Chuyên đề 20: Kiểm tra

Read the following passage and mark the letter A,B,C,or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

    Is it worth reading books,since nowadays there are so many (17)________ forms of entertainment? Some people say that even paperback books are expensive,and not everyone can borrow books from a library.They might add that television is more exciting and that viewers can relax as they watch their favourite programs.All that may be true,but books are still very popular.They encourage the reader to use his or her imagination for a start.You can read a chapter of a book,or just a few pages,and then stop,of course,it may be so gripping that you can't stop! There are many different kinds of books,so you can choose a crime novel or an autobiography,or a book (18)________ gives you interesting information.If you find it hard to choose,you can read reviews,or ask friends for ideas.Personally,I can't do without books,but I can give up television easily enough.You can't watch television at bus stops!

Read the following passage and blacken the letter A,B,C,or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to the following questions. 

Dogs originally came from wolves. Wolves look a lot like dogs, but they are bigger. They are also quite fierce. At some point, some wolves changed through evolution. Some of them were smaller and gentler. These nicer wolves were the first dogs. No one knows for sure when this happened or why. Some people say it happened naturally over 50,000 years ago. Others say people made it happen between 15 000 and 50 000 years ago.

          However they came to be, people quickly saw that dogs were useful. Scientists who study humans say the first tame dogs appeared with humans about 13,000 years ago in the Middle East. Not long after there were dogs in Asia, Africa, Europe and eventually, North America. These dogs were probably used mostly for hunting and traveling. They were also good companions.

          Dogs were an important part of life in ancient Egypt. Egyptian dogs were used not only for hunting but as guards and warriors as well. They believed the god that guarded hell was a dog. Ancient Egyptians also named their pet dogs. Some popular names meant Brave One, Reliable, North-wind, Blacky, and Useless.

          Dogs were also good ancient Roman warriors. The Roman army used dogs all over Europe. Sometimes the dogs were attack dogs, but other times the dogs were messengers.

          There are many different kinds of dogs today. How could they all come from wolves? There are many different explanations. Some scientists believe that dogs mixed with other animals from the Canidae family. This includes coyotes, foxes and jackals. Most scientists also believe that evolution and breeding influenced the variation. Later, people found breeds of dogs they liked and combined them to make all new breeds. In this way, people are still helping new breeds to appear today!

Read the following passage and mark the letter A,B,C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.

         Do you think you could live in a world with cold weather, dangerous animals, and little daylight? Well, the Inuit have done so for thousands of years. Let’s take a look at how they live their lives.

         The Inuit live in the frozen north of Canada, Russia, and Alaska. In winter, temperatures can be as low as -50°C so it's very difficult for plants to grow. Even in summer it rarely gets above zero. The Inuit people have been living in extreme conditions for centuries, spending their entire lives on the snow that blankets the Arctic.

         The Inuit are short and well-built with almond-shaped eyes and straight black hair. They wear large, thick lined hoods called "parkas" to keep warm during the cold winters. They also wear big boots and furry gloves to protect their hands and feet. The Inuit are cheerful and friendly people who share everything they have with others. Because they live in small groups, they value harmony and frown on arguments and fighting.

         Inuit men are hunters and they spend their days out on the ice looking for whales, seals, and even polar bears to catch and bring back home. In winter they cut holes in the ice and go ice fishing. On winter hunting trips they live in temporary, dome-shaped houses called "igloos" made from blocks of snow. The sole means of transport are dogsleds and snowmobiles to travel the frozen Arctic. Women can also go hunting, but most choose to stay at home and sew, cook, build tents and maintain the children. In order to make the most of the sunlight and warmth the Inuit go to bed very early and get up at 5 a.m to start their working day.

         The Inuit keep their history alive through a tradition of storytelling. The elders teach their children about their history with mythical stories and legends. A popular tradition is the "drum dance" held at births, weddings, and funerals. The whole community gets together and performs songs and dances to the beat of the massive drum.

(Adapted from On Screen B1 Plus by Virginia Evans and Jenny Dooley)

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

     Le Bijou, a high-end Swiss hospitality company, has recently launched a new package for guests in response to the coronavirus outbreak and the country's lockdown. Guests looking to practice social distancing, which basically means staying far enough away from (17) ________ to prevent person to-person transmission of the coronavirus or any other virus for that matter, can do so in Le Bijou’s hotel-like apartments, which rely on modern technology for most of its operations. "You don't need to interact with anyone you don't want to," says Alexander Hübner, CEO and co-founder of Le Bijou. Additionally, Le Bijou also offers on-site coronavirus testing to those (18) ________ can afford but it still remains unclear how many tests they have or how long Le Bijou could run the Covid-19 package.

Read the following passage and blacken the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to the following questions. 

     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.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.

    Hamams, or bath houses, are a traditional part of Turkish culture. They represent an important piece of Turkey's long history and serve as a window into the past. However, these bath houses are quickly disappearing because of the changing habits of the Turkish people.

    Hamams hold a strong place in the history of Turkey and many date back hundreds of years. Traditionally, all kinds of people went to hamams because Islam has strict laws for cleanness. Believers must wash themselves regularly, particularly before their daily prayers. As most people in Turkey didn't have access to running water in their homes, the hamam was the perfect to get clean, relax, and catch up with friends.

    Today, however, the tradition of going to the hamam is quickly dying out for many young people. Now almost everyone has running water in their bathrooms, so they prefer to bathe at home. As a result, Turkish people are not going to hamams as often as they used to. These days, instead of relying on locals, many hamams are trying to attract foreign tourists.

    Some of the best hamams in Turkey are located in Istanbul, the country's largest city. The Cagaloglu hamam is a great example. It was a gift to the people from the Sultan in 1741 and is one of the last old hamams to be built during the Ottoman Empire. Many visitors are impressed by the high domed ceilings, marble floors, and marble walls used throughout.

    A typical session at a hamam can last well over an hour. Visitors will be welcomed into camekan, or entrance hall. There they will be able to relax with friends and chat over a cup of tea. They will also be able to change into the customary pestemal, or Turkish towel, which wraps around the waist like a skirt. When ready, visitors will head into hararet, or hot room. There they will lie on the hot floor and be scrubbed clean and massaged by one of the in-house masseurs or masseuses. Men and women always bathe separately, but their experiences are very similar.

    Although many hamams are in danger of closing, they will always remain a part of Turkish culture. An experience in one of Istanbul's famous bath houses is not to be missed on any visit to Turkey. It will certainly leave you refreshed, relaxed, and squeaky clean for your next adventure.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 24 to 26.

        Many people say that schooldays are the best days of their life, and they often feel that this should be a period of enjoyment. (24) ______, exams often make them unhappy, and many students prefer having no exams at all. They say the exams (25) ______ they have to take often make them worried, and they have no time to relax. Others, on the other hand, say that exams help students study better. They will have to study throughout the year, and if they do well, they will become more interested in studying.

     There are (26) ______ students who prefer only final exams. They say that they have to work hard for two months a year and so they have more time for their leisure activities. They think that this is a better way of assessing students’ knowledge and ability in the subjects they are studying.

(Adapted from Complete First for Schools by Brook-Hart, Hutchison, Passmore and Uddin)

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 from 27 to 28.

Vietnam’s population is ageing quickly. In 2017, more than 10 per cent of the population will be 60 and older, and in 15-20 years the elderly will account for one third of the total population. This raises concerns about healthcare, welfare and pensions for the elderly at a time when Vietnam is focusing on economic integration and requires a large labor force. So far two solutions have been proposed: to loosen the two-child policy and to increase the retirement age to 58 for women and 62 for men. By ending the two-child policy the government expects to make up for the ageing population within the next 20 years. But its effect could be creating an uncontrollable boom in the Vietnamese population. When the government loosened the two-child policy in 2015 in a trial period, in the first 6 months of 2016 the third child birth rate increased remarkably by 7.5 per cent

Raising the retirement age has been proposed by the Ministry of Labor pending parliamentary evaluation in May 2017. While the policy is beneficial in utilizing the work experience of the elderly while creating savings in the pension budget, it also means fewer job prospects and promotion opportunities for younger generations. It is also not in the interest of all the elderly, especially the 70 per cent of Vietnam's labor force working in manual labor-intensive sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and construction where working above the age of 50 can be dangerous and unproductive. Despite these drawbacks, raising the retirement age is still considered by policymakers as one of the key solutions to the ageing population problem in Vietnam. However, these are only temporary solutions.

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 from 29 to 30.

Volunteering offers many of the same social benefits, with the added bonus of helping others and developing useful skills to put on your CV. Plus, students are in a unique position to help, suggests Tom Fox. "They can take their enthusiasm and excitement for opportunities and share their passions, subject knowledge and experience with people." The idea of giving up time for nothing might seem impractical at first, especially once the pressures of study and coursework or exams begin to mount up. However, Michelle Wright, CEO of charity support organization Cause4, suggests seeing volunteering as a two-way street. "I think it is fine for undergraduates to approach volunteering as a symbiotic relationship where doing good is just one part of the motivation for reaching personal and professional goals."

Katerina Rudiger, head of skills and policy campaigns at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), says: "Volunteering can be a valuable way of gaining that experience, as well as building confidence, broadening your horizons, becoming a better team player and developing those all- important 'employability skills' such as communication and decision making." Amanda Haig, graduate HR manager, agrees that volunteering can help your employment prospects. "Volunteering can demonstrate positive personality traits and skill sets, such as proactivity, and teamwork," she says.

A positive side-effect of volunteering is improving your time at university by getting involved in the local community. Leaving the student bubble can make your time as an undergraduate much more varied. At Bath Spa University, more than 1,000 students volunteered over the past year, doing everything from working on local environmental projects to helping in schools or assisting the elderly. ”Quite often there can be a divide between students and permanent residents," says students' union president Amy Dawson, "but if students invest a little time now, they will be giving something back to the local community and will reap the benefits in the future."

“You might also find that volunteering helps your studies if you choose the right program. At Lancaster, volunteering is linked into academic modules in some cases", explains Fox. "This has multiple wins. Students get to apply their learning in the classroom and share their interests with children in local schools or community organizations, while schools gain skilled students with a passion for a subject that enthuses their pupils."