Plan to Cook at Home

Instead of buying costly prepared meals, which often tend to be high in calories, cook your own at home. Plan out our meals with high-fiber foods like beans and whole grains which will keep you full and are a cheaper, healthier alternative to rich proteins and more processed grains.

Eat Less

Eating less leads to weight loss, and cost savings, especially if you cut down on the right things. Start by cutting your portions of spicy meat and poultry. Or swap out meat and poultry for cheaper vegetarian proteins like beans, lentils, tofu and eggs for some of your meals.

Double Up on Vegetables

Vegetables are great for weight loss, as well as all-around health. They are low in calories and high in water and fiber – two things that keep you feeling full. Save cash by shopping for those that are in season. Frozen vegetables can be a great bargain, with just as much nutrition as fresh, since they are picked and frozen at their peak ripeness.

Get Creative with Your Exercise Options

You don’t need to shell out a monthly gym fee to get moving. Instead, find fun activities you enjoy for free. If you’re just getting started with a regular exercise routine, try your beginning with daily walks: start slowly and build up time and speed.

Make Friends with Someone

One of the most powerful resources you have for helping you lose weight is your social network. Find a friend who is also trying to lose weight and agree to help each other stay motivated. One study found that when friends participated in a group weight-loss programme together, they lost more weight than people who did the same programme on their own.

1. The advantage of cooking at home is __________.

A. to have food that is high in calories

B. to enjoy a variety of rich proteins and more processed grains

C. to plan out your costly prepared meals

D. to choose foods that keep you full and is cheaper

2. In order to cut down on your daily calories, you should do all the following things EXCEPT __________.

A. follow vegetarian diets for your meals

B. eat less meat and poultry

C. eat more beans, lentils, tofu and eggs

D. cut down on animal proteins for some of your meals

3. All of the following are true about vegetables EXCEPT that __________.

A. vegetables can keep you feeling full

B. they help you lose weight effectively

C. frozen vegetables are not good for your health

D. you feel healthier and save money with fresh vegetables in season

4. We can infer from the article that __________.

A. you should join in a social network instead of going to a gym

B. a partner can make you feel more motivated in losing weight

C. you should find fun activities at the gym and follow them

5. The phrase “shell out” is closest in meaning to __________.

A. become more interesting in something

B. pay money for something

C. peel something out

D. take someone out of a shell

Exercise II. Read the article, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.
Simple Ways to Lose Weight on a Budget
Plan to Cook at Home Instead of buying costly prepared meals, which often tend to be high in calories, cook your own at home. Plan out your meals with high-fiber foods like beans and whole grains which will keep you full and are a cheaper, healthier alternative to rich proteins and more processed grains. Eat Less Eating less leads to weight loss, and cost savings, especially if you cut down on the right things. Start by cutting your portions of pricy meat and poultry. Double Up on Vegetables Vegetables are great for weight loss, as well as all-around health. They are low in calories and high in water and fiber - two things that keep you feeling full. Save cash by shopping for those that are in season. Frozen vegetables can be a great bargain, with just as much nutrition as fresh, since they are picked and frozen at their peak ripeness. Get Creative with Your Exercise Options You don’t need to shell out a monthly gym fee to get moving. Instead, find fun activities you enjoy for free. If you’re just getting started with a regular exercise routine, try your beginning with daily walks: start slowly and build up time and speed. Make Friends with Someone One of the most powerful resources you have for helping you lose weight is your social network. Find a friend who is also trying to lose weight and agree to help each other stay motivated. One study found that when friends participated in a group weight-loss programme together, they lost more weight than people who did the same programme on their own.
11. The advantage of cooking at home is ………..
A.to have food that is high in calories
B.to enjoy a variety of rich proteins and more processed grains
C. to plan out your costly prepared meals
D. to choose foods that keep you full and is cheaper
12. In order to cut down on your daily calories, you should do all the following things EXCEPT ………….
A. follow vegetarian diets for your meals
B. eat less meat and poultry
C. eat more beans, lentils, tofu and eggs
D. cut down on animal proteins for some of your meals
13. All of the following are true about vegetables EXCEPT that ……….
A. vegetables can keep you feeling full
B. they help you lose weight effectively
C. frozen vegetables are not good for your health
D. you feel healthier and save money with fresh vegetables in season
14. We can infer from the article that ………….
A.you should join in a social network instead of going to a gym
B.a partner can make you feel more motivated in losing weight
C. you should find fun activities at the gym and follow them
D. joining a programme you can lose more weight than your partner
15. The phrase “shell out” is closest in meaning to………….
A. become more interested in something
B. pay money for something
C. peel something out
D. take someone out of a shell

Part I. Read the paragraph and choose the correct the correct answer A, B, C or D for each of the gaps. (1.25 points)

Environmental pollution is a term that (21)______ to all the ways by which man pollutes his surroundings. Man dirties the air with exhaust gases and smoke, poisons the water with chemicals and (22)_____ substances, and damages the soil with too many fertilizers and pesticides. Man also pollutes his surroundings in various other ways. For example, people ruin natural beauty by leaving junk and litter on the land and in the water.

       Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems facing mankind today. Air, water and soil are necessary to the (23)_______of all living things. Badly polluted air can cause illness, and (24)__________death. Polluted water kills fish and other marine life. Pollution of soil reduces the amount of land that is available for (25)_________food. Environmental pollution also ugliness to man’s natural beautiful world.

21. A. means               B. refers                      C. provides                  D. reduces

22. A. another             B. other                       C. others                      D. the other

23. A. survival             B. environment           C. development           D. growth

24. A. so                      B. ever                         C. too                          D. even

25. A. grow                 B. grew                       C. growing                  D. grown

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 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 28

  Most Americans eat three meals (25) ______ the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast begins between 7:00 and 8:00am, lunch between 11:00 am and noon, and dinner between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. On Sundays "brunch" is a (26) ______ of breakfast and lunch, typically beginning at 11:00 am. Students often enjoy a "study break" or evening snack around 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Breakfast and lunch tend to be light meals, with only one course.

  Dinner is the main meal.

  For breakfast Americans will eat cereal with milk which are often mixed (27) ______ in a bowl, a glass of orange juice, and toasted bread or muffin with jam, butter, or margarine. Another common breakfast meal is scrambled eggs or an omelet with potatoes and breakfast meat (bacon or sausage). People who are on a diet eat just a cup of yogurt.

  Lunch and dinner are more (28) ______. When eating at a formal dinner, you may be overwhelmed by the number of utensils. How do you (29) ______ the difference between a salad fork, a butter fork, and a dessert fork? Most Americans do not know the answer. But knowing which fork or spoon to use first is simple: use the outermost utensils first and the utensils closest to the plate last.

A. varied

B. variety

C. vary

D. variously

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 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 25

  Most Americans eat three meals (25) ______ the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast begins between 7:00 and 8:00am, lunch between 11:00 am and noon, and dinner between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. On Sundays "brunch" is a (26) ______ of breakfast and lunch, typically beginning at 11:00 am. Students often enjoy a "study break" or evening snack around 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Breakfast and lunch tend to be light meals, with only one course.

  Dinner is the main meal.

  For breakfast Americans will eat cereal with milk which are often mixed (27) ______ in a bowl, a glass of orange juice, and toasted bread or muffin with jam, butter, or margarine. Another common breakfast meal is scrambled eggs or an omelet with potatoes and breakfast meat (bacon or sausage). People who are on a diet eat just a cup of yogurt.

  Lunch and dinner are more (28) ______. When eating at a formal dinner, you may be overwhelmed by the number of utensils. How do you (29) ______ the difference between a salad fork, a butter fork, and a dessert fork? Most Americans do not know the answer. But knowing which fork or spoon to use first is simple: use the outermost utensils first and the utensils closest to the plate last.

A. on

B. for

C. in

D. during

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 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 27

  Most Americans eat three meals (25) ______ the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast begins between 7:00 and 8:00am, lunch between 11:00 am and noon, and dinner between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. On Sundays "brunch" is a (26) ______ of breakfast and lunch, typically beginning at 11:00 am. Students often enjoy a "study break" or evening snack around 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Breakfast and lunch tend to be light meals, with only one course.

  Dinner is the main meal.

  For breakfast Americans will eat cereal with milk which are often mixed (27) ______ in a bowl, a glass of orange juice, and toasted bread or muffin with jam, butter, or margarine. Another common breakfast meal is scrambled eggs or an omelet with potatoes and breakfast meat (bacon or sausage). People who are on a diet eat just a cup of yogurt.

  Lunch and dinner are more (28) ______. When eating at a formal dinner, you may be overwhelmed by the number of utensils. How do you (29) ______ the difference between a salad fork, a butter fork, and a dessert fork? Most Americans do not know the answer. But knowing which fork or spoon to use first is simple: use the outermost utensils first and the utensils closest to the plate last.

A. one another

B. together

C. each other

D. others

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 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 29

  Most Americans eat three meals (25) ______ the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast begins between 7:00 and 8:00am, lunch between 11:00 am and noon, and dinner between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. On Sundays "brunch" is a (26) ______ of breakfast and lunch, typically beginning at 11:00 am. Students often enjoy a "study break" or evening snack around 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Breakfast and lunch tend to be light meals, with only one course.

  Dinner is the main meal.

  For breakfast Americans will eat cereal with milk which are often mixed (27) ______ in a bowl, a glass of orange juice, and toasted bread or muffin with jam, butter, or margarine. Another common breakfast meal is scrambled eggs or an omelet with potatoes and breakfast meat (bacon or sausage). People who are on a diet eat just a cup of yogurt.

          Lunch and dinner are more (28) ______. When eating at a formal dinner, you may be overwhelmed by the number of utensils. How do you (29) ______ the difference between a salad fork, a butter fork, and a dessert fork? Most Americans do not know the answer. But knowing which fork or spoon to use first is simple: use the outermost utensils first and the utensils closest to the plate last

A. speak

B. talk

C. say

D. tell

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 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 26

  Most Americans eat three meals (25) ______ the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast begins between 7:00 and 8:00am, lunch between 11:00 am and noon, and dinner between 6:00 and 8:00 pm. On Sundays "brunch" is a (26) ______ of breakfast and lunch, typically beginning at 11:00 am. Students often enjoy a "study break" or evening snack around 10:00 or 11:00 pm. Breakfast and lunch tend to be light meals, with only one course.

  Dinner is the main meal.

  For breakfast Americans will eat cereal with milk which are often mixed (27) ______ in a bowl, a glass of orange juice, and toasted bread or muffin with jam, butter, or margarine. Another common breakfast meal is scrambled eggs or an omelet with potatoes and breakfast meat (bacon or sausage). People who are on a diet eat just a cup of yogurt.

  Lunch and dinner are more (28) ______. When eating at a formal dinner, you may be overwhelmed by the number of utensils. How do you (29) ______ the difference between a salad fork, a butter fork, and a dessert fork? Most Americans do not know the answer. But knowing which fork or spoon to use first is simple: use the outermost utensils first and the utensils closest to the plate last.

A. combination

B. connection

C. addition

D. attachment

Exercise 12: Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question
Unlike life in the countryside which is often considered to be simple and traditional, life in the
city is modern and complicated. People, from different regions, move to the cities in the hope of having a better life for them and their children. The inhabitants in city work as secretaries, businessmen, teachers, government workers, factory workers and even street vendors or construction workers. The high cost of living requires city dwellers, especially someone with low income, to work harder or to take a part-time job. For many people, an ordinary day starts as usual by getting up in the early morning to do exercise in public parks, preparing for a full day of working and studying, then travelling along crowed boulevards or narrow streets filled with motor scooters and returning home after a busy day. They usually live in large houses, or high-rise apartment blocks or even in a small rental room equipped with modern facilities, like the Internet, telephone, television, and so on. Industrialization and modernization as well as global integration have big impact on lifestyle in the cities. The most noticeable impact is the Western style of clothes. The "ao dai” - Vietnamese traditional clothes big are no longer regularly worn in Vietnamese women's daily life. Instead, jeans, T-shirts and fashionable clothes are widely preferred.
1. The most important reason why people move to the city is that............
A. to look for a complicated life
B. to take part-time job
C. to have busy day
D. to look for a better life
2. According to the passage, the city life can offer city dwellers all of the following things EXCEPT......
A. the Internet
B. friendly communication with neighbours
C. a variety of jobs in different fields
D. modern facilities
3. We can infer from the passage that .
A. there is a big gap between the rich and the poor in the city
B. people do morning exercise in public parks because they have much free time
C. people leave the countryside because life there is simple
D. most of the urban dwellers have low income
4. Industrialization and modernization may lead to .
A. the fact that women no longer wear ao dai
B. the disappearance of Western-styled clothes
C. some changes in lifestyles
D. global integration
5. The word "impact" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
A. force
B. action
C. situation
D. effect