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

      At 7 pm on a dark, cold November evening, thousands of people are making their way across a vast car park. They're not here to see a film, or the ballet, or even the circus. They are all here for what is, bizarrely, a global phenomenon: they are here to see Holiday on Ice. Given that most people don’t seem to be acquainted with anyone who's ever been, the show's statistics are extraordinary: nearly 300 million people have seen Holiday on Ice since it began in 1943; it is the most popular live entertainment in the world.

      But what does the production involve? And why are so many people prepared to spend their lives travelling round Europe in caravans in order to appear in it? It can't be glamorous, and it's undoubtedly hard work. The backstage atmosphere is an odd mix of gym class and workplace. A curtained-off section at the back of the arena is laughably referred to as the girls' dressing room, but is more accurately described as a corridor, with beige, cracked walls and cheap temporary tables set up along the length of it. Each girl has a small area littered with pots of orange make-up, tubes of mascara and long false eyelashes.

      As a place to work, it must rank pretty low down the scale: the area round the ice-rink is grey and mucky with rows of dirty blue and brown plastic seating and red carpet tiles. It's an unimpressive picture, but the show itself is an unquestionably vast, polished global enterprise: the lights come from a firm in Texas, the people who make the audio system are in California, but Montreal supplies the smoke effects; former British Olympic skater Robin Cousins is now creative director for the company and conducts a vast master class to make sure they're ready for the show's next performance.

      The next day, as the music blares out from the sound system, the case start to go through their routines under Cousins' direction. Cousins says, 'The aim is to make sure they're all still getting to exactly the right place on the ice at the right time - largely because the banks of lights in the ceiling are set to those places, and if the skaters are all half a metre out they'll be illuminating empty ice. Our challenge, ' he continues, 'is to produce something they can sell in a number of countries at the same time. My theory is that you take those things that people want to see and you give it to them, but not in the way they expect to see it. You try to twist it. And you have to find music that is challenging to the skaters, because they have to do it every night.'

      It may be a job which he took to pay the rent, but you can’t doubt his enthusiasm. 'They only place you'll see certain skating moves is an ice show,' he says, 'because you're not allowed to do them in competition. It's not in the rules. So the ice show word has things to offer which the competitive world just doesn't. Cousins knows what he's talking about because he skated for the show himself when he stopped competing - he was financially unable to retire. He learnt the hard way that you can't put on an Olympic performance every night. I'd be thinking, these people have paid their money, now do your stuff, and I suddenly thought, "I really can't cope. I'm not enjoying it".' The solution, he realized, was to give 75 per cent every night, rather than striving for the sort of twice-a-year excellence which won him medals.

          To be honest, for those of us whose only experience of ice-skating is watching top-class Olympic skaters, some of the movements can look a bit amateurish, but then, who are we to judge? Equally, it's impossible not to be swept up in the whole thing; well, you'd have to try pretty hard not to enjoy it.

What is meant by 'the hard way'?

Phuong: “I’m taking my TOEFL test tomorrow.”

Daisy: “_________”

Two students were asked about their hobbies and here is what they said.

Lien: Cooking is my favorite hobby. My grandmother taught me how to cook my first dish when I was 8. My family enjoyed it so much so that is when I started this hobby. Some people say cooking is a waste of time but I find this hobby very interesting and meaningful. I really love trying new food and cooking for my family. The feeling of making my family happy with my food is amazing. I often collect recipes from my mother and my grandmother. Sometimes I also get recipes from the internet. Then I write them in a notebook. I hope I will become a good chef and have my own cookery book in the future.

Cuong: I have an unusual hobby: carving eggshells. I started this hobby four years ago after getting a carved egg from my dad when he came back from Japan. It's amazing that something as fragile as an empty eggshell can be made into such a beautiful piece of art. I was so amazed that I learned how to carve them myself from the internet. I find carving eggshells a little difficult but so interesting and useful. The feeling of accomplishment when I finish a piece is absolutely awesome. This hobby also helps me be more patient and careful.

What is True about Cuong?

Choose the underlined word or phrase (A, B, C or D) that needs correcting.

If one is invited out to a dinner, it is perfect proper to go either with or without a gift.

                          A                                 B                    C                       D

Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.

Family conflict

The generation gap, which refers to a broad difference between one generation and another, especially  between young people and their parents, usually leads to numerous conflicts. Such family conflicts can seriously threaten the relationship between parents and children at times. It goes without saying that, however old their children are, parents still regard them as small kids and keep in mind that their offspring are too young to protect themselves cautiously or have wise choices. Therefore, they tend to make a great attempt to help their children to discover the outside world. Nevertheless, they forget that as children grow up, they want to be more independent and develop their own identity by creating their own opinions, thoughts, styles and values about life. One common issue that drives conflicts is the clothes of teenagers. While teens are keen on wearing fashionable clothes which try to catch up with the youth trends, parents who value traditional clothes believe that those kinds of attire violate the rules and the norms of the society. It becomes worse when the expensive brand name clothes teens choose seem to be beyond the financial capacity of parents. Another reason contributing to conflicts is the interest in choosing a career path or education between parents and teenagers. Young people are told that they have the world at their feet and that dazzling future opportunities are just waiting for them to seize. However, their parents try to impose their choices of university or career on them regardless of their children's preference. Indeed, conflicts between parents and children are the ever lasting family phenomena. It seems that the best way to solve the matter is open communication to create mutual trust and understanding.

Which can be the best title for the passage?

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

      School exams are, generally speaking, the first kind of test we take. They find out how much knowledge we have gained. But do they really show how intelligent we are? After all, isn’t it a__________(23)__________that some people who are very academically successful don’t have any common sense. Intelligence is the speed__________(24)__________which we can understand and react to new situations and it is usually tested by logic puzzles. Although scientist are now preparing__________(25)__________computer technology that will be able to “read” our brains,__________(26)__________tests are still the most popular ways of measuring intelligence.

       A person’s IQ is their intelligence__________(27)__________it is measured by a special test. The most common IT tests are run by Mensa, an organization that was found in England in 1946. By 1976, it had 1,300 members in Britain. Today there are 44,000 in Britain and 100,000 worldwide , largely inthe US.

Điền vào số (24)

To prepare for a job interview, you should jot down your qualifications, work experience as well as some important information about yourself.

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.

In the 1960s, The Beatles were probably the most famous pop group in the whole world. Since then, there have been a great many groups that have achieved enormous fame, so it is perhaps difficult now to imagine how sensational The Beatles were at that time. They were four boys from the north of England and none of them had any training in music, They started by performing and recording songs by black Americans and they had some success with these songs, Then they started writing their own songs and that was when they became really popular. The Beatles changed pop music. They were the first pop group to achieve great success from songs they had written themselves. After that it became common for groups and singers to write their own songs. The Beatles did not have a long career. Their first hit record was in 1963 and they split up in 1970. They stopped doing live performances in 1966 because it had become too dangerous for them - their fans were so excited that they surrounded them and tried to take their clothes as souvenirs! However, today some of their songs remain as famous as they were when they first came out Throughout the world many people can sing part of a Beatles song if you ask them.

The Beatles stopped their live performances because

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 35 to 42.

  If you were going to choose a job that involves travel, what would be your first choice? There are many jobs available today that give people opportunities to travel. Although may traveling careers sound fantastic, they also have disadvantages.

  Being an au pair is an excellent way to not only go to different countries, but to live in different places around the world and really get a feel for the culture. Au pairs lives with the families they are placed with and take of children. Many parents include au pairs in family events and vacations, so they experience many aspects of the new culture while on the job. However, many of the activities are centered around the children, so they may not get to experience many things that interest adults.

  For people who want a bit more freedom working abroad, being an English teacher maybe a good choice. There are English teaching jobs in almost countries in the world. People teaching English in other countries often have a chance to travel on the weekends around the country. One drawback is that many teachers often wind up hanging out with other English teachers, and they don’t have time to learn the country’s language.

  The nickname “roadie” implies that this job involves life on the road. Roadies are people who work and travel with bands and provide technical support. Roadies can be lighting and stage crew who set up the stage and break it down before and after events. They can also be technicians helping band members with their instruments. International tours take a band’s crew to cities around the world, often requiring air travel. However, the crew doesn’t get much time off, so they may travel to several countries without seeing much besides concert venues and hotels.

  Similarly, flight attendants often travel to cities around the world, but they don’t see much besides the inside of airplanes and hotels. However, when they do have time off, they can often fly at no cost, and family member can sometimes fly free as well. Its is widely thought that a flight attendant job is glamorous, but flight attendants must deal with travel hassles, as well as security issues.

  All jobs gave advantages and disadvantages whether or not you travel for work, so if you have the travel bug, keep these jobs in mind for the future.

How is a flight attendant’s job similar to a roadie’s?

Rewrite the following sentences so that they have the same meaning as the original ones.

After all job applicants had already finished their interviews, I arrived.

→ Before I _______________________________________________.

… you stay in bed late at the weekend?

Read the passage and choose the best answer among A, B, C, or D.

Throughout the United States, the number of places where people are allowed to smoke has gradually ecome smaller and smaller. First, it was banned on trains, buses and plancs, then in public places such as theatres and airports. Now you can’t smoke in any workplace. Nonsmokers are definitely winning the battle. “Why should we breathe their smoke ?”, they say.

If they are lucky, smokers can still find some bars and restaurants where they can light up a cigarette, but it may soon be banncd there , too. Anti-smoking groups even think that smoking ought to be banned in people’s homes.

Under new plans you won’t be able to smoke where there are more than ten visitors in a week, or where there are children. In 1996, nicotine was classed as drug, like cocaine or heroin. In the country that gave tobacco to the world, smoking might one day be illegal

Which of the following sentences is true according to the passage?

Đọc đoạn văn sau và trả lời các câu hỏi. (0,8điểm)

If you would like to go to a beautiful, faraway place, you should choose the Hawaiian Islands. Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in 1959 the islands became the 50th state of the U.S. Of all the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is the best place for vacation as it is called a tropical paradise. With increasing tourist attraction, its population is getting higher especially in hot seasons. Because thick green rainforests cover the island, the air makes your skin soft and smooth. There is little air pollution here, and no stress. The beaches of Kauai are large part of its beauty; they are all peaceful clean white sands. If you want to meet colourful undersea creatures, you will have to take a short course for diving. You need an enrolment to get training from professional divers. They also make wide explanations for the characteristics of the ocean. As soon as you make up your mind, reserve your place, buy your ticket and say goodbye to your stressful city!

 Where is Hawaii located?

The majority of nurses are women, but in the higher ranks of the medical profession women are in a_________.

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.

Volunteering can be the experience of a lifetime and for some people it is a life changing experience. Volunteer Bolivia is the international volunteer organization that combines a volunteer service learning experience with a program for an unforgettable intercultural experience. They offer an affordable way for you to experience a foreign country while lending a hand. Their variety of community volunteer positions provide you with the opportunity to make new friends, define a new career, develop new skills, and share your skills with others. Short term volunteers are a crucial part of their program allowing you to fulfill the needs of a variety of children’s centers scattered around the region. These centers provide services for children. Long term volunteers are those who stay with them more than five months, speak intermediate Spanish, and are specialized volunteers who have an expertise that matches their Bolivian colleague’s needs. Many long term volunteers contribute in a collaboratively designed volunteer position such as helping in the office, translating, and working with the Bolivian staff.

If you have a specialized skill, they can place you in your profession. Long term volunteers have also contributed as healthcare workers, physical therapists, graphic designers, by teaching advanced computer skills or in project development.

Which statement is True according to the passage?