For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming  back to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of  them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called “latchkey children”. They are children who look after themselves while their parents work. And their bad  condition has become a subject of concern. 
Lynette Long was once the principal of an elementary school. She said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was  constantly telling them to put the keys inside shirts. There were so many keys; it never came to  my mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned that they were house keys. She and her husband began talking to the children who had keys. They learned of the effect working couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear was the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being  frightened. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety. The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. They may hide  in a shower stall, under a bed or in a closet. The second is TV. They often turn the volume up. It’s  hard to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs have learned. Most parents are slow to admit  that they leave their children alone

What is the main idea of the first paragraph? 

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

The excitement of snorkelling in a clear tropical sea is hard to explain to someone who hasn't done it. If you expect to have the opportunity of trying it when on holiday, it is well worth bringing a snorkel if you can get hold of one. Experts now recommend a separate breathing tube.

Many swimmers take a deep breath before diving with a snorkel. This is a mistake, because it makes the body so light that you dive with difficulty. It is best to take a couple of deep breaths and then a normal relaxed breath in order to breathe in enough for dive. Don't take repeated deep breaths before diving because this can lead to shortage of oxygen, which causes unconsciousness without warning.

The backs of many snorkellers get badly burnt, for the snorkellers are so involved in the world below they forget about the dangers of sunburn. The sea does not protect your back from the rays of the sun, and it is best to wear a T-shirt. Snorkellers should also consider wearing shoes (or slippers), which may protect their feet from cuts from sharp rocks which can easily become infected.

What does the writer find difficult about snorkelling?

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
Health and fitness are not just for young people. They are for anyone willing to accept the (1) _______ for a good diet and (2) _______ exercise. With age, there is a tendency to feel that  the body is no longer able to (3) _______. Aches and pains are (4) _______ normal. Instead of  pushing the body to do (5) _______, activities become limited. Yet examples after examples  have shown us that older people can – and should – be (6) 
_______. Men and women in their sixties have run in marathons, races of more than twenty six miles. Some professional athletes stay (7) _______ into their forties and fifties. For most  people, simple activities like walking and swimming are all that is needed to stay in (8)  _______. It’s important to include exercise in your daily routine. In the winter, (9) _______  push-ups, sit-ups, and other indoor exercises. Of course, such exercises will be of little use  (10) _______ you follow them with soda and chips. 

Câu 8................

Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.

As well as being a necessary life-saving skill, swimming also (26)________us with a source of great pleasure and relaxation. Swimming, as well as other water sports like diving, surfing or just floating on your back, are some of the best ways to have (27)________and keep fit at the same time. Water sports are enjoyable for people of (28)________ages and even babies can learn to swim.

For elderly people or (29)________with physical handicaps, swimming provides gentle, yet effective exercise. Swimming for fitness and recreation has been popular (30) ________the earliest times, for instance in ancient Egypt, Greece and Roma. Swimming competitions developed in the nineteenth century and swimming races were (31)_______ in the first of the modern Olympic Games in 1896. Now water sports are (32)________ all over the world and most towns have at least one swimming pool.

Most water sports - swimming, surfing and water-skiing, etc, take (33)________on the surface of the water, but scuba divers explore deep below the waves.

There they can find fascinating sea creatures and strange rockformations. Some archaeologists are divers. (34)________search the seabed for wrecks of ships sunk hundreds of years ago which (35)________ objects that show how people lived in ancient times.

(28)________

Read the passage below and choose one correct answer for each question.

There is very little documentation about the origins of water polo. It is known, however, that the sport originated in the rivers and lakes of mid-19th century England as an aquatic version of rugby. Early games used an inflated rubber ball that came from India known as a "pulu" (the single Indian word for all "balls"). Pronounced "polo" by the English, both the game and the ball became known as "water polo". To attract more spectators to swimming exhibitions, the London Swimming Association designed a set of water polo rules for indoor swimming pools in 1870. At first, players scored by planting the ball on the end of the pool with both hands. A favorite trick of the players was to place the five-to-nine inch rubber ball inside their swimming suit and dive under the murky water, they would then appear again as close to the goal as possible. The introduction of the rules by Scottish players changed the nature of water polo. It became a game that emphasized swimming, speed and passing. Scottish rules moved from a rugby variant to a soccer style of play. Goals became a cage of 10x 3 feet and a goal could be scored by being thrown. Players could only be tackled when they "held" the ball and the ball could no longer be taken under water. The small rubber ball was replaced by a leather soccer ball. If the player came up too near the goal, he was promptly jumped on by the goalie, who was permitted to stand on the pool deck. Games were often nothing more than gang fights in the water as players ignored the ball, preferring underwater wrestling matches that usually ended with one man floating to the surface unconscious. Water polo was first played in the USA in 1888. The game featured the old rugby style of play which resembled American football in the water. "American style" water polo became very popular and by the late 1890s was played in such venues as Madison Square Garden and Boston's Mechanics Hall, attracting 14,000 spectators to national championship games.

According to the text, Tha main of paragraph is_______.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.

As well as being a necessary life-saving skill, swimming also (26)________us with a source of great pleasure and relaxation. Swimming, as well as other water sports like diving, surfing or just floating on your back, are some of the best ways to have (27)________and keep fit at the same time. Water sports are enjoyable for people of (28)________ages and even babies can learn to swim.

For elderly people or (29)________with physical handicaps, swimming provides gentle, yet effective exercise. Swimming for fitness and recreation has been popular (30) ________the earliest times, for instance in ancient Egypt, Greece and Roma. Swimming competitions developed in the nineteenth century and swimming races were (31)_______ in the first of the modern Olympic Games in 1896. Now water sports are (32)________ all over the world and most towns have at least one swimming pool.

Most water sports - swimming, surfing and water-skiing, etc, take (33)________on the surface of the water, but scuba divers explore deep below the waves.

There they can find fascinating sea creatures and strange rockformations. Some archaeologists are divers. (34)________search the seabed for wrecks of ships sunk hundreds of years ago which (35)________ objects that show how people lived in ancient times.

(34)________

 Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage:

"Many outdoor (1)….. enjoy canoeing or kayaking (2) ….. recreation on ponds, lakes, and rivers. Some people use canoes and kayaks to travel across bodies of water to remote camping locations. They (3)…. Their supplies, such as tents, sleeping bags, and food, in their boats. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park, both (4)…..  along the border between Minnesota and Ontario, Canada, are two of the most popular canoeing areas in North America.
 Whitewater canoeing and kayaking on fast-flowing rivers is another popular activity. The (5)….. whitewater refers (6)........ the burbling foam created when fast-moving water spills over and around rocks or other (7)….. Whitewater enthusiasts maneuver their boats around rocks, logjams and other natural obstacles. If the current and obstacles (8)…… a passage (9)…. difficult to navigate, a canoeist might make a portage, or carry the canoe (10)…..  land for a short distance, thereby avoiding the danger."

5. The (5)….. whitewater refers

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
The well-being of America's rural people and places depends upon many things - the availability of good-paying jobs; (1) to critical services such as education, health care, and communication; strong communities; and a healthy natural environment. And, (2) urban America is equally dependent upon these things, the challenges to well-being look very  different in rural areas than in urban areas. Small-scale, low-density settlement (3) make it  more costly for communities and businesses to provide critical services. Declining jobs and  income in the natural resource-based industries that many rural areas depend on (4) workers  in those industries to find new ways to make a living. Low-skill, low-wage rural  manufacturing industries must find new ways to challenge the increasing number of (5)  competitors. Distance and remoteness impede many rural areas from being connected to the  urban centers of economic activity. Finally, changes in the availability and use of natural  resources located in rural areas (6) the people who earn a living from those resources and  those who (7) recreational and other benefits from them. Some rural areas have met these challenges successfully, achieved some level of prosperity, and are ready (8) the challenges of the future. Others have neither met the current challenges nor positioned themselves for the future. Thus, concern for rural America is real.  And, while ruralAmerica is a producer of critical goods and services, the (9) goes beyond economics. Rural America is also home to a fifth of the Nation'speople, keeper of natural  amenities and national treasures, and safeguard of a/an (10) part of American culture,  tradition, and history. 

Câu 8....................

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.

   Traditionally in America, helping the poor was a matter for private charities or local governments. Arriving immigrants depended mainly on predecessors from their homeland to help them start a new life. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several European nations instituted public-welfare programs. But such a movement was slow to take hold in the United States because the rapid pace of industrialization and the ready availability of farmland seemed to confirm the belief that anyone who was willing to work could find a job.

   Most of the programs started during the Depression era were temporary relief measures, but one of the programs Social Security – has become an American institution. Paid for by deductions from the paychecks of working people, Social Security ensures that retired persons receive a modest monthly income and also provides unemployment insurance, disability insurance, and other assistance to those who need it. Social Security payments to retired persons can start at age 62, but many wait until age 65, when the payments are slightly higher. Recently, there has been concern that the Social Security fund may not have enough money to fulfill its obligations in the 21st century, when the population of elderly Americans is expected to increase dramatically. Policy makers have proposed various ways to make up the anticipated deficit, but a long-term solution is still being debated. In the years since Roosevelt, other American presidents have established assistance programs. These include Medicaid and Medicare; food stamps, certificates that people can use to purchase food; and public housing which is built at federal expense and made available to persons on low incomes. Needy Americans can also turn to sources other than the government for help. A broad spectrum of private charities and voluntary organizations is available. Volunteerism is on the rise in the United States, especially among retired persons. It is estimated that almost 50 percent of Americans over age 18 do volunteer work, and nearly 75 percent of U.S. households contribute money to charity.

Persons on low incomes can access public housing through ______.

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL

Football, or soccer, which is so popular all over the world, dates back to the Middle Ages.  At  that  (58)  ……..  it  was  very  different   from  the  game  we  play  today.  Any number of players could (59) …….. part and the matches usually developed into a free- for-all. In its modern (60) …….. , football is less than two hundred years old.

In 1846, the  first  rules  to  govern  the  game were  drawn (61) …….. at  Cambridge University. The number of players was (62) …….. to 11 per side, which made things much more (63) …….. than before. Later, in 1863, the Football Association was (64)…….. up to help promote the game in Britain.

The game is played on a grass or artificial (65) …….. with a goal net at each end. The (66) …….. is to move the ball around the field, (67) …….. the feet or head, until a player is in a (68) …….. to put the ball into the net and score a goal.

Professional football is not only the most popular (69) …….. sport in the world, (70)…….. also more people actually play football themselves than any other team sport. In 1904 FIFA, the world governing (71) …….. of football, was founded. It organizes the World Cup tournament every four years. Other kinds of football are popular, but less (72) …….. , for example American Football and Australian Rules Football.

61.......................

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.

The peregrine falcon, a predatory bird indigenous to North America, was once in danger of extinction. In the 1960s, scientists discovered byproducts of the pesticide DDT in the birds' eggs, which caused them to be too soft to survive. The use of the pesticide had been banned in the United States, but the falcons were eating migratory birds from other places where DDT was still used. In order to increase the survival rate, scientists were raising the birds in laboratories and then releasing them into mountainous areas. This practice achieved only moderate success, however, because many of the birds raised in captivity could not survive in the wild.

There is now, however, a new alternative to releases in the wild. A falcon that has been given the name Scarlett chose to make her home on a ledge of the 33rd floor of a Baltimore, Maryland, office building rather than in the wild, and, to the surprise of the scientists, she has managed to live quite well in the city. Following this example, programs have been initiated that release birds like Scarlett into cities rather than into their natural wild habitat. These urban releases are becoming a common way to strengthen the species. Urban homes have several benefits for the birds that wild spots do not. First, there is an abundance of pigeons and small birds as food sources. The peregrine in the city is also protected from its main predator, the great horned owl. Urban release programs have been very successful in reestablishing the peregrine falcons along the East Coast. Though they are still an endangered species, their numbers increased from about 60 nesting pairs in 1975 to about 700 pairs in 1992. In another decade the species may flourish again, this time without human help.

Why were the peregrine falcons in danger?

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 31 to 35.
Marcel Bich, a French manufacturer of traditional ink pens, was the man turning the ballpoint pen into an item that today almost anyone can afford. Bich was shocked at the poor quality of the ballpoint pens that were available, and also at their high cost. However, he recognised that the ballpoint was a firmly established invention, and he decided to design a cheap pen that worked well and would be commercially successful.
Bich went to the Biro brothers and asked them if he could use the design of their original invention in one of his own pens. In return, he offered to pay them every time he sold a pen. Then, for two years, Bich studied the detailed construction of every ballpoint pen that was being sold, often working with a microscope.
By 1950, he was ready to introduce his new wonder: a plastic pen with a clear barrel that wrote smoothly, did not leak and only cost a few cents. He called it the 'Bic Cristal'. The ballpoint pen had finally become a practical writing instrument. The public liked it immediately, and today it is as common as the pencil. In Britain, they are still called Biros, and many Bic models also say 'Biro' on the side of the pen, to remind people of their original inventors.
Bich became extremely wealthy thanks to his invention, which had worldwide appeal. Over the next 60 years his company, Société Bic, opened factories all over the world and expanded its range of inexpensive products. Today, Bic is as famous for its lighters and razors as it is for its pens, and you can even buy a Bic mobile phone.

What could be the best title for the passage?

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL

Football, or soccer, which is so popular all over the world, dates back to the Middle Ages.  At  that  (58)  ……..  it  was  very  different   from  the  game  we  play  today.  Any number of players could (59) …….. part and the matches usually developed into a free- for-all. In its modern (60) …….. , football is less than two hundred years old.

In 1846, the  first  rules  to  govern  the  game were  drawn (61) …….. at  Cambridge University. The number of players was (62) …….. to 11 per side, which made things much more (63) …….. than before. Later, in 1863, the Football Association was (64)…….. up to help promote the game in Britain.

The game is played on a grass or artificial (65) …….. with a goal net at each end. The (66) …….. is to move the ball around the field, (67) …….. the feet or head, until a player is in a (68) …….. to put the ball into the net and score a goal.

Professional football is not only the most popular (69) …….. sport in the world, (70)…….. also more people actually play football themselves than any other team sport. In 1904 FIFA, the world governing (71) …….. of football, was founded. It organizes the World Cup tournament every four years. Other kinds of football are popular, but less (72) …….. , for example American Football and Australian Rules Football.

65..................

Read the passage and choose the best answer:

Synchronized swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and figure skating which consists of swimmers (either individuals, duets, trios, teams or combos) performing a synchronized routine of elaborate and dramatic moves in the water, accompanied by music. Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills, and requires strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, not to mention exceptional breath control while upside down underwater.

Developed in the early 1900s in Canada, it is a sport performed almost exclusively by women, although there is some participation by men. In its early form it was sometimes known as “water ballet”.

It is a Summer Olympic Games sport. First demonstrated in 1952, it has been an official event since 1984. Olympic and World Championship competition is not currently open to men, but other international and national competitions allow male competitors. Both USA Synchro and Synchro Canada allow men to compete with women. In competition, competitors show off their strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance required to perform difficult routines. Swimmers perform two routines for the judges, one technical and one free.

Synchronized swimming is a harmonious combination of swimming, dance and figure skating.

Scientists have discovered the bones of what may be the largest meat-eating dinosaur ever to walk the earth. The discovery was made by a team of researchers from Argentina and North America in Patagonia, a desert on the eastern slopes of the Andes in South America. Besides the interesting fact that the dinosaur was huge and horrifying, it is even more astounding that the bones of a number of the dinosaurs were found together. This discovery challenges the prior theory that the biggest meat-eaters lived as loners and instead indicates that they may have lived and hunted in packs. The Tyrannosaurus Rex lived in North America and was believed to hunt and live alone.
The newly discovered meat-eater appears to be related to the Giganotosaurus family, being as closely related to it as a fox would be to a dog. It is actually not of the same family at all as the Tyrannosaurus Rex, being as different from it as a cat is from a dog.
The fossilized remains indicate that the animals lived about 100 million years ago. With needle-shaped noses and razor sharp teeth, they were larger than the Tyrannosaurus Rex, although their legs were slightly shorter, and their jaws were designed to be better able to dissect their prey quickly and precisely.

The author states that the newly discovered meat-eating dinosaur is ________.

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on river, lakes or on the ocean, (1) _____ on the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades (2) _____ they are pushed against the water. The sport can be both recreational, focusing (3)____ learning the techniques required, and competitive where overall fitness plays a large role. It is also one of (4) _____ oldest Olympic sports. In the United States, Australia and Canada, high school and collegial rowing is sometimes referred to as crew.

(5) _____ rowing, the athlete sits in the boat facing backwards, towards the stern, and uses the oars which are held in (6) ____ by the oarlocks to propel the boat forward, towards the bow. It is a demanding sport requiring strong core balance as well as physical (7) _____ and cardiovascular endurance.

Since the action of rowing (8) _____ fairly popular throughout the world, there are many different types of (9) _____. These include endurance races, time trials, stake racing, bumps racing, and the side-by-side format used in the Olympic Games. The many different formats are a result of the long (10) _____ of the sport, its development in different regions of the world, and specific local requirements and restrictions.

(3) ________

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.

   Supernovas are the most powerful and spectacular outbursts known in nature. What is called a Type II supernova is due to the collapse of a massive star, at least eight times as massive as the sun, that has used up its main nuclear fuel and produced a nickel-iron core. When this core can no longer support the pressure of the star’s outer layer, it collapses to form a neutron star of immense density. Over 2,500 million tons of neutron star packed into a matchbox. Its temperature is around 100,000 million degrees centigrade.

   Multitudes of neutrons are produced in the collapsed star, which pass directly through the star into space, and this release of neutrons causes the core to respond with a shock wave that moves outward.

   When it meets the material that is falling inward, the result is a catastrophic explosion. Sometimes most of the star’s material is blown away, leaving only a small, incredibly dense remnant that may be a neutron star or, in extreme cases, a black hole.

   A supernova is often more than 500 million times as luminous as the sun. A supernova remnant (SNR) may be detectable as a pulsar, an example of which is the Crab Nebula, known to be a remnant of the supernova observed in the year 1054. The 1987 supernova in the Large Cloud of Magellan had a low peak luminosity by supernova standards, only about 250 million times that of the sun. As its brightest the supernova shone as a star between magnitudes 2 and 3, even though it was 170,000 light-years away.

What can be inferred from the passage about supernovas?

Walt Disney was born in 1901 in Chicago, but soon moved to a small farm near Marceline, Missouri. From this rural and rather humble beginning he later became one of the most famous and beloved motion-picture producers in history. Although he died in 1966, his name and artistic legacy continue to influence the lives of millions of people throughout the world.
After several years of barely making ends meet as a cartoon artist operating from his Los Angeles garage, Disney had his first success in 1928, with his release of a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Throughout the next decade, he continued to produce a number of cartoons, and develop more of his highly profitable and enduring creations, such as Donald Duck and Pluto. In the late 1930s, he issued full-length cartoon film. Snow White became an instant commercial and critical success. This was only the first of many films, both animated and not, produced by Disney and his studio.
But as renowned as Disney name is for cartoon and monies, it is probably best known for a string of spectacular amusement and theme parks. Starting with California's Disneyland in 1955 and culminating with the fantastically successful Disney World and EPCOT Center in Florida, Disney became a household name. In recent years, the theme park concept became international, with openings in Toyo and Paris. With the continuing success of Disney, the creation of future theme park are under discussion.

What is the author's attitude toward the accomplishments of Walt Disney?

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.

   In the 1960s, The Beatles were probably the most famous pop group in the whole world. Since then, there have been a great many groups that have achieved enormous fame, so it is perhaps difficult now to imagine how sensational The Beatles were at that time. They were four boys from the north of England and none of them had any training in music. They started by performing and recording songs by black Americans and they had some success with these songs. Then they started writing their own songs and that was when they became really popular. The Beatles changed pop music. They were the first pop group to achieve great success from songs they had written themselves. After that it became common for groups and singers to write their own songs. The Beatles did not have a long career. Their first hit record was in 1963 and they split up in 1970. They stopped doing live performances in 1966 because it had become too dangerous for them - their fans were so excited that they surrounded them and tried to take their clothes as souvenirs! However, today some of their songs remain as famous as they were when they first came out. Throughout the world, many people can sing part of a Beatles song if you ask them.

The word 'sensational' is closest in meaning to __________.

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
In a world where 2 billion people live in homes that don't have light bulbs, technology holds  the key (1)_______ banishing poverty. Even the simplest technologies can transform lives and  save money. Vaccines, crops, computers and sources of solar energy can all reduce poverty in  developing countries. For example, cheap oral-rehydration therapy developed in Bangladesh  has dramatically cut the death (2) _______ from childhood diarrhoea. 
But even when such technologies exist, the depressing fact is that we can’t make them (3)  _______ for those who most need them. Solar panels, batteries and light bulbs are still beyond  the purse of many, but where they have been installed they change lives. A decent light in the evening gives children more time for homework and extends the productive day for adults.  Kenya has a thriving solar industry and six years ago Kenyan pioneers also (4) _______  connecting schools to the Internet via radio links. These people were fortunate (5) _______  being able to afford solar panels, radios and old computers. How much bigger would the  impact be if these things (6) _______ and priced specifically for poor people? Multinationals must become part of the solution, because (7)_______ they own around 60 per  cent of the world's technology, they seldom make products for poor customers. Of 1,223 new  drugs marketed worldwide from 1975 to 1996, for example, just 13 were for tropical diseases. People think those enterprises should do more to provide vital products such as medicines (8) _______ different prices around the world to suit (9) _______ people can afford.  Alternatively, they could pay a percentage of their profit towards research and development  for (10) _______. 

 Question 9: .....................

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.

   In the 1960s, The Beatles were probably the most famous pop group in the whole world. Since then, there have been a great many groups that have achieved enormous fame, so it is perhaps difficult now to imagine how sensational The Beatles were at that time. They were four boys from the north of England and none of them had any training in music. They started by performing and recording songs by black Americans and they had some success with these songs. Then they started writing their own songs and that was when they became really popular. The Beatles changed pop music. They were the first pop group to achieve great success from songs they had written themselves. After that it became common for groups and singers to write their own songs. The Beatles did not have a long career. Their first hit record was in 1963 and they split up in 1970. They stopped doing live performances in 1966 because it had become too dangerous for them - their fans were so excited that they surrounded them and tried to take their clothes as souvenirs! However, today some of their songs remain as famous as they were when they first came out. Throughout the world, many people can sing part of a Beatles song if you ask them.

The tone of the passage is that of __________