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. Fill in the appropriate word in question 31

Many people have forgotten what the world was like before TV. But today it has become an integral part of our lives. No medium can compare with TV as a means of information, entertainment and education. TV now plays such an important role in so many people’s lives that it is essential for us to try to decide (31)_______ it is bad or good.

First of all, TV is not only a convenient source of entertainment, but also a (32)_______ cheap one. For a family of 4, for example, it is more convenient as well as cheaper to sit comfortably at home than to go out. They don’t have to pay for expensive tickets. All they have to do is to turn on TV and they can see films, political discussions and the latest exciting football matches. Some people say that this is fist where the danger lies. The TV viewers need do nothing: they (33)______ no choices, they’re completely passive and don’t even use their legs.

TV, people often say, informs about current events and the latest developments in science and politics. A lot of good films, music programs have appeared recently on TV. (34)_______ here again there is a danger. We get to like watching TV so much that it begins to dominate our lives. A friend of mine told me that when his TV set broke he and his family suddenly found that they had much more time to do things.

The most important thing which is really criticizing is poor quality of the programs and its harmful effect on children. For example the film “Natural Born Killers” teaches children to kill and there was one accident in France when a group of teenagers kill their parents.

There are many arguments for and against TV. I think we must understand that TV in itself is neither good (35)______ bad. TV is as good or as bad as we make it.

A. comparatively

B. conceitedly

C. competitively

D. casually

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. Fill in the appropriate word in question 31

Many people have forgotten what the world was like before TV. But today it has become an integral part of our lives. No medium can compare with TV as a means of information, entertainment and education. TV now plays such an important role in so many people’s lives that it is essential for us to try to decide (31)_______ it is bad or good.

First of all, TV is not only a convenient source of entertainment, but also a (32)_______ cheap one. For a family of 4, for example, it is more convenient as well as cheaper to sit comfortably at home than to go out. They don’t have to pay for expensive tickets. All they have to do is to turn on TV and they can see films, political discussions and the latest exciting football matches. Some people say that this is fist where the danger lies. The TV viewers need do nothing: they (33)______ no choices, they’re completely passive and don’t even use their legs.

TV, people often say, informs about current events and the latest developments in science and politics. A lot of good films, music programs have appeared recently on TV. (34)_______ here again there is a danger. We get to like watching TV so much that it begins to dominate our lives. A friend of mine told me that when his TV set broke he and his family suddenly found that they had much more time to do things.

The most important thing which is really criticizing is poor quality of the programs and its harmful effect on children. For example the film “Natural Born Killers” teaches children to kill and there was one accident in France when a group of teenagers kill their parents.

There are many arguments for and against TV. I think we must understand that TV in itself is neither good (35)______ bad. TV is as good or as bad as we make it.

A. somehow

B. whether 

C. why 

D. how

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. Fill in the appropriate word in question 31

Many people have forgotten what the world was like before TV. But today it has become an integral part of our lives. No medium can compare with TV as a means of information, entertainment and education. TV now plays such an important role in so many people’s lives that it is essential for us to try to decide (31)_______ it is bad or good.

First of all, TV is not only a convenient source of entertainment, but also a (32)_______ cheap one. For a family of 4, for example, it is more convenient as well as cheaper to sit comfortably at home than to go out. They don’t have to pay for expensive tickets. All they have to do is to turn on TV and they can see films, political discussions and the latest exciting football matches. Some people say that this is fist where the danger lies. The TV viewers need do nothing: they (33)______ no choices, they’re completely passive and don’t even use their legs.

TV, people often say, informs about current events and the latest developments in science and politics. A lot of good films, music programs have appeared recently on TV. (34)_______ here again there is a danger. We get to like watching TV so much that it begins to dominate our lives. A friend of mine told me that when his TV set broke he and his family suddenly found that they had much more time to do things.

The most important thing which is really criticizing is poor quality of the programs and its harmful effect on children. For example the film “Natural Born Killers” teaches children to kill and there was one accident in France when a group of teenagers kill their parents.

There are many arguments for and against TV. I think we must understand that TV in itself is neither good (35)______ bad. TV is as good or as bad as we make it.

A. bring

B. take

C. make 

D. do

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. Fill in the appropriate word in question 31

Many people have forgotten what the world was like before TV. But today it has become an integral part of our lives. No medium can compare with TV as a means of information, entertainment and education. TV now plays such an important role in so many people’s lives that it is essential for us to try to decide (31)_______ it is bad or good.

First of all, TV is not only a convenient source of entertainment, but also a (32)_______ cheap one. For a family of 4, for example, it is more convenient as well as cheaper to sit comfortably at home than to go out. They don’t have to pay for expensive tickets. All they have to do is to turn on TV and they can see films, political discussions and the latest exciting football matches. Some people say that this is fist where the danger lies. The TV viewers need do nothing: they (33)______ no choices, they’re completely passive and don’t even use their legs.

TV, people often say, informs about current events and the latest developments in science and politics. A lot of good films, music programs have appeared recently on TV. (34)_______ here again there is a danger. We get to like watching TV so much that it begins to dominate our lives. A friend of mine told me that when his TV set broke he and his family suddenly found that they had much more time to do things.

The most important thing which is really criticizing is poor quality of the programs and its harmful effect on children. For example the film “Natural Born Killers” teaches children to kill and there was one accident in France when a group of teenagers kill their parents.

There are many arguments for and against TV. I think we must understand that TV in itself is neither good (35)______ bad. TV is as good or as bad as we make it

A. too

B. and

C. or

D. nor

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. Fill in the appropriate word in question 34

Many people have forgotten what the world was like before TV. But today it has become an integral part of our lives. No medium can compare with TV as a means of information, entertainment and education. TV now plays such an important role in so many people’s lives that it is essential for us to try to decide (31)_______ it is bad or good.

First of all, TV is not only a convenient source of entertainment, but also a (32)_______ cheap one. For a family of 4, for example, it is more convenient as well as cheaper to sit comfortably at home than to go out. They don’t have to pay for expensive tickets. All they have to do is to turn on TV and they can see films, political discussions and the latest exciting football matches. Some people say that this is fist where the danger lies. The TV viewers need do nothing: they (33)______ no choices, they’re completely passive and don’t even use their legs.

TV, people often say, informs about current events and the latest developments in science and politics. A lot of good films, music programs have appeared recently on TV. (34)_______ here again there is a danger. We get to like watching TV so much that it begins to dominate our lives. A friend of mine told me that when his TV set broke he and his family suddenly found that they had much more time to do things.

The most important thing which is really criticizing is poor quality of the programs and its harmful effect on children. For example the film “Natural Born Killers” teaches children to kill and there was one accident in France when a group of teenagers kill their parents.

There are many arguments for and against TV. I think we must understand that TV in itself is neither good (35)______ bad. TV is as good or as bad as we make it.

A. Yet

B. So

C. For

D. If only

Exercise 01: Read the text carefully, then answer the questions.
      Many people enjoy living in a big city because they think life is more exciting there. However, I come
from a small village and in my view, there are lots of benefits. The main reason I prefer village life is because
it’s very quiet, so I always feel calm when I’m here. Another reason is that the air is so fresh and clean. We
have more green spaces and bigger gardens, too. In addition, I think the people here are friendlier. Personally,
I’m interested in wildlife photography, so the countryside is perfect for me.
       The only downside is transport. I have an early start for a long Journey to school in Faro and the school
bus is always stopping to pick up more people. Also, it’s boring sometimes, but I enjoy chatting to my friends.
Fortunately, I’m learning to ride a moped. On balance, I disagree that city life is better, as I think my village
lifestyle is healthier and more relaxing. In spite of that, some of my friends couldn’t cope with life in the
country, so it comes down to personal opinion.

1. Where does the writer come from?
2. Does he like living in a big city?
3. Why does he prefer village life?
4. How does he think about the people in his village?
5. According to the writer, what is the disadvantage of living in the village?
6. How does he go to school?
7. Does he think city life is better than village life?
8. What is he interested in?

Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space :

The reason (1)............. more and more people decide to learn English as a foreign (2) .................. is obvious : It is now the language used to in (3)............. every walk of life we can mention. Going to an international (4) ............... , we can hear all the flight announcements read (5).................. English. Switching on our TV to (6).......... a match between , say, Manchester United and Real Madrid, we immediately hear the commentator speak English. Taking (7).......... in a scientific seminar we surely find ourselves speaking English to (8)............ scientists. It is predicted (9)....... in quite a near future English will become the official language of (10).................... world.

Life in the past and Life in the present

Over the last century, there have been many significant changes in the way we live. Obviously, it is hard to compare the life of the ancient people and the life of the people of the twenty first century because so many changes have occured. However, even the changes that have taken place over the last ten years are amazing.

To start with, people were not able to travel such long distances in such short period of time. The planes were not that popular then because they used to be a very expensive means of transport. Nowadays, we have become very mobile. We have fast and comfortable cars and more and more people also travels by plane. Moreover, in the past people had to work much harder as they did not have tools which made their work easier. Today, most of the difficult and dangerous work is done by computers and other machines. In the past the conditions of living were not as comfortable as they are now. There were not bathrooms and running water in many houses, besides many people could not afford household appliances like fridge, TV set or vacuum cleaner because they used to be luxurious goods. Another difference between living now and in the past is the fact that nowadays the access to education is much easier. In the past, there were fewer schools and the quality of the education they provided was much poorer. Besides, nowadays it is much easier to find the educational materials that you need thanks to the Internet. Another difference is that in the past there were not that many sources of entertainment. Therefore people used to spend more time with their friends.

All things considering, it is an obvious conclusion that life has changed significantly in the last couple of years. It is definitely much easier now however, it is not easy to decide whether it is also better. The scientific achievements and technological progress are amazing. We still create new inventions which simplify our lives. On the other hand, however, life now is much faster and more busy than it used to be in the past. Moreover, it has also become more dangerous. The standard of living has definitely improved but it can be discussed whether the quality of our lives is also better.

* T/F:

1. Life nowadays is the same as life of our ancestors.

2. Technology has made our lives easier.

3. In the past, household appliances were very expensive.

4. Public schools allowed females and males to be educated in the same schools.

5. We can use the internet to communicate with people around the world.

* Answer Question:

1. Is life today faster or slower than life in the past?

2. What has happend to the standard of living?

3. What makes it easy to access information?

4. Who or what does some difficult jobs for us?

5. What makes our lives easier at home?

@Hoàng Minh Nguyệt, ...

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 from 1 to 10.

 The future of the daily newspaper is in danger. With changes in people’s reading habits and financial concerns, it seems that more and more of us are turning (1)…………from the traditional daily newspaper as a means of getting our information and going online or to TV news for the headlines and main stories instead. Does this mean that newspaper will (2)…………become a thing of the past?

Many experts believe that newspapers will survive in some form in the future (3)…………the convenience of the internet, their main rival. The main reason for thinking this is that a large percentage of the population is (4)…………35 and has a strong newspaper reading habit. For  many of these people, reading newspapers is not simply a way of getting the information about (5)…………events but part of a traditional routine. For them, catching up with the main stories electronically from news websites or TV news broadcast will never be a real substitute for turning the pages of a paper on the train or at the table.

However the main competition for newspapers (6)…………from their own online version. Access to these is currently free of charge but for how much longer? Many newspaper corporations are (7)…………that the only way forward for all newspapers is to charge customers to read the online versions. Apparently, surveys (8)…………that as many as 48%of British and American consumers are prepared to pay for this service, although they are not prepared to pay very (9)…………! Would you be willing to pay for online access to news websites or should it continue to be free for everyone? Can you (10)…………a world without newspapers? 

Điền vào ô 3

A. although                    

B. however           

C. despite             

D. but