Bài tập Đọc hiểu có đáp án Phần 3

Question 1-5

The television is one of the most prominent inventions of the 20^th century. In the 1880s a German inventor created simplistic moving images using a filtered light viewed through a spinning disk, laying the foundations for the modern television. During the 1920s, a number of scientists began experimenting with sending still images using radio waves. However, it was in 1928 that General Electric first combined the idea of a device that could show moving images with the technology to wirelessly broadcast them.

During the 30s and 40s, the technology was gradually improved upon. In America, the first regular broadcasts began in 1939 though it was not until after the Second World War that the television as a standard home appliance began to really take off. After 1945, television sales in America skyrocketed. The first colour broadcast was made in 1954.

Throughout the rest of the world, television came years later, and it wasn’t until the late 1960s that television was commonplace in houses throughout the West. By the 1970s, television had become the dominant media force it is today, with 24-hour programming, mass advertising, and syndicated shows.

In the 1980s, satellite television shrunk the world, making live feeds from other countries and time zones possible. The new millennium brought the advent of digital television, which is the future of television.

Question 6-10

Modern consumers are attracted to online shopping by numerous advantages it offers. Experts say the overall revenue of online shopping will significantly increase in the coming years. This is due to reduced prices and greater choices. Below are the main advantages you will get when shopping online:

The main advantage of online shopping is that it enables to reduce your monthly expenses. Most online stores offer lower prices, as opposed to offline stores, as well as offer various bargains that help save even more money. The easiest way to pay less is to compare prices. Online shopping makes price comparison simpler and quicker. The Internet is crammed with websites which offer automated price comparison.

Moreover, people buying goods via the Internet have an opportunity to pay less with online coupons. Online merchants offer various opportunities which help save money. Savvy shoppers know where to look for discounts and pay less. If you want to economize with online shopping, simply do a little online research and look for special offers and coupons.

Last but not least, online shopping provides a greater diversity of products. This means you can choose goods that suit your requirements and budget the most. Be­sides, you check all available options with the comfort of your room. Detailed re­search and decent price comparison will help you find the suitable product at the right price. If you do not want to become disappointed with your purchase, never be in a hurry.

Question 11-15

Earthquakes in Japan

The Japanese archipelago is located in an area where several continental and oceanic plates meet. This is the cause of frequent earthquakes and the presence of many volcanoes and hot springs across Japan. If earthquakes occur below or close to the ocean, they may trigger tidal waves (tsunami).

Many parts of the country have experienced devastating earthquakes and tidal waves in the past. The Great Kanto Earthquake, the worst in Japanese history, hit the Kanto plain around Tokyo in 1923 and resulted in the deaths of over 100,000 people.

In January 1995, a strong earthquake hit the city of Kobe and its surroundings. Known as the Southern Hyogo Earthquake or Great Hanshin Earthquake, it killed 6,000 and injured 415,000 people. 100,000 homes were completely destroyed and 185,000 were severely damaged.

On March 11, 2011, the strongest ever recorded earthquake in Japan triggered a massive tsunami along the Pacific Coast of northeastern Japan. Known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, the earthquake and particularly the ensuing tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people and caused a nuclear accident at a power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

Question 16-20

Space exploration is the investigation of the cosmos beyond the upper regions of the Earth’s atmosphere using telescopes, satellites, space probes, spacecraft, and associated launch vehicles. The desire to explore space is nearly primal for Homo sapiens. Early humans quickly spread out of Africa to every region on the planet, then came to speculate that the stars and planets were yet other material places worthy of exploration. The idea to travel to these other worlds was inevitable.

However, for thousands of years, humans commonly drew fundamental distinctions between the Earth and non-Earth environments. In the formulation of Aristotle taught that the laws of nature that applied on Earth did not necessarily apply beyond the Earth, thus severely restricting the very possibilities for human space exploration.

Question 21-25

With the days of having hundreds of Facebook “friends” upon US, real friendships built on respect, a common bond, and shared memories seem to be few and far between in the modern world. We can instantly connect with anyone online, but does that make them a tried and true friend?

On the other hand, the friends you thought you could count on in real life can turn out to be just as distant, flaky, and unreliable as people you’ve connected within the cyber world. So, how can you make sure that these friendships you have invested so much in emotionally are actually authentic?

1. They accept everything about you, including your flaws.

They don’t want to change you. In fact, true friendships mean they embrace everything about you, from your quirks and flaws to your best personality traits. That doesn’t mean they have to particularly like or agree with everything you say and do, but they don’t bash you or try to alter your personality, either. You feel like you can breathe a big sigh of relief around them. That’s because in a sea of billions of people, you’ve found one person who sees the positive things about you even when you don’t see them yourself.

2. They stick with you through both the good and bad times.

This one probably best distinguishes a fake friend from a real one; in hard times, a true friend would never dream of leaving you in the shadows alone. Instead, they offer to help you however they can, and bring you back into the light, again. Fake friends often bail on you because they only wanted to stick around when things went well for you, and felt like helping you through your problems was a burden for them.

Question 26-30

After traveling 1,000 miles from the north, the Zambezi River reaches the edge of one world and plummets 350 feet into another. Victoria Falls, between the borders of Zambia and Zimbabwe, is over a mile wide. No other waterfall in the world can match her scale.

The Zambezi is known as the “River of Life” across southern Africa, but surviving by the river near Victoria Falls is not always easy. During the rainy season the Zambezi has a fierceness and a power that is deadly to both animals and humans. At the peak of the rainy season, almost 300,000 gallons of water cascade over the falls every second.

Despite the danger, many birds, reptiles, fish, and mammals call this area home. And a fisherman, known as Mr. White, has lived in a nearby town for 74 years, spending almost every day by the falls.

During the dry season, life gravitates to the river by Victoria Falls. As the sun beats down and the water level lowers, grass-covered islands above the falls are exposed. Families of elephants from the surrounding savannah flock to the Zambezi to make the river crossing. Predator and prey rely on the river for water, and pairs of bee-eaters and pied kingfishers dig nests in the exposed muddy banks. Fish eagles raise their young and teach them to hunt, and hippos crowd the waters.

Life flourishes, for a while. And then, months later, clouds gather in the sky and rising waters force many animals to leave. It is the rainy season, and Victoria Falls becomes magnificent again - her voice rising from a whisper to thunder.

Question 31-35

Making Sushi at home

Danielle decided to make sushi with her brother Jonathan. They both loved sushi and cooking. They thought this would be the perfect way to bond with each other and have fun. Sushi was something they never made. They needed to buy all the supplies to make the perfect sushi! They read recipes and watched videos on how to make sushi. Even if it was not perfect, Danielle was sure it would taste good.

Jonathan was in charge of buying the supplies. He stopped by his local Japanese supermarket. This was one of his favorite markets because of its cheap prices and quality products. He started by looking for seaweed and rice. He quickly found those in the same aisle. He then began to pick the seafood they would use. He decided on salmon, tuna, and eel. Danielle’s favorite was salmon. He also got some cucumbers, carrots, and avocados to add extra flavor.

Jonathan brought back his supplies home. They were ready to make the sushi. They set everything up in the kitchen. They were ready to roll. They divided the tasks. One person was in charge of preparing the sushi. The other person was in charge of rolling the sushi and cutting nicely into pieces. They needed to make enough for themselves and their parents. They even made extras. After all their hard work, they ate their delicious sushi and watched a movie together. The sushi was delicious and tasted really fresh. Their parents approved of their homemade sushi.

Question 36-40

The ever-evolving human desire drives the development of men and women alike. Over the past 60 years, we have witnessed a conspicuous change in women’s desire. Women wish to be less and less involved in household management and child care and are increasingly expanding their involvement in other areas of society.

A woman’s character is much more responsible, stable, and consistent. She is capable of absorbing many changes and coping with long-term challenges - a quality that comes from her natural ability to carry an embryo and develop life within her. A man, on the other hand, is better at short-term moves.

A woman is capable of holding onto a large number of tasks as well as carry them out successfully. A man, on the other hand, is more successful in linear processes aimed at a narrow goal. This is why most scientific breakthroughs, for example, manifest through the male brain.

Men and women are also different in their attitude to failure in life. Figuratively speaking, a man can be as strong as iron - and yet one blow can break him. Woman is easier to bend - but like a flexible tree branch, she is much harder to break. The mutual completion of each other’s qualities is the key to building a healthy society in the new era.

The integration of women in the leadership of society and other systems of human life is becoming necessary. The maternal qualities are expanding from the personal home to the global home. The female nature and drive to create a supportive and embracing environment will be expressed in society in creating healthy and proper conditions for bonding between people.

Question 41-45

To stay healthy, adults should try to be active every day and aim to achieve at least 150 minutes of physical activity over a week through a variety of activities.

For most people, the easiest way to get moving is to make activity part of everyday life, like walking or cycling instead of using the car to get around. However, the more you do, the better, and taking part in activities such as sports and exercise will make you even healthier.

For any type of activity to benefit your health, you need to be moving quickly enough to raise your heart rate, breathe faster, and feel warmer. This level of effort is called moderate intensity activity. If you’re working at a moderate intensity you should still be able to talk but you won’t be able to sing the words to a song.

An activity where you have to work even harder is called vigorous intensity activity. There is substantial evidence that vigorous activity can bring health benefits over and above that of moderate activity. You can tell when it’s vigorous activity because you’re breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate has gone up quite a bit. If you’re working at this level, you won’t be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. People are less active nowadays, partly because technology has made our lives easier. We drive cars or take public transport. Machines wash our clothes. We entertain ourselves in front of a TV or computer screen. Fewer people are doing manual work, and most of US have jobs that involve little physical effort. Work, household chores, shopping, and other necessary activities are far less demanding than for previous generations.

We move around less and burn off less energy than people used to. Research suggests that many adults spend more than 7 hours a day sitting down, at work, on transport or in their leisure time. People aged over 65 spend 10 hours or more each day sitting or lying down, making them the most sedentary age group.

Question 46-50

Have you ever thought about going abroad to volunteer? Making a difference in a country less fortunate than your own is seen by most as a really positive thing to do. However, not everyone is in favour of this so-called ‘voluntourism’.

Volunteer tourism is a growing fashion - in 2015, it was estimated that 10 million volunteers helped on projects abroad. These include building houses or hospitals, teaching English in schools, helping locals get to grips with computers, installing water filters, looking after children in orphanages, and much more.

However, there’s an argument that volunteers take away jobs from locals who would have otherwise done that work. Yes, sometimes volunteers have specific knowledge which can benefit communities, such as IT skills or speaking English as a native language. However, in some cases they are put to work on construction sites, for example, depriving locals of a job on that project. Additionally, many young travellers are untrained for the role. This could become a health and safety problem on construction sites or when caring for children. Furthermore, the booming industry is seen by some as just that - an industry, a way for companies to make money. It’s estimated that up to $2 billion was spent by volunteers last year in 2015. Surely it would be better if this money were directly donated to an established chanty, equipped to spend the money where it is needed the most? Instead, most of the money is going to profit-seeking tourism companies, while local communities only see a fraction of it.

Finally, volunteering abroad also helps you develop as a person, and is a shining addition to a cv. I think volunteer projects are usually very valuable for communities, but often benefit the participant just as much, if not more, than those they are helping.