In the early 17^th century, most of the southern region of Vietnam was nearly uninhabited and in the position of Ho Chi Minh City, there was a small village formed with a few residents. However, thanks to its advantage in location, the town grew both economically and politically. By the 19^th century, this had become a cultural hub of the South as well as an important trading center of the country.

     You might not know that there was a time Saigon was referred to as the Pearl of the Far East. Sadly, having been through various occurrences and two disastrous wars has stunted the city’s development. Only after the political instabilities had settled, Saigon recovered miraculously and maintained its leading position in terms of both the economics and culture. Officially named as Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon today has 22 districts in total and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists annually.

1.  What is the best title of the passage?

     a. Saigon: Lost and Found                   b. Saigon: Then and Now

     c. Saigon: Now and Then                    d. Saigon: Hub of the South East Vietnam

2.  According to the passage, Saigon was                 in the early 17^th century.

     a. a financial center                              b. an uninhabited region

     c. a small village                                  d. an important city

3.  What happened with Saigon in the 19^th century?

     a. It became popular all over Asia.

     b. It became a cultural hub of the South and an important trading center of Vienam.

     c. It became the most important trading center in the world.

     d. It was no longer visited by international tourists.

4.  The city’s development has been stunted because of              .

     a. two disastrous wars

     b. some major historic events

     c. natural disasters and disastrous wars

     d. different occurrences and disastrous wars

5.  The word “occurrences” is closest in meaning to                    .

     a. situations       b. adventures         c. incidents   d. affairs

6.  Which of the following sentences is NOT true?

     a. In the early 17^th century, there were only a few residents living on the position of Saigon.

     b. The location of Saigon helped the town develop its economy and politics.

     c. Saigon was once referred as the Pearl of the Far East.

     d. Saigon had recovered and held its leading position before the political instabilities settled.

Living in Vietnam today (1)                greatly from the lifestyle of 100 years ago. People in

the past mainly worked in agriculture (2)                 today there are significantly less people working in this sector of the economy. These days, (3)                , people are more likely to be employed in manufacturing and tourism than in the rice fields. Moreover, Vietnam, which was (4)             agrarian, is transforming into an entirely different country. While agriculture is still an important component of the Vietnamese economy, other enterprises are (5)    an increasing amount of economic activity.

     However, along with the differences, similarities also exist. The people of Vietnam have retained many of the characteristics of their (6)               . The Vietnamese people are as friendly today as they were in the past. This is best exemplified in the way they welcome foreigners (7)                 their unique country. Moreover, the resilience and determination of the people of Vietnam has not changed. The Vietnamese work (8)              and happily towards the development of their country.

1.  a. compares            b. differs                c. becomes             d. offers

2.  a. however             b. therefore            c. whereas              d. when

3.  a. in conclusion      b. on purpose         c. by comparison   d. for once

4.  a. traditionally        b. gradually            c. occasionally       d. presently

5.  a. grasping for       b. holding for         c. making up for    d. accounting for

6.  a. founders             b. forefathers         c. descendants        d. seniors

7.  a. on                      b. at                        c. to                       d. for

8.  a. collectively         b. separably           c. accordingly        d. similarly

41. The course _____________
A. was on the 10th June                       B. lasted 10 days
C. lasted 15 days                                  D. started on the 10th June
42. The author had_________ in Singapore.
A. a special day                                   B. a touring trip
C. a photo session                                D. English lessons
43. In English lessons, the students ________
A. learnt grammar and reading            B. worked on projects
C. attended formal workshops             D. learnt about Singapore's culture
44. What does the author mean by "leaving my comfort zone"?
A. getting away from parents                       B. getting to a place that is comfortable
C. escaping a safe and comfortable situation   D. experiencing something comfortable.

45. The passage is about__________
A. the author's experiences on a summer course
B. how the author got out of her comfort zone
C. the author's English class in Singapore
D. special team-building activities in Singapore

36. A. borrowed              B. gave                  C. bought              D. lent
37. A. listening               B. looking             C. worrying           D. thinking
38. A. keep                      B. return                C. lend                   D. give away
39. A. telling                             B. to tell                C. tell                    D. told
40. A. backpack              B. suitcase             C. wallet                D. purse 

1. Which of the following dominates the central area of Edinburgh?
A. The Royal Mile.                              B. Edinburgh Castle.
C. Holyroodhouse.                               D. Princess Street.
2. The word "splendid" in the passage mostly means _________ 
A. communal                   B. basic                  C. magnificent                 D. occupied
3. The word "This" in the passage refers to
A. Princess Street                                B. Edinburgh
C. Edinburgh Castle                            D. Princess Street Gardens
4. Which of the following is NOT true, according to the passage?
A. Edinburgh belonged to the past      

B. Edinburgh is Scotland's royal city.
C. Holyroodhouse is at one end of Royal Mile.
D. Arts festivals are held in August in Edinburgh.
5. Where can you find this passage?
A. In a local guide book.                      B. In a travel journal.
C. In a student's diary.                         D. In a science report.

Throughout the centuries, explorers have played an important role in the formation of empires. After all, without explorers, rulers such as Kings and Queens, Emperors and Empresses, wouldn’t have known there were places beyond the borders of their own countries to conquer. Today we’ll be introducing some famous European (1)________ . Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to sail (2)________the world. Unfortunately, he didn’t live to see the ships return home as he died in 1521 in the Philippines. Vasco da Gama was another Portuguese explorer who was born in about 1460. He was the (3)________  of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India where he died in 1524. Sir Walter Raleigh was an English explorer who lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was (4)________ for founding the first English colony in America in 1584, in present-day North Carolina. Captain James Cook was also an English explorer. He (4)________   Australia as part of the British Empire when he landed there in 1770. He lived between 1728 and 1779.

1. A. researchers              B. explorers           C. inventors           D. collectors

2. A . around                              B. about                 C. on                      D. over the world

3. A. leaders                     B. sailors               C. commander       D. managers

4. A. interested                 B. responsible        C. explorers           D. discovered

5. A. discovery                B. landed               C. explored            D. claimed

Stefanos Tsitsipas Born in 1998, Stefanos began 1 ______ (play) tennis at the age of three, when he also spent a lot of time 2 ______ (watch) tennis on TV. Stefanos’ parents – Yulia from Russia and Apostolos from Greece – are both tennis coaches. They taught him 3 ______ (play) and they encouraged him 4 ______ (follow) his dreams. He spends hours 5 ______ (train) and he hopes 6 ______ (be) the best player in the world. Outside of tennis, his hobbies are travelling and photography, and he also loves 7 ______ (do) anything creative. He enjoys 8 ______ (make) videos for his YouTube channel and he produces his own podcast. He can 9 ______ (speak) Greek, Russian and English, and he intends 10 ______ (learn) Spanish too. Fun fact: His grandfather, Sergei Salnikov, won a gold medal in the 1956 Olympics in football!

16. I intend________________(go) to Brazil in August.

17. l arranged ________________(take) my vacation during the last two weeks.

18. I considered________________ (go) to Venezuela or Argentina first.

19. But I decided________________(leave) them for next year.

20. The government has demanded me________________(get) a visa to go to Brazil.

20. That involves___________________in a long line at the consulate. (stand)

21. I didn't mind_________________ the $45 fee. (pay)

22. But l hate_________________ in lines. (wait)

23. I also detest_________________ passport photos. (get)

24. I really want_________________ the country, so I did it. (see)

25. I haven't begun_________________ yet. (pack)

26. ……..they (pay)…….. money for your mother yet?

27. ………you ever (eat)………….. Sushi?

28. She (not/come)…………… here for a long time.

29. I (work)………….. here for three years.

30. ………… you ever …………..(be) in New York?

C. READING

1. The children wish they (get) __________ more presents every Christmas.

2. I wish I (have) __________enough money to visit London and Windsor Castle.

3. Do you wish we (have) __________a swimming pool in our school?

4. I wish  I (have) __________more time to play outdoor activities with my friends.

5. We wish we (can spend) __________our summer holiday on the seaside.

5. We (watch) __________ news on TV when we heard a big noise.

6. I __________ (not listen) when you gave the presentation.

7. The young teenager __________ (surf) when a shark attacked her.

8. Where __________ (you, go) at 7.30 last night?

9. What __________ (you, do) when the volcano erupted? - I was sleeping in my bed.

10. While the workers __________ (save) others, they also had to consider their own lives.

11. He _______ (not have) any coffee yet, but he plans to grab a cup after the meeting.

12. We ________ (recently purchase) a new car, and we are excited to try it this weekend.

13. The company _______ (recently launch) a new product, and it has received positive feedback from customers.

14. My friends_________ (already visit) several countries on their backpacking trip around Europe.

15. I _________  (never try) skydiving before, but it's on my bucket list of adventures.

1. This practice was more common in ___________ times than it is now.

2. This complex of buildings was ___________ by foreign troops during the war.

3. Stonehenge, England, one of the oldest stone ___________ in the world, is about 5,000 years old.

4. If you are busy, you can get a ___________ from one of these restaurants.

5. In keeping with ___________ , we cook five- colour sticky rice on the first day of a lunar month.

6. It's our duty to keep our customs and traditions alive for future ___________.

7. Windsor Castle is about a thousand years old but it's absolutely ___________.

8. The fire of London in 1666 destroyed thousands of old ___________ and damaged a large part of London's centre.

9. We need a lot of effort to safeguard and preserve our ___________.

10. Sam is very interested in history, and he remembers a lot of historical ________ and dates.