Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase.
That is a program of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union to (1) _____ individuals, domestic and foreign organizations buy and use bicycles during the time (2) _____ they enjoy the SEA Games 22 in Ho Chi Minh City then donate the bicycles to poor children. Preparing (3) _____ this program, the Organizing Committee has signed a (4) _____ with Martin- a bicycle-making firm - to purchase 1,000 bicycles, at prices from 850,000 to 1,000,000 VND per bicycle -10% (5) _____ than market prices, with nearly 20 different models. In the mid of November, The Organizing Committee will announce, promote, and (6) _____ the program "SEA Games Iron Horses - For Poor Children" through (7) _____ at airport, on buses, taxis, at information desks, posters, banners, newspapers, and websites of city Youth Union. Besides 1,200 volunteers (8) _____ the SEA Games 22, the Organizing Committee also recruits 100 active volunteers for this program to handle the handover and receiving bikes, instructing participating tourists, giving (9) _____ to questions through hot lines. This program both conveys practical significance and helps international friends to understand further the nation and people of Viet, Nam as well as strengthen the friendship and (10) _____ among nations.
(5) _____
Suy nghĩ và trả lời câu hỏi trước khi xem đáp án
Lời giải:
Báo sailower than: ít hơn
=> … at prices from 850,000 to 1,000,000 VND per bicycle -10% lower than market prices, with nearly 20 different models.
Tạm dịch: với giá từ 850.000 đến 1.000.000 đồng cho mỗi chiếc xe đạp -10% thấp hơn giá thị trường, với gần 20 mẫu xe khác nhau.
Câu hỏi liên quan
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Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions:
Games and sports are an important and essential part of a person's life. Along with the study, games, and sports are also important. Hence, most schools conducts various games competitions and sports. Along with the mental development of every person, physical development is also which needs to be taken into consideration. Sports is an important part of a student’s life as well. So, what is the importance of sports and games?
Sports gives us a good exercise which makes us physically strong and increases our stamina and strength. Regular sports activities make us active and lead to good health. Playing Games makes us aware of our environment i.e. Makes us mentally awake and increases our concentration power. Various Games needs good strategies for better performance and teamwork, so it increases our thinking ability and teaches us the power of teamwork and to find a way out of difficult situations. Games and sports also need a lot of energy. It makes us energetic. Games and Sports needs a lot of cooperation between the players. Hence it increases cooperation with each other.
And at last, all of the games have their own rules and regulations which if not followed, leads to negative points. Hence, we can say that it teaches us the importance of following rules in life.What is the passage mainly about?
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Choose the item among A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage:
"The 22nd SEA Games were launched by an impressive opening ceremony at Hanoi’s My Dinh National Stadium on December 5th 2003, in front of over 40,000 awed spectators. On behalf of the host country, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai declared the 22nd SEA Games open.
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Chairman of the National Steering Board for the 22nd SEA Games, Minister-Chairman Nguyen Danh Thai, and Hanoi Mayor Hoang Van Nghien presented flowers and banners to the 11 participating sports delegations.
On behalf of the referees and athletes, referee Hoang Quoc Vinh and shooter Nguyen Manh Tuong swore to an oath of “Solidarity, Honesty and Fair Play”.After the “ritual” part of the ceremony, a laser light show kicked off the “festival” segment. More than one thousand artists, dressed in green and sea blue representing the forest and the sea, then presented the first chapter of the performance, named “The Land of the Dragon and Fairy”.
The scene depicted the legend of Vietnam’s origins, featuring the father-Dragon and mother-Fairy, and ended with young men and women lining up in an S-shaped pattern, a Symbol of Vietnam as a country.
The second part of the programme, named “Cooperation for Peace” featured children holding five pointed-stars and entering from the stadium's four gates, representing Hanoi, the Capital City with one thousand years of history.
Dancing men and women in traditional costumes of ASEAN members and East Timor concluded the third segment, named “United ASEAN Looks To The Future”, which comprised four performances: “Lands by the Pacific Ocean,” “Essential Convergence,” “New Tune,” and “ASEAN Towards The Future.”
The Games mascot, the Golden Buffalo, and 22 singers (standing for the 22nd Games) then took centre stage, singing the Games official song “For a World of Tomorrow”. The whole show ended as thousands of flying balls were released and fireworks were fired from four places in Hanoi."3. The festival performances of the opening ceremony included …….
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American music, in most of its various forms, can be traced back to the music of the earliest African- Americans. Even though these Americans came here under the worst of circumstances, they still brought with them traditions, and developed new traditions of their own, that have grown into what is recognized around the world today as American music.
Musicians, like other artists, are usually quick to give credit where credit is due. Just as a writer quotes his sources, a musician credits those musicians who inspired him. In the case of the early African-Americans, that is not always easy. Many of the slaves who brought musical traditions from Africa will never be known by name. No one wrote their history. Many of the slaves who sang work songs in the fields will never be known by name. No one wrote their history either.
However, there is a lot that we do know.
The first well-recognized form of African-American music was spirituals. Spirituals are religious songs. They are songs that tell a story or express emotions. Spirituals have a strong rhythm. They are often sung by a group, sometimes with a leader who sings a line or two alone and a chorus that sings the refrain. Spirituals originated in the Southern United States. Spirituals sung by slaves often expressed the hope for freedom that was so important in their lives. Well know spirituals include "Go Down Moses," "Deep River," and "Swing Low SweetChariot." After slavery ended, spirituals began to spread to other parts of the United States. Harry Thacker Burleigh was one of the first singers to perform spirituals on stage in a concert. Marian Anderson, well known for her classical singing, helped spirituals to gain a wider audience too. Spirituals influenced the development of another well-known form of American music - the blues. The blues were a more individual style of music than spirituals. Blues were often sung solo, and sometimes they were accompanied by guitar music. As the name suggests, the blues were often about sadness and facing troubles. However, the blues could also be funny, positive, and even defiant. One blues singer, loved for her strong, beautiful voice, was Bessie Smith. Another early blues musician was W. C. Handy. Handy was not only a musician, he also wrote music, promoted concerts, and published bluessongs.
During the time that the blues were spreading across the country, another style of music was also quickly gaining in popularity. Ragtime was energetic music with a complicated, syncopated beat. Often played on the piano, ragtime was the latest and most sophisticated in American popular music. The best-known ragtime musician was probably Scott Joplin, who wrote many hit ragtime pieces for the piano including "Maple Leaf Rag."
Eventually, elements from all of these forms of music and more came back together. In their own kind of melting pot, African rhythms, slave work songs, spirituals, blues, ragtime, and other influences recombined to form the beginnings of that truly American art form - jazz. In the late 1800’s jazz was just beginning, but not long after the turn of the century, it would be the most popular American music. It would go on from there to worldwide popularity. Jazz would branch out into many forms, and it would influence future styles of Americanmusic.
Many musicians today credit earlier musicians such as Scott Joplin or Bessie Smith with inspiring their music. It’s a shame that they can’t also name the earliest African-Americans who really began the traditions that led to the American music of today.
What is the main idea of the passage?
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An idea came to me, and I turned off the lights in the studio. In the dark ness, I put the cello's spike into a loose spot on the carpet, tightened the bow and drew it across the open strings. I took off my shirt and tried it again; it was the first time in my life I'd felt the instrument against my bare chest. I could fell the vibration of the strings travel through the body of the instrument to my own body. I'd never thought about that; music scholars always talk about the resonating properties of various instruments, but surely the performer's own body must have some effect on the sound. As I dug into the notes I imagined that my own chest and lung were extensions of the sound box; I seemed to be able to alter the sound by the way I sat, and by varying the muscular tension in my upper body.
After improvising for a while, I started playing the D minor Bach suite, still in the darkness. Strangely freed of the task of finding the right phrasing, the right intonation, the right bowing, I heard the music through my skin. For the first time I didn't think about how it would sound to anyone else, and slowly, joyfully, gratefully, I started to hear again. The note sang out, first like a trickle, then like a fountain of cool water bubbling up from a hole in the middle of the desert. After an hour or so I looked up, and in the darkness saw the outline of the cat sitting on the floor in front of me, cleaning her paws and purring loudly. I had an audience again, humble as it was.
So that's what I do now with the cello. At least once a day I find time to tune it, close my eyes, and listen. It’s probably not going to lead to the kind of come back I'd fantasized about for so long – years of playing badly have left scars on my technique, and, practically speaking, classical musicians returning from obscurity are almost impossible to promote – but might eventually try giving a recital if I feel up to it. Or better yet, I may pay for Dr. Polk if our date at the concert goes well. Occasionally I fell a stab of longing, and I wish I could give just one more concert on the great stage before my lights blink off, but that longing passes more quickly now. I take solace on the fact that, unlike the way I felt before, I can enjoy playing for myself now. I fell relaxed and expansive when I play, as if I could stretch out my arms and reach from one end of the apartment to the other. A feeling of the completeness and dignity surrounds me and lifts me up.How long did it take the author to play music with his shirt off in the darkness for the first time?
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Today we take electricity for granted and perhaps we do not realize just how useful this discovery has been. Steam was the first invention that replaced wind power. It was used to drive engines and was passed through pipes and radiators to warm rooms. Petrol mixed with air was the next invention that provided power. Exploded in a cylinder, it drove a motor engine, Beyond these simple and direct uses, those forms have not much adaptability.
On the other hand, we make use of electricity in thousands of ways. From the powerful voltages that drive our electric trains to the tiny current needed to work a simple calculator, and from the huge electric magnet in steel works that can lift 10 tons to the tiny electric magnet in a doorbell, all are powered by electricity. An electric current can be made with equal ease to heat a huge mass of molten metal in a furnace, or to boil a jug for a cup of coffee. Other than atomic energy, which has not as yet been harnessed to the full, electricity is the greatest power in the world. It is flexible, and so adaptable for any task for which it is wanted. It travels so easily and with incredible speed along wires or conductors that it can be supplied instantly over vast distances.
To generate electricity, huge turbines or generators must be turned. In Australia they use coal or water to drive this machinery. When dams are built, falling water is used to drive the turbines without polluting the atmosphere with smoke from coal. Atomic power is used in several countries but there is always the fear of an accident. A tragedy once occurred at Chernobyl, in Ukraine, at an atomic power plant used to make electricity. The reactor leaked, which caused many deaths through radiation.
Now scientists are examining new ways of creating electricity without harmful effects to the environment. They may harness the tides as they flow in and out of bays. Most importantly, they hope to trap sunlight more efficiently. We do use solar heaters for swimming pools but as yet improvement in the capacity of the solar cells to create more current is necessary. When this happens, electric cars will be viable and the world will rid itself of the toxic gases given off by trucks and cars that burn fossil fuels.Which of the following power sources causes pollution by emitting harmful gases?
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Today we take electricity for granted and perhaps we do not realize just how useful this discovery has been. Steam was the first invention that replaced wind power. It was used to drive engines and was passed through pipes and radiators to warm rooms. Petrol mixed with air was the next invention that provided power. Exploded in a cylinder, it drove a motor engine, Beyond these simple and direct uses, those forms have not much adaptability.
On the other hand, we make use of electricity in thousands of ways. From the powerful voltages that drive our electric trains to the tiny current needed to work a simple calculator, and from the huge electric magnet in steel works that can lift 10 tons to the tiny electric magnet in a doorbell, all are powered by electricity. An electric current can be made with equal ease to heat a huge mass of molten metal in a furnace, or to boil a jug for a cup of coffee. Other than atomic energy, which has not as yet been harnessed to the full, electricity is the greatest power in the world. It is flexible, and so adaptable for any task for which it is wanted. It travels so easily and with incredible speed along wires or conductors that it can be supplied instantly over vast distances.
To generate electricity, huge turbines or generators must be turned. In Australia they use coal or water to drive this machinery. When dams are built, falling water is used to drive the turbines without polluting the atmosphere with smoke from coal. Atomic power is used in several countries but there is always the fear of an accident. A tragedy once occurred at Chernobyl, in Ukraine, at an atomic power plant used to make electricity. The reactor leaked, which caused many deaths through radiation.
Now scientists are examining new ways of creating electricity without harmful effects to the environment. They may harness the tides as they flow in and out of bays. Most importantly, they hope to trap sunlight more efficiently. We do use solar heaters for swimming pools but as yet improvement in the capacity of the solar cells to create more current is necessary. When this happens, electric cars will be viable and the world will rid itself of the toxic gases given off by trucks and cars that burn fossil fuels.What does the author mean by saying that electricity is flexible?
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Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage:
"The 22nd Southeast Asian Games (22nd SEA Games) successfully closed in Ha Noi. Prominent among 40,000 spectators at the closing (1)…. at My Dinh National Stadium were Party Secretary General Nong Duc Manh, Vice President Truong My Hoa and leaders of the Asian Sport Federation.
A spectacular art (2)…… programme with the participation of 300 musicians and 500 artists was (3)……. to welcome the success of the Games. Singaporean swimmer Yeojoscelin who won six gold medals and Vietnamese marksman Nguyen Manh Tuong who owned five gold medals during the Games were awarded the most (4)…… athlete title.
Nguyen Danh Thai, Minister-Chairman of the State Committee for Physical Training and Sports, President of the 22nd SEA Games Council and Head of the 22nd SEA Games Organising Committee, (5)……. that the Games have successfully concluded after boisterous competition days. All activities took place(6)…… scheduled in an (7)….. of solidarity and friendship among Southeast Asian people.
With the Vietnamese Government and people's efforts and international support, the 22nd SEA Games have become a festival that impressed people (8)…. the spirit of “solidarity. cooperation for peace and development”.
The 22nd SEA Games are not only a song of honesty and nobility in competition and organising competition but (9)….. a sign of a bright future for the development of regional sports. After Vietnamese singer My Linh and a Philippine singer sang the song “For the World of Tomorrow”, Minister Nguven Danh Thai and Chairman of the Ha Noi People's Committee Hoang Van Nghiên handed over the SEA Games Flag to the Chairman of the Olympic Committee and the Head of the Philippine sport team, (10)…… the host country of the 23rd SEA Games - the Philippines 2005."All activities took place(6)…… scheduled
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Read the passage carefully and choose the correct answer.
The 22nd SEA Games, hosted this year by Vietnam, has joined the international movement to rid sports of tobacco. For the first time, the regional sporting event will be tobacco-free under a landmark cooperative agreement signed in April 2003 between the World Health Organization (WHO), the 22nd SEA Games Organizing Committee and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. Hanoi Health Department has organized a press seminar to celebrate and raise awareness about the tobacco-free SEA Games.
The 22nd SEA Games is the first games hosted by Vietnam and 10 countries from the Southeast Asian region with nearly 8,000 athletes and coaches will participate. It will be the first tobacco-free international sporting event in Vietnam, joining other international tobacco-free sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup 2002, and the Winter Olympic Games 2002.
The 22nd SEA Games will ban all sales, advertising and other promotion of tobacco products, and restricts smoking in all Games venues. The aim is to protect spectators, athletes, event staff, media and other visitors from the serious health hazards of second-hand tobacco smoke, as well as to change public attitudes about the social acceptability of smoking. Madame Pascale Brudon, WHO Representative in Vietnam, stated, "Vietnam has established 3 years ago a comprehensive, ambitious national tobacco control policy and a national tobacco control program. The tobacco-free 22nd SEA Games will be yet another area where Vietnam is leading the way for other countries in the region and the world in protecting its citizens from the debilitating and disastrous consequences of tobacco use."
WHO has provided funding and technical assistance to the SEA Games Organizing Committee and Vietnamese Ministry of Health to train of over 4,000 SEA Games organizers and volunteers on the implementation of the tobacco-free policy. An international team of trainers from the Ministry of Health, International Organization for Good Temper (lOGT), WHO and International Development Enterprises (IDE) began a series of national training workshops for volunteers in April, 2003. The tobacco-free SEA Games are an inspiration and a model for other sport events, big and small, not only in Vietnam but also in the Southeast Asian and Western Pacific Region.
Which sentence is not true when talk about SEA Games?
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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.
To quote CREST founder Dr. Martha Honey, we earnestly believe that ecotourism is “simply a better way to travel.” Here’s a look at how this transformational approach to travel benefits conservation, increases cross-cultural understanding, and ultimately turns travelers into environmental advocates:
To see how ecotourism benefits nature and wildlife, let’s look at endangered species such as African Elephants. Ivory from Elephant tusks is worth $1500 a pound on the black market, which has led to a dramatic increase in poaching. But Elephants are worth 76 times more alive than dead. When you consider the revenue from wildlife photography tours, luxury safari camps, and other ecotourism offerings, a single Elephant is worth $1.3 million over the course of its lifetime! Ecotourism offers a long-term alternative to exploitation, generating sustainable revenue and ensuring better overall health of the ecosystem.
Nature reserves and national parks help prevent deforestation and pollution, while also protecting the habitat of endemic species. The revenue that ecotourism provides can help replace profits from exploitative practices such as mining or slash ‘n’ burn agriculture. It can also help ensure the long-term financial viability of the area. Naturalist guides also help travelers understand the value of a pristine ecosystem, and teach them about the importance of conservation. This ultimately help to create a more mindful and conscious legion of travelers.
When managed properly, ecotourism can offer locals alternative revenue streams. In wildlife-rich countries such as Rwanda, former poachers are often employed as guides or trackers, capitalizing on their knowledge of the animals and their habitat. In Costa Rica, unemployment has fallen to less than 10% since the country started building its ecotourism infrastructure in the 1970s. Involving local communities in tourism management empowers them by ensuring that more revenue is reinvested locally. Ecotourism also offers indigenous peoples an opportunity to remain on ancestral land, conserve it, and preserve traditional culture.
Sure, being a responsible traveler takes a greater level of commitment to being conscious and mindful of the impact we have on the destinations we visit. But ecotourism also offers us incredible, transformative experiences, allowing us to develop closer personal relationships to the nature, wildlife, and local people we encounter during our adventures. Learning about ecotourism can permanently change your understanding of mankind’s role in our planetary ecosystem. And once you’ve had that sort of travel experience, you’ll never want to travel the traditional way again.According to paragraph 5, why did the author claim that people will prefer ecotourism over normal one?
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Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.
Yesterday, Eleanor Preston won an international swimming competition for girls (26) _________ under sixteen. She swam faster (27) _________ girls from ten other countries. This (28) ______even better when you learn that Elenor is only thirteen. She had to have special (29) _________to enter, because normally competitors are fourteen or older. Eleanor has been (30) ______on swimming for a long time – (31) ______she was three in fact. I wonder whether she found it hard to (32) _______several hours a day training. She (33) _________. me that sometimes she has problems finding time for homework, but that’s all. “My parents have given up so (34) _______time driving me to local competitions, I think it’s been harder for them, actually.” Her aim is to swim at the Olympic Games. After yesterday’s performance, I think she may (35)_________. there.
(31) _________
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Choose the item among A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage:
"The 22nd Southeast Asian Games were held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 5 December to 13 December, 2003. The Games were opened by Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in the newly constructed My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi. The Games torch was lit by Nguyen Thuy Hien of Wushu. It was the First time in the SEA Games history that the Games venues were assigned into two cities namely Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The 22nd SEA Games logo designed by painter Nguyen Chi Long is based on a legendary bird named “Chim Lac”. The bird decorated the Ngoe Lu bronze drum, a typical antiquity of the ancient Dong Son Vietnamese culture. The Emblem is composed of harmonious and vigorous curves, creating a feeling of movement and strength which conforms to the Olympic Spirit: “Faster. Higher and Stronger The colorful whirls represent the tough competitiveness in sports.
The Games’ hymn was “For the World of Tomorrow” composed by Nguyen Quang Vinh. Painter Nguyen Thai Hung chose “Trau Vang”, the golden water buffalo as the mascot for the 22nd SEA Games. With a gentle and harmonious nature, the clever Buffalo has become synonymous with the water and rice civilization that is so important in Vietnam as well as in other Southeast Asian countries. To Vietnamese people, the Golden Buffalo symbolizes a golden harvest, prosperity, happiness, power and the Vietnamese martial spirit."5. To Vietnamese people, what does the Golden Buffalo symbolize?
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Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answer.
The 23rd Southeast Asian Games (also known as the 2005 SEAG) were held in the Philippines from November 27th to December 5th in 2005. The games were participated by the eleven nations of Southeast Asia. This was the first time that the opening and closing ceremonies were held in a large open field, despite the fact that Manila has many stadiums and arenas. The organization decided to hold the games at an open space to accommodate the large number), of participants and spectators. As a result, the 2005 SEAG ranks as having largest audience having reached 200,000 people during the opening and, closing ceremonies. These games were also noted for having the most number delegates in the history of the SEA Games. In the end, all participating Countries received medals. The event was meant to tighten ties among Southeast Asian countries as a region and as a preparation as well for the upcoming Asian Games and Olympic Games.
The first gold medal of the games was awarded to Singapore on November 25th when their water polo team came out undefeated during the round-robin tournament round. The Philippine team took the silver medal in that event, and Malaysia brought home the bronze.
East Timor received its first ever medal as a sovereign nation in the Philippines indigenous sport of Arnis.
The Games were also considered a valuable opportunity for athletes to gain competition experience and preparation for upcoming Asian Games and Olympic Games. It was purposely created strengthen friendship, solidarity and understanding among neighboring countries in the region.
This was the third SEA Games to hosted by the Philippines. The last two times the Philippines hosted the games were in 1981, and again in 1991. Although the majority of events took place in Manila, logistical hurdles required the unusual step of spreading-out the events across the country; to ten other cities. This arrangement, was not seen favorably by the participating countries who anticipated travel and accommodation issues to arise; a worry which was confirmed soon their arrival.Which of the following is NOT true?
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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.
New research shows that long-term changes in diseases in ocean species coincides with decades of widespread environmental change. The paper, "Increases and decreases in marine disease reports in an era of global change," was published Oct. 9 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Understanding oceanic trends is important for evaluating today's threats to marine systems, and disease is an important sentinel of change, according to senior author Drew Harvell, professor of marine biology at Cornell University. "Disease increases and decreases can both be bad news," said lead author Allison Tracy, who studied with Harvell. "The long-term changes in disease that we see here may result from anthropogenic pressure on plants and animals in the ocean." The researchers examined marine infectious disease reports from 1970 to 2013, which transcend short-term fluctuations and regional variation. They examined records of corals, urchins, mammals, decapods, fish, mollusks, sharks, rays, seagrass and turtles.
For corals and urchins, reports of infectious disease increased over the 44-year period. In the Caribbean, increasing coral disease reports correlated with warming events. It is widely known that coral bleaching increases with warming, but Harvell said they have established a long-term connection between warming and coral disease. "We've finally linked a coral killer like infectious disease to repeated warming bouts over four decades of change," she said. "Our study shows that infectious disease reports are associated with warm temperature anomalies in corals on a multi-decadal scale." These results improve understanding of how changing environments alter species interactions, and they provide a solid baseline for health of marine life in the period studied.The word “coincides” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
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American music, in most of its various forms, can be traced back to the music of the earliest African- Americans. Even though these Americans came here under the worst of circumstances, they still brought with them traditions, and developed new traditions of their own, that have grown into what is recognized around the world today as American music.
Musicians, like other artists, are usually quick to give credit where credit is due. Just as a writer quotes his sources, a musician credits those musicians who inspired him. In the case of the early African-Americans, that is not always easy. Many of the slaves who brought musical traditions from Africa will never be known by name. No one wrote their history. Many of the slaves who sang work songs in the fields will never be known by name. No one wrote their history either.
However, there is a lot that we do know.
The first well-recognized form of African-American music was spirituals. Spirituals are religious songs. They are songs that tell a story or express emotions. Spirituals have a strong rhythm. They are often sung by a group, sometimes with a leader who sings a line or two alone and a chorus that sings the refrain. Spirituals originated in the Southern United States. Spirituals sung by slaves often expressed the hope for freedom that was so important in their lives. Well know spirituals include "Go Down Moses," "Deep River," and "Swing Low SweetChariot." After slavery ended, spirituals began to spread to other parts of the United States. Harry Thacker Burleigh was one of the first singers to perform spirituals on stage in a concert. Marian Anderson, well known for her classical singing, helped spirituals to gain a wider audience too. Spirituals influenced the development of another well-known form of American music - the blues. The blues were a more individual style of music than spirituals. Blues were often sung solo, and sometimes they were accompanied by guitar music. As the name suggests, the blues were often about sadness and facing troubles. However, the blues could also be funny, positive, and even defiant. One blues singer, loved for her strong, beautiful voice, was Bessie Smith. Another early blues musician was W. C. Handy. Handy was not only a musician, he also wrote music, promoted concerts, and published bluessongs.
During the time that the blues were spreading across the country, another style of music was also quickly gaining in popularity. Ragtime was energetic music with a complicated, syncopated beat. Often played on the piano, ragtime was the latest and most sophisticated in American popular music. The best-known ragtime musician was probably Scott Joplin, who wrote many hit ragtime pieces for the piano including "Maple Leaf Rag."
Eventually, elements from all of these forms of music and more came back together. In their own kind of melting pot, African rhythms, slave work songs, spirituals, blues, ragtime, and other influences recombined to form the beginnings of that truly American art form - jazz. In the late 1800’s jazz was just beginning, but not long after the turn of the century, it would be the most popular American music. It would go on from there to worldwide popularity. Jazz would branch out into many forms, and it would influence future styles of Americanmusic.
Many musicians today credit earlier musicians such as Scott Joplin or Bessie Smith with inspiring their music. It’s a shame that they can’t also name the earliest African-Americans who really began the traditions that led to the American music of today.
Which type of music is often involved with piano accompaniment?
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Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
BICYCLES
Why don’t the British cycles? Only a quarter of the estimated twenty million bicycles in the country are thought to be in (58) …….. use. In Denmark, which is flatter but no darker or rainier than Britain, twenty percent of all journeys are made by bicycles, while in Britain the (59) …….. is only 5%. The government are trying to (60) …….. this. It is hoped that a grant of millions of pounds from the National Lottery will (61)…….. more people to use their bikes. The money will be used to (62) …….. for a 6,500 mile national network of cycle tracks. Britain needs to (63) …….. environmentally friendly scheme such as this. The southern third of the country is one of the most (64)…….. areas of the world. Environmentalists make it (65) …….. to build new roads, and (66) …….. roads are overcrowded. One official committee described the growth of motor transport as “possibly the (67) ……. environmental threat to the UK”. The (68)…….. of building the cycles tracks is to motivate people to use their bicycles instead of their cars. However, the new tracks are being built (69) …….. cities and not through them. This (70) …….. that only long distance journeys may be easier and safer. Those cyclists who want to (71) …….. inside cities will still be in danger of (72) …….. their lives on busy roads every time they use their bicycles.60................
Giải thích: improve (v): cải thiện, cải tiện
Những đáp án còn lại:
A. Succeed (v): thành công
C. Excel (v): trội hơn
D. Help (v): giúp đỡ
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The Japan of the mid-nineteenth century was a shadow of the modern economic juggernaut that is now one of the world's leading traders. For hundreds of years, Japan had been secluded from the outside world by the strict policies of the rulers of Japan, the Tokugawa shoguns. With the exception of one Dutch ship per year at the port of the Nagasaki, the Japanese refused to deal with foreign ships or nations. Sailors shipwrecked on the Japanese islands were treated harshly and often imprisoned. Passing vessels were refused food, water, and other provisions. With a goal to right these wrongs and to open Japan to trade, in 1853, the United States sent its most capable man, Admiral Matthew Perry, and four warships to open Japan to the rest of the world. The consequences of those actions are still being felt today.
In the seventeenth century, the Japanese had opened their doors briefly to the Dutch and allowed a trading station and Christian enclave in Nagasaki. Guns were imported as part of this trade, and they were one of the reasons for a great upheaval that engulfed Japan for many decades, as a civil war raged between powerful shoguns, or warlords. Finally, Tokugawa emerged as the victor and claimed the lordship of Japan. During these upheavals, the emperor and his family had stood by wielding no power and existed merely as a figurehead. Soon after the civil war, the abandoned the use of guns and the art of the gun making. When Admiral Perry and his fleet arrived in 1853, they were defenseless against his awesome firepower.
Perry had three main purposes when he arrived in Japan: open the country to American trade, get an agreement to use Japan as a coaling and provisioning station for American vessels, and provide guarantees that Japan would aid shipwrecked American sailors. He wished to deal only with the highest officials and rebuffed Japanese attempts to foster lower-level emissaries on him. He sailed away to examine further the coast of Taiwan as a possible coaling station but returned to Japan the following spring in March 1854. This time, under threat of naval bombardment, the Japanese relented and finally signed the Treaty of Kanagawa on March 31, 1854. In addition to the three main items, the Japanese agreed to allow an American consulate to be established. At first, only Nagasaki was open to American trade, but the treaty stipulated that, after five years, other ports would be opened.
The consequences of these events were far reaching for Japan and the world. Within a few years, foreign currency began to flow to Japan, which upset its economy and caused rising inflation. This was a precursor to the fall of the Tokugawa shoguns and the return of the emperor as the leader of Japanese affairs in 1868. The Emperor Meiji then set a clear path for his nation, not wanting Japan to be under the heel of the foreigners who now clamored at the heel of the foreigners of his land. Meiji sent sailors to England to learn how to build ships and fight a modern naval war, invited German army officers to train his soldiers, and made deals with many companies to modernize Japan's industry, transportation, and communications. In fact, the efforts were so successful that, by the 1980s, the world began to view Japan as one of the great powers, more so after it defeated both China and Russia on land and at sea in two local wars. The Russian defeat was even more astonishing since the Europeans were unused to losing to those they considered their inferiors.
Japan's rapid industrialized and militarization had dreadful consequences for Asia, as Meiji's grandson Hirohito led the nation down the path to world war, which ultimately saw the destruction of much of Japan. The shock of this defeat still echoes through Japanese history, as&nbs -
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.
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US on the fourth Thursday in November. For many Americans it is the most important holiday apart from Christmas. Schools, offices and most businesses close for Thanksgiving, and many people make the whole weekend a vacation.
Thanksgiving is associated with the time when Europeans first came to North America. In 1620 the ship the Mayflowers arrived, bringing about 150 people who today are usually called Pilgrims. They arrived at the beginning of a very hard winter and could not find enough to eat, so many of them died. But in the following summer Native Americans showed them what foods were safe to eat, so that they could save food for the next winter. They held a big celebration to thank God and the Native Americans for the fact that they had survived.
Today people celebrate Thanksgiving to remember these early days. The most important part of the celebration is a traditional dinner with foods that come from North America. The meal includes turkey, sweet potatoes (also called yams) and cranberries, which are made into a kind of sauce or jelly. The turkey is filled with stuffing or dressing, and many families have their own special recipe. Dessert is pumpkin made into a pie.
On Thanksgiving there are special television programs and sports events. In New York there is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, when a long line of people wearing fancy costumes march through the streets with large balloons in the shape of imaginary characters. Thanksgiving is considered the beginning of the Christmas period, and the next day many people go out to shop for Christmas presents.
According to the passage, Pilgrims are ______.
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Read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C, or D) best fits each space.
BICYCLES
Why don’t the British cycles? Only a quarter of the estimated twenty million bicycles in the country are thought to be in (58) …….. use. In Denmark, which is flatter but no darker or rainier than Britain, twenty percent of all journeys are made by bicycles, while in Britain the (59) …….. is only 5%. The government are trying to (60) …….. this. It is hoped that a grant of millions of pounds from the National Lottery will (61)…….. more people to use their bikes. The money will be used to (62) …….. for a 6,500 mile national network of cycle tracks. Britain needs to (63) …….. environmentally friendly scheme such as this. The southern third of the country is one of the most (64)…….. areas of the world. Environmentalists make it (65) …….. to build new roads, and (66) …….. roads are overcrowded. One official committee described the growth of motor transport as “possibly the (67) ……. environmental threat to the UK”. The (68)…….. of building the cycles tracks is to motivate people to use their bicycles instead of their cars. However, the new tracks are being built (69) …….. cities and not through them. This (70) …….. that only long distance journeys may be easier and safer. Those cyclists who want to (71) …….. inside cities will still be in danger of (72) …….. their lives on busy roads every time they use their bicycles.59...............
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Psychologists have debated a long time about whether a child's upbringing can give it the ability to do outstandingly well. Some think that it is impossible to develop genius and say that it is simply something a person is born with. Others, however, argue that the potential for great achievement can be developed. The truth lies somewhere between these two extremes.
It seems very obvious that being born with the right qualities from gifted parents will increase a child's ability to do well. However, this ability will be fully realized only with the right upbringing and opportunities. As one psychologist says, "To have a fast car, you need both a good engine and fuel.” Scientists have recently assessed intelligence, achievement, and ability in 50 sets of identical twins that were separated shortly after birth and brought up by different pa rents. They found that achievement was based on intelligence, and later influenced by the child's environment
One case involving very intelligent twins was quoted. One of the twins received a normal upbringing, and performed well. The other twin, however, was brought up by extremely supportive parents and given every possible opportunity to develop its abilities. That twin, though starting out with the same degree of intelligence as the other, performed even better.
This case reflects the general principle of intelligence and ability. The more favorable the environment, the more a child's intelligence and ability are developed. However, there is no link between intelligence and the socioeconomic level of a child's family. In other words, it does not matter how poor or how rich a family is, as this does not affect intelligence.
Gifted people cannot be created by supportive parents, but they can be developed by them.
One professor of music said that outstanding musicians usually started two or three years earlier than ordinary performers, often because their parents had recognized their ability. These musicians then needed at least ten years' hard work and training in order to reach the level they were capable of attaining.
People who want to have very gifted children are given the following advice:
- Marry an intelligent person.
- Permit children to chase their own interests rather than the interests of the parents.
- Start a child's education early but avoid pushing the child too hard.
- Encourage children to play; for example, playing with musical instruments is essential for a child who wants to become an outstanding musician.All of the following statements are true EXCEPT.......................
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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.
Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US on the fourth Thursday in November. For many Americans it is the most important holiday apart from Christmas. Schools, offices and most businesses close for Thanksgiving, and many people make the whole weekend a vacation.
Thanksgiving is associated with the time when Europeans first came to North America. In 1620 the ship the Mayflowers arrived, bringing about 150 people who today are usually called Pilgrims. They arrived at the beginning of a very hard winter and could not find enough to eat, so many of them died. But in the following summer Native Americans showed them what foods were safe to eat, so that they could save food for the next winter. They held a big celebration to thank God and the Native Americans for the fact that they had survived.
Today people celebrate Thanksgiving to remember these early days. The most important part of the celebration is a traditional dinner with foods that come from North America. The meal includes turkey, sweet potatoes (also called yams) and cranberries, which are made into a kind of sauce or jelly. The turkey is filled with stuffing or dressing, and many families have their own special recipe. Dessert is pumpkin made into a pie.
On Thanksgiving there are special television programs and sports events. In New York there is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, when a long line of people wearing fancy costumes march through the streets with large balloons in the shape of imaginary characters. Thanksgiving is considered the beginning of the Christmas period, and the next day many people go out to shop for Christmas presents.
In the United States, Thanksgiving is ______