Mai is talking to Hoa about Hoa’s new dress.

- Mai: “You’ve got a nice dress, Hoa.”                                               

- Hoa: “_______”                               

(144)______

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:
Recent technological advances in manned and unmanned vehicles, along with breakthroughs in satellite technology and computer equipment, have overcome some of the limitations of divers and diving equipment for scientists doing research on the great oceans of the world. Without a vehicle, divers often became sluggish, and their mental concentration was severely limited. Because undersea pressure affects their speech organs, communication among divers has always been difficult or impossible. But today, most oceanographers avoid the use of vulnerable human divers, preferring to reduce the risk to human life and make direct observations by means of instruments that are lowered into the ocean, from samples take from the water, or from photographs made by orbiting satellites. Direct observations of the ocean floor can be made not only by divers but also by deep-diving submarines in the water and even by the technology of sophisticated aerial photography from vantage points above the surface of more than seven miles and cruise at depths of fifteen thousand feet. In addition, radio-equipped buoys can be operated by remote control in order to transmit information back to land-based laboratories via satellite. Particularly important for ocean study are data about water temperature, currents, and weather. Satellite photographs can show the distribution of sea ice, oil slicks, and cloud formations over the ocean. Maps created from satellite pictures can represent the temperature and the color of the ocean's surface, enabling researchers to study the ocean currents from laboratories on dry land. Furthermore, computers help oceanographers to collect, organize, and analyze data from submarines and satellites. By creating a model of the ocean's movement and characteristics, scientists can predict the patterns and possible effects of the ocean on the environment.
Recently, many oceanographers have been relying more on satellites and computers than on research ships or even submarine vehicles because they can supply a greater range of information more quickly and more effectively. Some of humankind's most serious problems, especially those concerning energy and food, may be solved with the help of observations made possible by this new technology.

The words ‘those” refers to    .

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Future Cures for a Better Future
We all wish we could stay forever young, maintaining perfect health throughout our lives. Unfortunately, this is just a pipe dream. In reality, our bodies start to fall apart as we age. Due to genetic weaknesses, neglecting our bodies, and reckless actions, people often find themselves facing a host of issues. Currently, many of these problems can’t be cured by modern medicine. Yet there is hope in the future that remedies will be developed to eliminate these conditions once and for all. One disease which prevents people from enjoying their golden years is Alzheimer’s. It is a brain condition which causes sufferers to slowly lose their memory and intellectual capabilities, and nearly 25 million people are affected by it. Although most of its victims get sick when they are senior citizens, about 5 percent start to show some effects when they are in their 40s or 50s. Within the next five to seven years, medicines should hit the market which greatly reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s, and may even cure it completely. In addition, researchers are working on a vaccine that could prevent people from getting it in the first place. Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases on the Earth. It can strike any organ or quickly spread throughout the body. Despite pumping millions of dollars into cancer research, it has proved to be a difficult disease to defeat. However, scientists are optimistic that they can turn it into a manageable condition within the next decade using a new approach. Doctors envision working with individuals’ DNA to develop more personalized treatments. Although this may not provide a complete cure, it should allow them to extend patients’ lives for many years. Although it is not a disease, baldness is something that many men dread. Although whether we lose hair is based primarily on genetics, many men feel that they did something wrong to cause it. As a result, men have been tricked with pills and routines that promise to cure baldness but actually do nothing at all. As it looks, there may be some effective treatments on the horizon. One involves cloning healthy hair follicles to ensure that men maintain a healthy head of hair. Another involves reawakening old hair follicles that have stop functioning. In the meantime, shaved heads are in style, so men should realize that they have other options.
4. How does baldness compared to the other conditions and diseases mentioned?

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They recycle car tires to make pipes and floor coverings.

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Frozen Fitness
A man stands over a bathtub that is filled with ice. Although it is the middle of winter, he slowly slides into the tub and submerges his body underneath the water. Within seconds, he begins to shiver, but after a few minutes he is able to settle down. Despite the temperature, he will remain in the tub for the next 30 minutes. He is taking advantage of cold thermogenesis, a growing trend that could improve people’s health. Thermogenesis is an internal process that mammals undergo to generate heat when they are subjected to cold temperatures. In modern society, humans rarely requires this ability because we have heated homes and offices during the winter season. Recent studies, however, indicate that by doing so we could be missing out on some wonderful health benefits. Being subjected to cold temperatures regularly has been shown to boost men’s testosterone levels. It also boosts metabolism, which allows people to burn fat more efficiently. Some people have reported that cold thermogenesis also provides a mental lift once you have overcome the initial shock of the cold water. The positive effects of thermogenesis were known before, but it only started to become popular after the 2008 Olympics. One man who helped spark this craze was Ray Cronise, a NASA scientist and entrepreneur. He was reading an article that reported Michael Phelps ate 12,000 calories per day while training. The calories were so high that led him to believe that something else besides exercise was helping Phelps to stay thin and muscular: the icy water in the swimming pool. So he conducted his own experiment by drinking several glasses of ice water and exposing himself to cold water. After six weeks of this regiment, he had lost 30 pounds. There are several routines that a person can adopt if they are interested in starting their own thermogenesis routine. One method is ice baths. This method may be a bit too drastic for average people though. Instead, people may want to begin by dunking their face in cold water for a few seconds, and then gradually increase the time. Next, they can progress to cold showers and baths before moving on ice baths. An even more convenient way is to place an ice packet on the back of your neck for 15 to 20 minutes every evening. Although these methods may be extreme, many are willing to give them a go to improve their health
3. Which of the following is a health benefit of thermogenesis?

Read the reading below carefully, and then complete it with the best option A, B, C or D given below:
Fashion is no longer something that is just made of cloth or leather. These days it has become something that needs batteries and is often connected to the Internet. When it comes to high-tech fashion, it might be (1) _________ to your wrist or resting on the bridge of your nose, and it is doing a lot more than just (2) _________ you look stylish. Google was one of the first to burst on the scene with a fashionable item that was also very (3) _________. Google Glass, which looks like glasses, allows wearers to do all sorts of things, from seeing information in a simple viewer to simply saying out loud, “Take a picture.” What you are seeing in the picture that will be taken, (4) _________Google Glass heard you through its microphone and has a built-in camera. If you ask a question, you will (5) _________ the answer in the tiny screen displayed before one eye. Google Glass uses Bluetooth technology to communicate with a smartphone, so it is not a stand-alone item

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Glenbrook South (GBS) High School is in a suburb of Chicago, lllinois, in the United States. It is an award-winning school with a highly competent teaching staff. It has over 400 Asian Pacific American students-over 17 percent of the students in the school. Of these, the majority are Korean American. This is very unusual in a state where Korean Americans are less than 1 percent of the population. The interactions of the Korean American students at GBS were the subject of an article in Asian Week magazine. Different Korean American students react differently to being in a high school where most students are white. Professor Pyong Gap Min, an expert on Korean life in America, believes that Korean Americans in this situation can sometimes feel inhibited or ashamed of their Korean identity. Asian Week interviewed a number of GBS students, and each had a different attitude. Eighteen-year-old Alice said that she used to spend time only with Korean American friends. Although she felt secure with those friends, she found herself motivated to form closer relationships with non-Koreans, too. She said that she felt she was missing out on new experiences and challenges. Seventeen-year-old John moved in the opposite direction. In junior high school, most of John's friends were white. After coming to GBS, his sense of his Korean American identity was restored, and he decided to have mainly Korean American friends. He feels that he and his Korean American friends understand each other better. For example, they understand about severe parental pressures to succeed at school; John felt his white friends couldn't really understand. Sixteen-year-old Paul has some Korean American friends, but he says he spends most of his time with his white friends. He is often the only Asian American in the group, but he doesn't mind. What Paul likes about the white culture is that he can be more radical - he can be as loud and funny as he wants to be. He says he doesn't see as much of that among the Asian students. Without belittling the importance of what these students had to say, it's important to remember that their opinions at this phase of their lives are bound to change as they grow into adulthood. But these honest opinions can help US better understand issues of cultural relations, and their honesty might help Americans from different cultural groups to get along better in the future. 
9. The passage supports which of the following conclusions?

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Mom always _____ us to discuss our problems.

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In 1971, Sue Coppard worked as a secretary in London. While she enjoyed city life, Sue also missed the countryside where she spent most of her time as a child. So she offered to help out on a farm, or more specifically, an organic farming programme organized by a nearby college. She got a few people to volunteer as well, and they spent the weekend doing “housework,” which involved clearing bushes and cleaning drains. Afterwards, the farm managers said they could come back anytime to help out. Sue put a small ad in a magazine, offering people the chance to volunteer at the organic farm. The volunteer programme grew quickly, and soon other organic farmers joined in, asking for people to help out. With so many people and farms involved, someone needed to organize the different groups. A few of the original volunteers started WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) to help volunteers and farmers find one another. Today, at least 50 different countries have WWOOF organizations, and many other countries have individual farms that participate in the movement. While WWOOF is still a weekend activity for some, it now welcomes travellers and people who visit to live and work on farms for longer periods of time. WWOOF volunteers can stay on a farm for weeks or even months at a time in exchange for hands-on farming and gardening experience. The work can be exhausting, but volunteers think it’s worth it. By working on farms, the volunteers interact with farmers and develop a love for the outdoors and organic farming. Many travellers now use WWOOFing as a way to visit new countries and experience new cultures. As travellers will discover, every WWOOF opportunity is a bit different. In Serbia, you can find Misa and Olja, a couple whose farm is known for its hard cheeses and for its bread made from homegrown grains. Finca Amiruca, a farm in Ecuador, teaches volunteers how to grow peanuts, plantains, and yucca. When volunteering in Japan, you may get to learn about growing rice. WWOOF is only one of the many unique volunteer opportunities available. Volunteering is something that anyone can do, and a wide variety of organizations accept or even welcome volunteers. So the next time you get the itch to be active on the weekend or on vacation, why not look for a good cause to spend your energy on?
4. Which is NOT a change that WWOOF has undergone since it first started?

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Psychology recognizes two types of research, experimental and differential. The former is concerned mainly with the overall processes governing human activities, and the latter sets out to establish individual differences in performance. More recent studies have demonstrated the need for a third type of psychological study, namely, that which has to do with human development. Rather than considering this aspect of human performances as a part of the first two types, scientists have noted that developmental research indeed belongs in a separate category in and of itself. Piaget's work would indisputably fall in the area of developmental theories that have had great impact on both experimental and differential research. When examining Piaget's studies, it is necessary to keep in mind that, while his theories have been highly influential, his methodology has been strongly criticized. The primary shortfall of his work had to do with a lack of definition and standardization in his data and experiment design.
10. According to the passage, developmental psychology belongs in: 

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Ocean Currents and the Turning of the Tide
If you take a seat at the beach and look out across the water, you’ll soon notice that oceans have a rhythm of their own. Throughout the course of the day, sea levels will rise and fall, and water will flow through routes and end up in different places. But how does it all work? One force at play is tides, which are the alternating water levels of the ocean. There are two major gravitational forces which cause tides: the sun and the moon. The moon’s force has a tugging effect on oceans which causes them to bulge outwards on opposite sides of the planet. Solar tides operate according to the same principles. However, they are only about 50 percent as strong due to the distance between the sun and the earth. As tides rise and fall, they create tidal currents. The strongest tidal currents occur at the height of both high and low tides. Unlike other currents, they do not flow in a continuous stream. Far from shore, tidal currents don’t have much of an effect. Yet when they pass through narrow area, like harbours and bays, tidal currents can displace plants, animals, and sediment. Although they may certainly shake things up, not all of the damage is negative. Tidal currents can spread fish eggs across long distances to assist fertilization, in addition to transporting key nutrients. Another category of currents is ocean currents. These currents occur near the top of the water, and are mainly powered by the wind. One example of these is coastal currents, which are those beachgoers encounter when going for a swim. One of the strongest and most well-known currents is the Gulf Stream, which brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to Western Europe. Meanwhile, Deep Ocean currents are a powerful force in the depths of oceans. The strongest of these has been nicknamed the global conveyor belt, and it moves much slower than surface currents. Although we can’t see it in operation, it’s about 16 times as powerful as all the earth’s rivers put together. As the global conveyor belt pushes water around the planet, it carries nutrition and carbon dioxide to places that truly need them. In the end, although there are several currents working on oceans simultaneously, they each seem to perform a necessary function that creates balance for life in the sea.
6. The word “displace” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __________

The leopard is _________ the threat of extinction.

A. in     B. on     C. under     D. below

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Saving the Rainforests
One of the hottest topics related to the environment is rainforests. Despite always being mentioned in the news, many people don’t know very much about these areas or understand why they are so important. The name “rainforest” actually does a pretty good job of describing what they are – tall forests that receive high amounts of precipitation. In a year, rainforests get between 250 to 450 centimetres of precipitation. There are two types of rainforests: tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests. Tropical rainforests are more plentiful and are located in warmer climates, while temperate rainforests are found in places where the weather is a bit milder. In terms of location, rainforests can be found on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Although they only cover 6 percent of the Earth, over 50 percent of the Earth’s animal and plant species can be found there. Many biologists estimate that there are possibly millions of additional species present there that have yet to be discovered and classified. Over the years, rainforests have gained the nickname “the world’s pharmacy” because more than 25 percent of natural medicines were found there. Many herbs that are used to make medicines can only be found in rainforests. Rainforests are also home to several tribes that have lived off the land for thousands of years. During this time, they have survived by hunting animals and gathering fruits and vegetables. They also possess tremendous knowledge when it comes to crafting and applying medicines made from herbs and plants. Over time, their unique way of life has declined as they have come in contact with modern civilization. Despite their numerous benefits, rainforests have been disappearing at a rapid speed. As the Earth’s population continues to expand, developers have been cutting down their trees to create new lands for farming or urban projects. This could have unfortunate long-term effects on our planet. If deforestation continues at this rate, it is possible that a quarter of all species on the Earth may become extinct in the next 50 years. As it stands, plenty of damage has already occurred. West Africa has had 90 percent of its rainforests destroyed, while the island nation of Madagascar has eliminated 66 percent of its original rainforests as well. As a result, many charities have sprung up with the goal of purchasing and protecting the remaining rainforests. With their help, hopefully we can stop the destruction of one of the planet’s most vital assets.
8. What does the author imply in the passage?

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Most of the pupils are _____ to pass the examination.

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If we became rich, we would travel ______ the world.

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I usually ______ to school by bus.

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 Optimists believe that in future we will be living in a cleaner environment, breathing fresher air and eat healthier food.

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Carbohydrates, which are sugars, are an essential part of a healthy diet. They provide the main source of energy for the body, and they also function to flavor and sweeten foods. Carbohydrates range from simple sugars like glucose to complex sugars such as amylose and amylopectin. Nutritionists estimate that carbohydrates should make up about one-fourth to one-fifth of a person's diet. This translates to about 75- 100 grams of carbohydrates per day. A diet that is deficient in carbohydrates can have an adverse effect on a person's health. When the body lacks a sufficient amount of carbohydrates it must then use its protein supplies for energy, a process called gluconeogenesis. This, however, results in a lack of necessary protein, and further health difficulties may occur. A lack of carbohydrates can also lead to ketosis, a buildup of ketones in the body that causes fatigue, lethargy, and bad breath.
6. Which of the following words could best replace "deficient"?

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
Schools in the United States have not always had a large number of libraries. As recently as 1958 about half of the public schools in the United States had no libraries at all. The (1)........ of public school libraries increased dramatically when the federal government passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which provided funds for school districts to improve their education programs  and facilities, including their  libraries. (2).......... , many educators claim that since the legislation was passed federal spending has not increased sufficiently to meet the rising cost of new library technologies such as computer databases and Internet access.
Because the federal government provides  only  limited  funds  to  schools,  individual  school  districts (3)............. on funds from local property taxes to meet the vast majority of public schools tend to reflect the financial capabilities of the communities in which they are located. Districts in wealthy suburbs often have  fully  staffed  libraries  (4)........... abundant resources, spacious facilities, and curricular and instructional  support. In (5)....................... school districts in many poor areas house their libraries in ordinary classrooms or in small rooms. The libraries in such areas are generally staffed by volunteers, who organize and maintain books that are often out-of-date, irrelevant, or damaged.
(4)............................... 

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Chemistry is ....... than Math.

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:
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?