PRACTICE 20

Part A: LISTENING
I, Complete the sentences below. Write no more than three words or a number to each answer
* According to the speaker, the three factors contributing to the success of plastic today are safety, (1)
___________ and value .
* Meat and other food products are wrapped in plastic to protect them from (2) ___________.
* The use of plastic in major (3) ___________ ensures that they will resist corrosion.
* Experts have calculated that a kilo of plastic packaging can lead to a reduction of (4) ___________ in
wasted food.
* Plastic parts have made air conditioners as much as (5) ___________ more efficient since the 1970s.
II. Complete the notes. Write no more than three words or a number to each answer.
A history of the plastic bag
1957 Introduction of (5) ___________
1966 Around one third of packaging in (6) ___________ consists of plastic
bags.
1969 ‘New York City Experiment ’ : (7) ___________ collected in plastic
bags.
(9) ___________ Plastic grocery bags first manufactured commercially .
2002 New Irish tax of (10) ___________ per carrier bag.
6. (the ) sandwich bag. 7. (the) bread industry
8. garbage/trash 9. 1973 10. 15 cents

III. You will hear a psychologist being interviewed about friendship, choose the answer which best fits
according to what you hear.
11. From three to five years old, children ___________.
A. are happy to play alone. B. prefer with their family.
C. have rather selfish relationships D. have little idea of ownership
12. From age five to eight or ten, children ___________.
A. change their friends more often B. decide who they want to be friends with
C. admire people who don’t keep to rules.
D. learn to be tolerant of their friends
13. According to Sarah Browne, adolescents ___________.
A. may be closer to their friends than to their parents.
B. develop an interest in friends of the opposite sex.
C. chooses friends with similar personalities to themselves.
D. want friends who are dependable.
14. Young married people ___________.
A. tend to focus on their children. B. often lose touch with their friends.
C. make close friends less easily D. need fewer friends than single people
15. In middle or old age, people generally prefer ___________.
A. to stay in touch with old friends. B. to see younger friends more often
C. to have friends who live nearby. D. to spend more time with their friends.
Part B: LEXICO-GRAMMAR
I. Choose the best option to fill in the blank of each sentence below:
1.The increase in illegal drug use has clearly ___________ to the rise in crime rate.
A. distributed B. contributed C. been attributed D. collaborated
2. I’m in a bit of a __________ as to what to wear to the wedding.
A. loss B. quandary C. problem D. bewilderment
3. I’m not keen on _________ control of the project to a relative newcomer.
A. undertaking B. charging D. entrusting D. allowing
4 The hut finally fell down , unable to _________ days of violent winds and rain .
A. put up with B. withstand C. support D. afford
5. The man problem the local people have to contend with is water___________
A. lack B. drought C. limit D. shortage
6. Hardly a single old building________standing after the council remodeled the town.
A. remained B. stayed C. kept D. continued
7. The food being cooked in the kitchen was giving __________ a wonderful smell.
A. up B. off C. round D. over
8. She went under ________ as a waitress to write an article on tipping.
A. mask B. act C. pose D. cover
9. On entering the nursery I stumbled on the wooden blocks_______all over the carpet.
A. plunged B. scattered C. settled D. tossed
10. They’ve developed a clever Idea into a very_______business.
A. wealthy B. expensive C. profitable D. priceless
11. I was _______ to believe that she was a representative of the Labour Party.
A. declared B. carried C. led D. explained
12. It has been kept _______ for about ten years that the minister’s son committed a crime.
A. unaware B. secret C. mystery D. obscure
13. One could see with the _______ eyes that there was a lighthouse on the promontory.
A. naked B. sole C. nude D. shut
14. These two items don’t differ much. The _______ is even more apparent when you put them together.
A. similarity B. likelihood C. coincidenceD. analogy
15. Your rude behavior was an _______ to the host and his wife. I don’t think they will ever invite us to their
house again.
A. abuse B. insult C. injury D. aversion
16. For almost 50 years, the citizens of this country were _______ from travelling abroad unless they were
politicians.
A. suspended B. rejected C. averted D. forbidden
17. I wouldn’t _______ their position in the market. They may appear to be very influential in the future.
A. undertake B. underestimate C. underwrite D. undercharge
18. We can’t admit a person who hasn’t _______ the required number of points at the entrance examination.
A. scored B. assessed C. settled D. qualified
19. _______ he delivers the report, it will be sent to the headquarters.
A. On the point B. At once C. Immediately D. Soon enough
20. The most probable _______ for your chronic headaches is lack of good rest.
A. factor B. background C. origin D. reason
II. Put the words in brackets in the correct form
1. The witness claimed she was capable of discovering the man’s evil intentions from the _______
(MURDER) look in his eyes.
2. My father is a firm _______ (BELIEVE) in faith healing. He even tries to propagate it among his friends.
3. “Have you got any _______ (GIVE) about the cooperation?” – “Oh no, I am sure it will be successful.”
4. One of the main aims of the organization is to provide _______ (HUMAN) aid to the refugees.
5. Why don’t you take the _______ (INITIATE) and arrange a meeting?
6. The doctor gave him an injection to _______ (DIE) the pain.
7. The man was found guilty of fraud and sentences to 3 years _______ (PRISON).
8. His workmates were very _______ (COOPERATE) and selfish.
9. Nowadays people may no longer suffer from lifetime physical _______ (NORMAL).
10. The policy was _______ (JUDGE) a failure.
III. Choose the underlined word/phrase in each sentence that needs correcting
1, (A) All Vietnamese special schools (B) are funded by money from (C) government or (D) charity
organizations.
2, In fact, (A) it was one of (B) the first places in the USA (C) to offer education (D) for blind children.
3. (A) Establishing in 1984 (B) for students who wanted to study art and music, La Guardia (C) was one of
the first public schools (D) of its kind.
4. The school (A) has an excellent (B) reputation both in (C) the United States (D)
as well as internationally.
5.If one (A) doesn’t have respect for himself, (B) you can’t expect (C) others to respect (D) him.
6. The teacher, (A) as well as his children, (B) are at home (C) watching the election (D) returns on TV.
7. (A) The staff worked (B) throughout night to meet (C) the client’s (D) deadline.
8. World hunger (A) it is one of the (B) most urgent (C) problems that (D) we face today.
9. (A) Because it was (B) unsafe to repair, (C) the old building (D) had to demolish.
10. Liquids take (A) the shape of (B) any container (C) where they are (D) placed in.
IV. Fill in the blanks with proper prepositions or adverbial
1,Long skirts are _______ at the moment.
2. Stop harping _______ your past success.
3. Can you run _______ this picture for me?
4. They sold the house _______ in auction.
5. She really goes _______ reading intelligent books.
6. I met him at the party and he asked _______ you.
7. People’s chances of getting good jobs vary_______ whether they live in the North or the south.
8. John has grown _______ of his habit of playing truant.
9. He rang _______ before I could ask his name.
10. Many soldiers are _______ attendance on him.
Part C: READING
I. Read the passage and choose the best option to fill each blank:
A village at the foothills of the Italian Alps that sees no sun for three months a year is to (1)_______
its winters by using a giant mirror to reflect sunshine onto its main square.
This week, the 197 inhabitants of Viganella, which is buried in the narrow Antrona valley, north of
Turin, will gather for the arrival of a tailor-made (2) _______ of steel 8m wide and 5m high. It will be flown
by helicopter to a (3)_______ spot by the mountainside.
The Mayor, Pierfranco Midale, who is spearheading the project, is (4) _______ that the hamlet is no
longer have to suffer from the complete absence of direct sunlight for 83 days a year, from November 11 to
February 2.
Midali first (5) _______ the ball rolling with a (6) _______ he made seven years ago, after (7)
_______ a sundial for the façade of the parish church. He told the architect who made this that if he could
think of a solution to bring the sun to Viganella, he would (8) _______ it all the way.
Weighing more than a ton, and (9) _______ on the nearby Colna Peak, the mirror will reflect the
sun’s rays onto the village square half a mile away and light up an area of 30 square meters for at least 6
hours a day. The mirror’s maker has (10) _______ it will stand up to the strongest winds and will last at least
30 years.
1. A. lighten B. reduce C. brighten D. lift
2. A. materials B. layer C. piece D. sheet
3. A. positioned B. designated C. best D. intentional
4. A. confident B. ensured C. convinced D. ascertaining
5. A. threw B. dropped C. set D. keep
6. A. word B. comment C. saying D. speech
7. A. commissioned B. placed C. ordered D. paid
8. A. hold B. carry C. support D. stand
9. A. held B. positioned C. lain D. dropped
10.A. insured B. thought C. guaranteed D. hoped
II. Read the passage and choose the best answer:

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in the New York city. For a long time, it has
been the newspaper of record in the US and one of the world’s great newspapers. Its strength is in its editorial
excellence, it never has been the greatest newspaper in the terms of circulation.
The Times was established in 1851 as a penny paper whose editors wanted to report the news in a
restrained and objective fashion. It enjoyed early success as its editors set a pattern for the future by
appealing to a cultured, intellectual readership instead of a mass audience. However, in the late 19 th century,
it came into competition with a more popular, colorful, if not lurid, newspapers in New York. Their
publishers ran sensational stories, not because they were true, but because they sold newspapers. Despite
prices increases, The Times was losing £ 1,000 a week when Adolph Simon Ochs bought it in 1896.
Ochs built The Times into an international respected daily. He hired Carr Van Anda as editor. Van
Anda placed greater stress than ever on full reporting of the news of the day, and his emphasized existing
good coverage of international news. The management of the paper decided to eliminate fiction from the
paper, added a Sunday magazine section, and reduced the paper’s price back to a penny. In April 1912, the
paper took many risks to report every aspects of the sinking o the Titanic. This greatly enhanced its prestige,
and in its coverage of the two world wars, The Times continued to enhance its reputation for excellence in
world news.
In 1971, The Times was given a copy of the so-called “Pentagon Papers”, a secret government study
of US involvement in the Vietnam war. When it published the report, it became involved in several lawsuits.
The US Supreme Court found that the publication was protected by the freedom-of-the-press clause in the
first Amendment of the US Constitution. Later in the 1970s, the paper, under Adolphs’grandson introduced
sweeping changes in the organization of printing plants.
1, What is the main idea of the passage?
A. The New York Times publishes the best fiction by American writers.
B. The New York Times became highly respected throughout the world.
C. The New York Times broadcasts its news to TV stations through its satellite.
D. The New York Times lost its prestige after the Vietnam War.
2, It can be inferred from the passage that the circulation of The New York Times is _______ .
A. not the largest in the world. B. not the best in the world.
C. the smallest in the world. D. the worst of the world.
3, Which phrase is closest in meaning to the word restrained in paragraph 2?
A. put in prison B. in handcuffs C. Without education D. with self-control
4, According to the passage, which caused the loss of money at The New York Times?
A. Other newspapers were more colorful. B. Other newspapers had better reporters
C. Other newspapers added a Sunday magazine.
D. Other newspapers were better managed.
5, Which word or phrase does the word his in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Van Anda B. Reporters C. News of the day D. International news
6, Which word or phrase is closest in meaning to the word enhanced in paragraph 3?
A. made the best of B. increased C. reduced D. made worse
7. To improve The Times circulation, the management did all of the following except _______ .
A. emphasized existing good coverage of international news
B. added a Sunday magazine section.
C. increased the number of lurid stories, even if they were not true.
D. eliminated fiction from the paper.
8. The passage implies that the newspaper’s reputation _______ .
A. decreased when it lowered its price to a penny.
B. grew because Adolph Ochs bought it in 1896.
C. increased because of its coverage of the Titanic’s sinking.
D. decreased because it could not complete with other New York papers.
9. What word or phrase does the word ’publication’ in para. 4 refer to?
A. The Times B. The Pentagon paper C. The report D. The Constitution
10. According to the passage, The Times has a national edition that is _______ .
A. protected by the Supreme Court
B. printed in the form of a Sunday magazine.
C. shipped by train and air transport daily
D. transmitted by satellite to regional printing plants
III. Cloze Test: Read the text below and fill each gap with one suitable word.
Speed limit
A recent proposal to limit the speed cars can reach is proving controversial. The idea, put (1) ________ by
the institute for Road Safety, involves (2) ___________ vehicles with a communications box containing a
digital map of the road network. When a car is in motion, the communications box – which knows how fast
the vehicle is(3)_________ permitted to travel on a particular section of road – automatically regulates the
car’s speed. It (4)__________ becomes impossible for a vehicle fitted with such a (5)_______ to exceed the
speed limit.
There are plans to (6)_________ motorists to drive into the centre of major cities, and a communication box
could be used to identify vehicles that enter this zone. At present, each time a vehicle does so, its
number(7)___________ is photographed. Then the number is compared (8) __________ a list of authorized
vehicles, but this system is costly and (9)___________ from foolproof
The system could be put in place quickly if the government wished as part the technology has already been
developed for another purpose. Electronic vehicle identification is (10) __________ with some people, who
regard it as an infringement of their rights. They would certainly object to a plan to restrict the limit of their
cars, which may make the government hesitate to go through with it .
IV. Fill each blank in the passage below with the words provided
dirt mark package things sigh feet steps balance charge break

1. My father has gone to London on business and he has left the office under my _________.
2. I think I’ll give up going dancing tonight because I’m not feeling up to the _________.
3. Go for the _________ tour and you won’t have to worry about the tickets, hotels…
4. In the new pub round the corner, beer is _________ cheap, that’s why the place is always full.
5. If we set off at the _________ of dawn, there is a possibility that the traffic won’t be too heavy.
6. You could hear the _________ of relief let out by some students after the test results had been announced.
7. “Look! George is dating Mary!” – “That’s impossible, you must be seeing _________ ”.
8. Nick looked brave enough to penetrate the ancient gallery deep at the sea bottom, but when it came to the
real action he got cold _________ .
9. The police have obtained an urgent order to take radical _________ against the riots that have broken out
in the city center.
10. The pavement was so slippery that hardly anyone could keep their _________.

V. Read the passage below and choose the most suitable heading (A - H) for each paragraph (1- 6).
Paragraph 1 has been done as an example
Sonja Henie
1-E
Sonja Henie was born in Kristiania, current Oslo. Her father had been a one-time World Cycling Champion
and the Henie children were encouraged to take up a variety of sports at a young age. Henie initially showed
talent at skiing, and then followed her older brother Leif to take up figure skating. As a girl, Henie was also a
nationally ranked tennis player and a skilled swimmer and equestrienne. Once Henie began serious training
as a figure skater, her formal schooling ended. She was educated by tutors, and her father hired the best
experts in the world, including the famous Russian ballerina Tamara Karsavina, to transform his daughter
into a sporting celebrity.
2
Henie won her first major competition, the senior Norwegian championships, at the age of 10. She then
placed eighth in a field of eight at the 1924 Winter Olympics, at the age of eleven. During the 1924 program,
she skated over to the side of the rink several times to ask her coach for directions. But by the next Olympiad,
she needed no such assistance.
3
Henie won the first of an unprecedented ten consecutive World Figure Skating Championships in 1927 at the
age of fourteen. The results of 1927 World Championships, where Henie won in a 3-2 decision (or 7 vs. 8
ordinal points) over the defending Olympic and World Champion Herma Szabo of Austria, were
controversial, as all three of five judges that placed Henie first were Norwegian while Szabo received first-
place ordinals from an Austrian and a German judge.
4
Henie went on to win the first of her three Olympic gold medals the following year. She defended her
Olympic titles in 1932 and in 1936, and her World titles annually until 1936. She also won six consecutive
European championships from 1931 to 1936. Henie's unprecedented three Olympic gold medals haven't been
matched by any ladies single skater since; neither are her achievements as ten-time consecutive World
Champion.
5
Towards the end of her career, she began to be strongly challenged by younger skaters. However, she held
off these competitors and went on to win her third Olympic title at the 1936 Winter Olympics, albeit in very
controversial circumstances with Cecilia Colledge finishing a very close second. Indeed, after the school
figures section at the 1936 Olympic competition, Colledge and Henie were virtually neck and neck with
Colledge trailing by just a few points. The closeness of the competition infuriated Henie, who, when the
result for that section was posted on a wall in the competitors' lounge, swiped the piece of paper and tore it
into little pieces. The draw for the free skating then came under suspicion after Henie landed the plum
position of skating last, while Colledge had to perform second of the 26 competitors, which was clearly in
Henie’s favor.
6
In addition to traveling to train and compete, she was much in demand as a performer at figure skating
exhibitions in both Europe and North America. Henie became so popular with the public that police had to be
called out for crowd control on her appearances in various disparate cities such as Prague and New York
City. It was an open secret that, in spite of the strict amateurism requirements of the time, her father
demanded "expense money" for his daughter's skating appearances. Both of Henie's parents had given up
their own pursuits in Norway in order to accompany Sonja on her travels and act as her managers.
Paragraph headings:
A) Disputed achievements
B) Questionable behaviour
C) Work hard, play hard
D) Teething troubles
E) Multiple sporting skills
F) Outside the skating rink
G) Questionable financial practices
H) Unparalleled achievements
Part D. WRITING
I. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence printed
before it. (5 points)
1 . She didn’t cry when the story ended in tragedy.
Not a ………………………………………………………………………
2. Scientists have tried very hard to find a cure for this disease
Enormous …………………………………………………………………
3. I never thought of asking for his help
The thought………………………………………………………….…….
4. As there are no more questions, we think we can end the meeting
There …………………………………………………………….………..
5. My brother works better when he is pressed for time.
The less…………………………………………………………….….……
II. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence using the words
given. Do not change the word given. You must use BETWEEN THREE AND EIGHT WORDS,
including the word given (5 pts)

1. Bill changed his ways when he came out of prison. LEAF

 Bill .................................................................... since he came out of prison.
2. We honestly all found it almost impossible not to laugh when we saw Josh's new haircut. FACE
 Honestly, .................................................................... almost impossible when we saw Josh's new haircut.
3. Don't let her give in however hard they try to persuade her. GUNS
 Make sure she .................................................................... however hard they try to persuade her.
4. It was a bad idea to turn up unexpectedly without calling first. BLUE
 You should .................................................................... without calling first.
5. The phone bill was so expensive that Dave was furious. ARMS
 Dave was .................................................................... an expensive phone bill.
III. WRITING: In class, you have been discussing the statement ‘Old people should be looked after by
members of their family or it is better for them to live in nursing-home’. Your teacher has asked you to
write an essay expressing your own opinion.
Write your essay in 250-300 words.
 KEYS PRACTICE 20
Part A: LISTENING (40 pts)
I, Listen and fill in the gaps: (20 pts: 4pts/1 correct answer)
1. performance 2. contamination 3. appliances
4. 3.74 kilos 5. fifty percent
II, Listen and fill in the table: (10 pts: 2 pts/1 correct answer)
6. (the ) sandwich bag. 7. (the) bread industry
8. garbage/trash 9. 1973 10. 15 cents
III, Listen and choose the best answer: (10 pts: 2 pts/1 correct answer)
11. C 12. B 13. D 14. C 15. A
Part II: LEXICO-GRAMMAR
I. Choose the best option to fill in the blank of each sentence below: (20 pts)
1.B 2.B 3.C 4.B 5.D 6.A 7.B 8.D 9.B 10.C
11.C 12.B 13. A 14.A 15.B 16.D 17.B 18.A 19.C 20.D
II. Put the words in brackets in the correct form (10 pts)
1. murderous 2. believer 3. misgivings 4. humanitarian 5. initiative
6. deaden 7. imprisonment 8. uncooperative 9abnormalities. 10. adjudged
III. Choose the underlined word/phrase in each sentence that needs correcting (10 pts)
1. C 2. D 3. A 4. D 5. B
6. B 7. B 8. A 9. D 10. C
IV. Fill in the blanks with proper prepositions or adverbial (10 pts)
1, in/out 2, on 3, off 4, by 5, in for
6, after 7, according to8, out of 9, off 10, in
Part III: READING
I. Read the passage and choose the best option to fill each blank (10pts)
1. C 2. D 3. B 4. A 5. C
6. B 7. A 8. C 9. B 10. C
II. Read the passage and choose the best answer: (10 pts)
1. B 2. A 3. D 4. A 5. A
6. B 7. C 8. C 9. A 10. D
III. Cloze Test: Read the text below and fill each gap with one suitable word.
(10 pts)
1. forward 2. fitting 3. legally 4. therefore 5. device
6. charge 7. plate 8. against 9. far 10. unpopular
IV. Fill each blank in the passage below with the words provided (10 pts)
1. charge 2. mark 3. package 4. dirt 5. break
6. sigh 7. things 8. feet 9. steps 10. balance
V. Read the passage below and choose the most suitable heading (A - H) for each paragraph (1- 6).
(10 pts)
1, E (example)2, D 3, A 4, H 5, B 6, C
IV. WRITING
I. (5 points)
1. Not a tear did she shed when the story ended in tragedy.
2. Enormous efforts have been made by scientists to find a cure for this disease
3. The thought of asking for his help never occurred to me/crossed my mind
4. There being no more questions, we think we can end the meeting
5. The less time my brother has, the better he works
II. (5 pts)
1. has turned over a new leaf
2. keeping a straight face was
3 .sticks to her guns
4. not have turned up out of the blue
5. up in arms about such
III. WRITING 1(20 pts)

Suggested answer

The bar chart illustrates amount of native students and international students studying in track of computer
science, divided into two categories: men and women, at UK universities between 2010 to 2012.

According to men, the number of British students was fluctuated. It started from approximate 40 persons in
2010 before dropped to 25 persons in 2011, and rose up thereafter to more than 40 persons. At the same
period, the number of students from outside UK increased considerably: 20 persons, 25 persons, and 40
persons, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively.

Regarding women, the amount of British students in 2010 was about 30 persons. This number went up
thereafter to 45 persons in next year (2011), and there was no significant change in 2012. For aboard
students, the numbers of them increased gradually with year: 15 persons in 2010, and 20 persons in 2012.

All in all, we can see that before 2010, the numbers of native students were more than two times of
international students, in both men and women. However, since 2011, the numbers of men students from UK
and outside are almost equal
PART 3: In class, you have been discussing the statement ‘Old people should be looked after by members
of their family or it is better for them to live in nursing-home’. Your teacher has asked you to write an
essay expressing your own opinion.
Write your essay in 250-300 words. ( 30 điểm)
Điểm thành phần của bài luận theo những điểm đề nghị sau:
- Organization: Bố cục rõ ràng, đầy đủ ba phần: mở bài, thân bài, kết luận. (0,4đ)
- Discourse: (Thể hiện khả năng viết mạch lạc, chặt chẽ, nối kết câu, chuyển mạch tốt) (0,6 đ)
- Sentence structures (expressions, vocabulary, spelling): Cấu trúc câu linh hoạt, (đơn, phức) (0,8 đ )
- Ideas: (ý hay, phong phú, biểu đạt nội dung liên quan chặt chẽ với chủ đề của đề thi. (0,8)
- Length (Đảm bảo đủ số lượng từ qui định : không quá dài hoặc quá ngắn) (0,4đ)

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