Choose the best answer:
On December 10, 2006, I was going through some hard time. The landlady did not want to release the house any more so I had to (1) _____ and only had one month to find a place. Because Christmas was coming and it was difficult for me to (2) _____ a suitable accommodation. I had only some money (3) _____. I could not buy a Christmas tree and some presents for my three boys, (4) _____ I had to use the money to find a place to live. Tome, it broke my heart as I could not prepare the Christmas for my three boys. I have been their only parent since my husband (5) _____ away two years ago. I was so sad and everything was getting on my nerves. Although I managed to solve the problem myself I could not help (6) _____ my sons about the things. When I suddenly woke up at midnight, I found my eldest son was sitting (7) _____me. He kissed me and said, "Don't worry, Mum. We love you very much and always stand by you (8) ____ happens." At the moment I started weeping, grabbed him and kissed him. His words and love made me (9) _____ all about what I was stressing about. In fact ever since that moment, I have realized that I can overcome any problems thanks to my sons' love. The most important thing of my life is that my boys are safe and healthy, and they bring me joy all the time. The memory (10) _____ me that nothing really matters, when I have the love of my children

Choose the best answer:
It can take a long time to become successful in your chosen field, no matter how talented you are. One thing you have to be aware of is that you will face criticism along the way. The world is full of people who would rather say something negative than positive. If you’ve made up your (15) _____ to achieve a certain goal, such as writing a novel, don’t let the negative criticism of others (16) _____ you from reaching your target, and let the constructive criticism have a positive (17) _____ on your work. If someone says you’re totally in the lack of talent, ignore them. That’s negative criticism. If, (18) _____ , someone advises you to revise your work and gives you a good reason for doing so, you should consider their suggestions carefully. There are many film stars who were once out of work . There are many famous novelists (19) _____ made a complete mess of their first novel – or who didn’t, but had to keep on approaching hundreds of publishers before they could get it published. Being successful does depend on luck, to a certain extent. But things are more likely to turn out well if you persevere and stay positive

Choose the best answer:
Have you ever had the feeling that people older than you are hard to understand? Or, have you felt like people from younger generations just don't get it? Maybe you find it easier to connect with people (26) ______ are closer to your age than those who are older or younger than you. You can probably thank the generation gap for these feelings. There are currently six generations living in the United States: the Greatest Generation, Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z. (27) ______ generation has its own unique set of characteristics and norms. For (28) ______ , the Greatest Generation (born 1901-1924) is known for its patriotism, hard workers, and loyalty to institutions. The Millennials (born 1980-2000) are characterized by their dependence on technology, detachment from traditional institutions, optimism, and open-mindedness. It is no (29) ______ that many people from different generations have a hard time understanding each other. Generation gap refers to differences in actions, beliefs, interests, and opinions that (30) ______ between individuals from different generations. So, what causes these differences?

Choose the best answer:
Why do people like to chew gum? Some people say they like the taste.(31)________say they can think better if they chew gum. Some people chew it when they have some boring work to do. Others chew gum when they are nervous. Gum is a mixture of things. For many years gum companies made gum from chicle. Chicle is a natural gum from a tree in Mexico and Central America. Now companies use plastic and rubber made from petroleum (32)________of chicle. Gum must be soft so that you can chew it. A softener keeps it soft. The gum company makes the softener from vegetable oil. A sweetener makes the gum sweet. The sweetener is usually sugar. Then the company (33)________the flavor. Thomas Adams made the first gum from chicle in 1836. However , chewing gum was not new. The Greeks chewed gum from a tree (34)________2,000 years ago. Mayan Indians in Mexico chewed chicle. Indians in the Northeastern United States taught Europeans to chew gum from a tree there. People first made bubble gum in 1928. Children like to (35)________bubble with bubble gum. Some university students do too

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It is natural for young people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for most of the misunderstandings between them. They have always complained, more or less justly, that their parents are old-fashioned, possessive and dominant; that they do not trust their children to deal with obstacles; that they talk too much about certain problems and that they have no sense of humor, at least in parent-child relationships. I think it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also forget how they themselves felt when young.  Young people often irritate their parents with their choices in clothes and hairstyles, in entertainers and music. This is not their motive. They feel cut off from the adult world into which they have not yet been accepted. So they create a culture and society of their own. Then, if it turns out that their music or entertainers or vocabulary or clothes or hairstyles irritate their parents, this gives them additional enjoyment. They feel they are superior, at least in a small way, and that they are leaders in style and taste.  Sometimes you are resistant and proud because you do not want your parents to approve of what you do. If they did approve, it looks as if you are betraying your own age group. But in that case, you are assuming that you are the underdog: you can you can keep your honor. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is natural enough after long years of childhood, when you were completely under your parents' control. But it ignores the fact that you are now beginning to be responsible for yourself.  If you plan to control your life, co-operation can be part of that plan. You can charm others, especially parents, into doing things the ways you want. You can impress others with your sense of responsibility and initiative, so that they will give you the authority to do what you want to do. 
2. According to paragraph 2, teenagers tend to have strange clothes and hairstyles because they ____

Read the following dialogue and then choose the best answer A, B, C, D:

"Teacher: Good morning. Minh. Do you (1).....................      in town?
Minh : Yes, I live in (2).....................        apartment.
Teacher: Is (3)...................... a supermarket near the apartmenr?
Minh : Yes, there’s also a bank, a clinic (4)       ........... a hotel.
Teacher: Are there any (5).............. near it?
Minh Yes, there (6)............... a toy store, a bakery, a drugstore and two bookstores.                   
Teacher: Is it (7) ....... there? 
Minh No, it’s very (8) ................"

8. No, it’s very (8) ................

Choose the best answer:
Stephen Hawking was 21 years old and just embarking upon his career as a researcher in cosmology at the University of Cambridge when his father noticed he was tripping and falling frequently. After a series of tests, Hawking was (26) _______ with 50 ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and doctors estimated he had two and a half years left to live. The news was, of course, devastating, but Hawking avoided an emotional (27) _______ by taking new interest in his studies and his research. His disease continued to progress, (28) _______, and by the mid-1970s he needed more care and his speech was so slurred only his family could understand him. In 1985, Hawking came down with pneumonia and needed a tracheotomy, (29) _______ left him without the ability to speak at 60 all. He did make a full recovery, however, allowing him to finish writing A Brief History of Time, which sold 10 million copies around the world. Although it would be easy to dwell on what ALS has cost him, Hawking has chosen to focus on (30) _______ that he still has in life. His brilliant mind remains unaffected by the disease and as a result Hawking has 65 made significant breakthroughs in his field and has received twelve honorary degrees, as well as multiple awards, medals and prizes

Choose the best answer:
ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by the five original member countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Laos and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999.  The ASEAN Declaration states that the aims and purposes of the Association are: (1) to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian nations, and (2) to promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries in the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter. In 1995, the ASEAN Heads of State and Government re-affirmed that "Cooperative peace and shared prosperity shall be the fundamental goals of ASEAN.”  The Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia, signed at the First ASEAN Summit on 24 February 1976, declared that in their relations with one another, the High Contracting Parties should be guided by the following fundamental principles:  • Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations;  • The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion, or coercion;  • Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;  • Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;  • Renunciation of the threat or use of force; and  • Effective cooperation among themselves.  The TAC stated that ASEAN political and security dialogue and cooperation should airn to promote regional peace and stability by enhancing regional resilience. Regional resilience shall be achieved by cooperating in all fields based on the principles of self confidence, self-reliance, mutual respect, cooperation, and solidarity, which shall constitute the foundation for a strong and viable community of nations in Southeast Asia. 
3. The word "accelerate" in the passage almost means ____

Choose the best answer:
Environmental pollution is a term that refers to all the ways by which man pollutes his surroundings. Man dirties the air with gases and smoke,. the water with chemicals and other substances, and damages the many fertilizers and pesticides. Man also pollutes his (31) _________ soil with (32) ____ surroundings in various other ways. For example, people ruin natural beauty by (33) _________ garbage and waste products on the land and in the water. They death. Polluted water kills fish life. Pollution of soil reduces the amount of land that is operate machines and motor vehicles that fill the air with disturbing noise. Badly polluted air can cause illness, and (34) _________ and other (35) available for growing food

Choose the best answer:
There is (42) _______ debate between archeologists about when and where the first civilizations developed. That is because the answer to that question depends on what one defines as a civilization. If a civilization is simply a small group of people having a similar culture and beliefs, then civilizations have existed in many parts of the world for thousands of years. If a civilization is defined as a larger, more complex society (43) _______ a government and the construction of cities, then the first civilization was probably the Sumerian civilization in what is now Iraq. The Sumerians were (44) _______ from the Ubaid culture, which was made up of small villages of farmers who lived slightly farther north. Sometime around 4,000 B.C. these farmers moved down into the valley along the Tigris River. This land received little rain, and was unsuitable for farming. Therefore, it was empty and the Sumerians had plenty of (45) _______ and little competition from other peoples. What allowed the Sumerians to successfully farm in this dry land was their knowledge of irrigation, the practice of taking water from a river or lake and moving it to fields through the use of man-made canals. This allowed the Sumerians to farm here successfully (46) _______ the lack of rain. We know that the Sumerians had a great understanding of irrigation because their language is filled with words related to it

Choose the best answer:
Not everybody recognizes the benefits of new developments in communications technology. Indeed, some people fear that text messaging may actually be having a negative ______(31) on young people's communication and language skills, especially when we hear that primary school children may be at ______(32) of becoming addicted to the habit. So widespread has texting become, however, that even pigeons have started doing it. What‟s more, in this case, it's difficult to view the results as anything but positive. Twenty of the birds are about to ______(33) to the skies with the task of measuring air pollution, each ______(34) with sensor equipment and a mobile phone. The ______(35) made by the sensors will be automatically ______(36) into text messages and beamed to the Internet - where they will appear on a dedicated 'pigeon blog'

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According to a new survey, people living in Britain's rural areas are more (34) _______ about the future and happier about their quality of life than people in cities and towns. The Countryside Living Index carried out (35) _______ how people feel about their lives, found that the satisfaction ratings of people living in the countryside leapt by 10.7 per cent (36) _______ the first and second quarters of 2013, with their views about the cost of living, education and crime all improving. People in both rural and urban areas said that they felt more optimistic about health, education, and the environment, but the positive change was much more pronounced among countrydwellers than city inhabitants. People from urban areas also said that they were increasingly more worried about crime than those in the countryside and overall, the rise in perceived quality of life was three times higher in the countryside than in the cities. Tim Price, who carried out the study, said: "The recession made life in the countryside very tough for many people, (37) _______ it's great news to see concerns about the cost of living easing." However, for young people the lack of rural jobs paying a living (38) _______, and housing costs continue to make hard for them to live in the countryside

Choose the best answer:
How is global warning affecting you? Many people in the world would not know how to answer this question as they do not see any sort of change in climate. The people who do not notice it tend to live in cities where the climates are already (31) _________; in essence, they mostly live indoors. If it is raining, they stay inside. If it is too cold or too hot, they turn on the heat or their air conditioning (32) _________. For farmers and others who live closer to the land; however, global warming is not something they are (33) _________ from. Although they cannot prove on any given day that the weather, extreme or mild, has anything to do with climate change, they can say over time that things are beginning to seem different. They notice that flowers and other plants are blooming earlier in northern regions of the world’s continents. This causes them to change planting (34) _________ for crops in some cases. (35) _________, farmers are facing more floods and droughts in our country and elsewhere

Choose the best answer:
Many older cities are having modern makeovers and they are being given a new (1) ____. Sometimes the impetus for this (2) ____ of change comes from the need to provide new (3) ____ for particular events being held in the city - a sporting event, or something (4) ____. On other (5) ____ the change just seems to (6) ____ place almost naturally.  Take Birmingham, for instance, (7) ____ it was previously an (8) ____ place to live, it has now become trendy, and this change has been brought about largely by the new-look architecture that can be found everywhere in the city. The old shopping centre has been (10) ____ down and completely rebuilt, and new shopping malls are competing to attract shoppers with the high quality of their services and goods. The area located around the canal, once hidden away and surrounded by decaying factories was often used as a rubbish (11) ____, but it has now become a trendy place (12) ____ up of modern offices, bars, sought-after apartments and restaurants. To (13) ____ up, Birmingham has become the place to be. Even in what was formerly the poorest part of the city an old factory has been (14) ____ into a lively complex of studios, galleries and coffee bars. With its theatres, museums and football teams Birmingham is (15) ____ worth visiting and has something for everyone

Choose the best answer:
The Industrial Revolution in Britain was built on the use of machines in factories. Since the 1950s, Britain's (24)......industries have replaced machine operators with computers, and this (25)......has led to a decline in the number of (26).......in many factories. Goods are bought and used much more than ever before but a lot of these goods are imported. By the beginning of the 20th century, other. industrial countries like the USA were (27).......with Britain's exports, and countries in the Far East have been able to provide cheaper (28)......since the 1970s. Areas located with heavy industries are suffering high unemployment. During the last 30 years, there has been a constant rise in smaller industries (29).........as "light industries". These ones use electricity and are not (30) .........on raw materials such as coal so they are "footloose", i.e. they can be located anywhere. They produce such things as washing machines or spare (31) .......... Some of these industries produce nothing at all, but provide services like distribution. The consumer boom of the 1980s and the increased leisure time of most Britons have led to rapid (32) ........ in service industries like banking, tourism, retailing and information processing, and in industries which distribute, maintain, and repair (33)............consumer goods

Choose the best answer:
It’s only natural that people want to use the latest innovations to better themselves. Smart devices can truly do incredible things and help to simplify our day. They can also enhance our perceptions, arm us with knowledge, and open up a world of new possibilities. A few people have even decided to make the leap and transform themselves to become cyborgs. Cyborg is a term used to describe a being that is half human and half machine. This may sound like something out of science-fiction novels, but some people have already adapted this lifestyle. One is artist Neil Harbisson. He was bom completely colour-blind, and could only see black and white images. It seemed that he would never experience colour. After attending a cybernetics talk in college, he met an inventor who agreed to make a special device for him. They designed an eyeborg, a mechanical eye that converted colours into sound frequencies. This enabled Harbisson to hear colour and perceive the world in a different way. He started going to museums to ‘"hear” classic paintings. In fact, a simple walk down a grocery store filled with colourful products produces some catchy tunes. Harbisson loves his eyeborg so much that he rarely takes it off. He now gives talks urging others to consider adding their own mechanical improvements. In 1998, British scientist Kevin Warwick conducted his own experiment. He implanted a chip inside of his arm, which he used to control lights and other appliances at home. He later expanded the project by placing electrodes inside his nervous system and linking it to the Internet. This allowed him to control external objects including robotic arms, amplifiers, and. loudspeakers. His work remains influential as this example of extended sensory input was the first of its kind. If you’re interested in becoming a cyborg and you’re willing, a good place to start might be with a pair of Google Glass. Users wear it like ordinary eyeglasses, yet Google Glass is equipped with state-of-the-art electronics. Using voice commands you can have it take a picture of what you see, see directions right in front of you, or translate your voice into other languages. Hopefully, this experience will help you decide whether becoming a cyborg is right for you, or if you’re content to remain a human like the rest of us.
7. The word “state-of-the-art” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to

Read the passage below and answer the question

My country has four seasons. They are spring, summer, fall and winter. In the spring, the spring is usually warm. Sometimes, it is cold, but not very cold. There are many flowers in the spring. In the summer, the day is long and the night is short. We often go swimming in this season. This fall is the season of fruits. In the winter, it's usually very cold. The day is short and the night is long.

How is the day in the summer?

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It is hard to argue that the actual contribution to development amounts to a great deal directly. Whilst volunteer tourists can get involved in building homes or schools, they have usually paid a(n) (26) _______ fee for the opportunity to be involved in this work: money that, if donated to a local community directly, could potentially pay for a greater (27) _______ of labour than the individual volunteer could ever hope to provide. This is especially so in the case of gap years, (28) _______ the level of technical skill or professional experience required of volunteers is negligible. Hence, it is unsurprising that many academic studies (29) _______ to the moral issue of whether gap year volunteering is principally motivated by altruism – a desire to benefit the society visited – or whether young people aim to generate ‘cultural capital’ which benefits them in their careers. (30) _______, the projects may play a role in developing people who will, in the course of their careers and lives, act ethically in favour of those less well-off

HOUSES

There are many houses all over the world. Some houses are large. Some are small. Some are made of wood. Some are made of rock. People usually build their houses with something that is easy to find. For example, there are many trees in forest. So people who live there might build a house made of logs. Some houses have one room. Some houses have many rooms. There is usually a bedroom for sleeping, a kitchen for cooking, a living room for sitting and talking. There is usually a bathroom. Some houses have attics. The attic is above the main part of the house. Most houses have a door so people can enter and exit the house. Most houses have windows so people can look outside. Houses look very different in different parts of the world. But, people who live in a house probably all agree that there is no place like home!

Why are many forest houses made of logs?

Choose the best answer:
The greenhouse effect is always reported as being a negative consequence of current human lifestyle practices. However there certainly have been numerous suggestions of positive consequences of the greenhouse effect.  A slight temperature increase in some of the colder parts of the world may improve conditions for agriculture and changing rainfall patterns may favor some species over others. However, they do not balance with overall negative impacts. The social, economic and ecological disorders brought about by such climatic changes worldwide are projected to greatly outweigh regional benefits.  The impacts of global warming and climate change could become a source of increased tension between nations and regions. While the developed, industrialized world is responsible for 75% of all CO2 emissions, these impacts will most likely hit hardest upon the poorer, underdeveloped parts of the world. For example, as sea levels rise countries like Bangladesh will suffer much more from the loss of valuable and populated lands than European or North American countries, even though they have emitted only a tiny fraction of the greenhouse gases.  The effect of drowning coastlines could lead to hundreds of millions of climate refugees. Where will these refugees go? How will they be cared for? Undoubtedly, such a disaster will seriously worsen the already critical refugee problem in the world. A severe disorder of the world's food supplies through floods, droughts, crop failures and diseases brought about by climate change would lead to famines, wars and civil disorder in many countries.  
4. The word "tiny" in the passage is closest in meaning to ____

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the passage below

Anh’s family has a ….(1)….trip to the beach on summer vacation . They always go to Vung Tau in the south …(2)…. Vietnam. They usually stay in a hotel but sometimes they stay in a small house near the sea. Every morning, they go to the beach. Lam likes going swimming …..(3)……his sister never swims. She plays volleyball on the beach. Volleyball is her …..(4)…… sport. They usually have sandwiches…(5)…..lunch or sometimes they go to a small restaurant. In the afternoon, they walk. In the evenings, they often go to the cinema or the theater.

2. They always go to Vung Tau in the south …(2)…. Vietnam.