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 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.

It is a kind of sport that is only spent for female.

Synchronized swimming is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and dance, consisting 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 proficient 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 1900 s in Canada, it is a sport performed almost exclusively by women, although there is some participation by men. In its early form it was some-times 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. 
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 governed internationally by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur).

Synchronized Swimming __________

The habits of those who constantly play video games are very important to people  working in video- game industry. If video games are going to be one of the most attractive  features of future interactive systems, it is essential for producers to know what types of games  to make, how best to present such games on interactive video and how to ensure that such  games maintain their fascination for people. Above all, it is vital to build up detailed profiles  of people who are addicted to video 
games. 
Until recently, the chief market for video games has been boys aged eight to fifteen. The  fascination for interactive video games is seen in its purest form in this group. Video games  appeal to some deep instinct in boys who find it impossible to tear themselves away from them.  Schoolwork is ignored, health is damaged and even eating habits are affected. Girls of the same  age, however, are entirely different, demonstrating far greater freedom from the hold of video  games. Quite simply, they can take video games in their stride, being able to play them when they  want and then leave them alone. 

............................ have different attitude towards playing video games. 

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.

The Social Security program has become possible thanks to ______.

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

Football, also called association football or soccer, game …(6)…which two teams of 11 players, using any part of their bodies …(7)…their hands and arms, try to maneuver the ball into the opposing team’s goal. Only the goalkeeper is permitted to handle the ball and may do so only within the penalty area surrounding the goal. The team that scores more goals wins.

Football is the world’s most popular ball game in numbers of participants and …(8)…. Simple in its principal rules and essential equipment, the sport can be played almost anywhere, …(9)…official football playing fields (pitches) to gymnasiums, streets, school playgrounds, parks, or beaches. Football’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), estimated that at the turn of the 21st century there were …(10)… 250 million football players and over 1.3 billion people “interested” in football; in 2010 a combined television audience of more than 26 billion watched football’s premier tournament, the quadrennial month-long World Cup finals.

Football, also called association football or soccer, game …(6)…which two teams of 11 players.

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 3........................

Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answer: 
Underwater hockey is a non-contact sport in which two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into goals. 
Players wear a diving mask, fins, speedos and a snorkel for play_ Safety gear includes a water polo style cap, a mouthguard, and a glove for the playing hand (to protect against pool-bottom abrasion and, in some designs, knuckle protection against puck impact). Because current rules permit a player to switch the stick between hands mid-play, players may choose to wear a protective glove on both hands. The stick is quite short (not more than 350 mm in length, including the handle) and is colored white or black to indicate the player's team.
Two teams of up to ten players compete, with six players on each team in play at once. Substitution happens continually from a substitution area, which may be on deck or in the water outside the playing area, depending on tourna went rules. Before the start of play the puck is placed in the middle of the pool, and the players wait in the water, touching the wall above the goals they are defending. At the start-of-play signal, in- play members of both teams are free to swim anywhere in the play area and try to score by sending the puck into the opponents' goal. Play continues until either a goal is scored, and players return to their wall to start a new point, or a break in play is signaled by a referee. 
There are a number of penalties described in the official underwater hockey rules, ranging from use of the stick against something (or someone) other than the puck or the playing surface, playing or stopping the puck with something other than the stick, and "screening". If the penalty is minor, referees award an advantage puck - the team that committed the foul is pushed back 3 meters from the puck, while the other team gets a free possession. For major penalties, such as a dangerous pass or intentional or repeated fouls, the referees may eject. players for a specified period of time or the remainder of the game. A defender committing a serious foul sufficiently close to his own goal may be penalized by the award of a point to the fouled player's team.
Games consist of two halves, typically ten to fifteen minutes in length (depending on tournament rules; 15 minutes at world championship tournaments) and a short half time interval. At half time the two teams switch ends.

Which of the following is NOT true?

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 word horrifying in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
The next generation of telephone users will probably laugh (1) _______ we explain how we  used to stand next to a wall in the kitchen to (2) _______ a phone call. Mobile  communications, already highly advanced compared with a decade ago, will completely  change communications in the next few years. (3) _______ there are millions of people using  mobile phones, most people know (4) _______ about the mobile telecommunications industry  and its technology. 
There are three types of mobile phone. These are hand portables, pocket-sized hand portables and transportables. The smallest and most popular are the pocket-sized hand portables. These  work on rechargeable batteries, which allow an (5) _______ of up to 80 minutes'  conversation. Mobiles that are fitted permanently in a vehicle do not (6) _______ on separate  batteries. They require an external aerial on the vehicle. This can mean a stronger signal with  clearer (7) _______. Transportables have a high power capability and can be used (8)  _______ anywhere. They come with powerful battery packs for longer, continuous use and  may also be put (9) _______ a vehicle, using its electrics. They (10) _______ to be bulkier  than hand portables. 

Câu 2......................

 Choose the item among A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage:

"Water polo originated in England during the 1870s and soon became popular in the United States. It was first played in the Olympic Games as a men’s exhibition sport in 1900. In 1904 it became a men’s medal sport, but only the United States fielded a team. In 1908 it was contested internationally at the Olympics. Over the succeeding decades water polo became especially popular in Europe.
 From approximately 1920 to 1946 the United States departed from the international rules for water polo by adopting for play a loosely inflated ball that could be gripped in one hand and carried toward the goal. Opposing players usually attempted to seize the ballcarriers, wrestle them under water, and render them helpless from loss of breath. This rough style of play virtually disappeared by 1946. Since that time traditional water polo has grown rapidly in North America, especially as a college sport. It is particularly popular in Southern California and other parts of the West.
 Women have played water polo since the game’s early days, but participation was not widespread until the 1960s. In 1961 United States Water Polo established a national Club championship for women. It has hosted one for men since 1890. Women’s water polo became an Olympic medal sport at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia."

1. Where did water polo originate?

 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."

7. and around rocks or other (7)….. 

Synchronized swimming is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and dance, consisting 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 proficient 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 1900 s in Canada, it is a sport performed almost exclusively by women, although there is some participation by men. In its early form it was some-times 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. 
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 governed internationally by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur).

Which of the following is not required in Synchronized Swimming?

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answers:
Synchronized swimming is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and dance. This sport has an artistic effect, and really relates to those three sports. It consists of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate and dramatic moves in the water, accompanied by music.
Synchronized swimming demands first-rate 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.
Competitors point to the strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance required to perform difficult routines for the judges, one technical and one free.

The best title for the passage is _______ .

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 7...................

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answers:
Synchronized swimming is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and dance. This sport has an artistic effect, and really relates to those three sports. It consists of swimmers performing a synchronized routine of elaborate and dramatic moves in the water, accompanied by music.
Synchronized swimming demands first-rate 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.
Competitors point to the strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance required to perform difficult routines for the judges, one technical and one free.

Which of sentences is TRUE?

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 most common way for latchkey children to deal with fears? 

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..................

Synchronized swimming is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and dance, consisting 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 proficient 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 1900 s in Canada, it is a sport performed almost exclusively by women, although there is some participation by men. In its early form it was some-times 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. 
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 governed internationally by FINA (Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur).

Which of the following is NOT true?

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.

The author of this passage is most likely __________________ .

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

"A water polo team consists (1)…… seven players - a goalkeeper and six field players. The goalkeeper must defend the goal without hanging onto the goal or using the side of the pool. Each team also may have six (2)…..  players. With the exception of the goalkeeper, each player may use only one hand at a time in (3) …… the ball. Players wear caps of different colors for team (4)…. ; the official rules stipulate white for one team, blue for the other, and red caps for the goalies.
 A match requires two referees, two goal judges, two timekeepers, and two recorders. Games are divided (5) …..four periods of 7 minutes each, with a 2-minute interval between periods. Play begins when the (6)….. , with each team spread out along its own goal line, throws the ball into play at a line halfway between the two teams. The players race toward the ball, and the team that gains (7)…… then attempts to advance it toward the opponent's goal by (8)….. it from teammate to teammate. Players can also swim with the ball by pushing it along the water surface with their bodies as they swim.
 Players may not use more than one hand at a time and may not (9)…. clenched fists. No players - except the goalie, when defending a goal in a pool with a shallow end - may walk on or use the bottom of the pool, (10)….. may they take the ball beneath the surface of the water. Players may not impede the free-limb movement of another player unless that player holds the ball."

10. use the bottom of the pool, (10)….. may they take the ball beneath the surface of the water.