of robots. Meanwhile, in the real world, the first robots were developed by an engineer, Joseph F. Engelberger, and an inventor, George C. Devol. Together they started Unimation, a manufacturing company that produces the first real robot in 1961, called the Unimate. Robots of this type were installed at a General Motors automobile plant and proved to be a success. They worked reliably and saved money for General Motors, so other companies were soon acquiring robots as well.             These industrial robots were nothing like the terrifying creatures that can often be seen in science fiction films. In fact, these robots looked and behaved nothing like humans. They were simply pieces of computer-controlled machinery, with metal “arms” or “hands”. Since they were made of metal, they  could perform certain jobs that were difficult or dangerous for humans, particularly jobs that involve high heat. And since robots were tireless and never got hungry, sleepy, or distracted, they were useful for tasks that would be tiring or boring for humans. Industrial robots have been improved over the years, and today they are used in many factories around the world. Though the use of robots has meant the loss of some     jobs, at the same time other jobs have been created in the design, development, and production of the robots.Rise of the Robots, Silicon Valley Entrepreneur, Martin Ford, 1988.
Câu 1: What is Unimation?


A. It’s the name of a robot inventor          


B. It’s the name of a robot


C. It’s a robot making program                    


D. It’s the producer of the first robot
Câu 2: What can be said about Karel Capek?


A. He was the first to create the word “robot”.    


B. He is an American writer.


C. He made a robot.              


D. He made a robot in order to kill a person.
Câu 3: Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a characteristic of robots?


A. They don’t need food.     


B. They are not distracted.


C. They are tiring.           


D. They can do jobs involving high heat.
Câu 4: What are industrial robots like?


A. They behave like humans.      


B. They controlled machinery.


C. They look like humans.    


D. They are computer-controlled machines.
Câu 5: When did the word “robot” appear?


A. in the 1920s 


B. in the 19th century      


C. in the 40s         


D. in the 60s

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 6. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 26 – 30.            Sometimes you know things about people the first time you see them, for example, that you want to be friends with them or that you don’t trust them. But perhaps this kind of intuition isn’t as hard to  explain as it may seem. For instance, people give out their body language signals all the time. The way you hold your body, head and arms tells people about your mood. If you hold your arms tightly at your sides, or fold them across your chest, people will generally feel that you are being defensive. Holding  your head to one side shows interest in the other, while an easy, open posture indicates that you are self- confident. All this affects the way you feel about someone.         Also, a stranger may remind you of a meeting with someone. This may be because of something as simple as the fact that he or she is physically similar to someone who treated you well or badly. Your feelings about a stranger could be influenced by a smell in the air that brings to mind a place where you were happy as a child. Since even a single word can bring back a memory such as that, you may never realize it is happening.
Câu 1: What does the word “open” in the passage most closely mean?


A. unlimited                


B. enlarged                  


C. relaxed                    


D. not shut
Câu 2: What influences your impression of a person you meet in the first time?


A. familiarity               


B. intuition                  


C. feeling                    


D. knowledge
Câu 3: What one feels about a stranger may be influenced by something that                  .


A. revives one’s past memories         


B. points to one’s childhood


C. strengthen one’s past behaviors 


D. reminds one of one’s past treatment
Câu 4: What does the second paragraph discuss?


A. Meaning of signals one implies toward a stranger


B. Factors that cause people to act differently


C. How people usually behave to a stranger


D. Factors that may influence one’s feeling about a stranger
Câu 5: Intuition described in the passage can be explained by means of                  .  


A. signals                    


B. languages                


C. behaviors                


D. styles

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 4. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 16 – 20.            By adopting a few simple techniques, parents who read to their children can considerably increase their children’s language development. It is surprising, but true. How parents talk to their children makes a big difference in the children’s language development. If a parent encourages the child to actively respond to what the parent is reading, the child’s language skills increase.            A study was done with two or three-year-old children and their parents. Half of the thirty children participants were in the experimental study; the other half acted as the control group. In the experimental group, the parents were given a two-hour training session in which they were taught to ask open-ended questions rather than yes-no questions. For example, the parent should ask, “What is the doggy doing?” rather than, “Is the doggy running away?” Experimental parents were also instructed how to expand on their children’s answer, how to suggest alternative possibilities, and how to praise correct answers.           At the beginning of the study, the children did not differ on levels of language development, but at the end of one month, the children in the experimental group were 5.5 months ahead of the control group on a test of verbal expression and vocabulary. Nine months later, the children in the experimental group still showed an advance of 6 months over the children in the control group.
Câu 1: Parents can give great help to their children’s language development by ___them.


A. reading to     


B. responding to           


C. adopting                 


D. experimenting
Câu 2: What does the word “they” in the second paragraph refer to?


A. Participants                        


B. Parents                                 


C. Questions               


D. Children
Câu 3: During the training session, experimental parents were taught to ____.


A. study many experiments          


B. give correct answers


C. ask open-ended questions       


D. use yes-no questions
Câu 4: What was the major difference between the control group and the experimental one in the study?


A. The number of participants         


B. The age of the children


C. The training that parents received     


D. The books that were read
Câu 5: What conclusion can be drawn from this passage?


A. Children’s language skills increase when they are required to respond actively.


B. Children who read actively always act six months earlier than those who don’t.


C. Two or three-year-old children can be taught to read actively.


D. The more children read, the more intelligent they become.

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 2. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 6 – 10.          It is not surprising that the birthplace of cola was the hot and humid American South. This region had long specialized in creating delicious soft drinks. A druggist in Atlanta, Georgia named John Pemberton created the most well–known drink brand in the world in the 1880s. However, it seems clear that he had no idea how big it would become.         Like many American pharmacists of the day, Pemberton was opposed to the drinking of alcohol and wanted to produce a stimulating soft drink. First, he made "the French Wine of Coca," made from the coca leaf. Then he began to experiment with the cola nut. Eventually, he managed to make a combination of the two that he thought was sweet, but not too sweet. Deciding that "the two C's would look well in advertising," he named it Coca–Cola.           Pemberton's invention caught on fairly quickly. By 1905, "Coke" was being advertised all over the country as "The Great Natural Temperance Drink." The drink enjoyed additional success since there was a large and popular temperance movement in the US at that time. In the 1920s, alcohol was outlawed,  and sales of Coke rose significantly. However, they continued to rise even after the law was repeated.          Another reason for Coke's popularity was good business sense. A year  after he invented it, Pemberton had sold Coca–Cola to Asa Griggs Candler for only 283.26 USD! Candler was a marketing genius, and by the time he sold the Coca–Cola Company in1919, it was worth 25 USD million.
Câu 1: Which of the following would be the best title for the reading?


A. The Invention and History of Coca–Cola       


B. Cola is the World’s Most Popular Soft Drink


C. The Temperance Movement and Coke’s success  


D. John Pemberton created Coca–Cola
Câu 2: In paragraph 3, the word “outlawed” is closest in meaning to                    .


A. made legal         


B. taken to court   


C. made illegal       


D. allowed
Câu 3: All of the followings are true of Pemberton EXCEPT that                      .


A. he made “French wine of Coca” from the coca leaf


B. he combined the coca leaf and cola nut to make “French wine”


C. he produced stimulating alcohol from coca leaves and cola nuts


D. he made “French wine of Coca” from the cola nut
Câu 4: In paragraph 3, the word “caught on” is closest in meaning to                   .


A. became popular               


B. became successful


C. became important           


D. became legal
Câu 5: Which of the following is responsible for Coke’s additional success?


A. The temperance movement       


B. Its attracting name


C. Pemberton’s good business sense  


D. Coca–Cola’s great taste

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 6. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 26 – 30.            What is meant by the term economic resources? In general, these are all the natural, man–made, and human resources that go into the production of goods and services. This obviously covers a lot of ground: factories and farms, tools and machines, transportation and communication facilities, all types of natural resources, and labor. Economic resources can be broken down into two general categories: proper resources – land and capital – and human resources – labor and entrepreneurial skills.            What do economists mean by land? Much more than the non – economist. Land refers to all natural resources that are usable in the production process: arable land, forests, mineral and oil deposits, and so on. What about capital? Capital goods are all the man – made aids to producing, storing, transporting, and distributing goods and services. Capital goods differ from consumer goods in that the latter satisfy wants directly, while the former do so indirectly by facilitating the production of consumer goods. It should be noted that capital as defined here does not refer to money. Money, as such, produces nothing.           The term labor refers to the physical and mental talents of humans used to produce goods or services (with the exception of a certain set of human talents, entrepreneurial skills, which will be considered separately because of their special significance). Thus the services of a factory worker or an office worker, a ballet dancer or an astronaut all fall under the general heading of labor.
Câu 1: What is the author's main purpose in writing this passage?


A. To explain the concept of labor.      


B. To criticize certain uses of capital.


C. To contrast capital goods and consumer goods.         


D. To define economic resources.
Câu 2: The phrase “the latter” refers to                   .


A. non–economists


B. consumer goods      


C. capital goods    


D. economist
Câu 3: When non–economists use the term "land", its definition                          .


A. is much more restrictive than when economists use it


B. is much more general than when economists use it


C. includes all types of natural resources


D. changes from place to place
Câu 4: Which of the following could be considered a capital good as defined in the passage?


A. A railroad      


B. A coal deposit      


C. Human skills      


D. Money
Câu 5: The word “arable” is closer in meaning to                     .


A. dry                          


B. open                        


C. developed                           


D. fertile

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 4. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 16 – 20.            In Africa, people celebrate with joy the birth of a new baby. The Pygmies would sing a birth-song to the child. In Kenya, the mother takes the baby strapped to her back into the thorn enclosure where the cattle are kept. There, her husband and the village elders wait to give the child his or her name.            In West Africa, after the baby is eight days old, the mother takes the baby for its first walk in the big, wide world, and friends and family are invited to meet the new baby. In various African nations, they hold initiation ceremonies for groups of children instead of birthdays. When children reach a certain designated age, they learn the laws, beliefs, customs, songs and dances of their tribes. Some African tribes consider that children from nine to twelve are ready to be initiated into the grown up world. They may have to carry out several tests.            Maasai boys around thirteen years old to seventeen undergo a two-stage initiation. The first stage lasts about three months. The boys leave their parents' homes, paint their bodies white, and are taught how to become young warriors. At the end of this stage, they have their heads shaved and they are also circumcised. At the second stage, the young warriors grow their hair long and live in a camp called a “manyatta” where they practice hunting the wild animals that might attack the Maasai herds. This stage may last a few years. When they are ready, they will marry and become owners of large cattle herds like their fathers. The girls are initiated when they are fourteen or fifteen. They are taught by the older women about the duties of marriage and how to care for babies. Soon after that they are married and lead a life similar to that of their mothers.
Câu 1: What does the passage mainly discuss?


A. Celebrations in Africa


B. Birthday ceremonies for children in Africa


C. Traditions of Maasai people when having a new baby


D. Activities in a birth celebration
Câu 2: Where do people in Kenya give the name to the child?


A. at the village church   


B. on the cattle farm  


C. at their house       


D. near the thorn fence
Câu 3: Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2?


A. An eight-day-old child will be taken for the first walk by his or her mother.


B. Children have to learn their tribes' cultures and traditions when they are old enough.


C. Children are initiated for a mature life in the presence of their friends and family.


D. Children have to overcome a few trials to enter the grown-up world.
Câu 4: The word "undergo" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______________.


A. commence              


B. experience              


C. participate in         


D. explore
Câu 5: What does the word "they" in paragraph 3 refer to?


A. the Maasai herds  


B. the wild animals 


C. the young warriors   


D. the cattle owners

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 2. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 6 – 10.           In addition to providing energy, fats have several other functions in the body. The fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K, are dissolved in fats, as their name implies. Good sources of these vitamins have high oil or fat content, and the vitamins are stored in the body's fatty tissues. In the diet, fats cause food  to remain longer in the stomach, this increasing the feeling of fullness for some time after a meal is eaten. Fats add variety, taste, and texture to foods, which accounts for the popularity of fried foods. Fatty deposits in the body have an insulating and protective value. The curves of the human female body are due mostly to strategically located fat deposits.           Whether a certain amount of fat in the diet is essential to human health is not definitely known. When rats are fed a fat-free diet, their growth eventually ceases, their skin becomes inflamed and scaly, and their reproductive systems are damaged. Two fatty acids, linoleic and arachidonic acids, prevent these abnormalities and hence are called essential fatty acids. They also are required by a number of other animals but their roles in human beings are debatable. Most nutritionists consider linoleic fatty acid an essential nutrient for humans.
Câu 1: This passage probably appeared in which of the following?


A. A diet book            


B. A book on basic nutrition


C. A cookbook       


D. A popular women's magazine
Câu 2: The phrase ‘stored in’ in line 3 is closest in meaning to                         .


A. manufactured in           


B. attached to   


C. measured by  


D. accumulated
Câu 3: The author states that fats serve all the following body functions EXCEPT to                       .


A. promote a feeling of fullness   


B. insulate and protect the body


C. provide energy      


D. control weight gain
Câu 4: Linoleic fatty acid is mentioned in the passage as                          .


A. an essential nutrient for humans    


B. more useful than arachidonic acid


C. preventing weight gain in rats           


D. a nutrient found in most food
Câu 5: The phrase ‘these abnormalities’ in line 10 and 11 refers to                      .


A. a condition caused by fried food


B. strategically located fat deposits


C. curves on the human female body


D. cessation of growth, bad skin, and damaged reproductive systems

A.
B.
C.
D.

Task 6. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions 26 – 30.            Accidents do not occur at random. People eighty-five years of age and older are twenty-two times likely to die accidentally than are children five to nine years old. The risk for native Americans is four times that for Asian-Americans and twice that for white Americans or African-Americans. Males suffer accidents at more than twice the rate of females, in part because they are more prone to risky behavior. Alaskans are more than three times as likely as Rhode Islanders to die in an accident. Texans are twenty- one times more likely than New Jerseyites to die in a natural disaster. Among the one hundred most populous counties, Kern County, California (Bakersfield), has an accident fatality rate three times greater than Summit County, Ohio (Akron).             Accidents happens more often to poor people. Those living in poverty receive inferior medical care, are more apt to reside in houses with faulty heating and electrical systems, drive older cars with fewer safety features, and are less likely to use safety belts. People in rural areas have more accidents than city or suburban dwellers because farming is much riskier than working in a factory or office and because emergency medical services are less readily available. These two factors - low income and rural residence - may explain why the south has a higher accident rate than the north.(Source: Proficiency Reading)
Câu 1: Which of the following is true according to the passage?


A. Children aged five to nine face the greatest accident risk.


B. All people face an equal risk of having an accident.


C. One in every 22 people aged 85 and over will die in an accident.


D. The risk of having an accident is greater among certain groups of people.
Câu 2: The word “inferior” in the passage is closest in meaning to                      .


A. modern                               


B. low-quality 


C. well-equipped    


D. unsafe
Câu 3: According to the passage, which of the following groups of people in America face the highest risk of having an accident?


A. Native Americans 


B. Asian-Americans  


C. White Americans   


D. African-Americans
Câu 4: What does the word “that” in the passage refer to?


A. males                                       


B. native Americans 


C. the risk       


D. African-Americans
Câu 5: Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a reason for a higher accident rate among the poor?


A. Little knowledge about safety.        


B. Inadequate medical services.


C. Poor housing and working conditions.      


D. Use of cars which incorporate fewer safety features.

A.
B.
C.
D.