2. Read the text. Are these sentences about the people who took part in the survey true or false? Write T or F.

(Đọc văn bản. Những câu này về những người đã tham gia khảo sát là đúng hay sai? Viết T (đúng) hoặc F (sai).)

a. Most have a positive view of the British overall. _____

b. More than half have a better opinion of the British now that they live in the country. _____

How foreigners see the British

What is a typical British person like? People who come to Britain from other countries probably have a few expectations: British people are polite, rather reserved, and enjoy drinking tea and standing in queues! But how accurate is this stereotype? In an online survey of 1402 foreign nationals living in the UK, just over half said that the British matched their expectations.

The survey also asked which aspects of the British character the foreign nationals liked and disliked. British people's good manners were popular with 49% and 40% liked the ability to queue. Many agreed that the British are reserved and for 32% this was a good quality but for 19% it was negative. Other negative aspects were the British sense of humour (31%) and British culture in general (28%). However, 77% said they liked British people in general and 61% said that their opinion of the British got better as a result of living in the UK. 

A spokesman for the researchers said: People probably come to Britain with a stereotype of what to expect. It’s good to see that, for the majority, the reality is better than the stereotype.'

1. Read the text. Match the highlighted words with their meanings.

(Đọc văn bản. Nối các từ được làm nổi bật với nghĩa của chúng.)

The more people travel, the bigger impact they may have on the environment. How can we reduce it while travelling? Here are some advice.

Reduce your carbon footprint while travelling. Since flying produces more carbon footprint than any other means of transport, you should only fly when the trip is long. During the trip, you should walk, cycle or use public transport as much as you can. This not only helps to keep the environment clean, but also allows you to enjoy the beauty of nature and interact with local people. 

Choose eco-friendly activities that benefit animals and the ecosystem. Avoid activities that allow you to touch or ride animals because they disturb their natural patterns and attract many people. Instead, visit wildlife parks or organic farms. These will help you understand and respect the nature more and stop doing things that harm the environment.

2. Read the text and circle the correct meanings of the highlighted words and phrases.

(Đọc văn bản và khoanh tròn nghĩa đúng của các từ và cụm từ được đánh dấu.)

Gender equality has been greatly promoted around the world. However, there are still many challenges that women face.

First of all, there are still girls who are forced to get married before the age of 18. In many places, parents may see child marriage as a way to protect daughters from violence. However, many of these young girls become victims of domestic violence. Child marriage also carries serious health risks as young girls are not physically developed to give birth.

Secondly, more than half of the world's uneducated people are women. This means fewer girls than boys go to school or stay long at school. Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young. They can also have better job skills and can earn higher salaries. Education gives girls the opportunity to have a better life and give back to their communities.

Thirdly, women are often paid less than men. In other words, women have to work longer than men to earn the same amount of money. Differences in career choices might be one reason. Women tend to become nurses, secretaries, or shop assistants, which are low-paying jobs, while men choose high-paying careers as surgeons, airline pilots, or engineers.

Women are still not equal to men in today's society, and governments, organisations and individuals must work together to achieve gender equality.

1. be forced

a. be made to do something unwanted

b. be made to do something necessary

2. domestic violence

a. action taken to please someone

b. behaviour intended to hurt someone you live with

3. uneducated

a. having little or no formal education at school

b. not having many jobs opportunities

4. low-paying

a. giving money to a person

b. providing very little money

2. Read the text and choose the best tittle for it.

(Đọc văn bản và chọn tiêu đề hay nhất.)

a. Environmental problems: What are they?

b. Environmental protection: How important is it?

c. Environmental solutions: How practical are they?

The environment we live in is facing many serious problems. We need to be aware of these problems so that we can find ways to protect nature.

A. Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere. It is one of the biggest issues facing humans today. It can have serious consequences such as rising sea levels, polar ice melting, and extreme weather events like floods or heatwaves.

B. Another environmental problem is the cutting and clearing of natural forests. The loss of forests can have a negative impact on the environment. It can damage the natural habitats of many animals and put wildlife in danger. It can also destroy the natural soil and lead to climate change.

C. Air pollution is also a serious problem. It is mainly caused by waste gases that come out of vehicles, machines, or factories. When these harmful gases combine with the water in the air, they come down as rain or snow, which can damage all forms of life. In addition, this problem leads to global warming and climate change. It is also a major cause of respiratory diseases or even lung cancer.

D. Around the world, the number of endangered animals is rising. Many of them disappear because of pollution and climate change. In addition, humans illegally hunt and kill animals, and catch too many fish at once. This is upsetting the natural balance of ecosystems, which can be harmful to all living and non-living things.

2. Read the texts. What are the two students talking about? Choose the correct answer.

(Đọc văn bản. Hai học sinh đang nói về điều gì? Chọn câu trả lời đúng.)

A. Ways of helping students

B. Ways of learning

C. How to enjoy learning

Kim

I think face-to-face learning is better than online learning because I can communicate with teachers and other classmates immediately and directly when I have questions. In class, I can work in groups and discuss with friends. This helps me understand the lessons better. When I have a problem, I can ask for answers or help immediately. I can't do this in online classes. I have to email my teachers and wait for their reply. Learning in a traditional classroom also has fewer distractions than learning online. My teachers have many strategies to keep us focused on the lessons. I really enjoy my lessons and learn a lot.

Laura

I think online learning has more advantages than disadvantages. My school is trying to change from face-to-face to blended learning, so sometimes we have online classes. I don't have to go to school, but I don't feel I'm missing any lessons by taking online classes. Furthermore, I think I learn online as much as I learn in a traditional class. I can't talk to my teacher and classmates, but I can email them at any time. I also have an online discussion board where I can exchange comments and ideas about my projects with my classmates. The only disadvantage is I really need to have a fast Internet connection.

1. Read the following passage and circle True (T), False (F) or Doesn’t say (DS).

(Đọc bài khóa bên dưới và khoanh tròn Đúng (T), Sai (F) hoặc Không nhắc đến (DS).)

Be happy!

There have been lots of surveys about teenagers and happiness and they all come to different conclusions. Some surveys say that most young people are happiest when they spend time with their family. Others say it's when they're with friends. Some teenagers think that getting good marks at school and passing exams make them happy, while others feel that it's having a boyfriend or girlfriend. The problem is that there isn't just one thing that makes everyone happy, and what made you happy last week might not make you happy next week! However, there are some things that can help improve your mood when you are feeling unhappy. Experts believe that exercise can make you a happier person because it releases chemicals in your brain that are related to a feeling of pleasure. There's another surprising idea to help make you happier. Although you might think that eating chocolate is bad for you, it seems, according to some experts, to be good to eat chocolate when you're feeling sad. Of course it isn't healthy to eat too much, but chocolate releases chemicals in the same way that exercise does - and for some people it's easier and quicker than working out in the gym! It's also important to remember that you can’t be happy all the time. You can be happy for brief moments and you should value these times. And when you feel sad, go for a run or eat some chocolate - you'll soon cheer up!

1. The surveys show that teenagers and parents have different ideas about happiness. T F DS 

2. The things that make us happy never change. T F DS 

3. The surveys show that teenagers who do exercise are happier. T F DS 

4. When we feel depressed we shouldn't eat chocolate. T F DS 

5. Exercise and eating chocolate can produce similar results. T F DS 

6. It’s important to value even short moments of happiness. T F DS

3. Read the text again. Match the questions below with paragraphs A-E of the text. 

(Đọc bài khóa một lần nữa. Nối các câu hỏi bên dưới với các đoạn văn (A – E).)

In which paragraph does the writer tell us …

1. when doctors realised Ashlyn had a medical problem?

2. what causes her condition?

3. what happened when she burned her hands?

4. why some people die from this condition?

5. how school life for Ashlyn was unusual?

A life without pain

A. All children hurt themselves from time to time. But when thirteen-year-old Ashlyn Blocker gets injured, she doesn't realise it. Once, when she burned herself, she only knew about it when she looked at her skin. 

B. There was always something different about Ashlyn. As a baby, she didn't cry. When she was eight months old, her parents noticed there was some blood in her eye, so they took her to see a doctor. The doctor found a serious cut in her eye and was shocked. Why didn't the baby cry? Tests showed that Ashlyn had a very unusual medical condition: she couldn't feel any pain. 

C. This condition is very rare: many people who have it die of it. Pain is a natural warning that you're ill or injured. People who can't feel pain lust don't realise they're in danger. 

D. The first few years of Ashlyn's life were very difficult. She often tripped and injured herself. Once, she broke her ankle but she didn't stop running. During school breaks, one teacher watched Ashlyn all the time in the playground and they had to search for cuts. bruises or other injuries.

E. When she was five, Ashlyn's story appeared in newspapers and on TV. Scientists studied her condition and found she has a genetic disorder that means pain signals do not reach her brain. Unfortunately, at the moment, there is no hope of a cure. And, as Ashlyn knows, a life without pain is both difficult and dangerous.

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

Researchers in the field of psychology have found that one of the best way to make an important decision, such as choosing a university to attend or business to invest in, involves the utilization of a decision worksheet. Psychologists who study optimization compare the actual decisions made by people to theretical ideal decisions to see how similar they are. Proponents of the worksheet procedure believe that it will yield optimal, that is, the best decisions. Although there are several variations on the exact format that worksheets cam take, they are all similar in their essential aspects.

Worksheets require defining the problem in a clear and concise way and then listing all possible solutions to the problem. Next, the pertinent considerations that all possible solutions to the problem. Next, the pertinent considerations that will be affected by each decision are listed, and the relative importance of each consideration or consequence is determined. Each consideration is assigned a numerical value to reflect its relative importance. A decision is mathematically calculated by adding these values together. The alternative with the highest number of points emerges as the best decision.

Since most important problems are multifaceted, there are several alternatives to choose from, each with unique advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits of a pencil and paper decision-making procedure is that it permits people to deal with more variables than their minds can generally comprehend and remember. On the average, people can keep about seven ideas in their minds at once. A worksheet can be especially useful when the decision involves a large number of variables with complex relationships. A realistic example for many college students is the question "What will I do after graduation?" A graduate might seek a position that offers specialized training, pursue an advanced degree, or travel abroad for a year.

A decision-making worksheet begins with a succinct statement of the problem that will also help to narrow it. It is important to be clear about the distinction between long-range and immediate goals because long-range goals often involve a different decision than short-range ones. Focusing on long-range goals, a graduating student might revise the question above to "What will I do after graduation that will lead to a successful career?"

Question: The author states that "On the average, people can keep about seven ideas in their minds at once" (paragrap 3) to explain that________.

1. Listen and read.

(Nghe và đọc.)

At an international summer camp, Lan is talking with Mark and Linda about jobs.

Lan: It’s great to have another week full of activities and trips at the camp.

Mark: Oh, yeah. I like the trip to the kindergarten most. The kids were adorable and the teachers were great. I think I’ll be a kindergarten teacher.

Lan: That’s fantastic. My cousin works at a kindergarten and the children love being in his class. By the way, what do you want to be in the future, Linda?

Linda: Oh, I’ve always wanted to be a surgeon, so I’ll go to medical school. What about you, Lan?

Lan: Me? My dream is to become an airline pilot. That’s why I’m focusing on maths and physics, and exercising more to improve my fitness.

Linda: Cool! I hope your dream will come true. In some countries girls may not be allowed to be pilots.

Lan: That’s true, Linda. We’re lucky to live in a country where boys and girls are encouraged to do the jobs they want.

Mark: I couldn’t agree more. Girls mustn’t be kept home in today’s world. Boys and girls should be treated equally and given the same job opportunities.