Robin Hood was born near the end of the 12th century. His real name was Robert. He was the son of the Earl of Huntingdon. At that time, England had many problems. The King was cruel and greedy. His men were arrogant and brutal. The poor people of England suffered a lot. Many families died of hunger! One day, the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham killed Robin’s father, and took away his lands. Young Robin lost his father, his home, his lands and all his possessions. He escaped to Sherwood Forest with his loyal servants. They decided to live as free men in the forest. They didn’t want to be slaves of King John. However, the King considered them outlaws.  Robin and the outlaws lived in caverns in the forest. They all wore green clothes and carried bows and arrows. The outlaws were excellent archers. Robin Hood became the best archer in the region.

 Some years passed, and there were more than 200 outlaws living in Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood was the hero of the poor. He continued robbing the rich to give to the poor. The Sheriff of Nottingham sent an army of soldiers to Sherwood Forest to capture Robin Hood. But Robin and his outlaws were in the trees. They killed all the soldiers except one.

 Robin Hood’s fame was everywhere. The people called him Saint Robin, and Robin, Sheriff of Sherwood Forest. A lot of new outlaws joined Robin Hood. They were loyal to him and followed him everywhere.

* Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.      Robin Hood was born in Sherwood Forest.

2.      Robin Hood was descended from the noble family of the Earl of Huntingdon.

3.      King John wasn’t kind to his people.

4.      Robin Hood lived with his slaves in the forest.

5.      Robin Hood only stole from the rich.

Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.   Robin Hood was born in Sherwood Forest.

2.   Robin Hood was descended from the noble family of the Earl of Huntingdon.

3.   King John wasn’t kind to his people.

4.   Robin Hood lived with his slaves in the forest.

5.   Robin Hood only stole from the rich.

6.   Robin and his men used guns as their weapons.

7.   The ordinary people of Nottingham hated Robin Hood.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a famous nineteenth-century engineer. He (1) _________ born in 1806 in Portsmouth, a seaport in the South of England. In 1923, after studying (2) _________ two years in Paris, he started (3) _________ for his father, (4) _________ was an engineer and inventor. He had been born near Rouen in France but in 1792 had left France for the US and had later settled in England. Both father and son were responsible for the design (5) _________ construction of the first tunnel under the River Thames. The digging of this tunnel was (6) _________ in 1825 and completed twenty years later. Today, it (7) _________ part of the London Underground system.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel went (8) _________ to design the Great Britain (1845), (9) _________ was the first large ship to be built (10) _________ iron instead of wood. It was powered (11) _________ steam and made regular crossings of the Atlantic. Remarkably, this ship is (12) _________ in existence. It (13) _________ been restored and can be seen in Bristol (14) _________ it was originally built. (15) _________ of Brunel’s great engineering achievements was the construction of the Great Western Railway from London to Bristol. He designed all the stations, bridges, tunnel and viaducts along the line.

Brunel’s ideas were ahead of his time and had difficulties in convincing people that they were realistic, and, indeed, some of his projects were very ambitious, but he (16) _________ determined to find (17) _________ to the (18) _________ difficult problems. Overwork ruined his health and he (19) _________ at the age of fifty-two in 1859. The work of Brunel, and his father, has always been highly regarded and Brunel University, founded in 1966, is (20) _________ after both of them.

II.   Read the text carefully, then do the tasks.

The Legend of Robin Hood

      Robin Hood was born near the end of the 12th century. His real name was Robert. He was the son of the Earl of Huntingdon. At that time, England had many problems. The King was cruel and greedy. His men were arrogant and brutal. The poor people of England suffered a lot. Many families died of hunger! One day, the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham killed Robin’s father, and took away his lands. Young Robin lost his father, his home, his lands and all his possessions. He escaped to Sherwood Forest with his loyal servants. They decided to live as free men in the forest. They didn’t want to be slaves of King John. However, the King considered them outlaws.

      Robin and the outlaws lived in caverns in the forest. They all wore green clothes and carried bows and arrows. The outlaws were excellent archers. Robin Hood became the best archer in the region.

      Some years passed, and there were more than 200 outlaws living in Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood was the hero of the poor. He continued robbing the rich to give to the poor. The Sheriff of Nottingham sent an army of soldiers to Sherwood Forest to capture Robin Hood. But Robin and his outlaws were in the trees. They killed all the soldiers except one.

      Robin Hood’s fame was everywhere. The people called him Saint Robin, and Robin, Sheriff of Sherwood Forest. A lot of new outlaws joined Robin Hood. They were loyal to him and followed him everywhere.

A.  Match the words that mean the same.

1.   cruel                            a. wealthy

2.   rob                               b. cave

3.   rich                              c. property

4.   outlaw                         d. steal

5.   cavern                          e. evil

6.   possessions                  f. criminal

B.  Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.   Robin Hood was born in Sherwood Forest.

2.   Robin Hood was descended from the noble family of the Earl of Huntingdon.

3.   King John wasn’t kind to his people.

4.   Robin Hood lived with his slaves in the forest.

5.   Robin Hood only stole from the rich.

6.   Robin and his men used guns as their weapons.

7.   The ordinary people of Nottingham hated Robin Hood.

C.  Answer the questions.

1.   When was Robin Hood born?

      _____________________________________________________________________

2.   What was the England King at the time like?

      _____________________________________________________________________

3.   Who did Robin live with in Sherwood Forest.

      _____________________________________________________________________

4.   Why did Robin Hood and his servants decide to live in the forest?

cần gấp!!!!!!!!!

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees in their years of glory. From the time Mantle began to play professionally in 1951 to his last year in 1968, baseball was the most popular game in the United States. For many people, Mantle symbolized the hope, prosperity, and confidence of America at that time.

Mantle was a fast and powerful player, a “switch-hitter” who could bat both right-handed and lefthanded. He won game after game, one World Series championship after another, for his team. He was a wonderful athlete, but this alone cannot explain America’s fascination with him.

Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.

But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.

It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Mickey Mantle’s success and private life full of problems

B. Mickey Mantle as the greatest baseball player of all time

C. Mickey Mantle and the history of baseball

D. Mickey Mantle and his career as a baseball player

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees in their years of glory. From the time Mantle began to play professionally in 1951 to his last year in 1968, baseball was the most popular game in the United States. For many people, Mantle symbolized the hope, prosperity, and confidence of America at that time.

Mantle was a fast and powerful player, a “switch-hitter” who could bat both right-handed and lefthanded. He won game after game, one World Series championship after another, for his team. He was a wonderful athlete, but this alone cannot explain America’s fascination with him.

Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.

But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.

It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.

It can be inferred from the passage that for most Americans ______.

A. success in Mantle’s career was difficult to believe

B. Mantle had a lot of difficulty achieving fame and success

C. success in Mantle’s career was unnatural

D. Mantle had to be trained hard to become a good player

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees in their years of glory. From the time Mantle began to play professionally in 1951 to his last year in 1968, baseball was the most popular game in the United States. For many people, Mantle symbolized the hope, prosperity, and confidence of America at that time.

Mantle was a fast and powerful player, a “switch-hitter” who could bat both right-handed and lefthanded. He won game after game, one World Series championship after another, for his team. He was a wonderful athlete, but this alone cannot explain America’s fascination with him.

Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.

But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.

It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.

It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that Mantle ______.

A. introduced baseball into the US

B. earned a lot of money from baseball

C. had to try hard to be a professional player

D. played for New York Yankees all his life

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 36 to 42.

          Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees in their years of glory. From the time Mantle began to play professionally in 1951 to his last year in 1968, baseball was the most popular game in the United States. For many people, Mantle symbolized the hope, prosperity, and confidence of America at that time.

          Mantle was a fast and powerful player, a “switch-hitter” who could bat both right-handed and left-handed. He won game after game, one World Series championship after another, for his team. He was a wonderful athlete, but this alone cannot explain America’s fascination with him.

          Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.

          But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.

          It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63

According to the passage, Mantle could________

A. hit the ball to score from a long distance

B. bat better with his left hand than with his right hand

C. hit with the bat on either side of his body

D. give the most powerful hit in his team

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees in their years of glory. From the time Mantle began to play professionally in 1951 to his last year in 1968, baseball was the most popular game in the United States. For many people, Mantle symbolized the hope, prosperity, and confidence of America at that time.

Mantle was a fast and powerful player, a “switch-hitter” who could bat both right-handed and lefthanded. He won game after game, one World Series championship after another, for his team. He was a wonderful athlete, but this alone cannot explain America’s fascination with him.

Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.

But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.

It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.

The word “this” in paragraph 2 refers to ______.

A. Mantle’s being fascinated by many people

B. Mantle’s being a wonderful athlete

C. Mantle’s being a “switch-hitter”

D. Mantle’s being a fast and powerful player