Đề 1.

(TH)
NGHE HIỂU – BÀI 1
You will hear an interview with a woman who has left her own country to live abroad. Choose the
best answer A, B, or C. (5 pts)
1. What made Karin decide to move to Italy?
A. There was nothing to stop her. B. Her friends were already there.
C. She wanted to learn Italian.
2. Why did Karin return to the UK for two weeks?
A. to collect her furniture B. to buy a new car C. to sort out her affairs
3. How did Karin find a job?
A. She asked her landlord’s wife. B. Her landlord offered her some work.
C. She wrote to a language school.
4. How did she feel about her job?
A. very afraid B. quite helpless C. very impatient
5. What does Karin think about her experience?
A. Things were quite easy. B. She was very fortunate. C. She took a very big risk.
DAP AN
1. A 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. B
NGHE HIỂU – BÀI 2
Fill in each numbered blank with only one word. The talk will be read THREE times.
People surfing the web using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer need to be (1) _____ careful. A hole has been
found in the( 2 )_____ ’s security systems. The anti-virus software maker Trend Micro Inc. said the problem
( 3) _____ people’s computers open to hackers. Trend Micro spokesman Paul Ferguson warned the hole
could let in criminals who want to (4 )_____ computers. He said security holes like this are “a (5)_____ for
criminals because users have few ways to fight off attacks”. Explorer’s flaw (6 )_____ users into visiting
websites that then ( 7) _____ passwords and other personal and confidential information. The hackers then
sell this for big money on the black market. It is a (8) _____ problem because most of the world’s
computers use Internet Explorer. Microsoft says it is ( 9) _____ the flaw. Its website states that it is
considering creating an emergency software (10) _____ to fix the hole. The company is advising users to
try a complicated series of measures it calls “workarounds”. Microsoft said: “We are actively investigating
the vulnerability that these attacks attempt to exploit. We will continue to monitor the threat.” The software
giant assured people that it would “take the appropriate action to protect our customers”. A Microsoft anti-
virus blog said 0.2% of computer users may be affected. Its advice was to “always exercise caution when
browsing and try to go to sites that you trust”. Other experts advise switching to alternative browsers such
as Firefox, Google Chrome or Opera.
DAPAN
1. extra 2. browser 3. Leaves 4. hijack 5. goldmine
6. tricks 7. Steals 8. Sizeable 9. Investigating 10. patch
NGỮ PHÁP – BÀI 1
Give the correct form of the words in brackets to make complete sentences.
1. After the teacher's (clarify), I could understand perfectly.
2. The same (verb) action may have different meanings in different situations.
3. (Expose) to direct sunlight for long periods of time is dangerous to our skin.
4. Happiness is a (universe) emotion. Everyone in the world expresses it the same way by laughing or
smiling.
5. Playing a lot of sport is a (behaviour) factor that can influence our health.
6. (Astrology) check the position of the stars in order to tell a person's future.
7. Many people think that (dispose) goods are convenient because they do not need to be cleaned or
repaired.
8. What happens to refrigerators if you don't (frost) them regularly?
9. My (suspect) proved to be well-founded. She was the thief.
10. Due to her (stubborn), we couldn’t set out as planned.
DAPAN
1. clarification 2. verbal 3. Exposure 4. universal 5. behavioral
6. Astrologers 7. disposable 8. defrost 9. suspicion 10. stubbornness
NGỮ PHÁP – BÀI 2
Fill in each blank with a suitable phrasal verb in the correct form or tense to complete each of the
following sentences. Write your answers on your answer sheet. (10 pts)
bring out close down sell out go ahead take over
build up dry up cut back put forward think over
1. Business was so bad that they had to ……………………… two factories.
2. I ……………………… my proposal at the meeting but it was rejected.
3. Until we get some orders we’ll have to ……………………… production.
4. It took hard work to ……………………… this company from nothing to what it is today.
5. Before I come to a decision I’ll have to ……………………… their offer carefully.
6. Decisions would no longer be made locally if big multinationals ………………… our company.
7. It was financially decided that the scheme should …………………… but with a new change.
8. Next year we intend to ……………………… several new products but at the moment we are testing
them.
9. Because of the advanced publicity all the copies of the new games had ……………………… within an
hour, so the store had to order some more.
10. Because of the transport strike, supplies ……………………… and we had to stop production.
DAPAN
1. close down 2. put forward 3. cut back 4. build up 5. think over
6. take over 7. go ahead 8. bring out 9. sell out 10. dry up
NGỮ PHÁP – BÀI 3
There are ten mistakes in this paragraph. Find and correct them.
Example: Traditional => Traditionally
Traditional, mental tests have been divided into two types. 0. traditional → traditionally
Achievement tests are designed to measure acquiring skills and
knowledge, particularly those that have been explicitness taught. The 1. __________________
proficiency exams required by few states for high school graduation 2. __________________
are achievement tests. Aptitude tests are designed and measure a
person’s ability to acquire new skills but knowledge. For example, 3. __________________
vocation aptitude tests can help you decide whether you would do
4. __________________
better like a mechanic or musician. However, all mental tests are in
some sense achievement tests because they assumption some sort of 5. __________________
past learning or experience with certainly objects, words, or
situations. The difference between achievement and aptitude tests is 6. __________________
the degree and intention use.
7. __________________

8. __________________

9. __________________
 10. _________________

DAPAN
Traditional, mental tests have been divided into two types. Achievement tests are designed to measure
acquiring skills and knowledge, particularly those that have been explicitness taught. The proficiency exams
required by few states for high school graduation are achievement tests. Aptitude tests are designed and
measure a person’s ability to acquire new skills but knowledge. For example, vocation aptitude tests can
help you decide whether you would do better like a mechanic or musician. However, all mental tests are in
some sense achievement tests because they assumption some sort of past learning or experience with
certainly objects, words, or situations. The difference between achievement and aptitude tests is the degree
and intention use.

Example: Traditional-> Traditionally

1. acquiring -> acquired 6. vocation -> vocational

2. explicitness -> explicitly 7. like -> as

3. few -> a few 8. assumption -> assume

4. and -> to 9. certainly -> certain

5. but -> to 10. intention -> intended

ĐỌC HIỂU – BÀI 1

Read the passage and fill in each blank with only ONE word. (10 pts.)
THAI FOOD
No other national cuisine (0) has enjoyed quite the degree of popularity that Thai food (1) ……….. . Ten
years ago it was a rarity in Europe and the United States and (2) ……….. that it was virtually unknown.
Now Thai cooking has (3) ……….. one of the West's favourite exotic styles of cooking. As well as the
growing (4) ……….. of Thai restaurants throughout the world, there has been an increase little by little in the
availability of ingredients on supermarket shelves.
(5) ……….. Western cooks, it is becoming quite practical to try authentic versions of Thai dishes at home.
One of the things that makes Thai cooking (6) ……….. a challenge is the sheer variety of types of dish.
Thai food lies between Chinese and Indian cuisine, with influences (7) ……….. Burma, Cambodia and
Malaysia, each of (8) ……….. has had an effect on Thailand at different stages of its history. Some of the
ingredients come from for afield. Chillies, to give just one example, are originally from Central and South
America but were incorporated quickly (9) ……….. the national diet. Taken all (10) ……….., these
influences from abroad have made Thai cooking a strongly regional set of cuisines.

DAP AN
THAI FOOD
No other national cuisine (0) has enjoyed quite the degree of popularity that Thai food (1) …has…….. . Ten
years ago it was a rarity in Europe and the United States and (2) …before…….. that it was virtually
unknown. Now Thai cooking has (3) ……become….. one of the West's favourite exotic styles of cooking. As
well as the growing (4) ……number….. of Thai restaurants throughout the world, there has been an increase
little by little in the availability of ingredients on supermarket shelves.
(5) ……For….. Western cooks, it is becoming quite practical to try authentic versions of Thai dishes at
home. One of the things that makes Thai cooking (6) ……such….. a challenge is the sheer variety of types
of dish. Thai food lies between Chinese and Indian cuisine, with influences (7) …from…….. Burma,
Cambodia and Malaysia, each of (8) ……which….. has had an effect on Thailand at different stages of its
history. Some of the ingredients come from for afield. Chillies, to give just one example, are originally
from Central and South America but were incorporated quickly (9) …into…….. the national diet. Taken all
(10) …together…….., these influences from abroad have made Thai cooking a strongly regional set of
cuisines.
VIẾT – BÀI 1
For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the original
sentence, beginning with the word(s) given.
1. It was not until five years had elapsed that the whole truth about the murder came out.
Not for ..........................................................................................................
2. The only reason why she got promotion is that she’s very competent.
Were it ..........................................................................................................
3. Something must be done quickly to solve the problem of homelessness.
Urgent ...........................................................................................................
4. You could be arrested for not giving a breath sample to the police.
Refusal ..........................................................................................................
5. Philip’s inability to make decisions dates from his accident.
Ever ..............................................................................................................
6. We’ve been trying to sell our house for well over six months.
Our house .....................................................................................................
7. Her success went beyond her expectations.
Never ............................................................................................................
8. I wasn’t a bit surprised to hear that Karen had changed her job.
It came ..........................................................................................................
9. Just thinking about his face at that moment makes me laugh.
The very .......................................................................................................
10. I left without saying goodbye as I didn’t want to disturb the meeting.
Rather ……………………………………………………………..
DAPAN
1. Not for another five years did the whole truth about the murder come out.
2. Were it not for her competence, she wouldn’t get promotion.
3. - Urgent action is/ measures are necessary/ essential to solve the problem/ if the problem of homelessness
is to be solved.
- Urgent action/ steps must be taken to solve the problem of homelessness.
- Urgent measures must be taken/ adopted to solve the problem of homelessness.
4. Refusal to give a breath sample to the police could lead to your arrest.
5. Ever since (he had) his accident Phillip has been unable to make decisions.
6. Our house has been for sale for well over six months.
7. Never did she expect her success/ that she would succeed.
8. It came as no surprise to me to hear that Karen had changed her job.
9. The very thought of his face at that moment makes me laugh.
10. Rather than disturb the meeting, I left without saying goodbye.

VIẾT – BÀI 2
For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the original
sentence, but using the word given. This word must not be altered in any way.
1. They wouldn’t let the former chairman attend the conference. (BARRED)
2. I find Harold’s behavior quite incomprehensible. (LOSS)
3. Because I believed his lies, he got a lot of money from me. (CONNED)
4. She chooses the kind of hotels she stays in very carefully. (FUSSY)
5. I don’t understand how to fill in this form. (CLEAR)
DAPAN
1. They have barried the former chairman from attending the conference.
2. I am at a loss to understand comprehend Harold’s behavior.
3. He conned me out of a lot of money.
4. She is very fussy about the kind of hotels she stays in.
5. I am not clear about how to fill in this form.
VIẾT – BÀI 2
Rewrite each of the sentences below in such a way that its meaning stays the same, using the word
given in capitals. Do NOT change this word in any way. Write your answers on the answer sheet. (5
pts)
1. I put a lot of care and attention into the letter. (TROUBLE)
I ______________________________________________________________ this letter.
2. He’s never afraid to say what he thinks. (MIND)
He’s never afraid __________________________________________________________.
3. What astounds me is that he paid the money before having a look at the goods. (IT)
I find ______________________________________________ before he paid for them.
4. As my roommate continues to give me a lift to work, I shan’t learn to drive. (STOP)
Were ______________________________________________, I would learn to drive.
5. Someone almost certainly broke the window on purpose. (MUST)
The window __________________________________________ on purpose.
ĐÁP ÁN
Rewrite each of the sentences below in such a way that its meaning stays the same, using the word
given in capitals. Do not change this word in any way. (5 pts)
1 point for each correct answer
1. I took a lot of trouble over this letter.
2. He’s never afraid to speak his mind.
3. I find it astonishing that he didn’t have a look at the goods before he paid for them.
4. Were my roommate to stop giving me a lift to work, I would learn to drive.
5. The window must have been broken on purpose.
NGỮ ÂM – BÀI 1
Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the other three in each
of the following questions. Write your answers (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet. (2.5 pts)
1. A. owl B. cow C. arrow D. powder
2. A. sew B. knew C. dew D. few
3. A. bought B. sought C. fought D. drought
4. A. experience B. exhibition C. expensive D. exercise
5. A. rhinoceros B. who C. headache D. whale
DAPAN
1. C 2. A 3. D 4. B 5. B
NGỮ ÂM – BÀI 2
Choose the word whose main stress position is different from that of the other three in each of the
following questions. Write your answers (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet. (2.5 pts)
1. A. impressive B. composition C. international D. competition
2. A. instrument B. inflation C. regional D. satellite
3. A. consider B. interactive C. behavior D. attachment
4. A. calculate B. confidence C. engineer D. pentagon
5. A. monastery B. dependence C. associate D. composer
DAPAN
1. A 2. B 3. B 4. C 5. A
NGỮ ÂM – BÀI 2
Choose the word with a different stress pattern.
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) on the answer sheet. (2.5 pts)
1. A. destruction B. volunteer C. economical D. recommend
2. A. committee B. scientific C. employee D. computer
3. A. severe B. campsite C. pollute D. proceed
4. A. merchandise B. prosperous C. tolerant D. musician
5. A. summertime B. vigorous C. consensus D. populate
ĐÁP ÁN
1. A 2. B 3. B 4. D 5. C

NGỮ PHÁP – BÀI 1

Give the correct form of the words in brackets to make complete sentences.
1. After the accident, there was considerable doubt _____ exactly what had happened.
A. in the question of B. as to
C. in the shape of D. for
2. When young Americans first go to university, many of them join a fraternity or Sorority social
organizations for male and female students _____.
A. respectively B. certainly C. orderly D. consequently
3. I’m _____ my brother is.
A. nowhere like so ambitious B. nothing near as ambitious as
C. nothing as ambitious than D. nowhere near as ambitious as
4. I am going to be _____ with you, Mr Hederson. Your daughter is a thief.
A. sincere B. open C. frank D. genuine
5. Having _____ the table, the girl called her parents and sisters for dinner.
A. laid B. swept C. completed D. ordered
6. “Can I have a piece of cake?” - “Yes, you can have _____.”
 A. all it B. all of it C. all D. the all of it
7. The house we have rented is _____. So we shall have to buy some beds, chairs, tables, etc.
A. unprovided B. unrepaired C. unfurnished D. unable
8. Mrs. Carter _____ he son for getting dirty.
A. brought off B. put down C. took on D. told off
9. As you pass the courthouse, you’ll be able to see Mr. Watson’s orange groves _____.
A. on your right B. at your right hand
C. to your right side D. to your right-handed side
10. It is a federal law _____ vaccinated before entering the first grade.
A. for children be B. that children will be
C. that children be D. requires children to be

DAPAN
1. B 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. A
6. B 7. C 8. D 9. A 10. C
ĐỌC HIỂU – BÀI 1
Choose the words that best complete the sentences in the text.

The hanging gardens of Babylon were considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the (1) _____ world.
They are believed to have been built by King Nebuchadnezzar in the sixth century BC as a present for his
wife, Amytis. The gardens were (2) _____ in layers - one on top of the other, much like a modern multi-
storey car park although a lot more (3) _____ to look at. Each layer was a large terrace (4) _____ with
tropical flowers, plants and trees. The large amount of water which these plants required was (5) _____
from the river nearby. It is said that the King and his wife would sit in the (6) _____ of the gardens and look
down on the city of Babylon (7) _____.
The gardens' fame quickly spread and travelers would come far and wide to (8) _____ them. Even
thousands of years ago, people used to go sightseeing. The city of Babylon was so famous throughout the
whole world for its beautiful buildings, huge tiled walls and gates made of brass. Sadly, nothing (9) _____
today of the beautiful hanging gardens and the city of Babylon lies in (10) _____ in what is modern-Iraq.
1. A. antique B. ancient C. historical D. traditional
2. A. constructed B. assembled C. collected D. invented
3. A. good-lookingB. attractive C. handsome D. adorable
4. A. included B. contained C. filled D. consisted
5. A. dragged B. pulled C. pushed D. pumped
6. A. shadow B. shade C. gloom D. glow
7. A. below B. beneath C. downward D. under
8. A. approve B. respect C. admire D. assess
9. A. remains B. stays C. exists D. continues
10. A. debris B. damage C. ruins D. destruction

DAPAN
1.B 2.A 3.B 4.C 5.D 6.B 7.A 8.C 9.A 10.C
ĐỌC HIỂU – BÀI 1
Read the following passage and choose the correct word to fill each gap.
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) on the answer sheet. (5 pts)
Action scenes in films
Modern cinema audiences expect to see plenty of thrilling scenes in action films. These scenes, which are
(1) __________ as stunts, are usually performed by stuntmen who are specially trained to do dangerous
things safely. (2) ________ can crash a car, but if you are shooting a film, you have to be extremely (3)
__________ sometimes stopping right in front of the camera and film crew. At an early (4) ___________ in
the production, an expert stuntman is (5) __________ in to work out the action scenes and form a team. He
is the only person who can go (6) __________ the wishes of the director, although he will usually only do
this in the (7) __________ of safety.
Many famous actors like to do the dangerous parts themselves, which produces better shots, since stuntmen
don’t have to (8) _________ in for the actors. Actors like to become (9) _________ in all the important
aspects of the character they are playing, but without the recent progress in safety equipment, insurance
companies would never let them take the risk. To do their own stunts, actors need to be good athletes, but
they must also be sensible and know their (10) ___________.If they were to be hurt, the film would come to
a sudden halt.
1. A. remarked B. known C. referred D. named
2. A. Everyone B. Someone C. Anyone D. No one
3. A. detailed B. plain C. straight D. precise
4. A. period B. minute C. part D. stage
5. A. led B. taken C. drawn D. called
6. A. over B. against C. through D. across
7. A. interests B. needs C. purposes D. regards
8. A. work B. get C. put D. stand
9. A. connected B. arranged C. involved D. affected
10. A. limits B. ends C. frontiers D. borders

DAPAN
1. B 2. C 3. D 4. D 5. D
6. B 7. A 8. D 9. C 10. A
ĐỌC HIỂU – BÀI 2
Read the following passage and choose the best answer.
When you enter the supermarkets, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles between the shelves.
You push a shopping cart and put your food in it.
You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk along the aisles. If you hear fast music, you walk quickly.
The supermarket plays slow music, you walk slowly and have more time to buy things.
Maybe you go to the meat department first. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The
manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the
other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk by all the
expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead
of the meat on sale.
The dairy department sells milk and milk products such as butter and cheese. Many customers like milk that
has only little butterfat in it. One store has three different containers of low fat milk. One says ‘1% fat’ on
the container. The second says ‘99 percent (99%) fat free’. The third says ‘Low fat’ in big letters and 1% in
small letters. As you can see, all the milk has the same amount of fat. The milk is all the same. The amount
of milk in each container is also the same. However, in this store they cost three different amounts of
money. Maybe the customers will buy the milk that costs the most.
1. What is the main topic of this passage?
 A. How different kinds of food are arranged in supermarkets.
B. Soft, slow music makes people buy more in supermarkets.
C. The supermarket is designed to make you buy things.
D. Be sure not to be deceived in supermarkets
2. The manager knows __________.
A. which customers like low fat milk B. which customers like slow music
C. where customers enter the meat department D. where customers come from
3. When you walk by the expensive meat __________ .
A. maybe you will buy some B. maybe you will buy low fat milk
C. you will look for fresh food D. you will walk on the shelves
4. The word “they” in the last paragraph means ______.
A. the customers B. the managers of the supermarket C.
the containers of low fat milk D. the food in the supermarket
5. There are three different containers of low fat milk.
A. One has 99 percent of butterfat.
B. They all cost the same amount of money.
C. One has less fat than the others.
D. They all have the same amount of fat.

DAPAN
1.C 2.C 3.A 4.C 5.D

PHẦN B – ĐỌC HIỂU – BÀI 3

Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each question.
According to the controversial sunspot theory, great storms on the surface of the sun hurl streams of solar
particles into the atmosphere, causing a shift in the weather on earth.
A typical sunspot consists of a dark center umbra surrounded by a lighter penumbra of light and dark
threads extending out from the center like a spoke a wheel. Actually the sunspots are cooler than the rest of
the photosphere, which may account for their color. Typically, the temperature in a sunspot umbra is about
4000 K.
Sunspots range in size from tiny granules to complex structures with areas stretching for billions of square
miles. About 5% of the pots are large enough so that they can be seen without instruments: consequently,
observations of sunspots have been recorded for several thousand years.
Sunspots have been observed in arrangements of one to more than one hundred spots, but they tend to occur
in pairs. There is also a marked tendency for the two spots of a pair to have opposite magnetic field
associated with any given sunspots is closely related to the spot’s size.
Although there is no theory that completely explains the nature and function of sunspots, several models
attempt to relate the phenomenon to magnetic fields along the lines of longitude from the north and south
poles of the sun.

1. What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

A. To describe the nature of sunspots
B. To compare the umbra and the penumbra
C. To argue for the existence of magnetic fields in sunspots
D. To propose a theory to explain sunspots
2. The word controversial in line 1 is closest to ______.
A. widely accepted B. very complicated C. just in traduce D. open to debate
3. Solar particles are hurled into space by ______.
A. changes the earth’s atmosphere B. underdetermined causes
C. disturbances of wind D. small rivers on the surface of the sun
4. The word particles in line 2 refers to ______.
A. gas explosions in the atmosphere B. light ray from the sun
 C. small pieces D. liquid streams on the sun
5. How can we describe matter from the sun that enters the earth’s atmosphere?
A. Very hard B. Very bright C. Very hot D. Very small
6. The sunspot theory is ______.
A. relatively new B. subject to disagreement
C. not considered important D. widely accepted
7. The word they in line 7 refers to ______.
A. Structures B. granules C. miles D. pots
8. The word consequently in line 7 could best be replaced by ______.
A. Nevertheless B. Without doubt C. In this way D. As a result
9. In which configuration do sunspots usually occur?
A. In arrangements of one hundred or more spots B. In a configuration of two spots
C. In groups of several thousand spots D. In one spot of varying size
10. How are sunspots explained?
A. Sunspots may be related to magnetic fields that follow longitudinal lines on the sun.
B. Sunspots appear to be related to magnetic fields on the earth.
C. Sunspots are explained by storms that occur on the earth.
D. Sunspots have no theory or model to explain them.

DAPAN
1. A 2. D 3. C 4. C 5. D
6. B 7. D 8. D 9. B 10. A
VIẾT – BÀI 3
Write an ESSAY of about 150 – 200 words on the following topic:
Students should have freedom to choose their own subjects in the National examination for Upper
Secondary Education. Do you agree or disagree?
Write your essay on your answer sheet. (10 pts)

TAPESCRIPTS
You will hear part of a radio programme in which a man talks about his childhood in Australia. For
Questions 9-18, complete the sentences.
Interviewer: Each week we invite different people into the studio to talk about their childhood. This week
William Cameron talks about growing up in Australia.
William Cameron: Australia is a huge country and I grew up on the north-west coast. The southern parts of
Australia get snow but there is never any snow in the north. However, we do have a wet season and I
remember when I was a child lying in bed at night, listening to the rain clattering on the tin roof of our
house. Most houses were wooden but the roofs were generally metal. The noise was absolutely deafening
and when I got up in the morning, it was usually impossible to get to school because the river had flooded.
If the storm was really fierce, then we would stick tape across our windows in the hope that by making them
stronger the glass
wouldn't get blown out. My parents also had to keep supplies of candles and torches as the electricity supply
would regularly get cut off at the height of a storm.
Another thing that happens in the wet season is that the tracks - there are no proper roads as such - get
flooded and become impassable so we had to fly. In the dry season we travelled by jeep or pick-up trucks,
but anything and everything that people needed at other times was delivered by air - food, the post, light
bulbs, household things - there's no local shop. Even if your friends came
to visit, they would come by mail plane, too. Looking back I suppose life was quite lonely, but one of the
things I really loved was the feeling of space and the freedom of being the only person
for miles around. The wildlife and the landscape were wonderful. One of the best memories of my
childhood was riding my bike around the sugar cane fields. After the cane was harvested the
farmers would burn the land and I remember the rats running out from amongst the cane as the fire spread.
The local name for them is bandicoots and my friends and I used to chase them away so they wouldn't get
hurt.
When I was older we moved to central Australia near Alice Springs, where the summer was much hotter
and drier. Winter nights were very cold, however, and we would have to put on the heaters at night and keep
them on throughout the night. In areas like Alice Springs which are so far away from towns, young children
don't go to school. At a set time each day they link up to the radio and have their lessons on air. The
teachers send them work to do at home with their parents, but older children go away to boarding school,
which may be as much as 1000 kilometres away, although that's not much by Australian standards. Six
thousand kilometres is what we reckon to be a long distance!
As the summers are so hot people start work very early. By midday the temperatures are really high, so
everyone remains inside for safety. It's so hot that it's not even possible to keep cool by swimming, although
last thing at night we would swim in our pool in order to cool down. But even though the sun went down by
seven o'clock, the water was still hot so it was like having a warm bath rather than a cooling swim!

TAPESCRIPT
You will hear an interview with a woman who has left her own country to live abroad. For Questions 24-30,
choose the best answer A, B or C.
Interviewer: Have you ever considered living abroad? Most of us these days get to travel to foreign
countries either to work for a short time or, more commonly, for a holiday. The chances are you've thought
how nice it would be to spend a longer period of time in that country. Well, Karin Newman has done just
that. She left the UK a couple of years ago and is now back for a short time to see her friends and family.
Karin, what made you decide to move abroad in the first place?
Karin Newman: Well it was like you just said. I was on holiday in Italy with some friends and when the
time came to go home, none of us wanted to leave. The weather was perfect, the scenery was wonderful and
I simply didn't want to go home. And it suddenly occurred to me that there was no reason why I shouldn't
stay. OK, I didn't speak the language but I had met lots of foreigners who were working there and I thought
well, if they can do it, so can I.
Interviewer: You make it sound very easy.
Karin Newman: The decision itself was easy. But then it took quite a long time to make all the
arrangements. Fortunately, I had some money, as I was living with my parents. I'd planned on buying a car
with some of my savings so I used that money to rent a flat. But of course I still had to come back to the UK
for a couple of weeks to deal with packing up my stuff and so on. The flat was a simple one-bedroom place
but fully furnished and that meant I had a base to go back to. The flat my friends and I had been staying in
was huge and it would've been great to stay there, but it was too expensive. So I handed in my notice at
work and that was it.
Interviewer: Was there anything that you missed once you'd settle down?
Karin Newman: I didn't have time to think about things. Then after about six weeks or so I began to be
aware of being on my own a lot of the time. People had been really kind and helpful when they realised I
was new, but you can't expect that to last. And I hadn't found getting a job as easy as I'd expected. I wasn't
particularly concerned because I had enough money but life was not as enjoyable as it had been.
Interviewer: So what did you do?
Karin Newman: Well, I was on the point of wondering whether I'd made a ghastly mistake when my
landlord. Pietro, called one evening to collect the rent. He must have noticed I was looking rather down and
asked me if I was all right. I said I still hadn't found a job, even though I'd written lots of letters to different
language schools. He clapped his hands and said 'perfect' - his wife was
looking for some help in the restaurant she ran, he'd see to all the paperwork and I could start the next day.
Interviewer: So, problem solved!
Karin Newman: Yes, in one sense. But my Italian was awful. I thought: I'll never understand what people
are saying. I'll be hopeless and customers will get very impatient because they'll have to say everything so
many times. I was terrified.
Interviewer: So did you turn it down?
Karin Newman: Pietro just laughed when I tried to explain how I felt. But his wife was very kind and to
begin with I just worked in the kitchen, preparing vegetables, washing up, making salads and so on. She
spoke very quietly and gently and I understood most of what she said, and in that way I suppose I became
more confident, so when the day came to take a customer's order I was fine. I even smiled!
Interviewer: You've been there for two years now. Any plans to come home?
Karin Newman: Not for a while. My Italian's pretty fluent now and I've started doing some translation
work for an Italian company. I've made plenty of really good friends and I'm enjoying life very much. It was
certainly worth taking the risk but I think I was very lucky to find myself in a situation where everything
worked out. Some people have quite a difficult time. but my experience was just the opposite.
Interviewer: Karin, thank you very much