I. Read the passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to each space. My Peaceful Neighbourhood

My family lives in this area for more than 15 years. This is a quiet, safe place with great neighbours. They ...(17)... all nice people. If anyone has problems, they are always there to ...(18)... him (her). Besides, we are never worried about losing things. For example, my mother sometimes locks our dog outside when she goes to work. Miss Lan, who lives ...(19)... to our house, always takes care of it and gives the dog back in the evening. I also have many ...(20)..., too. My neighbourhood is a really safe and nice place to live, and I love it so much.

17. A. are B. have C. are having D. is

18. A. smile B. laugh C. help D. take

19. A. beside B. next C. in front D. near

20. A. kids B. friends C. friend D. more friend

II. Read the passage about Lunar New Year (Tet) in Viet Nam, then answer the following questions.

Lunar New Year is the greatest Vietnamese festival. It is called Tet in Viet Nam. It usually takes place between the end of January and the beginning of February. Celebrations begin with the family reunion dinner which is held on the New Year's Eve. Every member of the family is eager to attend this family feast. The feast usually consists of banh chung or banh tet, spring rolls, chicken and some other special food. The children usually wear new clothes and go with their parents to visit their relatives. The children say "Happy New Year" to all the people they visit and are often given lucky money in red envelopes. They are very happy.

21. Is Lunar New Year the greatest Vietnamese festival?

…………………………………………………………………………

22. When does the Lunar New Year take place?

…………………………………………………………………………

23. What are the children often given at Tet?

……………………………………….

24. How do the children feel?

…………………………………………………………………………

V. Read the following passage and choose the best option (A, B, C or D) to complete the passage.

Tet is the biggest festival in Viet Nam. It takes place in the first lunar month of the year; it’s a time for family reunion. To (36) _____________ Tet, Vietnamese people make many tasty (37)______________ foods. The most important food includes Chung cakes, sausages, boiled chicken, spring rolls, and sticky rice. Chung cake is made of sticky rice, pork, green beans and other spices, wrapped in the green leaves; therefore, this cake needs a lot of (38) _____________. This cake can be kept for a long time, even though the weather is often humid during Tet. Other significant food that can’t be missed to (39) ______________ the ancestors are sausages, spring rolls and sticky rice. Because sausages are difficult to make, people often buy them from famous suppliers. (40) _____________, sticky rice and spring rolls are easier to prepare and must be served immediately after they are cooked, so they are often made at home.

47. A. traditional.B. worship ​​C. preparation​D. celebrate

48. A. traditional​​B. worship ​​C. preparation​D. However 49. A. celebrate​ ​B. preparation ​C. However​ ​D. traditional 50. A. traditional ​​B. celebrate​​C. worship​​D. preparation 51. A. worship ​​B. preparation​C. traditional ​D. However

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

A. attraction B. action C. vision D. attention

III. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer:

The invention of the phonograph happened quite by accident. Thomas Edison moved to Menlo Park, New Jersy in 1876, where he established an industrial research laboratory. There, Edison was working on a carbon telephone transmitter to improve the existing Bell telephone system.

In that laboratory a year later, Edison invented the phonograph while he was trying to improve a telegraph repeater. He attached a telephone diaphragm to the needle in the telegraph repeater; in this way, he was able to reproduce a recording that could be played back. After he made some improvements to the machine, he tested it. He recited “Mary Had a Little Lamb” into the machine and played his voice back to a very surprised audience.

36. What is the best title for the passage ?

A. Thomas Edison’s many inventions B. Improvements in telephone and telegraph

C. The History of Menlo Park D. An accidental invention

37. In what year did the invention of phnograph occur ?

A. 1876 B. 1877 C. 1878 D. the article does not say

38. What was Edison working on when he created the phonograph ?

A. A telegraph repeater B. A telegraph diaphragm

C. A telephone repeater D. A telephone diaphragm

39. According to the passage, how was the phonograph made ?

A. With a telephone needle and a recorder B. From a recording of a telegraph

C. With only a telegraph repeater D. From a combination of telephone & telegraph part

40. According to the passage, how did Edison test his new invention ?

A. He made improvements to the machine. B. He used a carbon transmitter.

C. He read a children’s rhyme. D. He produced the audience voice.

Read the following passage and choose the option (A, B, C or D) that best answers each of the questions below.

Toy Story is not only the best Disney film because it has the best story and the best animation, but also because of the excellent actors chosen to provide the voices of the animals. The casting was perfect from top to bottom, and the movie provides an excellent adventure story about friendship and loyalty that keeps you engrossed until the nail-biting climax.

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen provided excellent voices for Woody and Buss Lightyear – their performances alone are one of the biggest things that made this such a spectacular movie. Besides that, though, you have the excellent story that is not only noteworthy because it has never really been told from this perspective before, but also because it was just told so well. All of the characters in the film are very well developed and all have appropriate and effective actors chosen to provide their voices.

(Adapted from http://www.imdb.com)

6.        According to the text, which is NOT true about Toy story?

A.    It is the best Disney film                                                    B. It has the best story

C. It has the best animation                                                    D. It has the best soundtrack

7.        The word “nail-biting” is closest in meaning to            

A.    very boring              B. very relaxing           C. very exciting           D. very shocking

8.        Toy story was reviewed as a spectacular movie thanks to           ?

A.    Tom Hanks and Time Allen’s great voices.                         B. Its plot was excellent.

C. The characters were well developed.                                 D. All are correct.

9.        The word “appropriate” means            

A.    popular                    B. suitable                   C. beautiful                 D. good

10.     The author of the text can be           .

A.    a movie critic           B. a teacher                 C. a student                 D. a musician

Read the following passage then choose the best answer from the four options (marked A, B, C and D) to complete the numbered blanks in the passage. Identify your answers by writing the corresponding letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.

           Although some groups of people have always lived outdoor in tents, camping as we know it today only began to be (1) _________ about 50 years ago. The increase in the use of cars and improvement in camping equipment have (2) __________ more people to travel longer (3) __________ into the countryside and to stay there in greater comfort.

           Many campers like to be (4) __________ themselves in quiet areas, so they (5)__________ their tent and food, and walk or cycle into the forests or the mountains. Others, preferring to be near people, drive to a public or privately-owned campsite (6) __________ has up-to-date facilities, (7)__________ hot showers and swimming pools.

           Whether campers are (8) ________ in the mountains or on a busy site, they should remember to (9)________ the area clean and tidy. In the forests, they must put out any fires and keep food hidden to avoid attracting (10) _________ animals.

1. A. fame                    B. popular                                C. favorite                 D. current

2. A. asked                    B. let                                         C. made                     D. allowed

3. A. parts                     B. directions                             C. voyages                D. distances

4. A. on                        B. by                                        C. at                          D. of

5. A. take                      B. make                                    C. pick                      D. do

6. A. where                   B. who                                     C. which                   D. when

7. A. such                     B. like                                       C. as                          D. just

8. A. lonely                   B. single                                   C. separate                D. alone

9. A. remain                  B. stay                                      C. keep                      D. let

10. A. wild                   B. natural                                 C. loose                     D. free

III. Read the following passage then choose the best answer from the four options (marked A, B, C and D) to complete the numbered blanks in the passage. Identify your answers by writing the corresponding letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.

If asked who ____________(1) the game of baseball, most ___________(2) would probably reply that it was Abner Doubleday. At the beginning of this century, there was some disagreement over ___________(3) the game of baseball had actually originated, so sporting-goods manufacturer Spaulding inaugurated a commission to research the ____________(4). In 1908 a report was published by the commission _________(5) which Abner Doubleday, a U.S. Army officer from Cooperstown, New York, was ____________(6) credit for the intervention of the game. The National Baseball Hall of Fame was established in Cooperstown in __________(7) of Doubleday.

Today, most sports historians are in agreement that Doubleday ____________(8) did not have much to do with the development of baseball. __________(9), baseball seems to be a close ____________(10) to the English game of rounders and probably has English rather than American roots. 

1. A. discovered B. founded C. invented D. found

2. A. Americans B. American C. The US D. America

3. A. what B. how C. when D. that

4. A. problem B. question C. matter D. issue

5. A. at B. to C. of D. in

6. A. provided B. passed C. given D. delivered

7. A. honor B. reward C. award D. ceremony

8. A. truly B. really C. as well D. probably 

9. A. But B. Moreover C. Instead D. Additionally

10. A. relate B. relationship C. relative D. relation

READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE AND CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS 

A pioneering study by Donald Appleyard made the astounding discovery that a sudden increase in the volume of traffic through an area affects people in the way that a sudden increase in crime does. Appleyard observed this by finding three blocks of houses in San Francisco that looked much alike and had the same kind of middle-class and working-class residents, with approximately the same ethnic mix. The difference was that only 2,000 cars a day ran down Octavia Street (LIGHT street, in Appleyard’s terminology) while Gough Street (MEDIUM street) was used by 8,000 cars daily, and Franklin Street (HEAVY street) had around 16,000 cars a day. Franklin Street often had as many cars in an hour as Octavia had in a day.

Heavy traffic brought with it danger, noise, fumes and soot, directly, and trash secondarily. That is, the cars didn’t bring in much trash, but when trash accumulated, residents seldom picked it up. The cars, Appleyard determined, reduced the amount of territory residents felt responsible for. Noise was a constant intrusion into their homes. Many Franklin Street residents covered their doors and windows and spent most of their time in the rear of their houses. Most families with children had already left. Conditions on Octavia Street were much different. Residents picked up trash. They sat on their front steps and chatted with neighbors. They had three times as many friends and twice as many acquaintances as the people on Franklin.

On Gough Street, residents said that the old feeling of community was disappearing as traffic increased. People were becoming more and more preoccupied with their own lives. A number of families had recently moved and more were considering. Those who were staying expressed deep regret at the destruction of their community. 

1. The word “astounding” in line 1 is closest in meaning to __________.

 A. startling  B. disappointing C. dubious  D. alternative

2. The three streets mentioned in this passage are different in that __________.

 A. they are in different cities.

 B. the residents are of different ethnic backgrounds. 

 C. they have varying amounts of traffic.

 D. the income levels of the residents vary considerably.

3. Approximately how many cars used Franklin Street daily?

 A. 2,000  B. 8,000    C. 16,000  D. 20,000

4. All of the following are direct results of heavy traffic EXCEPT __________.

  A. increased amount of trash  B. greater danger to residents 

  C. more pollution    D. more vibrations

5. The author’s main purpose in the second paragraph is to __________.

  A. discuss the problem of trash disposal  

  B. point out the disadvantage of heavy traffic 

  C. propose an alternate system of transportation  

  D. suggest ways to cope with traffic problems

6. On which street was there the most social interaction?

 A. Octavia Street 

 B. Gough Street 

 C. Franklin Street 

 D. There was no significance social interaction on any of the three streets

7. The word “chatted” in line 16 is closest in meaning to __________.

 A. joked B. talked  C. argued D. walked

8. Which of the following is NOT a statement you would expect from a resident of Gough Street?

 A. People on this street are unhappy because the neighborhood is deteriorating.

 B. People on this street think mostly of themselves. 

 C. People on this street have more and more space for which they feel responsible. 

 D. A number of people are preparing to leave this street.

9. In what order does the author present detailed discussions of the three streets?

 A. LIGHT, MEDIUM, HEAVY    B. HEAVY, MEDIUM, LIGHT 

 C. HEAVY, LIGHT, MEDIUM  D. LIGHT, HEAVY, MEDIUM 

10. What is the writer’s attitude toward heavy traffic when he mentions the Appleyard’s study?

 A. neutral B. favorable  C. critical D. doubtful