ĐỀ SỐ 18

Read the following advertisement and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct option that best
fits each of the numbered blanks from 1 to 6.
The Hummingbird Bakery
Do you like sweet things? Love sugar? Dream about chocolate? If you do then ‘The
Hummingbird Bakery’ in London is the place for you. These shops are full (1) the
most delicious and colourful cupcakes you can imagine. These tasty treats are so popular that there are
now three branches of the bakery in London with a fourth planned for next year. The first bakery
opened in 2004 after a group of Americans couldn’t find (2) anywhere in London.
They decided (3) their own and sell them. It certainly proved to be a
great decision!
Those who (4) a visit to the bakery will definitely be spoilt for choice! But the
favourite with the customers is the ‘Red Velvet Cupcake’. This is a delicious mixture of bright red
vanilla cake with cream cheese and chocolate on top. The newest shop to open in London is in trendy
Soho. It is decorated with brightly-coloured cupcake art and a large TV screen (5) the bakery’s 50
different varieties of cakes.
So if you're in London and you didn’t have a dessert at lunchtime, why not drop by and try the
delicious (6) the Hummingbird Bakery has to offer.
(Adapted from Close-up)
Question 1. A. for B. to C. at D. of
Question 2. A. traditional American-style cupcakes B. Amercian-style traditional cupcakes
C. cupcakes traditional American-style D. American-style cupcakes traditional
Question 3. A. to making B. making C. to make D. make
Question 4. A. bring B. set C. take D. pay
Question 5. A. which show B. showed C. showing D. to show
Question 6. A. ingredients B. preservatives C. flavours D. delights
Read the following article and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct option that best fits each
of the numbered blanks from 7 to 12.
History and storytelling
Over the last few years there has been more interest in the subject of history, perhaps (7)
historical documentaries on television have been attracting large audiences. According to a recent survey,
more people are (8) places at university, and the number of those wanting to study
history has increased. However, professors of history are not particularly happy about this and have
expressed concern about the (9) of their students. They claim that most of their first-year
students have never read a history book and don’t have the skills to study the subject in depth. TV
programmes make students think that studying history is as (10) as storytelling.
Documentaries oversimplify the subject and concentrate on personalities in an attempt to attract (11)
.
On the other hand, traditional historians could learn how to tell a story from the makers of such
documentaries. Some historians don’t have good narrative skills, which is why so (12) history
books are not popular with readers.
(Adapted from First Exam Essentials)

Question 7. A. whereas B. given that C. provided that D. as long as

Question 8. A. turning down B. applying for C. putting off D. struggling with
Question 9. A. number B. amount C. proportion D. quality
Question 10. A. simple B. simplification C. simply D. simplify
Question 11. A. onlookers B. spectators C. witnesses D. audiences
Question 12. A. each B. others C. much D. many

Mark the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the best arrangement of utterances or sentences to make a
meaningful exchange or text in each of the following questions from 13 to 17.
Question 13.
a. Mary: You really must! You could go on your bike, you know.
b. David: No actually, I didn't. I know I should have. But it's so far away.
c. David: I really need to do a bit more exercise. I'm feeling so unfit!
d. David: I think I’ll give it a try this weekend!
e. Mary: I think you're right. But did you ever go to the new swimming pool I told you about?
A. c – a – d – e – b B. d – e – b – a – c C. d – a – b – e – c D. c – e – b – a – d
Question 14.
Dear Alex,
a. My best friend is Nicole; we’re very close, though we have quite different personalities.
b. I completely agree with you about how important friends are, and I really miss mine when they’re
away.
c. I hope you get to meet her someday, and I’d love to hear more about your friends too!
d. Thanks for your message - it was lovely to hear from you!
e. She’s practical, kind, and always knows how to cheer me up when I’m feeling down.
Best wishes,
Lydia
A. a – c – b – e – d B. b – e – a – c – d C. d – b – a – e – c D. c – e – b – d – a
Question 15.
a. Minh: I’ve been reviewing the topics, but I still need to practise my timing.
b. Linh: Same here - maybe we can do a mock test together after lunch?
c. Linh: Are you ready for the exam tomorrow? I’m so nervous about the writing part.
A. a – c – b B. c – a – b C. b – a – c D. a – b – c
Question 16.
a. There’s also a clearly laid-down salary structure in this profession, and that makes it easier to think
ahead.
b. Before I started here I’d expected to have to work very long hours, but nowadays there’s a maximum
of 48 hours per week for doctors.
c. There is of course shift work, but the days of junior doctors having to live in and be on call all night are, I
was happy to find, long gone!
d. After leaving school, I had a gap year working in Africa before I did my medical degree.
e. I’m now a Junior Doctor in training at a local hospital, where the work is demanding but very rewarding
with lots of advice and support from senior colleagues.
A. d – e – b – c – a B. b – e – c – a – d C. e – a – b – c – d D. c – d – e – a – b
Question 17.
a. In recent years, homeschooling has gained significant popularity across various countries.
b. The growing availability of digital learning platforms has further facilitated the teaching of diverse
subjects at home.
c. Consequently, an increasing number of parents are opting for this alternative to traditional schooling.
d. One contributing factor is that many parents seek a more tailored and flexible approach to their
children’s education.
e. Although there are ongoing concerns about limited socialisation, numerous families believe that
homeschooling provides a more supportive and effective learning atmosphere.
A. a – c – e – b – d B. a – e – d – c – b C. a – b – e – c – d D. a – d – b – e – c

Read the following passage about learning and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct option
that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 18 to 22.
Reading Oliver James' new book Affluenza, (18) . My 12-year-old daughter is in tears.
"I've got a test tomorrow. I don't understand any of it," she screams. After shouting and slamming her door,
she calms down enough to go through her notes. The following day I ask her how the test went and she just
says "OK. I got a nine." "Wow, that's brilliant! Well done!" I say, before she finishes with "But I never get a
ten!"
According to James, this obsession with getting top marks has been a bad development, (19)
. To test this idea, I asked my daughter why she was so concerned about her tests. She looked at
me as if I was thick. "Well, if I don't get good grades, I won't get into university. Then I probably won't get a
good job and if I don't have a good job, I won't be able to afford nice things like a car and stuff."
I was quite shocked, because I do not consider myself a pushy parent. But James suggests showing
any interest in grades sends the message that what is important is results and it leaves students feeling
failures even if they are very bright. He points to the Danish system of education as a better model. Creating
happy citizens who have good social skills (20) .
(21) . I cannot remember the last time I had to calculate the area of a circle, recite a
Shakespeare poem or grammar rules. What I really needed to learn at school was how to make polite
conversation, or how to avoid getting into debt, or how to control my own children!
Such ideas are not really what Oliver James has in mind, though. He seems to be looking for schools
where students are encouraged to find and follow their own interests, something more like Tongion. Tongion
has been developed in some Korean private schools as an alternative to the more rigid system of learning
things by heart that is used in Korea, and indeed in many other school systems around the world. The irony
of this is that Tongion is now seen by some as answering economic needs. (22)
.
(Adapted from Outcomes)
Question 18.
A. our house was often filled with that familiar scene
B. there was a regular scene that always played out in our house
C. a sight that regularly unfolded in our house stayed with me
D. I was reminded of a regular scene in our house
Question 19.
A. led people to view education as something related to employment and consumer habits
B. which encourages people to think of education in terms of work and consumption
C. pushed people to treat education as a tool for earning money and buying things
D. whose purpose of causing people to link education with employment and material gain
Question 20.
A. considered more valuable than excelling academically or meeting business demands
B. that is viewed as taking priority over strong academic results and economic requirements
C. whose importance surpasses that of academic excellence and business interests
D. is seen as more important than high academic achievement or the needs of business
Question 21.
A. What we learn at school is in fact relevant to most jobs, which is deemed an unusual thing
B. Most jobs today do not require much of what we learn at school as it is considered unusual
C. The strange thing is that so little of what we learn at school is actually relevant to most jobs
D. Considered quite strange, what we learn at school is in fact not prioritised in most jobs
Question 22.
A. But for the need to produce the creative, innovative thinkers for Korea's future economy, schools would
offer students more freedom
B. It is an emphasis on freedom that Korea's future economy requires schools to produce creative,
innovative thinkers
C. Schooling strives to produce creative, innovative thinkers for Korea's future economy, offering
students more freedom
D. Giving students more freedom, schooling is thought to produce the creative, innovative thinkers needed for
Korea's future economy
Read the following passage about playing truant and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct
answer to each of the questions from 23 to 30.
It isn't easy to stop truancy. Sometimes schools are so big that it is difficult to know who is playing
truant. Advanced technology is helping a lot. Many schools are changing their systems for recording who
is present and who is absent. In the past teachers always wrote it down, but now it's becoming more
common to use computers. In a group of private schools in Tokyo, students put out their hands for
examination every morning. A special computer looks at each student's fingers to check their fingerprints.
Prison officers use the same technique with criminals in prison. It means that teachers know exactly who is
in class and who isn't.
Schools also employ technology to tell parents. A school in Scotland uses a system from the US
called Phonemaster. It automatically telephones parents when a student is 30 minutes late for school. The
phone doesn't stop ringing until someone answers it. In other countries, like Australia, the school
automatically sends a text message to parents when their child is not at school.
In some countries, truancy is the parents' responsibility. In the UK, parents pay a fine when their
children are often absent from school for no good reason. In the US, Miami police arrested one parent,
Mindy Pearl Viera, because her teenage daughters didn't go to school more than 100 times that year.
The police in the Malaysian town of Seremban have a more 'educational' approach. When they find
a student who is in the street and not at school, they take them to the police station where there is now a
special 'reading room'. The students read books while they are waiting for their parents to come and take
them home. Students who don't finish the book take it home and then write a summary of it.
(Adapted from Gateway)
Question 23. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 1?
Many schools are changing their systems for recording who is present and who is absent.
A. Numerous educational institutions used to modify their methods for documenting student attendance status.
B. Several learning establishments are in the process of revising how they keep track of which students are
punctual and which are not.
C. Various academies are implementing similar approaches to identify and note students' arrival and non-
arrival.
D. A significant number of schools are adjusting the procedures they use to track student presence and
absence.
Question 24. According to paragraph 1, in order to stop truancy, some schools in Tokyo are checking
.
A. with prison officers B. during the examination process
C. students’ fingertips D. teachers’ computers
Question 25. The word “employ” in paragraph 2 is opposite in meaning to .
A. control B. threaten C. recruit D. dismiss
Question 26. The word “it” in paragraph 2 refers to .
A. ringing B. phone C. school D. text message
Question 27. The word “approach” in paragraph 3 can be best replaced by .
A. demand B. standard C. function D. method
Question 28. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. In the UK, parents are fined if their children frequently miss school without a valid excuse.
B. Caught not at school, students in Seremban are taken to the police station and read books.
C. Parents in Australia get the school to send text messages if their children are not at school.
D. The attendance system in some schools in Tokyo is also made use of by prison officers.
Question 29. In which paragraph does the writer explore a unique and seemingly positive way to deal with
truant students?
A. Paragraph 1 B. Paragraph 2 C. Paragraph 3 D. Paragraph 4
Question 30. In which paragraph does the writer provide a specific example to illustrate a point about
parental responsibility for truancy?
A. Paragraph 1 B. Paragraph 2 C. Paragraph 3 D. Paragraph 4

Read the following passage about ugly species and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct
answer to each of the questions from 31 to 40.
Think of an endangered species. What comes to mind? The giant panda and the blue whale? And
what do these creatures all have in common? They're known as 'charismatic megafauna', in other words,
large species of animals which appeals to a lot of people. However, less well-known or 'exciting' creatures
are far more likely to actually become extinct because they don't get enough attention from researchers.
[I] The Ugly Animal Preservation Society's mascot is the blob fish, voted the world's ugliest animal.
[II] This marine creature lives deep in the ocean, where the pressure is very high. [III] As a result, it has tiny
fins and no skeleton, which keeps it from being crushed by the water pressure. [IV] Unfortunately, when
fishing boats sweep the ocean floor, looking for other fish and crustaceans, these fish can get swept into the
nets accidentally, which is causing their numbers to drop.
The California condor is another accidental victim of human activity. These huge birds with bald
heads and big beaks weigh up to fourteen kilos, have a wingspan of up to two metres and can live as long as
sixty years. They play an important role in the ecosystem by feeding on dead animals, thus preventing the
spread of disease. Reintroduced into the wild after becoming extinct, other than in captivity, they are now
under threat once more because of chemical pesticides introduced into the food chain and lead poisoning
from the ammunition used to kill the animals they feed on.
Other creatures become endangered precisely because people find them ugly. Take the aye aye
for example. Found only on the island of Madagascar, the aye aye is the world's largest nocturnal primate.
During the day they sleep in nests in the trees, coming out to hunt at night. They are solitary creatures, furry,
but strange looking, with big eyes, large ears and long, thin, pointed fingers. The middle finger is
particularly thin and they use it to gently knock on trees. Then they reach into the tree and pull out any
insects that respond to the knocking. Unfortunately, the way they look means that they are traditionally
considered an omen of bad luck. Some people even believe that if they point that thin middle finger at
someone, they will die. As a result, they are often killed, even though, like many endangered species, they
are now protected by law.
(Adapted from High Note)
Question 31. The phrase “appeals to” in paragraph 1 is opposite in meaning to .
A. requests B. interests C. disgusts D. replaces
Question 32. According to paragraph 1, what features do the giant panda and the blue whale share?
A. They live in deep and dangerous environments.
B. They aren’t popular in the animal world.
C. They don’t get enough public attention.
D. They have attractive appearances.
Question 33. Where in paragraph 2 does the following sentence best fit?
With its tiny eyes, big mouth and slimy pink body it's far from attractive.
A. [I] B. [II] C. [III] D. [IV]
Question 34. Which of the following best summarises paragraph 3?
A. California condors, large birds with vital ecological roles, became extinct in the wild but were
successfully reintroduced.
B. California condors feed on dead animals and have become extinct due to pesticides and lead poisoning in
their food chain.
C. Huge California condors, important for disease prevention by eating dead animals and capable of long
lifespans, are threatened by human actions.
D. California condors, crucial for preventing disease, were reintroduced after extinction but are now
threatened by pesticides and lead poisoning.
Question 35. The word “they” in paragraph 3 refers to .
A. chemical pesticides B. the California condors
C. dead animals D. kilos
Question 36. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?
Other creatures become endangered precisely because people find them ugly.
A. Some animals would not be endangered when people did not think they were unattractive.
B. If people consider some creatures unattractive, those species will certainly become endangered.
C. It is the perception of ugliness by people that directly leads to some creatures becoming endangered.
D. Some animals are at risk of extinction, which contributes to a popular belief that they are unattractive.
Question 37. The word “omen” in paragraph 4 can be best replaced by .
A. behaviour B. speed C. origin D. sign
Question 38. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The California condor is kept in captivity before being successfully reintroduced into the wild.
B. The blobfish's unique physical characteristics allow it to survive in the high-pressure environment of the
deep ocean.
C. The aye aye, a nocturnal animal which has a very strange appearance, is currently protected by law.
D. The California condor is currently at risk due to chemical pollution entering its food chain and lead
poisoning.
Question 39. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. The disappearance of the California condor is likely to affect the food chain.
B. There is a lack of stricter laws that can help protect ugly animals from extinction.
C. The spread of disease could be encouraged by the extinction of the California condor.
D. The blob fish is vulnerable to human hunters due to its natural defence mechanism.
Question 40. Which of the following best summarises the passage?
A. Some endangered animals, like the blob fish, the aye aye and the California condor, are harmed by fishing
and hunting, though laws protect most of these species from further threats.
B. The blob fish and aye aye are endangered because they are ugly, while the California condor is being
threatened again due to human activities despite its protected status.
C. Many species are admired and protected, but smaller animals like the aye aye, the blob fish and the
California condor are often ignored by conservationists and left to die out.
D. While charismatic animals get attention, others like the blob fish, California condor, and aye aye are
endangered due to human activity, lack of interest, or negative beliefs.