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 38 to 42.

  Glass is a remarkable substance made from the simplest raw materials. It can be colored or colorless, monochrome or polychrome, transparent, translucent, or opaque. It is lightweight impermeable to liquids, readily cleaned and reused, durable yet fragile, and often very beautiful Glass can be decorated in multiple ways and its optical properties are exceptional. In all its myriad forms - as table ware, containers, in architecture and design – glass represents a major achievement in the history of technological developments.

  Since the Bronze Age about 3,000 B.C., glass has been used for making various kinds of objects. It was first made from a mixture of silica, line and an alkali such as soda or potash, and these remained the basic ingredients of glass until the development of lead glass in the seventeenth century. When heated, the mixture becomes soft and malleable and can be formed by various techniques into a vast array of shapes and sizes. The homogeneous mass thus formed by melting then cools to create glass, but in contrast to most materials formed in this way (metals, for instance), glass lacks the crystalline structure normally associated with solids, and instead retains the random molecular structure of a liquid. In effect, as molten glass cools, it progressively stiffens until rigid, but does so without setting up a network of interlocking crystals customarily associated with that process. This is why glass shatters so easily when dealt a blow. Why glass deteriorates over time, especially when exposed to moisture, and why glassware must be slowly reheated and uniformly cooled after manufacture to release internal stresses induced by uneven cooling.

  Another unusual feature of glass is the manner in which its viscosity changes as it turns from a cold substance into a hot, ductile liquid. Unlike metals that flow or “freeze” at specific temperatures glass progressively softens as the temperature rises, going through varying stages of malleability until it flows like a thick syrup. Each stage of malleability allows the glass to be manipulated into various forms, by different techniques, and if suddenly cooled the object retains the shape achieved at that point. Glass is thus amenable to a greater number of heat-forming techniques than most other materials.

Why does the author list the characteristics of glass in paragraph 1?

Mark the letter A, B, C or B on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

Because Jack defaulted on his loan, the bank took him to court.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.

Both of the lifts were out of order.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 25

  Left- handers are the odd ones out. Sure, lefties (25) _________ up about 10 percent of the population,

but, frankly, it seems like society has forgotten about them. Just consider all of the right-handed gadgets, awkwardly designed desks, and cooking tools that fit comfortably only in your right hand.

  What (26) _________ someone to become a southpaw? Scientists aren't exactly sure, but research points to a complex (27) _________ between senes and environment. While no exact set of “leftie genes” have been discovered, people who dominantly use their left hands do have more left-handed family members. And researchers have found different brain wirings in righties vs. lefties. But no matter (28) ________ it is that drives someone to use their antipodal paw, science has also uncovered a particular set of personality traits that left-handed people tend to have. So for all of you lefties, leftie- loving righties, and ambidextrous folks out there - it’s time to brush up on your left-handed knowledge and help (29) ________an end to leftie discrimination once and for all.

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

By September next year I _________ here for ten years.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 26

  Left- handers are the odd ones out. Sure, lefties (25) _________ up about 10 percent of the population,

but, frankly, it seems like society has forgotten about them. Just consider all of the right-handed gadgets, awkwardly designed desks, and cooking tools that fit comfortably only in your right hand.

  What (26) _________ someone to become a southpaw? Scientists aren't exactly sure, but research points to a complex (27) _________ between senes and environment. While no exact set of “leftie genes” have been discovered, people who dominantly use their left hands do have more left-handed family members. And researchers have found different brain wirings in righties vs. lefties. But no matter (28) ________ it is that drives someone to use their antipodal paw, science has also uncovered a particular set of personality traits that left-handed people tend to have. So for all of you lefties, leftie- loving righties, and ambidextrous folks out there - it’s time to brush up on your left-handed knowledge and help (29) ________an end to leftie discrimination once and for all.

Mark the letter A, B, C or B on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges.

“I haven’t seen Jack for three days. Is he ill?”

“ ………………His mother told me that he was in hospital.”

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

The success of shared holidays depends on ______ you shared it with.

Mark the letter A, B, C or B on your answer sheet to indicate the most suitable response to complete each of the following exchanges.

“Is Mary hungry?” “………………If so, she’ll tell us.”

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

We can enjoy live programmes through _________ satellites.

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

The number of Vietnamese sport officials and referees of international standard taking part in regional tournaments has increased rapidly.

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

The boy insisted on ___________ a break after lunch.

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 38 to 42.

  Glass is a remarkable substance made from the simplest raw materials. It can be colored or colorless, monochrome or polychrome, transparent, translucent, or opaque. It is lightweight impermeable to liquids, readily cleaned and reused, durable yet fragile, and often very beautiful Glass can be decorated in multiple ways and its optical properties are exceptional. In all its myriad forms - as table ware, containers, in architecture and design – glass represents a major achievement in the history of technological developments.

  Since the Bronze Age about 3,000 B.C., glass has been used for making various kinds of objects. It was first made from a mixture of silica, line and an alkali such as soda or potash, and these remained the basic ingredients of glass until the development of lead glass in the seventeenth century. When heated, the mixture becomes soft and malleable and can be formed by various techniques into a vast array of shapes and sizes. The homogeneous mass thus formed by melting then cools to create glass, but in contrast to most materials formed in this way (metals, for instance), glass lacks the crystalline structure normally associated with solids, and instead retains the random molecular structure of a liquid. In effect, as molten glass cools, it progressively stiffens until rigid, but does so without setting up a network of interlocking crystals customarily associated with that process. This is why glass shatters so easily when dealt a blow. Why glass deteriorates over time, especially when exposed to moisture, and why glassware must be slowly reheated and uniformly cooled after manufacture to release internal stresses induced by uneven cooling.

  Another unusual feature of glass is the manner in which its viscosity changes as it turns from a cold substance into a hot, ductile liquid. Unlike metals that flow or “freeze” at specific temperatures glass progressively softens as the temperature rises, going through varying stages of malleability until it flows like a thick syrup. Each stage of malleability allows the glass to be manipulated into various forms, by different techniques, and if suddenly cooled the object retains the shape achieved at that point. Glass is thus amenable to a greater number of heat-forming techniques than most other materials.

The word “durable” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______ .

Mark the letter A, B, C or B on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSET in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.

He didn’t bat an eyelid when he realized lie failed the exam again.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary stress in each of the following questions.

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 25 to 29. Fill in the appropriate word in question 28

  Left- handers are the odd ones out. Sure, lefties (25) _________ up about 10 percent of the population,

but, frankly, it seems like society has forgotten about them. Just consider all of the right-handed gadgets, awkwardly designed desks, and cooking tools that fit comfortably only in your right hand.

  What (26) _________ someone to become a southpaw? Scientists aren't exactly sure, but research points to a complex (27) _________ between senes and environment. While no exact set of “leftie genes” have been discovered, people who dominantly use their left hands do have more left-handed family members. And researchers have found different brain wirings in righties vs. lefties. But no matter (28) ________ it is that drives someone to use their antipodal paw, science has also uncovered a particular set of personality traits that left-handed people tend to have. So for all of you lefties, leftie- loving righties, and ambidextrous folks out there - it’s time to brush up on your left-handed knowledge and help (29) ________an end to leftie discrimination once and for all.