Đề thi tổng ôn tốt nghiệp THPT Tiếng Anh (Đề số 5)

SMART CITIES AROUND THE WORLD

1. In Singapore, the mobile app Parking.sg allows you (1) ______ a nearby car park with (2) ______, book a parking space, and make a payment. You can also extend your booking or receive a refund if you leave early.

2. New York City (US) has one of the largest bike-sharing systems (3) ______ Citi Bike. Using a mobile app, you can unlock bikes from one station and return them to any other station in the system, making them ideal (4) ______ one-way trips.

3. In Copenhagen (Denmark), you can use a mobile app to guide you through the city streets and tell how fast you need to pedal to (5) ______ the next green light. The app can also give you (6) ______ and work out the calories you burn.

(Adapted from Global Success)

ANTARCTICA – trip of a lifetime!

Cruise past towering crystal icebergs. Watch a midnight sunset. (7) ______ pods of whales and (8) ______ of seals and penguins. Tread where (9) ______ have ever walked!

As the world’s driest, coldest and windiest place, it is no wonder that it is our only uninhabited continent. (10) ______ holding 90% of the Earth’s frozen water, Antarctica is actually a desert, and conditions are (11) ______. But it is spectacularly beautiful. With cruise packages to (12) ______ all budgets – an eleven-day trip starts from £3,700 – you’d be surprised how easy it can be to visit – and how hard it will be to forget!

(Adapted from Friends Global)

Is Coffee in Danger?

Around the world, coffee is a lifeline for 25 million farmworkers on about 1.09 million square kilometers of land. That’s over 7 percent of Earth’s surface! In Việt Nam, coffee exports reached approximately 1.78 million tonnes in 2022 alone. Every year, people drink more than 500 billion cups. Businesses in the United States (18) ______. Coffee isn’t just a morning ritual - it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry.

Unfortunately, climate change is taking its toll on this business and the people who depend on it. (19) ______. Too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry - any misstep can harm the plants or reduce the quality of the beans. As the climate becomes warmer and rainfall patterns shift, many regions currently having perfect weather for coffee production may no longer be suitable. In Brazil - the world’s largest coffee grower - for example, (20) ______.

Even worse, the coffee berry borer beetle, an insect that feeds on coffee beans, also loves warmer temperatures. This means that as the climate heats up, these pests will spread to new areas, (21) ______. In addition, diseases like coffee rust - which causes the tree to lose its ability to produce berries - become more common in hotter, wetter conditions.

Coffee fuels billions of mornings, conversations, and workdays across the globe. (22) ______, it could become part of our history, not our future.

(Adapted from Explore New Worlds)

Social media has become an integral part of modern life, especially for teenagers. While it offers opportunities for connection, entertainment, and creativity, it also presents significant risks. This essay will explore the most pressing dangers associated with social media use among teens and suggest strategies to mitigate these risks.

One of the first things every teen needs to realize is that the Internet doesn’t forget. A spur-of-the-moment post might seem harmless now, but it could come back to bite later. Posting questionable content can affect academic and career opportunities for universities and employers are increasingly reviewing candidates’ social media activity. Numerous cases have shown individuals facing consequences for content shared years earlier. Therefore, teens must take great caution and think long-term before sharing anything online.

Another major concern is the addictive nature of social media. When hours are spent scrolling through feeds, something else gets pushed aside - studying, engaging in extra-curriculars, and maintaining personal relationships. Overreliance on virtual interactions may also impair communication skills, resulting in decreased academic performance and social isolation. To keep life in balance, teens should establish boundaries and make time for face-to-face connections with friends.

Last but not least, social media exposes users to cyber threats like malware and viruses. An inadvertent click on a suspicious link or download from an untrustworthy source can wreck a computer and compromise personal data. Teens need to be on guard - installing reliable antivirus software and steering clear of strange links or offers from strangers can make all the difference.

Social media isn’t going anywhere, and it can definitely be fun. Still, using it recklessly can bring about unnecessary trouble. By being mindful of what they post, setting healthy limits on screen time, and staying alert for cybersecurity threats, teens can enjoy the perks of social media without falling into its traps. Social media can remain a valuable tool - if used with care and foresight.

(Adapted from i-Learn Smart World)

[I] Migration is a natural phenomenon that has fascinated humans for centuries and is important to ecosystem health. [II] It is observed in species across the animal kingdom, from the tiniest insects to the gargantuan blue whale. [III] Every year, millions of animals set out on an epic journey searching for food, shelter, and mating opportunities. [IV]

The Great Migration

Between December and April, wildebeest migrate through the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania. In February, the female wildebeest bring forth more than 400,000 calves in a three-week period. In April, the rain stops, the plains become dry and the wildebeest population sets off in search of fresh grass. First, they head west, then north towards Kenya, then south back to the Serengeti where they began their journey. In total, it’s a return journey of about 1,000 miles, and it is taken by 1.7 million wildebeest.

The journey is necessary but dangerous. Facing not only the risks of starvation and drowning but the wildebeest must also look out for predators along the way. The stronger ones run on the outside of the herd while the young animals stay on the inside.

When wildebeest cross a river, they can look disorganised, but experts have shown that the herd are actually using something called ‘swarm intelligence’. This means that no one wildebeest is the leader but instead they explore and overcome obstacles as a group.

Multigenerational Relay

Monarch butterflies spend their summer in Canada and the northern USA where there are plenty of nectar plants and not many predators. However, they cannot survive the cold winters of the north. Thus, in September and October, they begin a long journey south of over 2,500 miles to Mexico via the southern USA.

When spring arrives, the monarchs start their return journey north; the population cycles through three to five generations to reach their destination. Along the way, females lay eggs on milkweed plants, which the caterpillars use for food after hatching. This new generation of butterflies complete the journey their great-great-great-grand-parents started. It is still a mystery to scientists how the new generations know where to go, but they appear to navigate using a combination of the Earth’s magnetic field and the position of the sun.

(Adapted from C-21 Smart & National Geographic)