XI. You are going to read an article about a sailing race. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A - H for each paragraph from 1 – 5 of the article. There are two extra headings which you do not need to use. There has been an example for you.  

          EX:      Paragraph 0: D

A. The consequences of poor performance E. Benefiting from the power of nature

B. An unexpectedly demanding way of life F. Cooperating to overcome the power of nature

C. A solution that seems to work G. It’s not what people think

D. The terrible consequences of making a mistake H. No way out if you don’t like it

Paragraph 0: 

Imagine for a moment, spending the night on board of a large yacht, being roughly woken in the pitch dark and ordered on deck. Every so often you will be totally drenched, very suddenly, in salt water. You will be sharing the same cramped space with 14 other people for a whole year. Your stomach, when not affected by seasickness, will be hit by the competitive tension and nervousness that afflicts all sportspeople. You will be obliged to concentrate without cease. The slightest loss of focus could cost someone their life.

Paragraph 1: 

For the eight crews taking part in the Round-the-world yachting race, this has been daily life since they left Britain eleven months ago. Now, after racing 50,000 across kilometers of ocean, they are soon due home. While most of us have worked, slept, taken a holiday, these crews have sailed and sailed, day after day, night after night, in weather conditions that would test any human. This is the reality of ocean yacht racing, which bears little resemblance to the popular image of sailing - the quick sprint around a lake before returning ashore for a meal and a warm bath.

Paragraph 2: 

Racing 20-metre yachts around the world is a story of unrelenting hard work, pushing yourself to the limits of endurance. But it is also a story of the vastness and beauty of the sea, of seeing the sun rise and set on hundreds of desolate horizons, and of the supreme satisfaction of arriving somewhere knowing that wind alone has taken you there.

XI. You are going to read an article about a sailing race. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A - H for each paragraph from 1 – 5 of the article. There are two extra headings which you do not need to use. There has been an example for you.  

          EX:      Paragraph 0: D

A. The consequences of poor performance   E. Benefiting from the power of nature

B. An unexpectedly demanding way of life  F. Cooperating to overcome the power of nature

C. A solution that seems to work  G. It’s not what people think

D. The terrible consequences of making a mistake  H. No way out if you don’t like it

Paragraph 0: 

Imagine for a moment, spending the night on board of a large yacht, being roughly woken in the pitch dark and ordered on deck. Every so often you will be totally drenched, very suddenly, in salt water. You will be sharing the same cramped space with 14 other people for a whole year. Your stomach, when not affected by seasickness, will be hit by the competitive tension and nervousness that afflicts all sportspeople. You will be obliged to concentrate without cease. The slightest loss of focus could cost someone their life.

Paragraph 1: 

For the eight crews taking part in the Round-the-world yachting race, this has been daily life since they left Britain eleven months ago. Now, after racing 50,000 across kilometers of ocean, they are soon due home. While most of us have worked, slept, taken a holiday, these crews have sailed and sailed, day after day, night after night, in weather conditions that would test any human. This is the reality of ocean yacht racing, which bears little resemblance to the popular image of sailing - the quick sprint around a lake before returning ashore for a meal and a warm bath.

Paragraph 2: 

Racing 20-metre yachts around the world is a story of unrelenting hard work, pushing yourself to the limits of endurance. But it is also a story of the vastness and beauty of the sea, of seeing the sun rise and set on hundreds of desolate horizons, and of the supreme satisfaction of arriving somewhere knowing that wind alone has taken you there.

Paragraph 3: 

Unlike the captains, who are professional sailors, the crews all consist of amateur volunteers who have actually paid for the privilege of taking a year off from their work and enduring these difficult conditions. On board London Light the ages range from 21 to 65. For the youngest member, Susan Porter, the trip is about the excitement of both the racing and the elements “Being able to pitch yourselves as a team against a storm gives you a huge sense of achievement”, she says

Paragraph 4: 

Jerry Wallace, a marketing director, found sailing a refreshing change from the selfish individualism of business. Although he was prepared for the discomfort, the mental stress of long distance racing was not what he has anticipated, “A grand Prix driver has a few hours of focus, a footballer 90 minutes, but we have been racing for 11 months. This is something I didn’t really appreciate before I start.”

Paragraph 5: 

Inevitably, there are tensions. The kind of people who choose to take part in races like this tend to motivated and strong-willed. On a trivial level, there are the usual arguments about things like cleaning, tidying, personal hygiene, even the way people snore. Row on a boat must be addressed immediately. Left to develop, they get much worse. On London Light they have done this by having a meeting where problems can be discussed and resolved by majority vote. Cooperation is the key, and everyone can have their say. The London is one of the few boats that has never lost any crew early because of a personality clash.

You are going to read an article about a sailing race. Choose the most

suitable heading from the list A - H for each paragraph from 1 – 5 of the article. There

are two extra headings which you do not need to use. There has been an example for you.  (10 pts)

          EX:      Paragraph 0: D

Paragraph 0:         D

Imagine for a moment, spending the night on board of a large yacht, being roughly woken in the pitch dark and ordered on deck. Every so often you will be totally drenched, very suddenly, in salt water. You will be sharing the same cramped space with 14 other people for a whole year. Your stomach, when not affected by seasickness, will be hit by the competitive tension and nervousness that afflicts all sportspeople. You will be obliged to concentrate without cease. The slightest loss of focus could cost someone their life.

Paragraph 1:

For the eight crews taking part in the Round-the-world yachting race, this has been daily life since they left Britain eleven months ago. Now, after racing 50,000 across kilometers of ocean, they are soon due home. While most of us have worked, slept, taken a holiday, these crews have sailed and sailed, day after day, night after night, in weather conditions that would test any human. This is the reality of ocean yacht racing, which bears little resemblance to the popular image of sailing - the quick sprint around a lake before returning ashore for a meal and a warm bath.

Paragraph 2:

Racing 20-metre yachts around the world is a story of unrelenting hard work, pushing yourself to the limits of endurance. But it is also a story of the vastness and beauty of the sea, of seeing the sun rise and set on hundreds of desolate horizons, and of the supreme satisfaction of arriving somewhere knowing that wind alone has taken you there.

Paragraph 3:

Unlike the captains, who are professional sailors, the crews all consist of amateur volunteers who have actually paid for the privilege of taking a year off from their work and enduring these difficult conditions. On board London Light the ages range from 21 to 65. For the youngest member, Susan Porter, the trip is about the excitement of both the racing and the elements “Being able to pitch yourselves as a team against a storm gives you a huge sense of achievement”, she says

Paragraph 4:

Jerry Wallace, a marketing director, found sailing a refreshing change from the selfish individualism of business. Although he was prepared for the discomfort, the mental stress of long distance racing was not what he has anticipated, “A grand Prix driver has a few hours of focus, a footballer 90 minutes, but we have been racing for 11 months. This is something I didn’t really appreciate before I start.”

Paragraph 5:

Inevitably, there are tensions. The kind of people who choose to take part in races like this tend to motivated and strong-willed. On a trivial level, there are the usual arguments about things like cleaning, tidying, personal hygiene, even the way people snore. Row on a boat must be addressed immediately. Left to develop, they get much worse. On London Light they have done this by having a meeting where problems can be discussed and resolved by majority vote. Cooperation is the key, and everyone can have their say. The London is one of the few boats that has never lost any crew early because of a personality clash.

You are going to read an article about instant messaging, a way of communicating using the internet. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A – F for each part (1-6) of the article.  There is an example at the beginning (1).

CHAT WITH FRIENDS IN AN INSTANT (by Chris Toney)

A. Ways to communicate.       D. Speed and flexibility.

B. Getting started.                   E. Communicating with friends online.

C. Choose your category.        F. Long – distance solution.

1. D

Instant messaging –or IM- is more immediate than e-mail as you don’t have to check your inbox for new messages – they appear instantly. Another advantage is that more than two people at a time can join in an IM conversation, so it’s ideal for, say, making social arrangements among groups of friends.

2.

Communication by IM isn’t restricted to text. You can send pictures stored on your computer, and if you have microphones and speakers you can talk – the advantage being that internet charges are usually cheaper than phone calls. If you and a friend have webcams, you can also make a video call, in which you can see as well as hear each other.

3.

John Moran, 13, from Southport uses instant messaging to keep in touch with relatives more often”. Carol Taylor, 24, who lives in Argentina, agrees. “My parents live in the UK, and we prefer using an instant messengers to sending email or text messages as it’s more like a real on the other side of the world. “When I go online I swap messages with my cousins in Australia”, says John. It’s much cheaper than phoning them and means I can speak to them conversation”, she says. “I’d rather chat online than call them as it costs so much less”.

4.

The fist step in using IM is to download a piece of software from one of the websites that offer the service. If you already have friends who use IM, find out which program they have. It’s free, doesn’t take long to download and the only costs you face are the standard call charges while you’re on line.

5. 

Once you’ve installed this software and connected to the Internet you can start exchanging messages with your friends online. Each user of the service has their own user name. If you find out the user name of people you know, you can create a friend lists. Then, when you go on line, the software tells you which of them are also connected to the Internet, and you can send them a message.

6.

The features on offer vary depending on which service you opt for, although there is not much difference between instant messenger packages. As well as allowing you to use microphones and webcams, most give you a range of options regarding your status. You can usually appear as “online”, “busy” or “away from PC”. The “busy” status is useful if you’re online but don’t want to be disturbed. The “away from PC” status is usually used by those who are permanently online (people who have broadband or an office connection) but aren’t always at their computer.

The reading passage has seven paragraphs A-G. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

CLOCKING CULTURES

What is time? The answer varies from society to society

A If you show up a bit late for a meeting in Brazil, no one will be too worried. But if you keep someone in New

York City waiting for ten or fifteen minutes, you may have some explaining to do. Time is seen as relatively flexible in some cultures but is viewed more rigidly in others. Indeed, the way members of a culture perceive and use time tells us about their society's priorities, and even their own personal view of the world.

B Back in the 1950s, anthropologist Edward T Hall described how the social rules of time are like a 'silent

language' for a given culture. These rules might not always be made explicit, he stated, but 'they exist in the

air'. He described how variations in the perception of time can lead to misunderstandings between people

from separate cultures. 'An ambassador who has been kept waiting by a foreign visitor needs to understand that

if his visitor "just mutters an apology", this is not necessarily an insult,' Hall wrote. 'You must know the

social rules of the country to know at what point apologies are really due.'

C Social psychologist Robert V Levine says 'One of the beauties of studying time is that it's a wonderful window on culture. You get answers on what cultures value and believe in.' Levine and his colleagues have conducted so-called pace-of-life studies in 31 countries. In A Geography of Time, published in 1997, Levine describes how he ranked the countries by measuring three things: walking speed on urban sidewalks, how quickly postal clerks could fulfill a request for a common stamp, and the accuracy of public clocks. From the data he collected, he concluded that the five fastest-paced countries are Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Japan and Italy; the five slowest are Syria, El Salvador, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico.

D Kevin Birth, an anthropologist, has examined time perceptions in Trinidad. In that country, Birth observes, 'if

you are meeting friends at 6.00 at night, people show up at 6.45 or 7,00 and say, "any time is Trinidad time".'

When it comes to business, however, that loose approach works only for the people with power, A boss

can show up late and just say 'any time is Trinidad time', but those under him are expected to be on time. Birth

adds that the connection between power and waiting time is true for many other cultures as well,

E The complex nature of time makes it hard for anthropologists and social psychologists to investigate.

'You can't simply go into a society, walk up to someone and say, "Teli me about your concept of time",' Birth

says. 'People don't really have an answer to that. You have to come up with other ways to find out.'

F Birth attempted to get at how Trinidadians regard time by exploring how closely their society links time and

money. He surveyed rural residents and found that farmers - whose days are dictated by natural events,

such as sunrise - did not recognise the phrases time is money, budget your time or time management even

though they had satellite TV and were familiar with Western popular culture. But tailors in the same areas

were aware of such notions. Birth concluded that wage work altered the tailors' views of time. 'The ideas of

associating time with money are not found globally,' he says, 'but are attached to your job and the people you

work with.'

G In addition to cultural variations in how people deal with time at a practical level, there may be differences in

how they visualise it from a more theoretical perspective. The Western idea of time has been compared to that of an arrow in flight towards the future; a one-way view of the future which often includes the expectation that life should get better as time passes. Some cultures see time as closely connected with space: the Australian

Aborigines' concept of the 'Dreamtime' combines a myth of how the world began with stories of sacred sites and orientation points that enable the nomadic Aborigines to find their way across the huge Australian landscape. For other cultures, time may be seen as a pattern incorporating the past, present and future, or a wheel in which past, present and future revolve endlessly. But theory and practice do not necessarily go together. 'There's often considerable variation between how a culture views the mythology of time and how they think about time in their daily lives,' Birth asserts.

The reading passage has seven paragraphs A-G. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

CLOCKING CULTURES

What is time? The answer varies from society to society

A If you show up a bit late for a meeting in Brazil, no one will be too worried. But if you keep someone in New

York City waiting for ten or fifteen minutes, you may have some explaining to do. Time is seen as relatively flexible in some cultures but is viewed more rigidly in others. Indeed, the way members of a culture perceive and use time tells us about their society's priorities, and even their own personal view of the world.

B Back in the 1950s, anthropologist Edward T Hall described how the social rules of time are like a 'silent

language' for a given culture. These rules might not always be made explicit, he stated, but 'they exist in the

air'. He described how variations in the perception of time can lead to misunderstandings between people

from separate cultures. 'An ambassador who has been kept waiting by a foreign visitor needs to understand that

if his visitor "just mutters an apology", this is not necessarily an insult,' Hall wrote. 'You must know the

social rules of the country to know at what point apologies are really due.'

C Social psychologist Robert V Levine says 'One of the beauties of studying time is that it's a wonderful window on culture. You get answers on what cultures value and believe in.' Levine and his colleagues have conducted so-called pace-of-life studies in 31 countries. In A Geography of Time, published in 1997, Levine describes how he ranked the countries by measuring three things: walking speed on urban sidewalks, how quickly postal clerks could fulfill a request for a common stamp, and the accuracy of public clocks. From the data he collected, he concluded that the five fastest-paced countries are Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Japan and Italy; the five slowest are Syria, El Salvador, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico.

D Kevin Birth, an anthropologist, has examined time perceptions in Trinidad. In that country, Birth observes, 'if

you are meeting friends at 6.00 at night, people show up at 6.45 or 7,00 and say, "any time is Trinidad time".'

When it comes to business, however, that loose approach works only for the people with power, A boss

can show up late and just say 'any time is Trinidad time', but those under him are expected to be on time. Birth

adds that the connection between power and waiting time is true for many other cultures as well,

E The complex nature of time makes it hard for anthropologists and social psychologists to investigate.

'You can't simply go into a society, walk up to someone and say, "Teli me about your concept of time",' Birth

says. 'People don't really have an answer to that. You have to come up with other ways to find out.'

F Birth attempted to get at how Trinidadians regard time by exploring how closely their society links time and

money. He surveyed rural residents and found that farmers - whose days are dictated by natural events,

such as sunrise - did not recognise the phrases time is money, budget your time or time management even

though they had satellite TV and were familiar with Western popular culture. But tailors in the same areas

were aware of such notions. Birth concluded that wage work altered the tailors' views of time. 'The ideas of

associating time with money are not found globally,' he says, 'but are attached to your job and the people you

work with.'

G In addition to cultural variations in how people deal with time at a practical level, there may be differences in

how they visualise it from a more theoretical perspective. The Western idea of time has been compared to that of an arrow in flight towards the future; a one-way view of the future which often includes the expectation that life should get better as time passes. Some cultures see time as closely connected with space: the Australian

Aborigines' concept of the 'Dreamtime' combines a myth of how the world began with stories of sacred sites and orientation points that enable the nomadic Aborigines to find their way across the huge Australian landscape. For other cultures, time may be seen as a pattern incorporating the past, present and future, or a wheel in which past, present and future revolve endlessly. But theory and practice do not necessarily go together. 'There's often considerable variation between how a culture views the mythology of time and how they think about time in their daily lives,' Birth asserts.

Câu 7: Reading Passage has 4 paragraphs, A-D. Choose the correct heading for each paragraphs from the list of headings below. ( 1.0pt)

The water crisis

A. Agriculture consumes about 70% of the world's fresh water, so improvements in irrigation can make the greatest impact. At present, average efficiency in the use of irrigated water in agriculture may be as low as 50%. Simple changes could improve the rate substantially, though it is unrealistic to expect very high levels of water-use efficiency in many developing countries, faced as they are with a chronic lack of capital and a largely untrained rural workforce. After agriculture, industry is the second biggest user of water and, in terms of value added per liter used, is sixty times more productive than agriculture. However, some industrial processes use vast amounts of water. For example, production of 1 kg of aluminium might require 1,500 liters of water. Paper production too is often very water-intensive. Though new processes have greatly reduced consumption, there is still plenty of room for big savings in industrial uses of water.

B. In rich countries, water consumption has gradually been slowed down by price increases and the use of modern technology and recycling. In the USA, industrial production has risen fourfold since 1950, while water consumption has fallen by more than a third. Japan and Germany have similarly improved their use of water in manufacturing processes. Japanese industry, for example, now recycles more than 75% of process water. However, industrial water consumption is continuing to increase sharply in developing countries. With domestic and agricultural demands also increasing, the capacity of water supply systems is under growing strain.

C. One way to cut back on water consumption is simply to prevent leaks. It is estimated that in some of the biggest cities of the Third World, more than half of the water entering the system is lost through leaks in pipes, dripping taps and broken installations. Even in the UK, losses were estimated at 25% in the early 1990s because of the failure to maintain the antiquated water supply infrastructure. In addition, huge quantities of water are consumed because used water from sewage pipes, storm drains and factories is merely flushed away and discharged into rivers or the sea. The modern approach, however, is to see used water as a resource which can be put to good use - either in irrigation or, after careful treatment, as recycled domestic water. Israel, for instance, has spent heavily on used water treatment. Soon, treated, recycled water will account for most farm irrigation there. There are other examples in cities such as St Petersburg, Florida, where all municipal water is recycled back into domestic systems.

D. Another way of conserving water resources involves better management of the environment generally. Interference with the ecosystem can have a severe effect on both local rainfall patterns and water run-off. Forest clearings associated with India's Kabini dam project reduced local rainfall by 25%, a phenomenon observed in various other parts of the world where large-scale deforestation has taken place. Grass and other vegetation acts as a sponge which absorbs rainfall both in the plants and in the ground. Removal of the vegetation means that rainfall runs off the top of the land, accelerating erosion instead of being gradually fed into the soil to renew ground water.

List of Headings
1. What the future holds
2. Successful measures taken by some
3. The thirsty sectors
4. Ways of reducing waste
5. Interdependence of natural resources

Your answers:

 1. Paragraph A ............................................

 2. Paragraph B ............................................

 3. Paragraph C ............................................

 4. Paragraph D ............................................

Read the article. Choose the best heading for each section. There are TWO extra headings.

A. __________________________

As the oldest national park in Viet Nam, Cuc Phuong is a natural habitat of many rare animals and plants in Asia. It is estimated that over 2,000 plant species and thousands of species of animals live in the 22,000-hectare ecosystem. The park also has the largest variety of birds in northern Viet Nam with more than 3,000 bird species.

B. __________________________

The rich ecosystem of Cuc Phuong attracts many nature lovers from all over the world. The park is very popular from April to May, when visitors have a chance to see more than 400 species of colourful butterflies in the forest. That’s why it has won the award of Asia’s Leading National Park several times.

C. __________________________

Despite the government's effort to protect Cuc Phuong, several problems have been reported. Small parts of the park have been destroyed as people have cut down old trees without permission. In addition, rare animals were hunted illegally, some of which were fortunately rescued and returned to the forest. There are still irresponsible tourists who drop litter on the trails, which pollutes the water and soil. These actions can damage the ecosystem of the park. Therefore, tougher measures should be taken to protect the biodiversity of the area.