Reading Section

Historic London

Tower Bridge

Probably the most recognisable bridge in the world, Tower Bridge was designed so that its central section can be raised to allow ships (1) ______ through it. Still in working order today, it is opened 900 times a year. During those times, traffic is prevented from crossing (2) ______ bridge.
A joint ticket for (3) ______ to the Tower Bridge Experience and The Monument can be purchased for just £7 per adult.

London Bridge

The first London Bridge was built in 80 AD, but this was (4) ______ by an invading Viking army in 1014. The first bridge (5) ______ of stone. It had so many arches that the flow of the river was slowed down (6) ______, causing it to freeze over every winter, enabling fairs to be held on the frozen ice.

Question 1.
A. pass
B. to pass
C. passing
D. to passing

Question 2.
A. a
B. an
C. the
D. Ø (no article)

Question 3.
A. admission
B. attention
C. attraction
D. attendance

Question 4.
A. given away
B. taken off
C. set up
D. pulled down

Question 5.
A. was made
B. made
C. was making
D. has made

Question 6.
A. consider
B. considerably
C. consideration
D. considerable

Game of Thrones Review

What I really like about the show Game of Thrones is that the creators have made up a (7) ______ of various lands, people and stories. And while most fantasy stories focus on the battle between good and evil, the characters in Game of Thrones usually have a mix of both, (8) ______ makes the storylines so interesting. My main (9) ______ is that it is incredibly violent, but the show’s creators argue that this reflects the reality of war and life (10) ______ the medieval world.
Overall, I’d recommend Game of Thrones. It is a very entertaining series with (11) ______ original ideas. It is sometimes very shocking, (12) ______ it is definitely worth watching.

Question 7.
A. rich fantasy world
B. world fantasy rich
C. fantasy world rich
D. rich world fantasy

Question 8.
A. who
B. where
C. which
D. when

Question 9.
A. compliment
B. complaint
C. congratulation
D. comparison

Question 10.
A. off
B. over
C. at
D. in

Question 11.
A. each
B. little
C. many
D. every

Question 12.
A. because
B. unless
C. so that
D. but

Writing Section

Sentence Arrangement

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet 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. Lan: And when they type on tablets, they can change or add more things any time they want.
b. Minh: I think electronic devices make school life easier and more enjoyable.
c. Minh: Exactly. Students who hate homework can have fun doing it on tablets.

A. a – b – c
B. b – c – a
C. c – a – b
D. b – a – c

Question 14.
a. Tom: Don’t worry, we’ll be in the car soon, and it won’t take long to get home.
b. Tom’s grandma: Good, I’ll be glad to get away from this noisy station.
c. Tom: Yes, it’s really crowded today, isn’t it?
d. Tom: Hello, Grandma. Can I carry your case?
e. Tom’s grandma: Oh, that’s nice of you. Thank you for coming to pick me up. Travelling always makes me so nervous.

A. a – d – e – b – c
B. e – d – a – c – b
C. d – e – a – b – c
D. b – e – d – c – a

Question 15.
Dear Sir/Ma’am,
a. She hopes to join an origami class taught by origami artists.
b. I am writing this letter to express my interest in your origami workshop.
c. I would like to discuss such matters in person and hope to hear back from you regarding the price and exact time of the first lesson.
d. I have a 12-year-old daughter who has been doing origami for 2 years now.
e. I am reaching out to you to enquire about the cost of each lesson and when the first lesson is starting.
Thank you!
Yours sincerely,
Cheryl Briggs.

A. b – d – a – e – c
B. a – b – d – c – e
C. d – b – a – e – c
D. c – d – e – b – a

Question 16.
a. Despite the challenges, I find teaching very rewarding because I can see my students grow.
b. During class, I guide them through reading, writing, listening, and speaking tasks.
c. After each lesson, I carefully review their work and provide feedback so they can improve.
d. To support my students, I prepare lessons and create activities that develop their language skills.
e. I work as an English teacher at a local school.

A. c – e – d – b – a
B. e – d – b – c – a
C. d – b – c – e – a
D. b – c – e – d – a

Question 17.
a. I’ll run a famous bakery that sells high-quality bread, cakes, cookies, and also serves coffee and tea.
b. Thanks to future super-fast transportation, we’ll explore the world more easily and create unforgettable memories.
c. My small but happy family – with a caring partner and children – will have more free time and travel together every year.
d. I’m really excited to imagine my life in 30 years, and I believe it will be much better than it is now.
e. I will live in a modern house where robots will do the housework, so I won’t have to wash dishes.

A. d – b – e – a – c
B. d – e – a – c – b
C. d – c – a – b – e
D. d – e – c – a – b

Reading Comprehension

Hyperglots Passage

There are many people who can speak many languages, or hyperglots, in the world today. With globalisation, there will be a growing number of them in the future. A central question is whether hyperglots are born or made. Are their achievements genetic or do hyperglots have secrets (18) ______?
These people generally have advantages they are born with. Hyperglots seem to possess excellent memories and have brains that are more efficient in processing speech sounds. (19) ______. This means that the difference between a top performer and someone who is just ‘very good’ is that the top performer has practised for 10,000 hours instead of 6,000.
The fact is that most ordinary language learners lack these natural advantages and (20) ______. So is there any hope for us? Research on hyperglots can offer some useful lessons. For example, they often have limited ambitions in terms of individual languages. They are happy to get by, or (21) ______, or not to have a perfect accent. Additionally, they are practical. If they cannot travel, they look for opportunities to use the language closer to home. Some simply imagine conversations in their heads. (22) ______. Finally, they are never afraid to make mistakes or appear stupid and so never give up.

Question 18.
A. who teach normal people how to learn language
B. which normal language learners can teach
C. why they are normal language learners
D. that normal language learners can learn from

Question 19.
A. Therefore, it is necessary to work very hard to become the best
B. Thus, everyone can become the best without working very hard
C. Instead, working very hard does not mean becoming the best
D. However, becoming the best also requires a lot of hard work

Question 20.
A. do not have that much time
B. having too little time for learning
C. didn’t spend so much time learning
D. not learning for such a long time

Question 21.
A. only having the ability to read
B. to be only able to read
C. are only capable of reading
D. being capable of reading only

Question 22.
A. Techniques like putting words in context are useless for them
B. They always avoid learning words by putting them in context
C. They also use other techniques like learning words in context
D. Other techniques like using words in context are not necessary

Favelas in Rio de Janeiro

Around the world, Rio de Janeiro is famous for its beautiful beaches, and Carnival celebration. But the city is also known for its poor areas, known as favelas. For years, many favelas had high poverty and crime rates. However, things are starting to change.
In the past, favelas received little government support. Neighbourhood residents had to build their own homes and streets, while gangs and guns were common. Now, a new government plan is changing that. Thousands of police officers are being sent into favelas to remove gangs. In some areas, the plan is working – crime is down, kids are playing outside again, new buildings are going up, and more city services are available. “In 20 years,” says a police officer Leonardo Nogueira, “the children here will be different people.”
Police influence is changing the favelas, but something else is, too. Today, more Brazilians are moving into these neighbourhoods because housing is expensive in other parts of Rio. “Favelas are a place for young doctors without money to get started and young architects to start working,” explains Simone Miranda, a Rio tour guide. In the past, favela residents felt different – separated from the rest of Rio. “But now,” says Miranda, “they feel part of the society of Brazil.”
Life is improving in the favelas, but there are still challenges. In some areas, poverty rates are still high. As students, families, and foreigners move into the favelas, property costs skyrocket. In some areas, housing has more than doubled in price. Despite this, favela residents are hopeful. If Rio can develop these favelas for all residents – both poor and middle classes – the city could become a model for other cities with similar problems.

Question 23. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being found in favelas?
A. guns
B. art
C. gangs
D. poverty

Question 24. Which of the following is true about favelas in the past?
A. They got a lot of government assistance.
B. There were no gangs in favelas.
C. Thousands of police officers worked there.
D. Children didn’t play in the street very much.

Question 25. The word their in paragraph 2 refers to ______.
A. police officers
B. neighborhood residents
C. gangs
D. city officials

Question 26. The word common in paragraph 2 is OPPOSITE in meaning to ______.
A. rare
B. popular
C. normal
D. usual

Question 27. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?
A. People in favelas in the past used to rest in different places all over Rio.
B. People living in favelas didn’t feel like they belonged to the rest of Rio’s society.
C. There were few differences between residents in favelas and those from the rest of Rio.
D. Favelas in Rio in the past were different and separated from those in the rest of the world.

Question 28. The word skyrocket in paragraph 4 could be best replaced by ______.
A. increase quickly
B. drop slowly
C. become dangerous
D. become smaller

Question 29. In which paragraph does the writer explain how a government action is helping to reduce crime in favelas?
A. Paragraph 1
B. Paragraph 2
C. Paragraph 3
D. Paragraph 4

Question 30. In which paragraph does the writer mention social classes in Brazil?
A. Paragraph 1
B. Paragraph 2
C. Paragraph 3
D. Paragraph 4

National Flags

The flag, the most common symbol of national identity in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. The traditional flag of fabric is still used to mark buildings, ships, and diplomatic cars of nations, but its visual design makes it adaptable for other roles as well. Most flags have a compact, rectangular shape and distinct visual symbolism. Their strong colors and geometric patterns are usually instantly recognizable even if miniaturized to less than a square centimeter. Images of flags can thus serve as identifying icons on airliners, television broadcasts, and computer displays.
Despite its simplicity, the national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. It is, rather, the product of millennia of development in many corners of the globe. Historians believe it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to indicate wind direction. Early human societies used very fragile shelters and boats. Their food sources were similarly vulnerable to disruption. For all these reasons, they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
[I] Some nations, particularly those whose colors and emblems date back several hundred years, have different flags for different official uses. [II] For example, the flag of Poland is a simple rectangle with a white upper half and red lower half. [III] They originated as the colors of the Piast family, which during its rule displayed a crest bearing a white eagle on a red field. [IV] Homage is paid to the Piast Dynasty in the Polish ensign, the flag officially used at sea. Unlike the familiar plain flag flown on land, the ensign has a red shield with a white eagle centered on its upper white stripe.

Question 31. The word miniaturized in paragraph 1 is OPPOSITE in meaning to _______.
A. reduced
B. enlarged
C. divided
D. maintained

Question 32. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT mentioned as a place where the flag is present?
A. planes
B. TV programs
C. diplomatic vehicles
D. national squares

Question 33. Which of the following best summarizes paragraph 1?
A. The flag, an ancient symbol of identity, remains widely used for different purposes in the modern world due to its distinct, recognizable design.
B. Television broadcasts continue to use the flag, an ancient symbol of identity because its design is distinct and easily recognizable.
C. While being one of the most ancient symbols of identity, the flag is now not as recognizable as they were in the past because of digital media.
D. Having been used for centuries as a symbol of identity, the flag has gradually lost its original purposes and is now mainly used on digital media.

Question 34. The word primitive in paragraph 2 could be best replaced by _______.
A. basic
B. complex
C. modern
D. ugly

Question 35. The word they in paragraph 2 refers to _______.
A. early human societies
B. shelters
C. boats
D. food sources

Question 36. Where in paragraph 3 does the following sentence best fit?
The colors themselves have been associated with Polish nationalism since the 1700s.
A. [I] B. [II] C. [III] D. [IV]

Question 37. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?
A. Different flags have been used for official purposes in several countries, except those whose colors and emblems are centuries old.
B. Several countries, especially those with centuries-old colors and emblems, have specific flags designated for different official functions.
C. Old-centuries nations typically use similar flags for official occasions because their colors and emblems originated several hundred years ago.
D. The colours and emblems of most countries date back several hundred years, so they are different and used for official purposes only.

Question 38. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. The crest of the Piast family features a species of bird on a red background.
B. The majority of flags are compact and rectangular with unique and recognizable designs.
C. Early human societies were able to build strong houses and grow stable crops.
D. The flag has evolved over thousands of years in various parts of the world.

Question 39. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. Flags are more frequently seen on TV broadcasts than in public places.
B. The flags of most countries bear the image of a species of animal.
C. The Polish now do not show as much respect for their national flag as in the past.
D. Human life in ancient times was reliant on the wind to a great extent.

Question 40. Which of the following best summarizes the passage?
A. The flag of Poland is inspired by the flag of the Piast Dynasty, which is typically used on the sea and bears little similarity to plain flags flown on land.
B. The national flag, despite its sophisticated design and recent emergence, has quickly become prevalent in various places, including digital platforms.
C. The flag, an ancient symbol of identity adapted to modern uses, is still used today in various forms across the world, with some nations maintaining different flags for specific official purposes.
D. The symbolism of flag has gradually decreased over centuries of its evolution, as exemplified by the simple, rectangular flag of Poland, which is inspired by the flag of a royal family known as the Piast family.

Đáp Án

Thầy Võ Văn Ngọc

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Trình độ: Cử nhân Sư phạm Tiếng Anh, IELTS 6.0, Chứng chỉ hạng II, Chứng chỉ E-learning

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