MIXED EXERCISES 01

Section 1: Listen and complete the table. NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/ OR NUMBER.
Years/Time Feature Advantage Disadvantage

need 1. Less effort

1830s wooden wheels covered with metal quite 2 uncomfortable
than walking

easier and
3. 1860 Chain and sprocket are 4.connected 5 more smoothly harder to balance
ride

The faster you go, the

1880s use 6. Rubber wheels more comfortable
more you feel every bump.

dangerous before brakes

1890s equal-sized wheels 7. safer
appeared
Section 2: You will hear a radio programme about a famous dessert dish. For questions 8-15,
complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
Pavlova
- Pavlova is a dessert that takes its name after (8) russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova.
- One of the common festive meals the dessert is served at is (9) christmas lunch
- Professor Helen Leach, a culinary anthropologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, has
researched the dessert and compiled a series of cookbooks containing (10) 667 Pavlova recipes.
- Matthew Evans from The Sydney Morning Herald said that (11) a definite answer about the
pavlova’s origins is not likely to be found.
- The process of making Pavlova involves (12) beating egg whites into a thick mass, with other
ingredients such as sugar and vinegar added later.
- (13) the united kingdom is where raspberry topping seems to be the most popular one.
- Ready-to-be-made pavlovas can be bought, that require little effort to make and only need
both (14) water and sugar added to them.
- New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa, made (15) birthday in February 1999 memorable by
creating the largest pavlova in existence, called ‘Pavzilla’.
Section 3: Listen to the conversation between two friends and mark the statements as true (T) or
false (F).
16. ______ Andy is writing an essay about different ancient civilizations.
17. ______ The land where the Aztecs used to live is now part of the USA.
18. ______ The Aztec people lived later than the 12th century.
19. ______ It was very important for a boy to know how to fight well.
20. ______ Wendy thinks it was a shame that not all girls went to school.
Section 4: You will hear Leonie Steiner talking to an interviewer about her work as a music teacher in
a school.
21. What does James say about the radio station he started?
A. Its name was very appropriate.
B. It was more popular than he had expected.
C. It was not very expensive to run.
22. What does James say about people’s attitudes towards his age?
A. They expected more of him when he was 16 than when he was 12.
B. They were more jealous of him when he was 12 than when he was 16.
C. They were nicer to him when he was 12 than when he was 16.
23. James says that his career in music has included ________
A. taking over a local radio station. B. making advertisements. C. setting up new festivals.
24. What does James say about the people interviewed on the channel?
A. They have to say something interesting.
B. They enjoy being interviewed.
C. They often say unexpected things.
25. James’s advice to listeners who might want to go into business is to ________
A. take big risks. B. learn from past mistakes. C. forget about past problems.
I - Choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to complete each sentence below.
1. The authorities have ________ their original decision to allow development of this rural area.
A. dispensed B. detached C. refrained D. revoked
2. He had his money ________ in a secure bank account.
 A. hammered away at C. jabbered about
B. slaved away D. squirreled away
3. One of the organization’s aims is to ________ information about the disease so that more people know of
is symptoms.
A. disentangle B. disseminate C. dwindle D. deride
4. A new generation of performers, ________ those who by now had become a household name, honed their
skills before following the same path onto television.
A. no less talented than C. along with talented as
B. together with talented as D. having been more talented than
5. Because of the nature of the pain, nobody seemed to be able to put their ________ on the cause.
A. finger B. mark C. word D. name
6. The chemicals spilled over the road and left drivers ________ for breath.
A. suffocating B. gasping C. inhaling D. wheezing
7. Last time, we were within a hair’s ________ of defeating the Auckland team.
A. length B. depth C. width D. breadth
8. Dealing with ________ refusal from an employee is easier than dealing with false compliance.
A. an offset B. a remedial C. an outright D. an agile
9. Facing a difficult arithmetic question, the student ________ plucked a random figure out of the air and it
was unexpectedly correct.
A. naively B. plain C. slyly D. belligerently
10. Labour unions and the company ________ in a confrontation over plans to curb benefits.
A. caught up B. faced off C. carried away D. showed up
11. If you want to have a good flat in London, you have to pay through the ________ for it.
A. nose B. mouth C. eye D. head
12. The thieves are waiting for the ________ moment to break into the mansion.
A. adroit B. pivotal C. astrological D. psychological
13. I can’t help thinking he offered his apology with a ________ of irony.
A. torrent B. spot C. touch D. dash
14. After living together for six years, Janet and Matt have finally decided to ________.
A. feel the pinch B. pull a few strings C. tie the knot D. be up and about
15. The professor’s speech lay ________ the scope of what we were studying.
A. above B. beyond C. over D. down
II - Identify one mistake in each of the following sentences and correct the mistake.
1. Public health campaigns often focus on reducing the take-in of processed foods and sugars to combat
obesity.
2. The teacher’s complementary remarks about the student’s progress served as a motivation for him to
work even harder.
3. The fireman’s daring rescue of those trapped in the burning was a credible deed.
4. Thomas A. Edison, inventor of the phonograph, said than an idea was ninety-nine percent perspiration and
one percent aspiration.
5. There will be numerous parades and displays of the fireworks in observation of Independence Day.
III - Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the word given in parentheses.
1. Health care was ___________ in ancient time. There was no hospital or doctor then. (EXIST)
2. His contribution to the development of sports makes him a(n) ___________ figure. (REPLACE)
3. Katherine Hepburn won four Oscar ___________ in the category of Best Actress in a Leading Role.
(STATUE)
4. She offered cordial ___________ to the family over his so unexpected premature death. (MISERY)
5. If this theory is correct, then it is ___________ that we will be able to cure all diseases in the foreseeable
future. (VISION)
6. You should avoid those journalists. They are just ___________, only distressing and prying into your
private life. (CHIEF)
7. The decision to close the local hospital caused such a public ___________ that the authorities decided to
re-examine their options and keep it open. (CRY)
8. You should stop using that ___________ tone of voice when conversing with elders. (DESCEND)
9. It’s annoying that the operator answered the phone with a ___________ greeting, as if she didn’t want to
help me at all. (FUNCTION)
10. The temperature in ___________ regions remains high throughout the year. (EQUATOR)
I - Read the following passage and choose the letter that best fits each blank in the passage.
The ability to weep is a uniquely human form of emotional response. Some scientists have suggested
that human tears are evidence of an aquatic past - but this does not seem very likely. We cry from the
moment we enter this (1) _______ for a number of reasons. Helpless babies cry to (2) _______ their parents
that they are ill, hungry or uncomfortable. As they (3) _______, they will also cry just to attract parental
attention and will often stop when they get it.
The idea that having a good cry can do you (4) _______ is a very old one and now it has scientific
validity since recent research into tears has shown that they contain a natural painkiller called enkaphalin. By
(5) _______ sorrow and pain, this chemical helps you to feel better. Weeping can increase the quantities of
enkaphalin you (6) _______.
Unfortunately, in our society we impose restrictions (7) _______ this naturally healing activity.
Because some people still regard it as a (8) _______ of weakness in men, boys in particular are admonished
when they cry. This kind of repression can only increase stress, both emotionally and physically.
Tears of emotion also help the body (9) _______ itself of toxic chemical waste, for there is more protein in
them than in tears resulting (10) _______ cold winds or other irritants. Crying comforts, calms people and
can be very enjoyable- consider the popularity of the highly emotional films which are commonly called
weepies. It seems that people enjoy crying together almost as much as laughing together.
1. A. world B. place C. earth D. space
2. A. inform B. communicate C. persuade D. demonstrate
3. A. evolve B. develop C. alter D. change
4. A. good B. fine C. better D. well
5. A. struggling B. fighting C. opposing D. striking
6. A. construct B. achieve C. provide D. produce
7. A. for B. to C. about D. upon
8. A. hint B. feature C. sign D. symbol
9. A. expel B. escape C. release D. rid
10. A. in B. from C. by D. to
II - Fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD CARTOONS GONE?
Childhood will never be the same again. Remember Saturday mornings spent lounging on the sofa,
hour (1)________ hour, watching your favourite cartoons? (2)________ there have been a better reward for
the long school week that had had to be endured? Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse brought
virtually live into (3)________ living rooms. Back then, they were in black and white, and back then, they
were meant to amuse, to entertain.
It seems this has changed – and definitely (4)________ the worse. Now when you turn on the
television on a Saturday or Sunday morning, you do (5)________ at your own risk! Be prepared to confront
violence in all its animated glory: exploding bombs, falling buildings, blazing weapons, and bad guy after bad
guy. I don’t see (6)________ is funny about this warped vision of our times and our society. Nor do I see
what’s worth watching on these programmes with (7)________ gruesome caricatures of good and evil. Who
is responsible for children’s programming these days?
It cannot be good for today’s youth to be exposed (8)________ this type of entertainment.
(9)________ best, they are missing out on the humour, sensitivity and moral lessons that were to be had
from the cartoons of old. At worst, their childish brains are (10)________ filled with scenes of non-stop
violence and ideas that are morally corrupt. Childhood should be a time of innocence, short-lived as it may
be in these turbulent times in which we live. Perhaps we should bear this in mind the next time we see our
child glued to the TV on a Saturday morning.
III - Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) according to the text.
Archaeological records-paintings, drawings and carvings of humans engaged in activities involving
the use of hands-indicate that humans have been predominantly right-handed for than 5,000 years. In
ancient Egyptian artwork, for example, the right hand is depicted as the dominant one in about 90 percent of
the examples. Frustructure or wear patterns on tools also indicate that a majority of ancient people were
right-handed.
Cro-Magnon cave paintings some 27,000 years old commonly show outlines of human hands made
by placing one hand against the cave wall and applying paint with the other. Children today make similar
outlines of their hands with clayons on paper. With few exceptions, left hands of Cro-Magnons are displayed
on cave walls, indicating that the paintings were usually done by right-handers. Anthological evidence
pushes the record of handedness in early human ancestors back to at least 1.4 million years ago. One
important line of evidence comes from flaking patterns of stone cores used in toolmaking: implements flaked
with a clockwise motion (indicating a right-handed toolmaker) can be distinguished from those flaked with a
counter-clockwise rotation (indicating a left-handed toolmaker).
Even scratches found on fossil human teeth offer clues. Ancient humans are thought to have cut
meat into strips by holding it between their teeth and slicing it with stone knives, as do the present-day Inuit.
Occasionally the knives slip and leave scratches on the users’ teeth. Scatches made with a left-to-right
stroke direction (by right-handers) are more common than scratches in the opposite direction (made by left-
handers)
 Still other evidence comes from cranial morphology: scientists think that physical differences
between the right and the left sides of the interior of the skull indicate subtle physical differences between the
two sides of the brain. The variation between the hemispheres corresponds to which side of the body is
used to perform specific activities. Such studies, as well as studies of tool use, indicate that right – or left –
sided dominance is not exclusive to modern Homo Sapiens. Populations of Neanderthals, such as Homo
erectus and Homo habilis, seem to have been predominantly right-handed, as we are.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Human ancestors become predominantly right-handed when they began to use tools.
B. It is difficult to interpret the significance of anthropological evidence concerning tool use.
C. Humans and their ancestors have been predominantly right-handed for over a million years.
D. Human ancestors were more skilled at using both hands than modern humans.
2. What does the author say about Cro-Magnon paintings of hands?
A. Some are not very old B. It is unusual to see such paintings
C. Many were made by children D. The artists were mostly right-handed.
3. The word “depicted” in line 4 is closest in meaning to ________
A. written B. portrayed C. referred D. mentioned
4. When compared with implements “flaked with a counter-clockwise rotation”, it can be inferred that
“implements flaked with a clockwise motion” are ________
A. more common B. larger C. more sophisticated D. older
5. The word “cranial morphology” in line 23 is closest in meaning to ________
A. the form of crane B. the form of body
C. the study of physical bodies D. the study of skulls
6. The fact that the Inuit cut meat by holding it between their teeth is significant because ________
A. the relationship between handedness and scratches on fossil human teeth can be verified.
B. it emphasizes the differences between contemporary humans and their ancestors
C. the scratch patterns produced by stones knives vary significantly from patterns produced by modern
knives.
D. it demonstrates that ancient humans were not skilled at using tools.
7. The word “hemisphere” in line 26 is closest in meaning to ________
A. differences B. sides C. activities D. studies
8. Why does the author mention Homo erectus and Homo habilis?
A. To contrast them with modern humans
B. To explain when human ancestors began to make tools
C. To show that early humans were also predominantly right-handed.
D. To prove that the population of Neanderthals was very large.
9. All of the following are mentioned as types of evidence concerning handedness EXCEPT ________
A. ancient artwork B. asymmetrical skulls
C. studies of tool use D. fossilized hand bones
10. Which of the following conclusions is suggested by the evidence from cranial morphology?
A. Differences in the hemispheres of the brain probably came about relatively recently.
B. There may be a link between handedness and differences in the brain’s hemispheres.
C. Left-handedness was somewhat more common among Neanderthals.
D. Variation between the brain’s hemispheres was not evidence in the skulls of Homo erectus and Homo
habilis.
IV - Reading passage 4 has seven paragraphs A-G.
A SILENCE FORCE
A. There is a legend that St Augustine in the fourth century AD was the first individual to be seen reading
silently rather than aloud, or semi-aloud, as had been the practice hitherto. Reading has come a long way
since Augustine’s day. There was a time when it was a menial job of scribes and priests, not the mark of
civilization it became in Europe during the Renaissance when it was seen as one of the attributes of the
civilized individual.
B. Modern nations are now seriously affected by their levels of literacy. While the Western world has seen a
noticeable decline in these areas, other less developed countries have advanced and, in some cases,
overtaken the West. India, for example, now has a large pool of educated workers. So European countries
can no longer rest on their laurels as they have done for far too long; otherwise, they are in danger of falling
even further behind economically.
C. It is difficult in the modern world to do anything other than a basic job without being able to read. Reading
as a skill is the key to an educated workforce, which in turn is the bedrock of economic advancement,
particularly in the present technological age. Studies have shown that by increasing the literacy and
numeracy skills of primary school children in the UK, the benefit to the economy generally is in billions of
pounds. The skill of reading is now no more just an intellectual or leisure activity, but rather a full-fledged
economic force.
D. Part of the problem with reading is that it is a skill which not appreciated in most developed societies. This
is an attitude that has condemned large swathes of the population in most Western nations to illiteracy. It
might surprise people in countries outside the West to learn that in the United Kingdom, and indeed in some
other European countries, the literacy rate has fallen to below that of so called less developed countries.
E. There are also forces conspiring against reading in our modern society. It is not seen as cool among a
younger generation more at home with computer screens or a Walkman. The solitude of reading is not very
appealing. Students at school, college or university who read a lot are called bookworms. The tern indicates
the contempt in which reading and learning are held in certain circles or subcultures. It is a criticism, like all
such attacks, driven by the insecurity of those who are not literate or are semi-literate. Criticism is also a
means, like all bullying, of keeping peers in place so that they do not step out of line. Peer pressure among
young people is so powerful that it often kills any attempts to change attitudes to habits like reading.
F. How should people be encouraged to read more? It can easily be done by increasing basic reading skills
at an early age and encouraging young people to borrow books from schools. Some schools have classroom
libraries as well as school libraries. It is no good waiting until pupils are in their secondary school to
encourage an interest in books’ it needs to be pushed at an early age. Reading comics, magazines and low
brow publications like Mills and Boon is frowned upon. But surely what people, whether they be adults or
children, read is of little import. What is significant is the fact that they are reading. Someone who reads a
comic today may have the courage to pick up a more substantial tome later on.
G. But perhaps the best idea would be to stop the negative attitudes to reading from forming in the first place.
Taking children to local libraries brings them into contact with an environment where they can become
relaxed among books. If primary school children were also taken in groups into bookshops, this might also
entice them to want their own books. A local bookshop, like some local libraries, could perhaps arrange book
reading for children which, being away from the classroom, would make the reading activity more of an
adventure. On a more general note, most countries have writers of national importance. By increasing the
standing of national writers in the eyes of the public, through local and national writing competitions, people
would be drawn more to the printed word. Catch them young and, perhaps, they just might then all become
bookworms.
List of Headings
i Reading not taken for granted
ii Taking children to libraries
iii Reading: the mark of civilization
iv Reading in St Augustine’s day
v A large pool of educated workers in India
vi Literacy rates in developed countries have declined because of people’s attitude
vii Persuading people to read
viii Literacy influences the economies of countries in today’s world
ix Reading benefits the economy by billions of pounds
x The attitude to reading amongst the young
xi Reading becomes an economic force
xii The writer’s attitude to the decline in reading
1. Paragraph A: ………2. Paragraph B: ………3. Paragraph C: ………Paragraph D: …vi..
4. Paragraph E: ……….5. Paragraph F:……….Paragraph G:…vii…
True/False/Not Given
6. ______ European countries have been satisfied with past achievements for too long and have allowed
other countries to overtake them in certain areas.
7. ______ Reading is an economic force.
8. ______ The literacy rate in less developed nations is considerably higher than in all European countries.
9. ______ If you encourage children to read when they are young the negative attitude to reading that grows
in some subcultures will be eliminated.
10. ______ People should be discouraged from reading comics and magazines.
V - Read the magazine article about four young environmentalists (A-D) who work on various
different projects.
A. Lucy Walker
I won a national award for the work I did on a project to build an environmental centre made entirely out of
green materials. It’s a 100% carbon neutral building, which means that all the building materials were reused
or recycled. The centre is somewhere kids can learn how to take care of the environment, but I realised that
not everyone would have the opportunity to visit it. I therefore created an online curriculum guide, so kids
could also learn about the environment in their schools. I translated it into Spanish as well so that it could be
available to more people. All this took two years and I did it because I have a great love for the outdoors and
being in the midst of wildlife, I wanted other young people to be able to experience the same passion that I
feel.
B. Justin Day
While hiking near my home, I noticed a plant I didn’t recognise growing along the side of the trail. My sister, a
naturalist, told me the plant was an invasive, non- native plant that is toxic to local wildlife. I then discovered
that there are a number of different types of non-native plants in my area. Some excrete poisons into the
ground so nothing can grow there for many years. I had to get permission from the local council to remove
some of them, but I realised I couldn’t do it alone. So I set up an environmental organisation to recruit other
teenagers to give me a hand. We all learnt how to properly identify, remove and dispose of the invasive
plants. Our focus has mainly been on a plant called Dalmatian Toadflax, which is easier to pull up, so anyone
can do it. We also work on replanting areas with native grass and wildflower seeds.
C. Josh Benito
After seeing an article in the newspaper about an environmental competition, I felt inspired to do something
related to planting trees so I set up a project at my local primary school. I gave a presentation to the kids
teaching them about the importance of taking care of the environment and how trees can help. Then, each of
the 300 pupils was given two young trees: one to take home and plant in their garden, and one to give to a
neighbour or friend. I think the project was an effective way of getting the message across to more people.
Attached to each tree was information about helping the environment and the name of the project. This
experience has taught me leadership skills and how to organise a large group. I have also learned many
things from having to meet and talk with many different individuals.
D. Erica Klek
When I was at primary school, my friend and I got really involved in aluminium can recycling and we also did
a project on the greenhouse effect. Later on at high school I helped co-ordinate an environmental event
because I wanted to make more people aware of important issues. It’s our generation that’s going to make or
break the environment. Some teenagers don’t know they’re doing the wrong things, and I want to help them
understand. I recently prepared a guide for students interested in organising similar activities in their own
schools, which has been distributed to most of the schools in my area. I’ve also been helping to replant trees
after they were destroyed in a hurricane. Unfortunately, we lost a lot, both exotic and native species. The
questions below are about the four young environmentalists(A-D), who are talking about their involvement in
environmental projects.
Which environmentalists …
is trying to explain how some behaviour has harmful effects? 1.
followed up a talk by offering an opportunity for practical action? 2.
says they were motivated by a desire to share their enthusiasm? 3.
believes that an idea they came up with worked well? 4.
selected something because it was relatively straightforward to deal with? 5.
received public recognition for their environmental contribution? 6.
says the future of the environment depends on a particular group of people? 7.
mentions someone whose expert knowledge highlighted a problem? 8.
helped to create a place that reflected their values? 9.
mentions having to gain consent to start on a project? 10.
Essay: As mass communication and transport continue to grow, societies are becoming more and
more alike leading to a phenomenon known as globalization. Some people fear that globalization will
inevitably lead to the total loss of cultural identity.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? You should write at least 250 words.
PRACTICE TEST 2
Part 1: Questions 1-7. Complete the form. NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR A NUMBER.
Client Details
Name: Andrew Peterson (Example)
Educational Qualification: Degree in 1…………….
Previous Job: 2…………….
Hobbies: 3…………….
Main Skills: 4…………….
Expected Salary ($): 5…………….
Can start: 6…………….
Other languages: 7…………….
Part 2. You will hear a student called Jon talking about Llama, an animal that comes from South
America. For questions 8-15, complete the sentences.
Llama
Jon says that you can tell llamas and alpacas apart by the shape of their 8 . ________.
Jon discovered that the wild ancestor of the llama was mostly 9 .________ in colour.
 In ancient times, domesticated llamas could often be found working in 10.________ areas.
Jon says that the word 11 .________ is most commonly used to describe llamas.
Jon found out that llamas that are trained properly would only kick and spit when they feel 12 ________.
Jon describes the noise llamas use to communicate as a 13 ________.
Jon says that llama fleece is popular with weavers because it doesn’t contain any 14________.
The most common goods made from llama hair are 15________
Part 3: Listen to the news and decide whether the statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
16. The value of dollars has reached its highest point since the 2010s.
17. In every national central bank, there is a huge amount of dollars.
18. The demand for dollars is high since many countries rely on it for trade and transaction.
19. A haven is an asset that decreases its value during the economic crisis.
20. Citizens in the US can purchase imported goods with more affordable prices when the dollar is strong.
Part 4 You will hear an interview in which two professional set designers share their experience of
working in the theatre.
21. Neil first decided to become a set designer when
A the first time he went to the theater with his parents.
B at his drama course at university.
C he was asked to help out on a student production.
D he gave up on his childhood dream of becoming an actor.
22. What does Neil say about working as an assistant set designer?
A He did it because he was in need on money.
B He believed it would help him find new professional connections.
C He was too young to take full advantage of it at first.
D He appreciated the opportunity to get some practical experience.
23. Viviene believes that when you start working on a new production, the most important aspect is
A establishing a working relationship with the director.
B agreeing on how much you want to change the scenery.
C having genuine interest in the play.
D trying some sketches beforehand.
24. Why does Vivienne prefer simultaneous work on several productions?
A She finds that it stimulates her creativity.
B She believes that it makes more sense financially.
C It means she doesn’t have to be on all opening nights.
D It helps her get her mind off problems in other productions.
25. Vivienne doesn’t share Neil’s opinion that reviews are
A something set designers shouldn’t be too worried about.
B can be unreasonably critical or biased towards a designer’s set.
C annoying whenever the set isn’t mentioned in it.
D flattering when the set is specifically mentioned
Part 1: Choose the answer A, B, C, or D that best completes each of the following sentences.
1. Celebrities feel special when they are surrounded by a(n) ______ of loyal followers.
A. brigade B. entourage C. fraternity D. squad

Giải thích:
 Entourage (n): một nhóm người luôn đi theo và hỗ trợ một nhân vật quan trọng, thường là
người nổi tiếng (ví dụ: vệ sĩ, trợ lý, stylist…). Đây là từ chính xác dùng để mô tả những
người luôn "vây quanh" một người nổi tiếng.
 Brigade: đơn vị quân đội, hoặc nhóm người hoạt động vì một mục tiêu cụ thể (thường dùng
với nghĩa hơi tiêu cực hoặc mỉa mai trong văn nói, như “the grammar police brigade”).
 Fraternity: nhóm người có cùng sở thích, nghề nghiệp hoặc mục tiêu, thường dùng trong
ngữ cảnh học đường hoặc hội nhóm nam giới.
 Squad: nhóm nhỏ có nhiệm vụ cụ thể (quân sự, thể thao, bạn bè), thường không dùng để nói
về người đi theo người nổi tiếng.
2. Millions of people left Italy for the USA during the Italian ______ of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
A. clique B. diaspora C. horde D. troupe

Giải thích:
 Diaspora (n): sự di cư hàng loạt của một dân tộc ra khỏi quê hương, thường là vì lý do chính
trị, kinh tế hoặc xã hội.
 Clique: nhóm nhỏ khép kín, hay bè phái (thường mang nghĩa tiêu cực).
 Horde: đám đông hỗn loạn, thường dùng với nghĩa tiêu cực hoặc gây rối.
  Troupe: đoàn nghệ thuật (như múa, kịch, xiếc).
3. Faye sang in the school ______ but she didn’t think her voice was particularly good.
A. choir B. pack C. posse D. throng
Giải thích:
 Choir (n): dàn hợp xướng, nhóm người hát chung trong nhà thờ, trường học, hoặc sự kiện âm
nhạc.
 Pack: thường dùng để nói về bầy thú (ví dụ: a pack of wolves) hoặc nhóm người (theo kiểu tiêu
cực).
 Posse: nhóm bạn thân hoặc nhóm người tụ tập (thường trong ngữ cảnh đời sống, không chính
thức).
 Throng: đám đông người tụ tập (thường đông và hỗn loạn).
4. It would set a bad______ if we changed the rules just for one student.
A. precaution B. infringement C. precedent D. manifestation
5. I’m sure there’s a definite ______ of envy in her nasty comments about you.
A. factor B. ingredient C. component D. element
6. In the ______ of just two days, her whole life changed.
A. interval B. space C. spell D. duration
7. The thieves took ______ when they heard a police car approaching.
A. retreat B. flight C. escape D. getaway
8. Afterwards, when I ______ on the events of that day, I could hardly believe what had happened.
A. contemplated B. reviewed C. reflected D. weighed
9. My manager is a typical working mother who has to deal with ______ activities every day.
A. miscellaneous B. multifarious C. many D. manifold
10. Naylor was one of those men who ______ to the challenge of danger.
A. raise B. rise C. ride D. arise
11. Like more and more women, she believes marriage would ______ her style.
A. restricts B. impedes C. obstructs D. cramps
12. He's not nearly such a good writer as he's ______ up to be.
A. creased B. cracked C. lined D. valued
13. The employees are ______ a rally in the city centre to demand higher wages.
A. making B. performing C. staging D. presenting
14. We hurried back to our car as we saw the clouds ______ over the mountains.
A. rolling in B. holding off C. beating down D. bucketing down
15. The challenges Ann encountered while assisting the medical charity in Africa brought ______ the best in
her personality.
A. up B. out C. about D. around
Part 2. For question 1-5. Mistake correction.
1. for the vast majority of people wishing to travel, the decisive factor in their choice of holiday destination is
cost.
2. Jane was not that the landlady had imagined she was.
3. increasing the number of ferry crossings to the island from the mainland had the desirable effect of
attracting more visitors.
4. The two boys were caught stealing the exam papers from the teachers’ room, so they definitely deserved
being suspended from school.
5. All complaints about the defective goods should be dealt with in a time manner.
Part 3: Give the correct form of each given word to complete the following sentences.
1. He was a modest and ___________ man who never gave the impression that he knew all the answers.
(ASSUME)
2. British traditions often reveal elements of the islands’ Celtic _________. (HEIR)
3. Songs are a(n) _________ part of most of our traditions, as is cake. (PRESENT)
4. They have little __________ of people who do not observe the local traditions. (TOLERATE)
5. Some of their customs come from a ___________fear of the dark. (ROOT)
6. The school is acknowledged as providing equal access and ___________ to a rich and varied curriculum.
(TITLE)
7. In China, the persistence of a(n) ___________currency has over the years effectively subsidised exports.
(VALUE)
8. Before the war the __________ output was produced in mass for a prospective demand. (PONDER)
9. Your deposit will be returned to you at the end of the __________. (TENANT)
10. He is a perfectionist and has an acute fear of __________. (MEDIOCRE)
Part 1: Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D which best fits each gap in the following passage.
This passage is about revision course
Students who want to retake exams or those who hope to bump up their grades to get into a good university
often opt to spend the spring holiday before the exam period doing revision courses. Various colleges and
educational institutions run these courses and (1) ______ that they can be more effective than allowing
students to revise (2) ______. Advocates for such crammers” as the are popularly known, (3) _____ that
even a few days’ focused revision can help students achieve the grades they need. However, many
educators question (4) ______ such courses are really necessary, and point out that it is the school’s
responsibility to prepare students for exams. Head teacher advise parents (5) _____ spending a lot of money
on revision courses without first making sure they are tailor-made to their children’s needs. Students who
benefit from the change of environment and the relative lack of distractions (6) ______ that they aren’t
disciplined enough to study as effectively on their own. Parents should be (7) _______ that sooner or later
their offspring will have to fend for themselves and those who need such motivation to study might be (8)
______ lost when it comes to a university course! Also, they should not expect miracles: those students who
have (9) ______ to study all year are beyond help and parents should be (10) ______ from pressuring such
students into academic careers.
1. A. urge B. claim C. assume D. recommend
2. A. alone B. lone C. together D. themselves
3. A. inform B. doubt C. assure D. insist
4. A. that B. whether C. if D. when
5. A. against B. that C. if D. when
6. A. propose B. tell C. admit D. convince
7. A. reminded B. suggested C. promised D. explained
8. A. entirely B. rather C. too D. fully
9. A. avoid B. resisted C. refused D. denied
10. A. stopped B. discouraged C. encouraged D. forbidden
Part 2: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space.
The company’s secret (1) __________ is what populates its For You Page, which predicts the videos
that will (2) __________ a viewer’s interest. It is, quite literally, the trillion-dollar question: how did TikTok go
from a niche social network for lip-syncing teens to the most popular app in the western world, threatening to
knock Facebook (3) __________ its perch entirely, in just a few short years? There are no end of possible
answers, and TikTok (4) __________ its phenomenal success to a host of canny choices: easy-to-use video
creation tools blurred the line between (5) __________ and consumer far more than YouTube had ever
managed; a vast library of (6) __________ music allowed teens to soundtrack their clips without fear of
copyright strikes; a billion-dollar advertising (7) __________ across Facebook and Instagram bought new
users as quickly as Zuckerberg’s company would send them (8) __________. But the most powerful tool
TikTok has to grab users and keep them (9) __________is the company’s feted “For You Page”, the FYP,
and the (10) __________ that populates it.
Part 3. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions.
COMMUNICATING WITH THE FUTURE
In the 1980s the United States Department of Energy was looking for suitable sites to bury radioactive
waste material generated by its nuclear energy programs. The government was considering burying the
dangerous wastes in deep underground chambers in remote desert areas. The problem, however, was that
nuclear waste remains highly radioactive for thousands of years. The commission entrusted with tackling the
problem of waste disposal was aware that the dangers posed by radioactive emissions must be
communicated to our descendants of at least 10,000 years hence. So the task became one of finding a way
to tell future societies about the risk posed by these deadly deposits.
Of course, human society in the distant future may be well aware of the hazards of radiation.
Technological advances may one day provide the solutions to this dilemma. But the belief in constant
technological advancement is based on our perceptions of advances made throughout history and
prehistory. We cannot be sure that society won’t have slipped backward into an age of barbarism due to any
of several catastrophic events, whether the result of nature such as the onset of a new ice age or perhaps
mankind’s failure to solve the scourges of war and pollution. In the event of global catastrophe, it is quite
possible that humans of the distant future will be on the far side of a broken link of communication and
technological understanding.
The problem then becomes how to inform our descendants that they must avoid areas of potential
radioactive seepage given that they may not understand any currently existing language and may have no
historical or cultural memory. So, any message indicated to future reception and decipherment must be as
universally understandable as possible.
It was soon realized by the specialists assigned the task of devising the communication system that
material in which the message was written might not physically endure the great lengths of time demanded.
The second law of thermodynamics shows that all material disintegrates over time. Even computers that
might carry the message cannot be expected to endure long enough. Besides, electricity supplies might not
be available in 300 generations. Other media storage methods were considered and rejected for similar
reasons.
The task force under the linguist Thomas Sebeok finally agreed that no foolproof way would be found
to send a message across so many generations and have it survive physically and be decipherable by a
people with few cultural similarities to us. Given this restriction, Sebeok suggested the only possible solution
was the formation of a committee of guardians of knowledge. Its task would be to dedicate itself to
maintaining and passing the knowledge of the whereabouts and dangers of the nuclear waste deposits. This
so-called atomic priesthood would be entrusted with keeping knowledge of this tradition alive through
millennia and developing the tradition into a kind of mythical taboo forbidding people to tamper in a way with
the nuclear waste sites. Only the initiated atomic priesthood of experts would have the scientific knowledge
to fully understand the danger. Those outside the priesthood would be kept away by a combination of rituals
and legends designed to warn off intruders.
This proposal has been criticized because of the possibility of a break in continuity of the original
message. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that any warning or sanction passed on for millennia would be
obeyed, nor that it could survive with its original meaning intact. To counterbalance this possibility, Sebeok’s
group proposed a “relay system” in which information is passed on over relatively short periods of time, just
three generations ahead. The message then to be renewed and redesigned if necessary for the following
three generations and so on over the required time span. In this way information could be relayed into the
future and avoid the possibility of physical degradation.
A second defect is more difficult to dismiss, however. This is the problem of social exclusiveness
brought about through possession of vital knowledge. Critics point out that the atomic priesthood could use
its secret knowledge to control those who are scientifically ignorant. The establishment of such an
association of insiders holding powerful knowledge not available except in mythic form to nonmembers would
be a dangerous precedent for future social developments.
1. The word "chambers" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. partitions B. openings C. cavities D. fissures
2. What problem faced the commission assigned to deal with the burial of nuclear waste?
A. How to reduce the radioactive life of nuclear waste materials
B. How to form a committee that could adequately express various nuclear risks
C. How to notify future generations of the risks of nuclear contamination
D. How to choose burial sites so as to minimize dangers to people
3. In paragraph 2, the author explains the possible circumstances of future societies ______.
A. to warn about the possible natural catastrophe
B. to question the value of advances
C. to highlight humankind's inability to resolve problems
D. to demonstrate the reason why nuclear hazards must be communicated
4. The word "scourges" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. pressures B. afflictions C. worries D. annoyances
5. In paragraph 4, the author mentions the second law of thermodynamics ______.
A. to support the view that nuclear waste will disperse with time
B. to show that knowledge can be sustained over millennia
C. to give the basic scientific reason behind the breakdown of material objects
D. to contrast the potential life span of knowledge with that of material objects
6. The word "Its" in paragraph 5 refers to ______.
A. knowledge B. committee C. solution D. guardians
7. In paragraph 5, why is the proposed committee of guardians referred to as the "atomic priesthood"?
A. Because they would be an exclusive group with knowledge about nuclear waste sites.
B. Because they would use rituals and legends to maintain their exclusiveness
C. Because they would be an exclusive religious order
D. Because they would develop mythical taboos surrounding their traditions
8. According to the author, why did the task force under Sebeok propose a relay system for passing on
information?
A. To show that Sebeok 's ideas created more problems than they solved
B. To support the belief that breaks in communication are inevitable over time
C. To contrast Sebeok's ideas with those proposed by his main critics
D. To compensate for the fact that meaning will not stable over long periods of time
9. According to paragraph 7, the second defect of the atomic priesthood proposal is that it could lead to
______.
A. the nonmembers turning knowledge into dangerous mythical forms
B. the possible misuse of exclusive knowledge
C. the establishment of a scientifically ignorant society
D. the priesthood's criticism of points concerning vital knowledge
10. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as difficulties in devising a communication system with
the future EXCEPT ______.
A. the failure to maintain communication link B. the loss of knowledge about today's civilization
C. the inability of materials to endure over time D. the exclusiveness of priesthood
Part 4: Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.
Psychology and personality ASSESSMENT
A Our daily lives are largely made up of contacts with other people, during which we are constantly making
judgments of their personalities and accommodating our behaviour to them in accordance with these
judgments. A casual meeting of neighbours on the street, an employer giving instructions to an employee, a
mother telling her children how to behave, a journey in a train where strangers eye one another without
exchanging a word – all these involve mutual interpretations of personal qualities.
B Success in many vocations largely depends on skill in sizing up people. It is important not only to such
professionals as the clinical psychologist, the psychiatrist or the social worker, but also to the doctor or
lawyer in dealing with their clients, the businessman trying to outwit his rivals, the salesman with potential
customers, the teacher with his pupils, not to speak of the pupils judging their teacher. Social life, indeed,
would be impossible if we did not. to some extent, understand, and react to the motives and qualities of those
we meet; and clearly we are sufficiently accurate for most practical purposes, although we also recognize
that misinterpretations easily arise – particularly on the pare of others who judge us!
C Errors can often be corrected as we go along. But whenever we are pinned down to a definite decision
about a person, which cannot easily be revised through his ‘feed-back’, the Inadequacies of our judgments
become apparent. The hostess who wrongly thinks that the Smiths and the Joneses will get on well together
can do little to retrieve the success of her party. A school or a business may be saddled for years with an
undesirable member of staff, because the selection committee which interviewed him for a quarter of an hour
misjudged his personality.
D Just because the process is so familiar and taken for granted, It has aroused little scientific curiosity until
recently. Dramatists, writers and artists throughout the centuries have excelled in the portrayal of character,
but have seldom stopped to ask how they, or we, get to know people, or how accurate is our knowledge.
However, the popularity of such unscientific systems as Lavater’s physiognomy in the eighteenth century,
Gall’s phrenology in the nineteenth, and of handwriting interpretations by graphologists, or palm-readings by
Gypsies, show that people are aware of weaknesses in their judgments and desirous of better methods of
diagnosis. It is natural that they should turn to psychology for help, in the belief that psychologists are
specialists in ‘human nature’.
E This belief is hardly justified: for the primary aim of psychology had been to establish the general laws and
principles underlying behaviour and thinking, rather than to apply these to concrete problems of the individual
person. A great many professional psychologists still regard it as their main function to study the nature of
learning, perception and motivation in the abstracted or average human being, or in lower organisms, and
consider it premature to put so young a science to practical uses. They would disclaim the possession of any
superior skill in judging their fellow-men. Indeed, being more aware of the difficulties than is the non-
psychologist, they may be more reluctant to commit themselves to definite predictions or decisions about
other people. Nevertheless, to an increasing extent psychologists are moving into educational, occupational,
clinical and other applied fields, where they are called upon to use their expertise for such purposes as fitting
the education or job to the child or adult, and the person to the job, Thus a considerable proportion of their
activities consists of personality assessment.
F The success of psychologists in personality assessment has been limited, in comparison with what they
have achieved in the fields of abilities and training, with the result that most people continue to rely on
unscientific methods of assessment. In recent times there has been a tremendous amount of work on
personality tests, and on carefully controlled experimental studies of personality. Investigations of personality
by Freudian and other ‘depth’ psychologists have an even longer history. And yet psychology seems to be no
nearer to providing society with practicable techniques which are sufficiently reliable and accurate to win
general acceptance. The soundness of the methods of psychologists in the field of personality assessment
and the value of their work are under constant fire from other psychologists, and it is far from easy to prove
their worth.
G The growth of psychology has probably helped responsible members of society to become more aware of
the difficulties of assessment. But it is not much use telling employers, educationists and judges how
inaccurately they diagnose the personalities with which they have to deal unless psychologists are sure that
they can provide something better. Even when university psychologists themselves appoint a new member of
staff, they almost always resort to the traditional techniques of assessing the candidates through interviews,
past records, and testimonials, and probably make at least as many bad appointments as other employers
do. However, a large amount of experimental development of better methods has been carried out since
1940 by groups of psychologists in the Armed Services and in the Civil Service, and by such organizations
as the (British) National Institute of Industrial Psychology and the American Institute of Research.
List of Headings
i. The advantage of an intuitive approach to personality assessment
ii. Overall theories of personality assessment rather than valuable guidance
iii. The consequences of poor personality assessment
iv. Differing views on the importance of personality assessment
v. Success and failure in establishing an approach to personality assessment
vi. Everyone makes personality assessments
vii. Acknowledgement of the need for improvement in personality assessment
viii. Little progress towards a widely applicable approach to personality assessment
ix. The need for personality assessments to be well-judged
x. The need for a different kind of research into personality assessment
Example: Paragraph A-vi, Paragraph G: v
1. Paragraph B 2. Paragraph C 3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E 5. Paragraph F
True/False/Not Given
6. ______ People often feel that they have been wrongly assessed.
7. ______ Unscientific systems of personality assessment have been of some use.
8. ______ People make false assumptions about the expertise of psychologists.
9. ______ It is likely that some psychologists are no better than anyone else at assessing personality.
10. ______ Research since 1940 has been based on the acceptance of previous theories.
Part 5: You are going to read part of a blog on the internet, where four people have sent in account of
their earliest childhood memories. For questions 1-10, choose from the people A-D.
MEMORIES OF OUR CHILDHOOD
A- MICHAEL RICHARDON: My earlies memory is of being held on someone’s lap on a porch swing in front
of my great grandmother’s farm house. I was describing the memory once to my mother and I gave her a
walkthrough of the house, the layout of the rooms and the memory of two bench swings facing each other on
each side of the front door on the porch. My mum got kind of quiet and then called my grandmother to verify
a date and told me that I was describing a house that was sold when I was 18 months old. I still have never
seen a picture of the front of the house to verify for myself but I’ll take my grandmother’s word for it.
B-MARY O’MALLEY: The first thing I recall must have happened right after my family moved to our second
flat. I was somewher between 18 months and 2 years old and just gotten my first “grown-up bed” which I kept
falling out of. Since we didn’t have one of those side-rails so prevalent today, mom got creative and put the
vinyl high back chairs around my bed like a fort. I woke up one morning to find myself slowly falling from the
bed-the chair pushing out away from me in slow-motion. I though this was great fun to fall out of bed so
slowly! I remember crawling (because I was sleeping and being silly not because I couldn’t walk) to find mon
in her bright sunny room, working at her desk on some bills.
C- MARTIN GREEN: The earlies thing I can remember is sitting in the crib, in a house we moved out of
when I was about nine months old, and leaning to try to see my mother in the kitchen, right across from my
door. That is the only clear memory I have from that house, but I have many from the one we lived in for the
following year. Once when I was in my twenties I walked into a public place with my mother and stopped and
said, “we used to have this tile in our kitchen.” She looked at it for a minute, then looked at me as if she was
expecting it and said, “We moved out of that house before you were two.” I guess you to get to know the floor
pretty well when you’re only two feet tall!
D- ANN CLARK: I know a lot of people have clear memories of their early childhood. I don’t. instead they are
flashes of events over a period of time. Some of the events were major and some were minor. Despite my
dislike for the sun they are all sun-drenched- I don’t have many memories of winter in my early years, and I’m
not sure why that is. The first big memory I have dóe have a date attached: christmas Day when I was six.
We weren’t able to make our annual trip to the coast that year because of financial restraints, so we were
watching the news on the TV. What I saw was horible. A child standing by a destroyed house, clutching a
doll, with tangled tinsel all around her. The night before Cyclone Tracy had destroyed 70 percent of a nearby
town. I also remember the red cross vans going up our street getting donations, and the town hall where the
donations were being collected. It seemed like the goods were piled to the roof.
Which person:
1. _____ has a memory that involved not having something in their room?
2. ______ has their age at the time of memory verified by someone?
3. ______ has an upsetting early memory?
4. ______ had the earlies first memory?
5. ______ surprised a relative with their memory?
6. ______ remembers a parent working?
7. ______ does not have clear and detailed early memories?
8. ______ recognised something years later?
9. ______ remembers a positive feeling?
10. ______ remembers one season more than others?