IV. READING COMPREHENSION (30 points)

Part 1: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space. (10 points)

                         The quality of life these days is something most of us take for (1) .................... . It takes some radically different experience to (2) .................... this fact home to people. In my (3) ...................., it was spending three weeks on a yacht with twelve other people, competing in a major sailing race. (4) .................... I was officially a guess, it was made clear to me from the start that there was to be no (5) .................... for passengers, and that I’d have to work as (6) .................... as others.

                        For the first (7) .................... nights, none of us was able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time before being rudely (8) .................... by an aggressive command. Then we’d do physically exhausting work in total darkness. I shared sleeping compartment with six (9) .................... women, with barely enough room to stretch  my legs.  Soon I found myself dreaming of my (10) .................... sheets back home, a hot chocolate and a warm bath.

           1.         A. given                             B. accepted                       C. granted                        D. admitted

           2.         A. bring                              B. push                               C. take                               D. fetch

           3.         A. example                       B. sample                           C. instance                       D. experience

           4.         A. Although                      B. Despite                         C. However                     D. In spite

           5.         A. position                        B. job                                  C. work                             D. room

           6.         A. hard                               B. hardly                             C. fastly                             D. good

           7.         A. a few                             B. few                                 C. a little                           D. little

           8.         A. got up                           B. woke up                       C. awoken                       D. getting up

           9.         A. other                             B. the other                      C. another                       D. one another

           10.A. convenient                        B. comfortable                C. comfortably               D. conveniently

Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

The quality of life these days is something most of us take for (31) _______It takes some radically different experience to bring this fact home to people. In my case, it was spending three weeks aboard a yacht with twelve other people, competing in a major sailing race. (32) _______I was officially a guest, it was made clear to me from the start that there was to be no room for passengers, and that I’d have to (33) _______my weight.

 For the first few nights, none of us was able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time before being rudely awoken by an aggressive command. Then we’d do physically exhausting work in total darkness. Every few minutes we’d be completely soaked to the (34) _______by a large wave we couldn’t see coming. I shared sleeping quarters with six other women, with barely enough room to stretch my legs. Soon I found myself (35) _______for my comfortable sheets back home, a hot chocolate and a warm bath

Điền vào ô số 35

A. desiring 

B. yearning 

C. dreaming 

D. craving

Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

The quality of life these days is something most of us take for (31) _______It takes some radically different experience to bring this fact home to people. In my case, it was spending three weeks aboard a yacht with twelve other people, competing in a major sailing race. (32) _______I was officially a guest, it was made clear to me from the start that there was to be no room for passengers, and that I’d have to (33) _______my weight.

 For the first few nights, none of us was able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time before being rudely awoken by an aggressive command. Then we’d do physically exhausting work in total darkness. Every few minutes we’d be completely soaked to the (34) _______by a large wave we couldn’t see coming. I shared sleeping quarters with six other women, with barely enough room to stretch my legs. Soon I found myself (35) _______for my comfortable sheets back home, a hot chocolate and a warm bath

Điền vào ô số 33

A. offer 

B. move 

C. use 

D. pull

Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

The quality of life these days is something most of us take for (31) _______It takes some radically different experience to bring this fact home to people. In my case, it was spending three weeks aboard a yacht with twelve other people, competing in a major sailing race. (32) _______I was officially a guest, it was made clear to me from the start that there was to be no room for passengers, and that I’d have to (33) _______my weight.

 For the first few nights, none of us was able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time before being rudely awoken by an aggressive command. Then we’d do physically exhausting work in total darkness. Every few minutes we’d be completely soaked to the (34) _______by a large wave we couldn’t see coming. I shared sleeping quarters with six other women, with barely enough room to stretch my legs. Soon I found myself (35) _______for my comfortable sheets back home, a hot chocolate and a warm bath

Điền vào ô số 34

A. flesh 

B. skin 

C. bones 

D. tones

Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each space.

The quality of life these days is something most of us take for (31) _______It takes some radically different experience to bring this fact home to people. In my case, it was spending three weeks aboard a yacht with twelve other people, competing in a major sailing race. (32) _______I was officially a guest, it was made clear to me from the start that there was to be no room for passengers, and that I’d have to (33) _______my weight.

 For the first few nights, none of us was able to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time before being rudely awoken by an aggressive command. Then we’d do physically exhausting work in total darkness. Every few minutes we’d be completely soaked to the (34) _______by a large wave we couldn’t see coming. I shared sleeping quarters with six other women, with barely enough room to stretch my legs. Soon I found myself (35) _______for my comfortable sheets back home, a hot chocolate and a warm bath

Điền vào ô số 32

A. Although 

B. However 

C. But 

D. Therefore

·  For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap.

The global recording industry has launched its largest wave of legal (1) _______ against people suspected of sharing music files on the internet. The latest move by the International Federation of the photographic Industry (IFPI) (2) _______ 2,100 alleged uploaders using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks in16 nations (3) ___________ the UK, France, Germany and Italy.

Thousands of people have agreed to pay compensation since the campaign began. In the US, civil lawsuits have been brought against more than 15,597 people (4) ______ September 2003 and there have been 3,590 settlements. 'This is a significant escalation of our enforcement actions against people who are uploading and distributing (5) _______ music on p2p networks,' said IFPI chief John Kennedy.

Thousands of people - mostly internet-savvy men in their 20s or 30s - have learned to their (6) ________ the legal and financial risks involved in file-sharing copyrighted music in large quantities.' Individual cases are generally brought by the national associations (7) ________ the recording industry, and in some cases by the labels, as civil complaints. The UK record industry has so far brought 97 cases, with an (8) ______ 65 covered by the latest action. More than 140,000 in compensation has been paid to the British Phonographic Industry by 71 individuals.

1.  A) action    B) activity     C) acting     D) acts

2.  A) aimed    B) targeted    C) directed     D) pointed

3.  A) such      B) with     C) including     D) throughout

4.  A) during     B) throughout     C) since      D) in

5.  A) copyrighted     B) registered      C) trademark      D) illegal

6.  A) benefit      B) charge     C) cost     D) fortune

7.  A) for      B) working     C) representing     D) inside

8.  A) newly      B) addition    C) further     D) another

VI. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each question;

Brazil, the largest country in South America and the fifth largest country in the world, is located in the eastern half of South America. The people of Brazil are famous for their outgoing, friendly, and fun-loving nature. Brazilian women are considered to be among the best dressed in the world. Brazil is a federal republic with 23 states. The capital city is Brasilia. Portuguese is the official language and it is spoken with a distinct Brazilian accent. Brazil has population of over 138 million, which is made of people of many different races and ethnic groups. A number of industrial products are produced in Brazil, including cars, chemicals, ships, machines, and military weapons. Mining is also an important industry. Agriculture is another important industry. Many crops are exported including coffee (Brazil is the largest coffee grower in the world), cotton, soybeans, sugar, cocoa, rice, corn and fruit.

1. Who are considered to be among the best dressed in the world?

A. Brazilian men                     B. Brazilians                C. Americans              D. Brazilian women

2. How are the people of Brazil?

A. Outgoing, famous, and natural.                 B. Outgoing, friendly, and natural.

C. Outgoing, friendly, and fun-loving.           D. Famous, friendly, and fun-loving.

3. The word “rice” in line 11 is closest in meaning to            .

A. a kind of vegetables           B. a kind of grains      C. a kind of meat          D. a kind of drinks

4. What is the most significant agricultural product in Brazil?

A. cocoa                                  B. coffee                     C. corn                        D. cotton

VII. Choose one suitable word which best fits each gap of the passage.(3 points)

            Music is an art that puts sounds together in a way that people like or find (1) …….. Most music includes people (2) …….. their voice or (3) …… musical instruments, such as a piano, a guitar, or drums. People can enjoy music by (4) ……. to it. They can go to the (5) …….to hear musicians perform. Classical music is usually (6) ………in concert halls, but sometimes huge ( 7) ……… are organized in which it is performed outside, in a field or a stadium, like pop festivals. People can listen to music on CDs, computers, Ipods, televisions, radios, cassettes/recordplayers and even (8) …… People can learn to play a musical instrument such as the piano, the guitar, the bass, the trumpet, the drums, or the flute. Anyone can make up his or her own (9) ….. of music. It is not difficult to (10) …… simple  songs  or melodies, but it is easier for those who can play an instrument themselves.

1.      A. interest                  B. interesting               C.interested                D. interests

2.      A. saying                   B. thinking                  C. singing                    D. telling

3.      A. playing                  B. singing                    C. doing                      D. making

4.      A. writing                  B. typing                     C. listening                  D. chatting

5.      A. concerts                B. plays                       C. dramas                    D. movies

6.      A. done                      B. performed               C. read                                    D. made

7.      A. songs                     B. meetings                 C. festivals                  D. classes

8.      A. books                    B. mobiles                   C. songs                      D. poems

9.      A. piece                     B. unit                         C. part                         D. lesson

10.  A. do                                     B. compose                 C. say                          D. make          

VIII. Fill in each numbered blank with ONE suitable word. (3 points)

                                                CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND

            In England, children get their presents (1) ............ Christmas Eve, the 24^th of December. Father Christmas comes at (2) ........when everyone is asleep. His (3) ........... can fly and takeshim from house to house to ( 4) ........all the gifts. They land on the roofs of the houses and then Father Christmas (5) .......down the chimney to leave the presents (6) .........the Christmas tree. In the morning of Christmas Day, the 25^th of December, children usually get up very early to unwrap their (7) .......... Then they have plenty of time to play with their new toys. Christmas dinner is served (8) ......... the early afternoon. Most people eat turkey, sprouts and loads of other vegetables, not forgetting Christmas(9) .......... The 26^th of December is called Boxing Day. It has not always been a holiday. People used to go back to work on that day where their bosses gave them little Christmas presents in small boxes. That is (10) .......... the day is called Boxing Day.

Write your answers here:

Read the text below and then decide which word, (A, B, C or D), best fits each space. Circle the correct
answer. There is an example at the beginning (0).
A NEW LOOK AT THE MIDDLE AGES
The Institute for Medieval Studies is holding a series of lectures to (0) __generate__ interest in a
period of history which is all too often(41)________. It is hoped that these lectures will (42)________
3
some of the misconceptions that (43)________ to this day about the long and eventful span of time
between the crowning of Charlemagne and Renaissance.
It is true that Europe was (44)________ by the plague in the latter part of the fourteenth century,
while the terrors of the Inquisition cast a grim (45)________ over the continent. Living conditions for the
majority of people were appalling by modern standards, and life expectancy was low. The peasants
suffered under a brutal feudal system and the (46)________ of learning was open only to the clergy and
the small minority who were literate.
However, these (47)________ negative aspects of medieval life cannot be properly evaluated unless
they are viewed in the broader (48)________. The Middle Ages saw the construction of the magnificent
cathedrals that (49)________ so many European cities and the (50)________ of a middle class. Many
institutions we think of as modern were a(n) (51)________ part of medieval life. Progress was being made
in science and technology, and artists were (52)________ styles that had a powerful and (53)________
influence on subsequent centuries.

❏ For question 1\(-\)6, read the three texts below and decide which answer (A, B, C, or, D) best fits each gap.

Stop anyone in the street and ask them to name a scientist, and the chances are they’ll think of Albert Einstein. His face is used to advertise products with intellectual (1) .... from computers to encyclopedias. Most people know little of what Einstein did, except that he developed some mysterious theories under the heading ‘relativity’, which are famous for being incomprehensible, and for coming up with bizarre predictions that (2) .... counter to everyday experience. Einstein was part of a gigantic (3) .... forward in scientific thinking, an intellectual revolution that (4) .... the birth of twentieth-century science. Physicists and mathematicians were trying to create a new, more rational description of the universe by studying relationships between matter and the forces of nature. Einstein (5) .... his profound and far-reaching contributions simply by looking again at the nature of the fundamentals: time, space, matter, and energy. Previous descriptions had depended on Isaac Newton’s view of a universe in which stars and planets moved in an absolute framework of space and time. Einstein (6) .... this notion, saying that time and space were not absolute but relative.

1, A. suppositions  B. connotations  C. assumptions  D. inferences

2, A. drive  B. fall  C. flow  D. run

3, A. flight  B. leap  C. dive  D. vault

4, A. ushered  B. notified  C. heralded  D. declared

5, A. gave  B. laid  C. offered  D. made

6, A. overthrew   B.  overtook  C. overwhelmed  D. overran