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.

According to anthropologists, people in preindustrial societies spent 3 to 4 hours per day or about 20 hours per week doing the work necessary for life. Modern comparisons of the amount of work performed per week, however, begin with the Industrial Revolution (1760–1840) when 10– to 12–hour workdays with six workdays per week were the norm. Even with extensive time devoted to work, however, both incomes and standards of living were low. As incomes rose near the end of the Industrial Revolution, it became increasingly common to treat Saturday afternoons as a half–day holiday. The half holiday had become standard practice in Britain by the 1870's, but did not become common in the United States until the 1920's.

In the United States, the first third of the twentieth century saw the workweek move from 60 hours per week to just under 50 hours by the start of the 1930' s. In 1914, Henry Ford reduced daily work hours at his automobile plants from 9 to 8. In 1926 he announced that henceforth his factories would close for the entire day on Saturday. At the time, Ford received criticism from other firms such as United States Steel and Westinghouse, but the idea was popular with workers.

The Depression years of the 1930's brought with them the notion of job sharing to spread available work around; the workweek dropped to a modem low for the United States of 35 hours. In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act mandated a weekly maximum of 40 hours to begin in 1940, and since that time the 8–hour day, 5–day workweek has been the standard in the United States. Adjustments in various places, however, show that this standard is not immutable. In 1987, for example, German metalworkers struck for and received a 37.5–hour workweek; and in 1990 many workers in Britain won a 37–hour week. Since 1989, the Japanese government has moved from a 6– to a 5–day workweek and has set a national target of 1,800 work hours per year for the average worker. The average amount of work per year in Japan in 1989 was 2,088 hours per worker, compared to 1,957 for the United States and 1,646 for France.

Compared to preindustrial times, the number of hours in the workweek in the nineteenth century______.

A. remained constant

B. decreased slightly

C. decreased significantly

D. increased significantly

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the question.

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals on Black Friday. They open their doors in the wee hours of the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discounts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual. Stores may even lose money on these items. They hope that shoppers will buy gifts for other people while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The problem is that there are not enough low-priced items to go around. Each store may only have a few. These items are in high demand. People stand in long lines to get such great deals. They may line up hours before a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one will get one. Some people leave disappointed. The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events have been Violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled workers. Fights have broken out or people have been cutting in line. People have shot one another over parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds and a bit of shoving.

According to the text, why do stores set prices so low on so they lose money?

A. They want people to enjoy the holidays. 

B. They hope people will buy other gifts while they are in the store. 

C. They are in a giving mood because the holiday season is just beginning. 

D. They are trying to get rid of old items from last year to make room for new items.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the question.

The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday shopping season. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, so the day after is a Friday. This day has come to be known as Black Friday. It has been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005.

Most stores offer great deals on Black Friday. They open their doors in the wee hours of the

morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discounts. Some items like TVs are much cheaper than usual. Stores may even lose money on these items. They hope that shoppers will buy gifts for other people while they are in the store.

Black Friday is a great time to get good deals. The problem is that there are not enough low-priced items to go around. Each store may only have a few. These items are in high demand. People stand in long lines to get such great deals. They may line up hours before a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price on a TV or laptop, but not everyone who wants one will get one. Some people leave disappointed. The situation can be tense. Some Black Friday events have been Violent. Large, eager crowds have trampled workers. Fights have broken out or people have been cutting in line. People have shot one another over parking spots. But most Black Friday events are safe and fun. Still, if you plan on going, expect large crowds and a bit of shoving.

According to the text, why do stores set prices so low on so they lose money?

A. They want people to enjoy the holidays.

B. They hope people will buy other gifts while they are in the store.

C. They are in a giving mood because the holiday season is just beginning.

D. They are trying to get rid of old items from last year to make room for new items.

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.

According to anthropologists, people in preindustrial societies spent 3 to 4 hours per day or about 20 hours per week doing the work necessary for life. Modern comparisons of the amount of work performed per week, however, begin with the Industrial Revolution (1760–1840) when 10– to 12–hour workdays with six workdays per week were the norm. Even with extensive time devoted to work, however, both incomes and standards of living were low. As incomes rose near the end of the Industrial Revolution, it became increasingly common to treat Saturday afternoons as a half–day holiday. The half holiday had become standard practice in Britain by the 1870's, but did not become common in the United States until the 1920's.

In the United States, the first third of the twentieth century saw the workweek move from 60 hours per week to just under 50 hours by the start of the 1930' s. In 1914, Henry Ford reduced daily work hours at his automobile plants from 9 to 8. In 1926 he announced that henceforth his factories would close for the entire day on Saturday. At the time, Ford received criticism from other firms such as United States Steel and Westinghouse, but the idea was popular with workers.

The Depression years of the 1930's brought with them the notion of job sharing to spread available work around; the workweek dropped to a modem low for the United States of 35 hours. In 1938 the Fair Labor Standards Act mandated a weekly maximum of 40 hours to begin in 1940, and since that time the 8–hour day, 5–day workweek has been the standard in the United States. Adjustments in various places, however, show that this standard is not immutable. In 1987, for example, German metalworkers struck for and received a 37.5–hour workweek; and in 1990 many workers in Britain won a 37–hour week. Since 1989, the Japanese government has moved from a 6– to a 5–day workweek and has set a national target of 1,800 work hours per year for the average worker. The average amount of work per year in Japan in 1989 was 2,088 hours per worker, compared to 1,957 for the United States and 1,646 for France.

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as evidence that the length of the workweek has been declining since the nineteenth century?

A. Henry Ford.

B. German metalworkers

C. The half–day holiday.

D. United States Steel and Westinghouse.

Fill in the gap with words from the box

In the USA, people (1)..................... Mother's day and Father's day. Mother's day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. On this occasion, mother usually receives (2).................. cards and gifts from her husband and children. The best gifts of all American Moms are a day of leisure. The (3).................. of American mothers have outside jobs as well as (4)...................., so their working days are often very hard. Flower is an important part of Mother's day. Mothers are often given a plant for the occasion, particularly if they are elderly.

Father's day is celebrated (5)................the USA and Canada on the third Sunday in June. The holiday customs are similar to Mother's day. Dad also receives greeting cards and gifts (6)............. his family and enjoys a day of leisure.

Question 6:

Fill in the gap with words from the box

throughout housework majority celebrate from greeting

In the USA, people (1)..................... Mother's day and Father's day. Mother's day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. On this occasion, mother usually receives (2).................. cards and gifts from her husband and children. The best gifts of all American Moms are a day of leisure. The (3).................. of American mothers have outside jobs as well as (4)...................., so their working days are often very hard. Flower is an important part of Mother's day. Mothers are often given a plant for the occasion, particularly if they are elderly.

Father's day is celebrated (5)................the USA and Canada on the third Sunday in June. The holiday customs are similar to Mother's day. Dad also receives greeting cards and gifts (6)............. his family and enjoys a day of leisure.

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

Recently, we made a trip to visit Dong Ho village with a desire to meet the old artisan – Nguyen Huu Sam. Just when we arrived villagers at the dyke in the village and talked with the villagers about the artisan, they immediately told us about him.

The old house owned by the artisan is situated in a long alley of the village. On the walls of the house there are many folk paintings in different genres, from daily life paintings to landscape paintings shown in a set of “four seasons”.

Mr. Sam told us about his past. When he was three years old, he was instructed in the craft of making Dong Ho paintings by his father. At five, he could help his father apply the Dong Ho paintings, and learn how to print the paper with proper colours. At seven, he was able to draw with a pen and make the most difficult samples. Years went by and the soul of Dong Ho folk paintings has kept seashell powder paint to the poonah-paper.

In the 1940s, this craft flourished. At that time, he was assigned by his parents to take the paintings to the market for sale. Mr. Sam said that 17 families in the village have been engaged in making Dong Ho paintings.

Artisan Sam has always been devoted to the making of Dong Ho paintings and has waited for opportunities to restore this traditional craft. In 1967, when the local authorities assigned him to restore the traditional genre of Dong Ho folk paintings, he gathered 50 villagers with professional skills and collected hundreds of woodblocks to establish the Dong Ho Painting Cooperative. Thanks to his efforts, such famous painting as "Rat's wedding", “Rooster”, “Scene of jealousy” and “Writing verses about precious flowers" have been revived. Dong Ho paintings have been available in many parts of the world such as Japan, France, Germany, Singapore and the United States.

The themes of Dong Ho paintings are about ………..

A. landscapes

B. weddings

C. various aspects of life

D. animals and flowers