“ Women hold up half the sky”. This is an Chinese saying. However, research shows that perhaps women do more than the share of “holing up the sky”.

       Fifty percent of the world’s population is women, but in nearly two-thirds of all working hours, the work is done by women. They do most of the domestic work, for example, cooking and washing clothes.

           Millions also work outside the home. Women hold forty percent of the world’s jobs. For this work, they earn only 40 to 60 percent as much as men, and of course they earn nothing for their domestic work.

          In developing countries, where three-fourths of the world’s population lives, women produce more than half of the food. In Africa, 80 percent of all agricultural work is done by women.

          In parts of Africa, this is a typical day for a village woman. At 4.45 a.m she gets up,washes and eats. It takes her half an hour to walk to the fields, and she works there until 3.00 p.m. She collects firewood until 4.00 pm then comes back home. She spends the next hour and a half preparing food to cook. After dinner, she spends an hour washing the dishes. She goes to bed at 9.30 pm.

1. What is the main topic of the passage?

A. The role of women                                          B. The work of women

C. Women work in the field                                   D. Women work outside the home

2. In Africa, women do _________ of all agricultural work.

A. four - fifths                                                        B. Three - fourths

C. two - thirds                                              D. one - fifths

3. What is not mentioned as the work of a village woman in Africa?.

A. bringing water home           

B. preparing food for children going to school

C. collecting firewood

D. working in the fields

4. What is “domestic work”?.

A. housework         B. Firework        C. gardening                     D. homework. 5.The average woman earns __________ the average man.

A. less than           B. more than                  C. the most                     D. the same as

I.     Read the following passage and choose the item (A, B, C, or D) that best answers each of the questions about it.

My neighborhood is very convenient - it‟s near the shopping center and the bus station. It is also safe. But those are the only good things about living downtown. It is very noisy - the streets are always full of people! The traffic is terrible, and parking is a big problem! I can never park on my own street. I‟d like to live in the suburbs.

1.   What does the word „convenient‟ in line 1 mean?

A.   close to something                                     B. beautiful

C. far from other places                                  D. noisy

2.   What does the word „it‟ in line 2 refer to?

A.   the author‟s neighborhood                         B. shopping center

C. bus station                                                  D. downtown

3.   It‟s easy to             .

A.   find a place to park      B. live in the suburbs

C. move to another place D. go to the bus station

4.   The author             .

A.   likes to live in the suburbs

B.   thinks that his/ her neighborhood is too quiet

C.   thinks that living in the suburbs is very convenient

D.   feels that his/her neighborhood is not safe

5.   Which of the following is true?

A.   The author‟s neighborhood is inconvenient.

B.   The author doesn‟t want to move to anywhere.

C.   It‟s too difficult for the author to find a place to park his/her car.

D.   Living downtown is better than living in the suburbs.

IV. Read the following passage and choose the item ( a,b, c, or d) that best answers each of the questions about it.

One of the most important parts of this method of language learning is the telling of stories. Twice every day, at the end of the morning and afgter sessions, the teacher reads us a boring story about the Familie Gartner. We were given the text : German on the left_ hand side, the translation on the rihgt-hand side. Then she told us to lie back and close our eyes while she read the text again, and the music played in the background. Afterwards, we could remember most of the details_and the vocabulary.

tranlation(n) : bản dịch details(n) : chi tiết

1.What does the word ‘ boring’ in line 3 mean?

a. interesting b. uninteresting c. happy d. unhappy

2.What does the word ‘ she’ in line 5 refer to?

a. the teacher b. one of the student  c. Gartner d. one of the author’s friends

3.We can replace the word ‘again’ in line 6 with______ .

a. one more time b. quietly c. many times d.loudly

4.Which of the following is not true?

a. The students had the translation of the story on the right_hand side.

b. While the students were lying, the teacher read the text again.

c. There wasn’t any music in their class.

d. This new method seems to be successful.

Ex4. Read the following passage and choose the item (A, B, C, or D) that best answers each of the questions about it.

Just a few years ago, this place was called Dumptown. The people living here didn’t think much about where waste went when they threw it out. Things that could be reused or recycled were thrown in the trash, because nobody believed recycling made a difference. And, eventually, that became a very big problem. The garbage heap grew and began to smell. Sometimes it caught fire, and making it hard for everyone to breathe. Dumptowners knew they had to fix it. They learned to reduce the amount of waste they threw away. For example, they learned to reuse things like washing out empty jars instead of throwing them away. And, they learned to recycle. They set up bins around town to collect glass, paper, and other things, then made into new products .

1.  The people living in Dumptown________________ .

A.  didn’t think much about where the waste went

B.  threw things that could be reused or recycled into the trash

C.  didn’t believe that recycling could make a difference

D.  all are correct

2.  Which of the following could replace the word 'trash' in line 2?

5. What did they do to solve their problems?

A.  They reduced the amount of waste they threw away.

B.  They learnt to reuse things.

C.  They learnt to recycle.

D.  all are correct

I.       Read the following passage and choose the item (a, b, c, or d) that best answers each of the questions about it.

During World War I many women had jobs, and their clothes needed to be more practical. They began wearing shorter skirts and bared their legs. Soon they began wearing trousers. The lively, outrageous flapper style of the 1920s included lower waistlines, long necklaces and short hair. Men’s suits became looser and were worn with a long tie.

During the 1960s women wore miniskirts, and jeans and T-shirts became popular with both sexes. Women’s shoes appeared in many colors and styles, including sandals and platforms (= shoes with a thick sole and high heel). Since then, fashions have continued to change rapidly, and young people, especially, are quick to wear the latest style.

26. What can be the best title of the passage?

      a. Puritan-style clothes                                           b. Medieval costume

      c. War Clothing                                                      d. Style of the 20^th century

27. When did women wear jeans?

      a. In 1960                                                                b. In the seventh decade of the 20^th century

      b. In the sixth decade of the 20^th century               d. During World War I

28. Why did women begin wearing trousers?

      a. They wanted to look lively and outrageous.

      b. They were fighting for greater equality between the sexes.

      c. They wanted to wear clothes that are useful for their work.

      d. They didn’t like wearing short skirts.

29. What does the word “suits” in the first paragraph mean?

      a. fashions                                                               b. style                              

      c. dresses                                                                d. pieces of clothing

30. Which of the following is not true?

      a. During World War I women began wearing short skirts to bare their legs.

      b. During 1960s, men and women liked to wear T-shirts.

      c. During World War I women needed useful clothes.

      d. Young people are quick to wear the latest styles.

I.       Read the following passage and choose the item (a, b, c, or d) that best answers each of the questions about it.

You wouldn’t believe what happened yesterday. As I look out my hotel window this morning, I’m not sure I believe it myself.

First, I went to see the parade of the Krewe of Zulu. It was great! The people in the parade were in African clothes. They threw beads to the crowd and handed out painted coconuts. I almost got a coconut, but a woman pushed me aside and grabbed it. I did get some beads though!

To get away from the crowds, I ducked into Pat O’Brien’s, a bar next to Preservation hall where I heard some great jazz a few nights ago. Guess what? Everybody was in Pat O’Brien’s, too! I had a hurricane, a drink the bar is famous for. It’s a combination of rum and passion fruit juice. I soon found out that although it tastes like juice, it works like rum!

To clear my head, I went to the Café du Monde and had café au lait and some warm beignets. The café overlooks the Mississippi River, and its beignets are delicious!

Then, as in Cinderella, at midnight it was all over and the crowds went home. Today it seems like Mardi Gras was just a strange but beautiful dream.

- Mardi Gras: Một lễ hội được tổ chức hàng năm ở một số thành phố

26. What can be the best title of the passage?

      a. The Day After Mardi Gras                                b. A Strange but Beautiful Dream

      c. The Parade of the Krewe of Zulu                     d. New Orleans During Mardi Gras

27. The word ‘its’ in line 11 refers to _____.

      a. the Café du Monde                                           b. café au lait

      c. the Mississippi River                                        d. my head

28. In the context of the passage, what does the word “works” mean?

      a. to make somebody work                                   b. to operate

      c. to succeed                                                         d. to have a particular effect

29. From reading the passage, it seems that the writer is _____.

      a. a native of New Orleans                                    b. a tourist

      c. a hotelier                                                            d. a musician

30. Which of the following is true?

      a. The writer did get a painted coconut.

      b. Everybody didn’t like Mardi Gras so they ducked into Pat O’Brien’s.

      c. There was a hurricane in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.

      d. The drink that Pat O’Brien’s is famous for is a combination of rum and passion fruit juice.

I.       Read the following passage and choose the item (a, b, c, or d) that best answers each of the questions about it.

Las Vegas, Nevada, is the most famous city for gambling in the United States. It started in 1905 as a small train stop. There were only a few buildings in the desert. In 1946, a famous gangster named Bugsy Siegel built the first casino. He was murdered in 1947. This made him and Las Vegas more famous! In the early 1950s, tourists went to Las Vegas not only to gamble. They went to watch atomic bomb tests in the desert outside the city. In those days, people didn't know it was dangerous. They thought it was exciting.

Las Vegas is also famous for its many wedding chapels. Like all of Las Vegas, they are open twenty-four hours a day. Getting married is easy. A couple just pays a few dollars for a license, and they can get married immediately. They don't have to wait. Many famous movie stars were married in Las Vegas.

26. Nevada _____.

      a. is a famous city for gambling                            b. is another name of Las Vegas

      c. is a state in the United States of America         d. is the capital of Las Vegas

27. The word “this” in the first paragraph refers to _____.

            a. the fact that Bugsy Siegel was murdered         b. Siegel’s first casino

            c. the fact that Siegel built the first casino            d. a famous gangster

28. People used to think that watching atomic bomb tests _____.

      a. was dangerous                                                   b. was thrilling                

      c. might be a quiz show                                        d. should be prohibited

29. In the context of the passage, the word “chapel” in the last paragraph means _____.

      a. room                          b. hotel                             c. big pagoda                   d. small church

30. Which of the following is not true?

      a. Las Vegas is a place for gambling.

      b. In 1905, there were only a few buildings at the place now called Las Vegas.

      c. Bugsy Siegel was a famous gangster.

      d. The only things that make Las Vegas famous are wedding chapels.

Exercise 7: Read the following passage and choose the item (A, B, C, or D) that best answers each of the questions about it.

Lunar New Year, or Tet, is the biggest and most important festival in Vietnam. Tet often falls between late January and early February.

A great deal of excitement still builds up well before Tet. Streets are decorated with coloured lights and red banners. Shops are full of goods. People are busy buying gifts, cleaning and decorating their houses and cooking traditional foods.

Homes are often decorated with plants and flowers at this time. Peach blossom is traditional at Tet in the North while apricot blossom is traditional in the South. One of Tet’s most special foods is banh chung, which is made of sticky rice, green beans and fatty pork.

On the days of Tet, people visit other family members or friends and they exchange New Year’s wishes. Children receive their “lucky money” inside red envelopes. Many people go to pagodas to pray for a happy new year for themselves and their families. Both children and adults take part in games and various forms of entertainment. Tet is really a time of fun and festivals throughout the country.

79.When does Tet occur?

A. early January and late February     B. early January and early February

C. late January and early February     D. late January and late February

80.What do people NOT do to prepare for Tet?

A. buying gifts                  B. cooking traditional food

C. decorating their houses     D. visiting other families.

81.Where is apricot blossom the symbol of Tet?

A. in the North of Viet Nam.      B. in the Central of Viet Nam.

C. in the South of Viet Nam.           D. in all over Viet Nam.

82.What is made of sticky rice, green beans and fatty pork?

A. Banh Chung            B. red banner

C. peach blossom          D. lucky money

83.What do children receive during Tet?

A. wishes               B. lucky money

C. flowers                     D. games

84.On the days of Tet, what do Vietnamese people go to pagodas for?

A. to pray for a happy new year               B. to exchange New Year’s wishes

C. to take part in forms of entertainment      D. to give their children lucky money

I.       Read the following passage and choose the item (a, b, c, or d) that best answers each of the questions about it.

Lieutenant Ives was one of the first non-Indians to see the canyon. He wrote, “It seems intended by nature that the Colorado River ... shall be forever unvisited.”

In 1869, John Wesley Powell became the first to explore the Grand Canyon. The rapids of the Colorado River and the narrow, twisting canyon walls were extremely dangerous. Powell set off with ten men and four boats and emerged, several weeks later, with six men and two boats.

The prediction made by Lieutenant Ives couldn’t have been more wrong. Today, millions visit the Grand Canyon each year. Many come only for a quick look. But for those who want to explore the canyon, there are plenty of opportunities.

You can explore the canyon by helicopter. Going up and down the canyon sides can be a lot like being on a roller coaster.

You can hike down to the bottom of the canyon. It’s a two-day round trip, and you must bring lots of water. Once there, you can stay at the Phantom Ranch, which has a campsite and dining hall. If you prefer, you can make this trip by mule.

On foot or on muleback, you can also reach the village of the Havasupai, at the west end of the canyon.

Finally, you can go rafting on the Colorado River. Because of the danger, if you want to go alone you’ll need permission from the park superintendent. But you can also go with a group on a weeklong rafting and camping trip. The groups use rafts that are linked together and are too big to tip over. In this way you can enjoy the rapids without risking your life.

26. What can be the best title of the passage?

      a. The Amazing Grand Canyon

      b. Exploring the Grand Canyon

      c. How to Explore a Canyon Without Risking Your Life

      d. Lieutenant Ives’ Prediction

27. According to the author, _____.

      a. Lieutenant Ives was the first to see the Grand Canyon

      b. John Wesley Powell explored the Grand Canyon with six men and two boats

      c. the prediction made by Lieutenant Ives is now proved wrong

      d. the Colorado River will be forever unvisited

28. According to the passage, how can we explore the canyon?

      a. We can explore the canyon by helicopter.

      b. We can explore the canyon by hiking.

      c. We can explore the canyon by rafting.

      d. All are correct

29. In the context of the paragraph 2, “set off” means _____.

      a. to leave on a trip

      b. to cause something to operate

      c. to cause a situation to happen

      d. to arrange for someone to go to a place to do a job

30. Which of the following is true?

a.    On the canyon sides, there are a lot of roller coasters.

b.   People visit the Grand Canyon each year just for a quick look.

c.    You can go rafting on the Colorado River only when you have the park superintendent’s assistance.

d.   We can enjoy the rapids without risking our life by linking our rafts.