Belgium is a very old country, with a fascinating mixture of old customs and modern laws

Belgium is a very old country, with a fascinating mixture of old customs and modern laws

Đề bài: 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

Belgium is a very old country, with a fascinating mixture of old customs and modern laws. Belgium weddings may be performed as a civil ceremony or as a religious ceremony.Traditionally, when a couple in Belgium wishes to announce their marriage, the wedding invitations are printed on two sheets of paper, one from the bride's family and one sheet from the groom's family. These wedding invitations symbolize the union of the two families and the partnership of the new union.An ancient Belgium custom that is designed to unite the two families calls for the bride to stop as she walks up the isle and to hand her mother a single flower. The two then embrace. Then, during the recessional, the bride and groom walk to the groom's mother and the new bride hands her new mother-in-law a single flower and the two of them embrace, symbolizing the bride's acceptance of her new mother.One of the most important and enduring traditions of the Belgium wedding is for the bride to carry a specially embroidered handkerchief that has her name embroidered on it. After the wedding this handkerchief is framed and hung on the wall in a place of honor. When the next female member of the bride's family is to be wed, the handkerchief is removed from its frame, the new bride's name is embroidered onto it, and it is passed down. The wedding handkerchief is passed from generation to generation, and is considered an important family heirloom.During the wedding mass, the bride and the groom are enthroned in two large chairs placed near the altar, symbolizing that on this day and in this place they are the king and the queen. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the groom slips the wedding ring onto the third finger of his bride's left hand. The ring, being an endless circle, symbolizes never-ending love, and the third finger of the left hand is believed to hold the vein that travels to the heart, symbolizing love. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the bride and groom share their first kiss as husband and wife. The kiss is considered a symbolic act of sharing each other's spirit as the couple each breathes in a portion of their new mate's soul.The bridesmaids traditionally take up a collection of coins and as the bride and groom exit the church, the bridesmaids toss the coins to the poor outside the church. Giving gifts of money to the poor helps to insure prosperity for the new bride and groom.Following the wedding the bride and groom are off on their honeymoon. In ancient times the honeymoon, which was celebrated by the drinking of mead, or honey wine, would last 28 days, one complete cycle of the moon. This was to make sure that the bride's family did not try to steal their daughter back from her new husband.

Câu 1: Which of the following could be the best title of this passage?

A. Belgium's wedding ceremony

B. Belgium's wedding customs and traditions

C. The bride's and groom's traditional activities in their wedding day

D. The differences between an ancient wedding and a modern one in Belgium

Câu 2: What does the word "them" in the third paragraph refer to?

A. the bride and her mother

B. the bride and the groom

C. the bride and her mother-in-law            

D. the groom and his mother-in-law

Câu 3: The following is true about Belgium's wedding, EXCEPT _______ .

A. The weddings in Belgium are not only a civil event but also a religious one

B. The wedding invitations are the symbol of both the bride's and the groom's families

C. Each mother of the couple is given a single flower in their children's wedding

D. The bride often hugs her mother-in-law before embracing her mother

Câu 4: It can be inferred from the passage that the wedding handkerchief _______ .

A. is prepared for the bride by her mother before the wedding

B. is highly appreciated in the home of Belgian people

C. is only replaced by another person in their house

D. is embroidered in most important occasions in Belgium

Câu 5: The word "heirloom" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______ .

A. dowry                                

B. inheritance                          

C. representation                    

D. pride

Câu 6: According to paragraph 5, what is CORRECT about the wedding ring?

A. It is worn onto the third finger of the bride's right hand.

B. The groom wears the ring for his mate at the beginning of the ceremony.

C. The ring represents the boundless love of the couple.

D. The ring is presented by the queen and the king of their country.

Câu 7: The word "insure" in the paragraph 6 could be best replaced by _______ .

A. determine                            

B. indemnify                          

C. express                              

D. affirm

Câu 8: The author mentioned honeymoon in the past in the last paragraph as a period that ________

A. the bride and the groom live far from each other

B. lasts for a fortnight after wedding

C. protects the new bride from her family's effort to take her back

D. the new couple serves the guests honey wine

Lời giải:

Đáp án:

Giải thích:

1. Điều nào sau đây có thể là tiêu đề tốt nhất của đoạn văn này? B. Phong tục và truyền thống đám cưới của Bỉ.

2. Thông tin: Then, during the recessional, the bride and groom walk to the groom's mother and the new bride hands her new mother-inlaw a single flower and the two of them embrace, symbolizing the bride's acceptance of her new mother. (Hai người ôm nhau. Sau đó, trong buổi lễ giới thiệu, cô dâu và chú rể đi bộ đến mẹ của chú rể và cô dâu mới trao cho mẹ chồng mới của mình một bông hoa duy nhất và hai người họ ôm nhau, tượng trưng cho sự chấp nhận của cô dâu với mẹ mới.)

3. Thông tin: An ancient Belgium custom that is designed to unite the two families calls for the bride to stop as she walks up the isle and to hand her mother a single flower. The two then embrace. Then, during the recessional, the bride and groom walk to the groom's mother and the new bride hands her new mother-in-law a single flower and the two of them embrace (Một phong tục cổ xưa của Bỉ được thiết kế để đoàn kết hai gia đình kêu gọi cô dâu dừng lại khi cô đi lên cù lao và trao cho mẹ cô một bông hoa duy nhất. Hai người ôm nhau. Sau đó, trong buổi lễ giới thiệu, cô dâu và chú rể đi bộ đến mẹ của chú rể và cô dâu mới trao cho mẹ chồng mới của mình một bông hoa duy nhất và hai người họ ôm nhau)

4. Thông tin: After the wedding this handkerchief is framed and hung on the wall in a place of honor. (Sau đám cưới, chiếc khăn tay này được đóng khung và treo trên tường ở một nơi danh dự.)

5. heirloom = inheritance (gia truyền)

6. Thông tin: The ring, being an endless circle, symbolizes never-ending love, and the third finger of the left hand is believed to hold the vein that travels to the heart, symbolizing love. (Chiếc nhẫn, là một vòng tròn vô tận, tượng trưng cho tình yêu không bao giờ kết thúc, và ngón thứ ba của bàn tay trái được cho là giữ tĩnh mạch đi đến trái tim, tượng trưng cho tình yêu.)

7. insure = indemnify (bảo đảm)

8. Thông tin: This was to make sure that the bride's family did not try to steal their daughter back from her new husband. (Điều này là để đảm bảo rằng gia đình cô dâu đã không cố gắng đánh cắp con gái của họ từ người chồng mới.)