In the Vietnamese town of Vong Nguyet, silk-making has been an important business for 1,200 years. Many of the village people keep silkworms in their living rooms. Each basket contains hundreds of silkworm caterpillars. Throughout the village of Vong Nguyet, people turn the cocoons into silk thread. The first step is to heat the cocoons so that the silk becomes loose. The end of each cocoon must be found by hand and spun together.

The old spinning machines haven’t changed much for over a thousand years. The modern machine has been designed for a finer, higher quality silk thread. It is much faster, but the ends of the silk fibers still have to be found by hand. Once the silk thread is made, it will leave Vong Nguyet and be sent to the weaving town of Van Phuc. Here the silk is made ready for the weaving machines, called looms.

The process of weaving Silk is very slow and the machines must be watched all the time. It takes around two and a half hours to make one meter of silk material. After a lot of work on the part of man and moth, the silk cloth is finally completed. Despite the invention of cheaper materials, natural silk is still loved for its beauty and comfort. This amazing product of man and moth continues to be extremely popular around the world.

1.         What is the passage mainly about?

        A. The origin of silk making                                          B. The reasons why silk is popular

        C. The process of making silk cloth                               D. A silk village in Viet Nam

2.         Where do most people in Vong Nguyet keep silkworms?

        A. in kitchens                                                                  B. inside baskets In the living rooms

        C. in bedrooms                                                               D. on the floor

3.         Which of the following is TRUE about mordern spinning machines?

        A. They produce better silk threads.

        B. They are completely different from the old machines.

        C. The old machines are faster than the mordern ones.

        D. People no longer have to find the ends of silk fibers by hand thanks to them

4. Which of the following CANNOT be done by machines?

        A. Weaving silk                                                              B. Finding the end of cocoons

        C. Spinning cocoons                                                       D. Making silk thread

5. Why is natural silk popular all over the world?        

        A. Because it is luxurious,                                              B. Because it is hard to make.

        C. Because it is expensive.                                             D. Because it is comfortable.

Write a short paragraph about the changes in the countryside. (các bạn có thể cho mình ý để mình tự khai thác cũng đc)

Chú ý: CÁC BẠN ĐỪNG GỬI BÀI NÀY NHA: I live in a mountain village. My parents often tell me storries about their life in the past. It`s not much like village I can see nowadays. Some villages now live in brick houses instead of earthen ones. Our houses are better equippded with electric fans and TVs. Thanks to the TV, we now know more about life outside our village. We don`t use oil lamps any more. We have electric lights which are much brighter. More villagers are using motorcycles for transport instead of riding a horse or walking. We - village children no longer have to walk a long way and cross a stream to get to school, which is the dangerous in the rain season. Now there is a new school nearby. We also have more visitors from the city. They come to experience our way of life.

. Read then answer the questions.

Colds and flu are caused by viruses. The infections are contagious, passed on by tiny droplets and hand contact. There are hundreds of different types of virus that can cause cold, which explains why children get repeated colds. Flu is caused by the influenza virus. There are three major types: A (often the cause of flu epidemics), B and C. The flu virus is constantly changing its structure, so new strains appear each year. We don’t have immunity to the new strains, which is why we can catch flu repeatedly. Anyone can catch a cold or flu. The peak season for colds is the colder winter months, not only because of the weather but because central heating dries out the normally moist nasal mucosa-an important defense against invading viruses. However, you can catch a cold at any time of the year; one particular type of cold virus thrives in the summer. Flu rarely occurs outside November to February in the UK. A cold causes a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, mild fever and tiredness, lasting from two to four days. Flu is more severe with a high fever (usually 39^oC or above), chills, headache, intense muscle pains, exhaustion, loss of  appetites, cough and sometimes a blocked nose and sore throat. It may last a week or more and possible complications include pneumonia. Most cold don’t last long and need no specific treatment other than painkillers and simple measures such as decongestant rubs or vaporizers. Antibiotics are of no benefit. Zinc supplements may help to settle a cold more quickly. Children with flu can be given similar treatments, with lots of rest, medicine to bring down any fever and plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Lowering the temperature in the room can also be helpful when someone has a fever. Specific antiviral treatments for flu are now available, but generally these are only given to those at high risk of flu complications.

1. What are cold and flu caused by?

 …………………………………………………………………………

2. Why do children get repeated colds?

  ……………………………………………………………………………

3. How many influenza viruses is flu caused by? What are they?

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4. Who can catch a cold or flu?

  …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

5. Which season do people usually get cold the most in the year?

 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. What symptoms do colds often cause?

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

7. How many days does a cold last?

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

8. What symptoms does flu often cause?

  ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9. How long does flu last?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

10. When someone gets colds, what measures should be used instead of painkillers?

 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

II. Read the text carefully, then do the tasks.

THE FIRST ELECTRIC TRAFFIC LIGHTS

In the early 1900's,the world was developing at a very rapid pace, and with the
growth of industrialization, cities became more crowded. Furthermore, with the invention
automobiles, the traffic on the roads increased significantly, so there was a need for a
better traffic system.

In 1912, an American policeman, Lester Wire, who was concerned with the
increasing traffic, came up with the idea of the first electric traffic light.Based on Wire's
design, the lights were first installed in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5,1914, at the corner
of 105th and Euclid Avenue

The first electric traffic light had only red and green lights; it did not have a
yellow light like modern- day traffic signals.Instead of a yellow light, it had a buzzer
sound that was used to indicate that the signal would be changing soon.

In the year 1920, a policeman named William Potts in Detroit, Michigan
invented the first four-way and three-coloured traffic lights. Apart from red and green, a
third colour - amber (or yellow) - was introduced. Detroit became the first city to
implement the four-way and three-colored traffic lights. In the 1920's,several automated
traffic signals were installed in major cities around the world. The modern traffic light
still uses this famous T-shaped model with three different colors.
safest vehicles only far crossroad follow across reason

A. Decide whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1. Due to the invention of cars, the traffic on the roads increased rapidly.
2. The first electric traffic light was invented in 1914 by Lester Wire.
3. The first electric traffic light had red, green and amber lights.
4. The yellow light didn’t exist until the 1920s.
5. Detroit was the first city to use the red, yellow, and green lights to control road traffic.
6. The modern traffic light works on the same principle as Wire’s original light.
B. Answer the questions
1. When was the first electric traffic light invented?
_______________________________________________
2. Who invented the first electric traffic light?
_______________________________________________
3. How many colours did the first electric traffic light have?
_______________________________________________
4. Where were the lights first installed?
_______________________________________________
5. What was used instead of yellow light to warn everyone of a signal change?
________________________________________________
6. When was the yellow light added?
________________________________________________

Colds and flu are caused by viruses. The infections are contagious, passed on by tiny droplets and hand contact. There are hundreds of different types of virus that can cause cold, which explains why children get repeated colds. Flu is caused by the influenza virus. There are three major types: A (often the cause of flu epidemics), B and C. The flu virus is constantly changing its structure, so new strains appear each year. We don’t have immunity to the new strains, which is why we can catch flu repeatedly. Anyone can catch a cold or flu. The peak season for colds is the colder winter months, not only because of the weather but because central heating dries out the normally moist nasal mucosa-an important defense against invading viruses. However, you can catch a cold at any time of the year; one particular type of cold virus thrives in the summer. Flu rarely occurs outside November to February in the UK. A cold causes a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, mild fever and tiredness, lasting from two to four days. Flu is more severe with a high fever (usually 39^oC or above), chills, headache, intense muscle pains, exhaustion, loss of  appetites, cough and sometimes a blocked nose and sore throat. It may last a week or more and possible complications include pneumonia. Most cold don’t last long and need no specific treatment other than painkillers and simple measures such as decongestant rubs or vaporizers. Antibiotics are of no benefit. Zinc supplements may help to settle a cold more quickly. Children with flu can be given similar treatments, with lots of rest, medicine to bring down any fever and plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Lowering the temperature in the room can also be helpful when someone has a fever. Specific antiviral treatments for flu are now available, but generally these are only given to those at high risk of flu complications.

1. What are cold and flu caused by?

 …………………………………………………………………………

2. Why do children get repeated colds?

  ……………………………………………………………………………

3. How many influenza viruses is flu caused by? What are they?

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

4. Who can catch a cold or flu?

  …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

5. Which season do people usually get cold the most in the year?

 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. What symptoms do colds often cause?

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

7. How many days does a cold last?

  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

8. What symptoms does flu often cause?

  ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9. How long does flu last?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

10. When someone gets colds, what measures should be used instead of painkillers?

 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..