Some people argue that the pressures on international sportsmen and sportswomen kill the essence of sport—the pursuit of personal excellence. Children kick a football around for fun. When they get older and play for local school teams, they become competitive but they still enjoy playing. However, the individual representing his/her country cannot afford to think about enjoying him/herself; he has to think only about winning. He/She is responsible for an entire nation’s hope, dreams and reputation.

A good example is the football World Cup. Football is the world’s most important sport. It is even more important now that the United States is seriously taking it up. Winning the World Cup is perhaps the summit of international sporting success. Mention “Argentina” to someone and chances are that he/she’ll think of football. In a sense, winning the World Cup “puts Argentina on the map.”

Sports fans and supporters get quite irrational about the World Cup. People in England felt that their country was somehow important after they won in 1966. Years ago thousands of Scots sold their cars, and even their houses, and spent all their money travelling to Argentina, where the finals were played.

So, am I arguing that international competition kills the idea of sport? Certainly not! Do the Argentineans really believe that because eleven of their men proved the most skillful at football, their nation is in every way better than all others? Not really. But it’s nice to know that you won, and that in one way at least your country is best.

53. According to the passage, the United States .

(A) has begun to give much attention to football

(B) is fond of playing football

(C) has won the football World Cup

(D) is getting sick of football

54. In the second paragraph, the word “summit” means the

(A) highest point

(B) mountain top

(C) award

(D) summary

55. According to the passage, if a sportsman only thinks about winning, he will .

(A) fail to succeed

(B) be successful

(C) lose enjoyment

(D) be irrational

56. What is the author’s attitude towards international games?

(A) Nations that meet on a football field are unlikely to meet on a battlefield.

(B) Nations that win the football World Cup are regarded as best in all aspects.

(C) Nations that win in international games prove best on the sports field at least.

(D) Nations that give much attention to international competitions are world-famous in many ways.

For centuries, people had local games where teams competed with a ball, but the rules of our modern game of football (1) ______________________________ (not write) until 1863 in England. Today this exciting and skilful sport (2) __________________________ (enjoy) all over the world. Every four years thirty-two countries (3) _________________________ (allow) to compete in the World Cup. The 2015 World Cup (4) ____________________________ (hold) in Brazil, and the matches (5) _____________________________ (watch) by a TV audience of over thirty billion people. The sport (6) ___________________________ (not play) only by men. Women’s football is quickly becoming more popular. The first Women’s World Cup took place in 1991 in China, where the competition (7) ____________________________ (win) by a team from the United States.

1. Read the text and fill the timeline about women’s football.

(Đọc văn bản và điền vào dòng thời gian về bóng đá nữ.)

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

It is commonly thought that football is a sport for men. In fact, it is a sport for women, too.

The first recorded football matches between women took place in 1890s in Scotland and England. Women’s football became very popular during the First World War when women started working in the factories. In 1921, however, the football Association (FA) decided that the game was not suitable for women.

The ban lasted for 50 years until it was finally lifted in 1971. In the same year, France and the Netherlands played the first official women’s international football match. However, it took 20 years for the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to happen in 1991 in Asia. Since then, the competition has been held every four years.

Nowadays, like men’s football, women’s football is becoming more and more popular. Women’s professional football has developed significantly and the Women’s World Cup has drawn worldwide interests.

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

The majority of medium and large companies pay higher wage rates to men than to women, according to the latest government figures. The disparity, known as the gender pay gap, reflects the different average hourly salaries earned by men and women. The government data showed 74% of firms pay higher rates to their male staff. just 15% of businesses with more than 250 employees pay more to women. As many as 11% of firms said there is no difference between the rates paid to either gender.

Unlike pay inequality - which compares the wages of men and women doing the same job - a gender pay difference at a company is not illegal, but could possibly reflect discrimination. The average gender pay gap across all medium and large-sized firms is now 8.2%, as measured by median pay. in other words, men typically earn over 8% more per hour than women. Among those with the largest gender pay gap are airlines such as Tui and Easyjet, and banks including Virgin Money, the Clydesdale and TSB. Easyjet has said its pay gap of 45.5% is down to the fact that most of its pilots are male, while most of its more modestly paid cabin crew are female. Tui Airways - where men earn 47% more than

214women - has the same issue. Many banks also appear to have a gender bias on salaries. The Bank of England's wage rate for men is 24% higher than for its female employees.

By law, all firms with more than 250 staff must report their gender pay gap to the government by 4 April this year. So far only 1,047 firms have complied, leaving another 8,000 to go. Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI, denied companies were dragging their feet in reporting the data. "I don't see a reluctance," she told the Today programme. "I think this is genuinely quite difficult data to find, it is often sitting on different systems and firms are working very hard towards that deadline.

Which statement is probably TRUE according to the information in the paragraph 1?

A. Only 15% of businesses with less than 250 employees pay more to females.

B. Most of medium and big firms pay lower wage rates to females than to male.

C. The findings from the government illustrated that nearly One third of firms pay higher rates to their female workers.

D. As many as approximately one tenth of firms is stated to have great difference between the rates paid to gender.

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

The majority of medium and large companies pay higher wage rates to men than to women, according to the latest government figures. The disparity, known as the gender pay gap, reflects the different average hourly salaries earned by men and women. The government data showed 74% of firms pay higher rates to their male staff. just 15% of businesses with more than 250 employees pay more to women. As many as 11% of firms said there is no difference between the rates paid to either gender.

Unlike pay inequality - which compares the wages of men and women doing the same job - a gender pay difference at a company is not illegal, but could possibly reflect discrimination. The average gender pay gap across all medium and large-sized firms is now 8.2%, as measured by median pay. in other words, men typically earn over 8% more per hour than women. Among those with the largest gender pay gap are airlines such as Tui and Easyjet, and banks including Virgin Money, the Clydesdale and TSB. Easyjet has said its pay gap of 45.5% is down to the fact that most of its pilots are male, while most of its more modestly paid cabin crew are female. Tui Airways - where men earn 47% more than

214women - has the same issue. Many banks also appear to have a gender bias on salaries. The Bank of England's wage rate for men is 24% higher than for its female employees.

By law, all firms with more than 250 staff must report their gender pay gap to the government by 4 April this year. So far only 1,047 firms have complied, leaving another 8,000 to go. Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI, denied companies were dragging their feet in reporting the data. "I don't see a reluctance," she told the Today programme. "I think this is genuinely quite difficult data to find, it is often sitting on different systems and firms are working very hard towards that deadline.

The word “their” in paragraph 3 refers to ________?

A. the governments       

B. employees        

C. staff        

D. all firms

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

The majority of medium and large companies pay higher wage rates to men than to women, according to the latest government figures. The disparity, known as the gender pay gap, reflects the different average hourly salaries earned by men and women. The government data showed 74% of firms pay higher rates to their male staff. just 15% of businesses with more than 250 employees pay more to women. As many as 11% of firms said there is no difference between the rates paid to either gender.

Unlike pay inequality - which compares the wages of men and women doing the same job - a gender pay difference at a company is not illegal, but could possibly reflect discrimination. The average gender pay gap across all medium and large-sized firms is now 8.2%, as measured by median pay. in other words, men typically earn over 8% more per hour than women. Among those with the largest gender pay gap are airlines such as Tui and Easyjet, and banks including Virgin Money, the Clydesdale and TSB. Easyjet has said its pay gap of 45.5% is down to the fact that most of its pilots are male, while most of its more modestly paid cabin crew are female. Tui Airways - where men earn 47% more than

214women - has the same issue. Many banks also appear to have a gender bias on salaries. The Bank of England's wage rate for men is 24% higher than for its female employees.

By law, all firms with more than 250 staff must report their gender pay gap to the government by 4 April this year. So far only 1,047 firms have complied, leaving another 8,000 to go. Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI, denied companies were dragging their feet in reporting the data. "I don't see a reluctance," she told the Today programme. "I think this is genuinely quite difficult data to find, it is often sitting on different systems and firms are working very hard towards that deadline.

The phrase "dragging their feet" in paragraph 3 means ________.

A. succeeding       

B. running quickly

C. walking slowly         

D. doing something slowly

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

The majority of medium and large companies pay higher wage rates to men than to women, according to the latest government figures. The disparity, known as the gender pay gap, reflects the different average hourly salaries earned by men and women. The government data showed 74% of firms pay higher rates to their male staff. just 15% of businesses with more than 250 employees pay more to women. As many as 11% of firms said there is no difference between the rates paid to either gender.

Unlike pay inequality - which compares the wages of men and women doing the same job - a gender pay difference at a company is not illegal, but could possibly reflect discrimination. The average gender pay gap across all medium and large-sized firms is now 8.2%, as measured by median pay. in other words, men typically earn over 8% more per hour than women. Among those with the largest gender pay gap are airlines such as Tui and Easyjet, and banks including Virgin Money, the Clydesdale and TSB. Easyjet has said its pay gap of 45.5% is down to the fact that most of its pilots are male, while most of its more modestly paid cabin crew are female. Tui Airways - where men earn 47% more than

214women - has the same issue. Many banks also appear to have a gender bias on salaries. The Bank of England's wage rate for men is 24% higher than for its female employees.

By law, all firms with more than 250 staff must report their gender pay gap to the government by 4 April this year. So far only 1,047 firms have complied, leaving another 8,000 to go. Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI, denied companies were dragging their feet in reporting the data. "I don't see a reluctance," she told the Today programme. "I think this is genuinely quite difficult data to find, it is often sitting on different systems and firms are working very hard towards that deadline.

The best title for this passage could be ________.

A. Gender pay gap: Men still earn more than women at most firms.

B. The latest government figures show gender pay gap.

C. Many banks and airlines have a gender bias on salaries.

D. Companies should pay more for women because of their abilities.

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 from 25 to 29.

Why are there so many grandmothers and so few grandfathers? In other words, why do men die younger than women? Is this because men are afraid of getting old and helpless and so they prefer to die before that happens? Perhaps they fear to be left alone by their women and so decide to do the leaving first.

Many explanations are given for the fact that men die earlier than women. Men are stronger physically, yet women can hang on longer to life. Both men and women are emotional creatures but women are not afraid or ashamed to cry while men refuse to do so. They are afraid of being thought "soft". Some men, when they are upset, play loud music or dig in the garden to relieve their feelings. Many men like an orderly life so that they bury themselves in their work or want a wife with some children or long to take part in wars where there is a definite chain of command. There is a leader to give orders and a known enemy to fight against and defeat. All these make men feel they live in a rational world.

So the majority of men like a rational world. Rationality is fine but it does not include everything that makes life joyful and fun or even messy and frustrating. When a man refuses to cry he is refusing to accept that his emotions are part of him. Of course some men do not follow this pattern. Bob Hawke is capable of crying in public whereas Margaret Thatcher is probably incapable of crying at any time.

We need to cry because that shows our ability to suffer. If we do not suffer we are not really alive at all. Suffering can be creative or destructive. If we can all learn to cry and laugh and shout and dance openly, we are living creatively and adding something to the human race. We often say men suffer more from stress and therefore they die earlier. Are we not saying in another way that they do not know how to suffer in the right way – with tears and laughter instead of silence – and so they are miserable and just give up? That is just my theory of course. Have you a better one?

What is found the same for both men and women?

A. They like to cry 

B. They are physically strong 

C. They are emotional creatures 

D. They want to play loud music 

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

The majority of medium and large companies pay higher wage rates to men than to women, according to the latest government figures. The disparity, known as the gender pay gap, reflects the different average hourly salaries earned by men and women. The government data showed 74% of firms pay higher rates to their male staff. just 15% of businesses with more than 250 employees pay more to women. As many as 11% of firms said there is no difference between the rates paid to either gender.

Unlike pay inequality - which compares the wages of men and women doing the same job - a gender pay difference at a company is not illegal, but could possibly reflect discrimination. The average gender pay gap across all medium and large-sized firms is now 8.2%, as measured by median pay. in other words, men typically earn over 8% more per hour than women. Among those with the largest gender pay gap are airlines such as Tui and Easyjet, and banks including Virgin Money, the Clydesdale and TSB. Easyjet has said its pay gap of 45.5% is down to the fact that most of its pilots are male, while most of its more modestly paid cabin crew are female. Tui Airways - where men earn 47% more than

214women - has the same issue. Many banks also appear to have a gender bias on salaries. The Bank of England's wage rate for men is 24% higher than for its female employees.

By law, all firms with more than 250 staff must report their gender pay gap to the government by 4 April this year. So far only 1,047 firms have complied, leaving another 8,000 to go. Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI, denied companies were dragging their feet in reporting the data. "I don't see a reluctance," she told the Today programme. "I think this is genuinely quite difficult data to find, it is often sitting on different systems and firms are working very hard towards that deadline.

In the 2rd paragraph, the writer says the reason why Tui Airways also have gender pay gap is because ________.

A. this is the place where men earn 47% less than women.

B. this is the place where men hardly earn over 8% more per hour than women.

C. most of its pilots are male, while most of its more modestly paid cabin crew are female

D. it has the largest gender pay gap