Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
No More Polar Bears?
We all know that the Earth is getting warmer and warmer. This problem is called “global warming”. We also know that global warming is causing a lot of problems. Ocean levels are getting higher and higher. Because ocean levels are getting higher, storms are getting stronger and stronger. This list of problems goes on and on. Animals are suffering a lot because of global warming. Polar bears are suffering more than most animals. This is because polar bears live in the North Pole. In the North Pole, global warming is making ice melt. Polar bears hunt from large pieces of floating ice. They jump off the ice and hunt for food. Polar bears have to swim and find these floating pieces of ice. These days, they have to swim farther to find the floating ice. Many of them don’t have enough energy. They get too tired, and they die in the water. Polar bears are suffering because of other problems, too. Pollution makes their water dirty. Many countries go to the North Pole to look for oil and gas, and they damage the environment of the bears. In addition, when ships sail through the North Pole, they cause a lot of damage. Finally, people hunt and kill too many polar bears. However, melting ice is definitely the biggest problem. Right now, there are about 25,000 polar bears in the world. If global warming continues, there may be only about 12,000 in the year 2050. By the year 2080, that number might be much smaller. It is important to study polar bears. When we learn about polar bears, we also learn about the health of the North Pole. If polar bears are doing well, then the environment in the North Pole is probably healthy. If polar bears are suffering then there are probably serious problems in the North Pole. Right now, governments around the world are working to help polar bears. There are new laws that protect polar bears. However, if global warming continues to get worse, polar bears may disappear forever.
4. The word “this” in paragraph 2 refers to ________

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 human criterion for perfect vision is 20/20 for reading the standard lines on a Snellen eye chart without a hitch. The score is determined by how well you read lines of letters of different sizes from 20 feet away. But being able to read the bottom line on the eye chart does not approximate perfection as far as other species are concerned. Most birds would consider us very visually handicapped. The hawk, for instance, has such sharp eyes that it can spot a dime on the sidewalk while perched on top of the Empire State Building.
It can make fine visual distinctions because it is blessed with one million cones per square millimeter in its retina. And in water, humans are farsighted, while the kingfisher, swooping down to spear fish, can see well in both the air and water because it is endowed with two foveae - areas of the eye, consisting mostly of cones, that provide visual distinctions. One fovea permits the bird, while in the air, to scan the water below with one eye at a time. This is called monocular vision. Once it hits the water, the other fovea joins in, allowing the kingfisher to focus both eyes, like binoculars, on its prey at the same time.
A frog’s vision is distinguished by its ability to perceive things as a constant motion picture. Known as “bug detectors”, a highly developed set of cells in a frog’s eyes responds mainly to moving objects. So, it is said that a frog sitting in a field of dead bugs wouldn’t see them as food and would starve. The bee has a “compound” eye, which is used for navigation. It has 15,000 facets that divide what it sees into a pattern of dots, or mosaic. With this kind of vision, the bee sees the sun only as a single dot, a constant point of reference. Thus, the eye is a superb navigational instrument that constantly measures the angle of its line of flight in relation to the sun. A bee’s eye also gauges flight speed. And if that is not enough to leave our 20/20 “perfect vision” paling into insignificance, the bee is capable of seeing something we can’t - ultraviolet light.
Thus, what humans consider to be “perfect vision” is in fact rather limited when we look at other species. However, there is still much to be said for the human eye. Of all the mammals, only humans and some primates can enjoy the pleasures of color vision.

According to the passage, “bug detectors” are useful for     .

_____  live in Ho Chi Minh City than in the whole of the rest of the country.

(453)______

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Wellness in the Workplace
(1)------- health care costs remain an issue of great concern for many employers. "People are working more hours, and at the same time, medical costs are rising, so it makes sense to promote wellness," says Morris Hsiu, health services coordinator for Greenview Marketing in Kelowna, British Columbia. "It costs less to build and staff a gym than it does to pay for health care, train new staff or hire temporary staff to take over when someone becomes ill (2)------- stress or overwork." At Greenview, as at other companies, employees who use the gym are more relaxed and productiveand spend fewer days away from work due to illness, thus saving the company money. Hsiu recommends that companies start with small steps to (3)------- encourage good health. Some suggestions from Hsiu include bringing in instructors to provide classes in stretching or aerobics and hiring nutrition consultants for diet information

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Poor Pluto! Once the ninth planet in our solar system, Pluto has now been demoted to the status of a "dwarf planet". It is no longer even part of our solar system, but rather of a separate area called the Kuiper Belt. The decision came about after the International Astronomical Union (IAU) tried to shed some light on Pluto's status. It came up with a new definition for planets that Pluto did not fit. Many in the astronomical disagreed with it, especially since the Earth, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune would not be planets either according to this definition! Only five percent of the astronomical community voted on this issue, and critics say this decision was not based on the community as a whole. In the state of New Mexico, a resolution has been passed that Pluto will always be a planet. This was done in honor of Clyde Tombaugh who discovered Pluto and lived most of his life in New Mexico. Pluto's demotion was also influenced by its size - it's only half the size of our moon! It consists of rock and ice. Pluto has one big moon (Charon) an two smaller ones (Nix and Hydra). Lowell realized that there must be a ninth planet as the gravitational pull of a large body was influencing the orbit of Uranus. He called it "Planet X". He spent his whole life searching for "Planet X" but to no avail. It was until 1930 that it was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh. Now that "Planet X" has finally been discovered, it needed a name. Suggestions poured in from all over the world, but it was an 11 -year-old girl. Venetia Burnet, who came up with the name "Pluto". Venetia was interested in Greek history, and "Pluto", was another name for Hades, god of the Underworld (Hell). As she imagined it to be a cold and dark place, she felt that "Pluto" would be an appropriate name. The Lowe Observatory (where Clyde Tombaugh worked) agreed and Pluto was born! Pluto is so far away from Earth that it is difficult to study. That will change in 2015 when the "New Horizons" spacecraft arrives on Pluto. It was launched on January 19.2006. It carries with it the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh Pluto's discover who died in 1997. It is hoped that the mission will give scientists more information about Pluto. Even though Pluto has lost its place in the sun, it is still important enough for scientists to study!
10. What does the word "this" refers to?

Choose the best answer:
We can use a solar charge for charging mobile devices.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
Many people today would like the traditional two-parent family back, that is to say, they want a man and a  woman to (1)...................for life; they also think the man should support the family, and the woman should stay home with the children. However, few families now (2)................. in the this category. In fact, if more women decide to have children on their own, the single-parent household may become more typical than the traditional family in many countries. Also, couples may decide to have more children, or they might take in foster children or (3).............. . And because people are staying single and living longer, there may be more one-person households. (4).......... the otherhand, some people believe that similar events happen again and again in history. if this is true, people may go back to the traditional (5).................. or nuclear family of the past. Others think that the only certainty in history is change. in other words, the structure of the future family could begin to change faster and faster and in more and more ways.

(3)......................................

Only a small percentage of information on the (1) _______ is restricted to subscribers or other authorized users. The majority of Web pages are available to (2) _______ who can access a computer that connects to the Internet. The Web has become a (3) _______ for many companies selling products or services, (4)_________ a forum for people to exchange opinions and information. Museums, libraries, government agencies, and schools post information on the Web to make it (5) _______ to others.

(23)________

Choose the best answer:
All / subjects / my/ new/ school/ interesting.

Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C, D):
Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia that is available on the Internet and what people love about it is that it can be edited by absolutely everybody. When and how did it start? It was founded in 2001 by a guy called Jimmy Wales. It started as a fancy idea, a kind of a hobby and everybody is surprised how popular it has become and how many computer scientists it has attracted. It has got a collection of about 1.8 mln articles, the majority of which are in English; however, one can find some articles in over 200 languages. If it was a business, it would earn lots of money. How is it possible that articles that can be changed by anyone are correct? The Wikipedia is based on wikis - a special software which lets everyone modify a webpage and it is true that anyone can change the information on the page if they think it's incorrect. But, the Wikipedia has a team of over 13,000 people who are experts in different fields and who correct any inaccurate information sent by people. Is it error-free? One may say so. Recently, for example, the British journal Nature looked at the scientific information in Wikipedia and confirmed it was very reliable and that they didn't find many errors. It was very good news for the founder as well as for all the users. Why is it becoming so popular? Like the whole idea of the Internet, it's also quick and available to everyone. The greatest thing of all is that it is free. Some people also stress that it's fun to be able to add what you know to the information on the net. IT specialists believe it has a very bright future and most claim it's the most brilliant invention ever.
1. Wikipedia ......

MANCHESTER (10 April) – Sparkle Pro Enterprises, a leading Belgium-based ---143--- of cleaning products, is expanding its territory. The company has just opened its first plant in the United States, in Indianapolis. For more than forty years, Sparkle Pro has been making and distributing household and industrial cleaners to a wide range of vendors, including retail outlets and hotel chains, throughout Europe. ---144---.
The Indianapolis facility will require the company to hire 300 additional employees ---145--- the end of this year in order for it to achieve full capacity. According to Egan Bretz, the new director of North American operations, Sparkle Pro is confident that it will be able to train a large number of personnel quickly. Mr. Bretz expects no significant ---146--- in meeting these needs.

146................

Choose the best answer:
We haven’t known who __________ the pyramid yet.

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Explosions in the Sky
If you attend a major outdoor event in the evening, whether it is in Paris, Beijing, or New York City, there is a good chance that it will end in a sensational way. After all of the other activities have concluded, the sky will be lit up by a colourful firework display. Although the show may only last for a few minutes, during that time every eye will look on with amazement as they work their magic in the air. Fireworks were invented in the seventh century by the Chinese. They were quickly absorbed into the culture and became a part of many celebratory events and festivals. Eventually, emperors would organize large firework displays to entertain and impress their subjects. Fireworks didn’t become big in Europe until the mid-17th century. People became interested in fireworks after reading accounts from monks and travellers who saw them while in China. Once they did arrive, it was obvious they were there to stay. Fireworks were frequently paired with triumphant classical symphonies to celebrate the end of wars and other great victories. As time went on, the fireworks continued to evolve and get better in many ways. Fireworks now come in every colour imaginable. The colour comes from different chemicals that are placed inside of each firework. Thanks to modern technology, it is also possible to create firework arrangements in the shape of hearts, smiley faces, and even the planet Saturn. This is because of the way that the aerial shells, or casings, of fireworks are constructed. The cases are packed with exploding pellets and a piece of cardboard. The cardboard enables the designers to arrange the pellets in pattern or shape of the object of their choice. The first time this technology was used was in Washington DC, during a celebration to welcome home American troops who fought in the Gulf War. The visual aspect is only part of the reason fireworks are appealing. The sounds that fireworks make also add a healthy dose of excitement to the display. There are several noises that fireworks can make. The most common is the “bang” which sounds a lot like a gunshot. Fireworks can also crackle, hum, and whistle as they streak across the night sky. The world’s largest firework show was held in Kuwait in 2012. 77,282 fireworks exploded during the incredible 64-minute show. But with people’s love for fireworks at an all-time high, who knows how long that record will last?
4. Which of the following best matches the meaning of the phrase “become big” in paragraph 2?

Choose the best answer:
Each fiber in the bundle ___________ only a tiny fraction of the total image.

Choose the best anwer:
John had agreed ......................... me in his office.

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:
Fish that live on the sea bottom benefit by being flat and hugging the contours. There are two very differcent types of flatfish and they have evolved in very separate ways. The skates ad rays, relatives of the rharks, have become flat in what might be called the obivious way. Their bodies have grown out sideways to form grat “wings”. They look as though they have been flattened but have remained symmetrical and “the right way up”. Conversely, fish such sas plaice, sole, and halibut have become flat in a different way. There are bony fish which have a marked tendency to be flattened in a vertical direction; they are much “taller” than they are wide. They use their whole, vertically flattened bodies as swimming surfaces, which undulat through the water as they move. Therefore, when their ancestors migrate to the seabed, they lay on one side than on their bellies. However, this raises the problem that one eye was always looking down into the sand and was effectively useless – In evolution this problem was soleved by the lower eye “moving” around the other side. We see this process off moving around enacted in the development of every young bony flatfish. It starts life swimming near the surface, and is symmetrical and vertically flattened, but then the skull starts to grow in a strange asymmetrical twisted fashion,, so that one eye, for instance the left, moves over the top of the head upwards, an old Picasso – like vision. Incidentally, some species of 20 flatfish settle on the right side, others on left, and others on either side.

The word “this” refers to     _

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.

A Tale of Two Cities: Seoul and Dhaka

The city of Seoul, with a population of 10.3 million on 1998, forms part of South Korea’s capital region. As the capital city, Seoul has been at the center of South Korea’s remarkable economic transformation over the last four decades.

In the 1960s, much of South Korea’s industrial growth was focused on greater Seoul, which by 1970 had 52 percent of the country’s industrial workers. The major contributor to this growth was rural-urban migration, which accounted for 50 percent of the country’s urban increase in the 1960s. This very rapid growth of Seoul’s population placed pressure on the city’s infrastructure, leading to marked growth in new settlements, increasing  traffic congestion, and growing air pollution. This led the government to adopt a national decentralization strategy in the 1970s that attempted to divert industry to other areas of the country. In the 1980s, continuing efforts were made to decentralize economic activity.

Dhaka’s population of 6.5 million is crowded into 360 square kilometers, creating one of the highest urban densities in the world. Unlike South Korea, Bangladesh has not experienced rapid economic change, and agriculture remains the major component of GDP and the main resource of employment. While general economic conditions have improved somewhat over the last twenty years, Bangladesh is still a very poor country.

Dhaka’s rate of population growth has declined slightly over the past three decades, but it still remains among the highest in Asia (4.2 percent annually). The continuing growth reflects ongoing migration from rural areas to the Dhaka urban region. Recently, the city’s population has also grown as a result of the expansion of its administrative boundaries, a process that added 1 million people to the city in the 1980s. Dhaka’s growth has not been associated with an expansion of productive employment opportunities in relatively high wage areas. Instead, there has been growing employment in the low productivity, low-income sector, such as petty retailing or rickshaw driving.

All of the following are the problems that the authorities of Seoul had to deal with

EXCEPT____________.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word or phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions.

Halsey invited Suga to collaborate on the new record

Sometimes forest fires have caused serious damage to both private and public property. They destroy many houses and cause deaths, particularly when they have reached villages which are close to the forests. It is more dangerous if a destructive fire burns away plants and trees that prevent erosion. If heavy rains occur after such a fire, landslides, ash flows, and flash floods can occur. This can result in property damage in the immediate fire area, and can affect the water quality of streams, rivers and lakes. Wind sometimes makes contributions to forest fires. In southern California, under the influence of Santa Ana winds, fires could move at tremendous speeds, up to 40 miles (60 km) in a single day, consuming up to 1,000 acres (4 km2) per hour.

______may happen after a forest fire. 

Read the passage below carefully, and then choose the best answer:
Are Vitamins Beneficial?
If you happen to flip through TV channels, you are likely to come across a commercial for a new vitamin or supplement designed to improve your health. These pills often promise the world, claiming to cure baldness, or kick-start fat loss. But in the medical community, there is some debate as to whether these products provide any tangible benefits at all. Millions of people worldwide begin their day by popping a multi-vitamin. These pills are supposed to effortlessly provide our bodies with vitamins in case we have missed them in our meals. It seemed to be a no-brainer that everyone should take one. Scientific studies, however, have painted another picture. In 2006, a study conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which used the strictest possible standards, concluded that multi-vitamins have zero effect on reducing a person’s chances of getting cancer or heart disease. The only people multi-vitamins benefitted were those in poverty-stricken nations who suffered from nutritional deficiencies. In 2009, a related study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center came to a similar conclusion after monitoring 160,000 women for a period of 10 years. Antioxidants are another supplement that is promoted to improve health and prevent aging. Antioxidants are found in vitamins A, C, and E, and are supposed to greatly reduce cellular damage. However, in a study that involved over 180,000 adults, those who took a combined dosage of these vitamins actually increased their risks of dying by 16 percent. One likely cause for these negative results is that people who eat healthy diets and take vitamins are probably getting too many nutrients, which can be toxic. Then why are these supplements being promoted? Many experts blame the health industry in the US and other nations because supplements are not highly regulated as they should be. What is worse, vitamin makers are not required to list negative side effects like medicines do. In many cases, it can even be difficult for the US’s Federal Drug Agency (FDA) to ban risky ingredients due to lengthy and expensive legal battles. On the other hand, after these studies were made public, people continued buying more vitamins than ever. It seems that no matter what evidence is presented, the majority of people are not ready to give up on a magic pill just yet.
2. Which does the word “them” in paragraph 2 refer to?

Choose the best answer:
A ………. is an enormous system of stars in outer space.