1. Reading (Đọc hiểu)

Read the text and match the interview question A-E with paragraphs 1-4. There is one extra question.

(Đọc văn bản và nối câu hỏi phỏng vấn A-E với đoạn văn 1-4. Có một câu bị thừa.)

A. What is the most dangerous part of being a firefighter?

(Điều gì là phần nguy hiểm nhất khi trở thành một lính cứu hỏa?)

B. How physically fit do you have to be? 

(Bạn phải khỏe đến mức độ nào?)

C. How did you become a firefighter?

(Bạn đã trở thành lính cứu hỏa như thế nào?)

D. Why did you decide to become a firefighter? 

(Tại sao bạn lại quyết định trở thành lính cứu hỏa?)

E. What other skills do you need?

(Những kĩ năng khác cần có là gì?)

(1) _____ I'm Jack Gomez, a firefighter in California. I remember watching an interview with a firefighter pilot when I was a child. He'd been fighting a fire for about five days. He was exhausted then. However, he was so optimistic and committed that I thought that I wanted to do the same thing. And I never changed my mind.

(2) _____ I did a training camp to get my wildfire qualification card - you can't fight fires in the US without one. I learned how to light controlled fires, how to put them out again, and how to use all the equipment. The camp was really hard, but I passed first time! After that I was lucky enough to get a job.

(3) _____ One of the things you have to do in the early days is the pack test. This consists of a five - kilometre walk while carrying a twenty-kilogram backpack. You have to complete it in forty-five minutes or less without jogging or running. This shows how strong you are. 

(4) _____ You can be out alone in vast forests and national parks, and sometimes the smoke is so thick that you can hardly see. So, it is important to be able to read map, and to use a compass. Also, you must know how to put up a tent, cook outdoors, drive a truck, and have other basic survival skills.

Read and listen to the text. Match headings A–E with paragraphs 1–5.

A. What genetic engineering can do

B. Doubts about genetic engineering

C. An example of genetic engineering

D. Defining genes

E. Genetic engineering and weeds

B. Read the article. Check your predictions in A and match the titles to paragraphs 1-3. 

(Đọc bài viết dưới đây. Kiểm tra các dự đoán của bạn trong bài A và nối các tiêu đề với các đoạn từ 1-3.)

Pride Through Fashion

1. If you visit the Andes regions of Bolivia, Peru, or Chile, you might see women wearing unique clothing: bowler hats, handmade shawis, and lots of jewelry. This is the fashion of Aymaran women. The Aymara are an indigenous group of people from the Andes mountains and Aymaran women's clothing is very different. Locally, these women are called “cholitas” with their “chola” fashion. 

2. In the past, it was difficult for Aymaran women to get good jobs or an education. They often lived in poorer parts of the cities. But in modern Bolivia, this is changing. More and more Aymaran women go to school. They often get well-paid jobs, so they now have money to spend on more expensive clothes. When French photographer Delphine Blast visited La Paz, the capital of Bolivia she loved the style of the cholitas, so she photographed some of these fashionably dressed women. 

3. Eliana Paco Paredes is an Aymaran fashion designer, and she says that chola clothes are in fashion at the moment. She has a store in La Paz and sells the clothes to local people, and also internationally. “We dress many people in Peru, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and some products we make go to Spain and Italy.” Recently, Eliana showed her clothes at New York's Fashion Week, where they were very popular. “We're getting people to learn about what this clothing is, ... and many women outside of Bolivia want to wear these outfits.”

indigenous (adj): coming to / living in a country before anyone else

a. The modern lives of the “cholitas” _____

(Cuộc sống hiện đại của “cholitas”)

b. Women with a special style of clothing _____

(Phụ nữ với kiểu quần áo đặc biệt)

c. International “chola” fashion _____

(Thời trang “chola” quốc tế)

4. Read the text. Match sentences A-D with gaps 1-4 in the text. Use your answers from exercise 3 to help you.

(Đọc văn bản. Nối các câu A-D với khoảng trống 1-4 trong văn bản. Sử dụng câu trả lời của bạn từ bài tập 3.)

A. Back in 2005, cloud storage was quite a new idea.

B. If you met him, you probably wouldn't realise that he is a multi-millionaire.

C. Most people of his age would lead an extravagant lifestyle if they had so much money.

D. He only goes to expensive restaurants if an important customer wants to eat there.

Aaron Levie loves tinned spaghetti. He lives in a small apartment. At the age of 27, his biggest luxury is his smartphone. (1) _____. However, as co-founder and CEO of Box, a successful IT company, he is worth about $100 million. He loves his job and works hard. Most days, he does not leave the office until after midnight.

Levie and his friend Dylan Smith started Box in 2005 while still at university. It offered a better way of storing data, cloud storage.

Like most new businesses, Box did not bring in much income at the start. When it began, Levie and Smith looked for funding, but couldn't find any investors. (2) _____. For that reason, nobody wanted to risk lending them money. Eventually, a well-down entrepreneur called Mark Cuban agree to put money into Box. Soon, Box grew quickly and had contracts with many of the biggest companies in the USA.

Now, Box has grown a lot and so have its profits, making Levie a multi-millionaire. (3) _____. But Levie says that it doesn't interest him. "I'm certainly not into money." (4) _____. Otherwise, he has lunch meetings in burger bars. "And l still like tinned spaghetti. I'd be happy if I had it every day.”

1. Read the text. Match the words in blue with the opposites in the box. Then listen and check.

(Đọc văn bản. Nối các từ màu xanh với từ trái nghĩa trong khung. Sau đó nghe và kiểm tra.)

Send us your photos!

What have you got ...

…in your pocket?

I've got money, a pen, my ID card for school (that photo isn't very nice!) and my mobile phone. It's old and slow now and it hasn't got a good camera. I want a new mobile, but they're expensive.  (Paul)

…on your desk?

I've got books, one or two old video games, and these mini speakers. They're small, but they're really good. And I've got a photo of my cousins in Australia. They've got a pet parrot. His name's Sinbad and he's really popular with my cousins' friends. We haven't got a pet.  (Ben)

…in your bag?

I've got my books for school, my mobile and I've got this present for my dad. He hasn't got this book. It's about cooking and it's very interesting (if you like cooking!). (Maria)  

1. Check the meanings of verbs 1-10. Then read the text and sentences 1-4. Match verbs 1-10 with the past simple forms in blue. Listen and check.

(Kiểm tra nghĩa của các động từ 1-10. Sau đó, đọc văn bản và các câu 1-4. Nối các động từ 1-10 với các thì quá khứ đơn có màu xanh lam. Nghe và kiểm tra.)

X GAMES SUPERSTARS

Sports in the X Games are always exciting and often dangerous. The games started in 1995 when 500,000 fans travelled to Newport in the USA and watched sports like BMX, skateboarding and motocross.

Our programme today looks at two skateboarders who decided to leam to skateboard when they were very young. They competed in the X Games and became big stars - Tom Schaar, the youngest gold medallist in the history of the games, and Alana Smith, the youngest silver medallist.

1. She/ He learned to skate when she/he was…………………

a. four                          b. seven                        c. nine

2. She / He first went to the X Games in…………………

a. Barcelona                 b. Miami                       c. Shanghai

3. She/ He did a trick called…………………

a. 900                           b. 108               c. 540 McTwist

4. She / He won an X Games   medal when she/he was…………………

a. ten                            b. twelve                      c. fourteen

Read the following proposal and match the headings (1-4) with the paragraphs (A-D). 

Title: VIETNAMESE TRADITIONAL CAMES FESTIVAL

To: The Head teacher of Ha Noi High School

Date: 10 January

Prepared by: Youth Union

A. _______________________

Next month, a group of students from ASEAN countries will visit our school. We put out a call for ideas for activities to welcome our guests. One of the best ideas is holding a Vietnamese Traditional Games Festival.

B. _______________________

The event will take place in the school stadium. tt will start at 9 a.m. and will last for three hours. The event will be hosted by grade 11 students, who will make all the arrangements for the activities. These will include Vietnamese traditional games such as bamboo dancing, tug of war, and stilt walking.

C. _______________________

The event will help our guests learn about our culture by watching and playing Vietnamese traditional games. Taking part in fun games is also the best way to break the ice, make friends and create bonds with people.

D. _______________________

We really hope you will consider this proposal as we think that it will be beneficial to both local students and guests.

Read the article and match the headings (1-4) to the paragraphs (A-D).

A. ____________________

U Minh Thuong National Park is located in An Bien, An Minh, and Vinh Thuan districts of Kien Giang Province, about 60 km south of Rach Gia city centre. This place is considered one of the most important sites for ecosystem conservation in the Mekong River Delta. It attracts tourists not only with its wild and beautiful scenery, but also with its rare and rich biodiversity.

B. ____________________

U Minh Thuong National Park covers a large area of freshwater wetlands, including mangrove forests. Its central part is surrounded by waterways with a series of gates, which are used to manage the water level.

C. ____________________

Home to 226 species of plants, U Minh Thuong National Park is the region with the richest biodiversity in the Mekong River Delta. It used to be one of the largest habitats for water birds in the area, but their home was badly damaged by forest fires in 2002. Now there are about two hundred types of birds in the park, including some unique birds like the great spotted eagle. Thirty-two types of mammals have been found here. Ten of them, including the fishing cat and Sunda pangolin, are on the list of rare and endangered species, native to Viet Nam.

D. ____________________

The ideal time to explore U Minh Thuong National Park is from August to November, known as the floating water season of the region. Tourists can take a boat to experience nature and wildlife. Visitors can go to Trang Doi, a place where thousands of bats gather, hanging on the trees like huge fruits. Another popular place to visit is Trang Chim, a large area with thousands of colourful birds. So if you love nature, you should definitely go to explore this amazing natural park.

2. Look quickly at texts A and B opposite. Match each text with a photo from exercise 1 and one of the titles below. There is one extra title. 

(Nhìn nhanh vào các đoạn A và B. Ghép mỗi đoạn văn với một bức ảnh từ bài tập 1 và một trong các tiêu đề bên dưới. Có một tiêu đề thừa.)

a. Model builder (Người xây dựng các mẫu vật)                   Photo _____ Text ______

b. Costume designer (Nhà thiết kế trang phục hóa trang)    Photo _____ Text ______

c. Film tagger (Người gắn thẻ phim)                                   Photo _____Text _______