ASEAN has ____ a community of Southeast Asian nations at peace with one another and at peace with the world.

(504)_____

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The Life of a Food Critic
You’ve seen restaurant reviews in newspapers, or perhaps in magazines or on the Internet. People read these reviews when they want to know about the quality and price of the food at a restaurant. Or maybe they’re looking for a restaurant with a distinctive atmosphere – dark and romantic, bright and cheerful, or modern and sophisticated. But who writes the articles? Who gets paid to eat? Those lucky people are food critics. Food critics are journalists who eat at restaurants and write reviews that give readers the feeling that they have visited the restaurant themselves. The articles almost always include a description of the restaurant, for example, whether it is nicely decorated or has a beautiful view of the ocean. The menu, prices, and service are generally described as well, but a food critic’s main task is to write about their opinion of the food. For “foodies” – people who love and study food and cooking – dining is a feast for the senses, not just for the stomach. Food critics may tell readers about the colours of fresh vegetables, the silky texture of a soup, or the rich aroma of a perfectly cooked chicken. They will mention whether they were listening to soft music while they ate, or the noises of pots and pans being washed in the restaurant’s kitchen and ending with the dessert. Every detail of the meal is important. All of this may sound easy enough, but food critics do face some challenges. First, food critics must be excellent writers. Their job is to give accurate information in an entertaining way because newspapers and other publications want the restaurant review to be an enjoyable feature. It is also important for food critics to be very observant by nature, and to have an excellent memory, since taking notes at the table is not something typical customers do. Looking like a typical customer is essential for remaining anonymous, but is perhaps the most difficult challenge. Food critic Ruth Reichl, former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, used to go to restaurants wearing disguises so that she received the same food and service as any other diner. Despite the challenges, a career as a food critic appeals to many people. Anyone who is thinking about becoming a food critic should start by developing strong writing skills and learning as much about food and cooking as possible. 
3. What is the purpose of paragraph 3?

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We’re sorry that we weren't _______ to telephone you and your friends yesterday afternoon.

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The penny press, which emerged in the United Sates during the 1830’s, was 1 a powerful agent of mass communication. These newspapers were little dailies, generally four pages in length, written for the mass taste. They differed from the 3 staid, formal presentation of the conservative press, with its emphasis on political and literary topics. The new papers were brief and cheap, emphasizing sensational reports of police courts and juicy scandals as well as human interest 5 stories. Twentieth – century journalism was already foreshadowed in the penny press of the 1830’s. 7 The New York Sun, founded in 1833, was the first successful penny paper, and it was followed two years later by the New York Herald, published by James 9 Gordon Bennett. Not long after, Horace Greeley issued the New York Tribune, which was destined to become the most influential paper in America. Greeley 11 gave space to the issues that deeply touched the American people before the Civil War – abolitionism, temperance, free homesteads, Utopian cooperative settlements, and the problems of labor. The weekly edition of the Tribune, with 13 100,000 subscribers, had a remarkable influence in rural areas, especially in Western communities. 15 Americans were reputed to be the most avid readers of periodicals in the world. An English observer enviously calculated that, in 1829, the number of 17 newspapers circulated in Great Britain was enough to reach only one out of every thirty – six inhabitants weekly; Pennsylvania in that same year had a 19 newspaper circulation which reaches one out of every four inhabitants weekly. Statistics seemed to justify the common belief that Americans were devoted to periodicals. Newspapers in the United States increased from 1,200 in 1833 to 21 3000 by the early 1860’s, on the eve of the Civil War. This far exceeded the number and circulation of newspapers in England and France.
4. The word "it" in line 8 refers to: 

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The waste from the chemical factory is extremely .......

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Alemur is a unique animal. When you look at a lemur, it might be hard to tell what you are really looking at. With their huge dark eyes and lush fur, lemurs are very cute, but what animal family are they from? Some lemurs look like a cross between a cat and a dog. Some look a little like squirrels, while others resemble monkeys. Why do they look so strange? To answer to this question we need to understand the lemur's history and genetics. In modern biology, lemurs are called prosimians. This means before monkeys. Remarkably, lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans all share a common ancestor from about 50 million years ago. Monkeys, apes, and humans developed together in one direction. However, lemurs developed differently and slowly because of their geographical location. All lemurs come from the island of Madagascar, located off the east coast of Africa. Madagascar split off from mainland Africa 50 million years ago. It is believed that the first prosimians traveled to Madagascar on floating trees and plants. The prosimians that traveled to Madagascar were isolated from the rest of Africa. Predators, like dogs or cats, did not make it to Madagascar. Since there were no dangerous threats, prosimians did not have to evolve as quickly as other primates did. (primates: any nimal that belongs to the group of mammals that includes humans, apes, and monkeys.) Over time, the original prosimians evolved into lemurs. Lemurs have changed in some ways over those 50 million years, but they are much more similar to our shared ancestor than either humans, monkeys, or apes. Because of this, their bodies and behaviors hold clues about what out common ancestor looked like. Lemurs have four fingers and a thumb on their hands, and five toes on their feet, just like humans do. They have eyes and jaw bones that are similar to humans as well, but they have a wet nose, like a dog. Lemur behavior is also comparable to human behavior, as they live in social groups. Like apes and humans, lemurs travel together, groom one another, fight each other, and play together. Lemurs, however, have simpler friend and family relationships. Recently, lemurs have been studied in captivity. Like their distant chimpanzee and monkey cousins, they can be taught to use tools and to solve complicated problems. The word lemur means ghost. While the name probably comes from their huge reflective eyes and their strange, haunting cries, lemurs are ghosts in a way. They are living ghosts that remind US where we came from, and also give US clues about how humans evolved.
7. Paragraph 4 States, "they are much more similar to our shared ancestor than either human, monkeys, or apes". What do you think the reason is?

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Living things include both the visible world of animals, plants, and fungi as well as the invisible world of bacteria and viruses. On a basic level, we can say that life is ordered. Organisms have an enormously complex organization. We're all familiar with the intricate systems of the basic unit of life, the cell. Life can also "work." Living creatures can take in energy from the environment. This energy, in the form of food, is transformed to maintain metabolic process and for survival. Life grows and develops. This means more than just replicating or getting larger in size. Living organisms also have the ability to rebuild and repair themselves when injured. Life can reproducing. Think about the last time you accidentally stubbed your toe. Almost instantly, you moved back in pain. Finally, life can adapt and respond to the demands placed on it by the environment. There are three basic types of adaptations that can occur in higher organisms.Reversible changes occur as a response to changes in the environment. Let's say you live near sea level and you travel to a mountainous area. You may begin to experience difficulty breathing and an increase in heart rate as a result of the change in altitude. These symptoms go away when you go back down to sea level.Body-related changes occur as a result of prolonged changes in the environment. Using ther previous example, if you were to stay in the mountainous area for a long time, you would notice that your heart rate would begin to slow down and you would begin to breath normally. These changes are also reversible. Genotypic changes (caused by genetic mutition ) take place within the genetic makeup of the organism and are not reversible. An example would be the development of resistance to pesticides by insects and spiders.
4. You see life respond most clearly when you______

Chọn câu đồng nghĩa với câu trên:
“You have just got a promotion, haven’t you? Congratulations!” Peter said to his friend.

The latest addiction to trap thousands of people is Internet, which has been (1) ______ for broken relationships, job losses, financial ruin and even one suicide. Psychologists now recognize Internet Addiction Syndrome (IAS) as a new illness that could cause serious problems and ruin many lives. Special help groups have been set up to of sufferers help and support. IAS is similar to (2) ______ problems like gambling, smoking and drinking : addicts have dreams about Internet; they need to use it first thing in the morning; they lie to their partners about how much time they spend online; they wish they could cut down, but are unable to do so . A recent study found that many users spend up to 40 hours a week on the Internet; (3) ______ they felt guilty, they became depressed if they were (4) ______ to stop using it. Almost anyone can be at risk. Some of the addicts are teenagers who are already hooked on computer games and who find it very difficult to resist the games on the Internet. Surprisingly, however, psychologists (5) ______ that most victims are middle-aged housewives who have never used a computer before.

(36)________

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He advised me to take an English course. I_________ take it early.

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Annie love doing sports. She’s ___________.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions:
As working women continue to receive better and better wages, housewives still work at home without receiving pay – checks. Should a woman who works at home, doing the housework and caring for children, be paid for her service? In a 1986 study at Cornell University, sociologists found that the value of the services of a housewife averaged $ 11,600 a year. This rate was based on a family composed of a husband, wife, and three young children. The $ 11,600 is what the husband would have to pay if he hired others to take over his wife’s household chores. The researchers concluded that it would be fair for husbands to pay wives according to federal guidelines for minimum wages.
Another plan for rewarding women who work at home has been suggested by a former Secretary of Health and Human Services. He says that full-time housewives should be allowed to pay social security taxes, with their employers contributing part of the payment. He feels that the present system is unfair. He said, “ If you stay at home and raise a family, nobody will give you credit for it.”

A housewife’s services in a family of five people are worth_ .

The referee’s ______ is the most important in any sport competition.

(406)____

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Jack always wants to achieve high goals. He’s so ___________.

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We are not surprised that the people in the village are hospitable _______ friendly.

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No country in the world is ____________ than Russia.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36-42
From smartphones and tablets to apps and social media, society is ambushed from all sides with technology. Naturally, all generations embrace it differently, with younger “digital natives” generally being more connected, more switched-on and more tech literate than older age groups.
According to Pew Research, 92% of Millennials (born 1981–1996) own smartphones, compared with 85% of Gen Xers (born 1965–1980) and 67% of Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964). In terms of tech behavior, older generations tend to use their phones mostly for making calls, whereas for younger generations, a phone is their digital window to the world. Phones are used for social media, going online, texting, emailing, playing games, listening to music, and recording and watching videos.
The daily media consumption of different generations also vastly differs. Gen Z and Millennials favor streaming and online services, with 46% of teens saying they use Netflix compared to 31% of those aged over 16. Furthermore, 16-24s spend 30% of their downtime watching TV or video, compared to 40% of time spent on these activities by the average UK adult. Boomers spend a whopping 344 minutes a day watching regular TV, significantly more than any other age group.
Size also matters more depending on your decade of birth. Younger generations prefer smaller screens sizes, opting for a smartphone as their go-to tech, while Generation X and technology newbies - the Boomers, are going bigger, owning more desktops and tablets. Always in the front of the queue for the hottest tech, younger generations see technology as an integral part of their existence, and since few Millennials and Gen Z can remember a time without social media, they’re more fearless and carefree when it comes to technology. So much so, that a LivePerson report revealed 65% of Millennials and Gen Z interact more with each other online than they do in the real world.
Fundamentally, these behaviors and preferred technologies combine to create a technological generation gap, where employees, shaped by their personal experiences, demonstrate different levels of ability and willingness to adopt new tech. Constantly chasing the next update or device, switched on Millennials and Gen Z are quick to lap up the latest apps, games, and platforms, while Gen X and Boomers are generally slower to embrace technology - both at home and in the workplace.

According to paragraph 2, what is the technological characteristic of Millennials?

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If it ______ more humid in the desert of the Southwest, the hot temperature would be unbearable.

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The Advancing Development of Artificial Limbs
It wasn’t very long ago that losing a limb automatically meant a drastic drop in the quality of a person’s life. Thanks to the wonders of modern science, people now are recovering from all sorts of horrendous injuries that let them disabled. The reason they are able to do so is remarkable advances made in the field of artificial limbs. Doctors have been creating prosthetic limbs for their patients dating back to ancient Greece. For most of history, however, these replacements were mainly for cosmetic purposes. Pirates, knights, loot soldiers that lost their limbs in battle would get them, so they wouldn’t lose face when returning to society. It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that doctors were able to perform surgeries to reliably attach limbs to people’s bodies and amputate limbs without causing serious infection. Modern artificial limbs represent a tremendous leap forward in terms of form and function. Today’s limbs are far more durable and can withstand a lot more wear and tear. An amazing example of how far artificial limbs have progressed is the Flex-Foot Cheetah. Made from carbon fiber, it is able to store energy as the person moves, which enables the wearer to run and jump. The technology is so good that approximately 90 percent of all Special Olympic amputees use them in competition. Meanwhile, the Bebionic3 has emerged as the most advanced prosthetic arm available. It has been nicknamed “The Terminator” because it is similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s mechanical limbs in the famous blockbuster film. The Bebionic3 can perform a multitude of tasks including writing, tying a shoelace, lifting heavy objects, and even pouring a beer. Wearers simply push a button on the base of the arm and the Bebionic3 will work its magic. In September 2013, scientists took another giant leap forward when they successfully fitted a patient with an artificial leg that can be controlled by thought. Two of the patient’s nerves were attached to his hamstring muscle. These nerves then interact with sensors inside the artificial leg. Sensors will then transmit these messages to a computer which will follow through on his instructions. Therefore, if the patient wants to stretch out his leg, the computer will understand this command and send a message to the limb and instruct it to do so. If artificial limb technology keeps advancing like this, losing a limb may not be such a big deal.
6. All of the following about modern artificial limbs are true EXCEPT that __________

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the sentences with given words:
The restaurant/ turn/ out/ be/ surprisingly cheap.

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A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
In 1826, a man named Joseph Nicephore Niepce went to the upstairs window of his home in France. He used a new invention called a camera to take the world’s first photograph of nature. Niepce’s photograph shows us the view from his window. However, it is very difficult to know that when you look at the picture. The image is not very clear at all. That doesn’t matter. On that day, Niepce changed the world forever. Photography first became very popular in the 1850s and 1860s. People liked it because it showed more details than other kinds of art. A painting or a statue might be more beautiful than a photograph, but a photograph can tell you a much clearer story. Many people believe that colour photographs didn’t exist until the 1920s, but that’s not true. The first colour photograph was taken in 1855. It shows a colourful ribbon. Before the 1920s, people didn’t often use colour photography because it was very complicated and expensive. Even after colour photography became easier and cheaper, many people still preferred black and white pictures. They felt that black and white had a more “classic photo” feeling. In the 1940s, colour photography finally replaced black and white. When we think of the history of photography, it is amazing to think of how easy it is to take pictures today. Many years ago, only professionals had cameras. These days, just about everybody has one. One of the biggest reasons for this change is the popularity of smartphones. Almost every modern smartphones. Almost every modern smartphone has a camera. These smartphone cameras are very easy to use and they also take very clear pictures. Most of them have a video function.  One thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of photography. These days, a picture can still create all kinds of feelings and emotions inside of us. There is a saying. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
5. What happened in the 1940s?