Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to choose the word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

Mai is my neighbor. She turned sixteen recently and her parents (46) _______ a birthday party for her. I was one of those invited. The party began at about three (47) ­­_______ the afternoon. There were about twenty of us gathering in Mai’s house. She didn’t like having the party at a restaurant (48) ­­_______ it is noisy and expensive.

We gave presents to Mai and she (49) ­­_______ opened them. It must really be exciting to receive all those presents. After that Mai’s mother served us soft drinks and biscuits. We then listened to music and played cards. The winners were given prizes. At about four-thirty, Mai’s mother brought out the birthday cake. It was beautifully decorated with pink and white icing. (50) ­­_______ colorful candles sat in the middle of the cake. We all clapped our hands eagerly and sang “Happy Birthday” as she blew out the candles and cut the cake. We helped ourselves to slices of the delicious cake and sang all the songs that we knew.

Finally, at about six in the evening, the party came to an end. We were all tired but happy. The parents of other children came to collect them by motorbikes. I helped Mai and her mother clean up the mess we had made. After that, I walked home, which was only three doors away.

Câu 49:........................

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Who talks more - men or women? Most people believe that women talk more. However, linguist Deborah Tannen, who has the studied the communication style of men and women, says that this is a stereotype. According to Tannen, women are more verbal - talk more - in private situations, where they use conversation as the “glue’ to hold relationships together. But, she says, men talk more in public situations, where they use conversation to exchange information and gain status. Tannen points out that we can see these difference even in children. Little girls often play with one ‘best friend’ and their play includes a lot of conversation. Little boys often play games in groups, their play usually involves more doing than talking. In school, girls are often better at verbal skills, while boys are often better at mathematics.

A recent study at Emory University helps to shed light on the roots of this difference. Researchers studied conversation between children aged 3-6 and their parents. They found evidence that parents talk very differently to their sons than they do to their daughters. The startling conclusion was that parents use more language with their girls. Specifically, when parents talk with their daughters, they use more descriptive language and more details. There is also far more talk about emotions, especially with daughters than with sons.

Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the second paragraph?

Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answers.

Each summer, the Winant and Clayton Volunteer program sends a group of Americans to volunteer in London for seven weeks and provides housing and a small stipend to help defray the high cost of living. After seven weeks of volunteering, participants have two weeks to travel independently before returning to London to evaluate the program and get their flight back to the United States.

The application includes a few short essays, a series of questions about the type of placement one would prefer, and an informal interview with former volunteers that gives applicants a chance to find out more about the program.

Deciding to participate takes a small leap of faith. The roster of volunteer placements and housing options can change from year to year and volunteers can’t choose their placement in advance. But once you’re accepted you instantly feel that you’ve joined a close-knit group. The volunteer coordinator is in frequent contact through mailings and e-mails to help you prepare for the trip, and there is a daylong orientation in New York that bring all the volunteers together before departure for London.

 How long do a group of Americans volunteer in London?

Read the following passage and do the tasks below.

Southeast Asian Countries’ PISA Rankings 2012

Once every three years, 15-year-olds from around the world are tested on how well they know their reading, maths and science. This is called the Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA for short. It is run by the Organization for Economic Coopertation and Development or OECD. Over half a million students from 65 countries and economies took part in PISA 2012. The result of the latest PISA 2012 had been announced on 3 December 2013. Only five out of ten ASEAN countries participated in PISA 2012. They were Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
- Singapore ranked 2nd in maths and 3rd in reading and science;
- Vietnam, entered PISA tests for the first time, ranked 8th in science, 17th in maths and 19th in reading;
- Thailand has been the participant in the PISA tests since 2000. It ranked 47 in science, 48th in reading and 50 in maths;
- Malaysia got 52th in maths, 53rd in science and 59th in reading;
- Indonesia got 61st in reading and got 64th in maths and science.
Singapore’s 15-year-old students came in the top five in every area. Vietnamese students scored very well on all three PISA subjects. Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia ranked below average for the 65 countries assessed. The next administration of PISA is in 2015 and results will be reported at the end of 2016.

Who are the participants of the PISA tests?

Sleep is a natural process, and although a lot have been written about the subject, it is still surrounded by mystery. It is used by some as an escape from the world, and regarded by others as an irritating waste of time: some people get by on very little, others claim they cannot exist without at least ten hours, but nobody can do without sleep completely.
Our night’s sleep does not just consist of a steady phase of gradually deepening sleep. It alternates between two stages: Non-dreaming or ordinary sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement) or dreaming sleep. As soon as we fall asleep, we go straight into non-dreaming sleep for an hour or so, then into REM sleep for about 15 minutes, then back into non-dreaming sleep. It alternates in this way for the rest of the night, with non-dreaming sleep tending to last longer at the beginning of the night. Non-dreaming sleep occupies three-quarters of our night’s sleep, about a quarter of it deep and the rest fairly light. 
It is widely believed that sleep repairs the body and makes good the damage caused by being awake. However, its main function is to refresh the brain. Experts believe that probably only about two-thirds of our sleep is necessary for repairing and refreshing the brain, with the most valuable sleep coming in the first few hours of the non-dreaming period, the last few hours of sleep are not so essential. The brain can manage quite well with reduced sleep as long as it is uninterrupted sleep. 
The quality of sleep is important. A study conducted in the USA looked at short sleepers, who slept for 5.5 hours on average, and long sleepers, who had 8.5 hours or more. It is discovered after a variety of tests that the long sleepers were poor sleepers, had twice as much REM sleep as the short sleepers, appeared to sleep longer to make up for poor sleep, and did not wake up in the morning refreshed. Similarly, people who sleep deeply do not necessarily get a better quality of sleep than shallow sleepers. Deep sleepers can feel tired the following day, so six hours of good sleep is worth more than eight hours of troubled sleep.

It can be inferred from the experts’ ideas that ______.

Sleep is a natural process, and although a lot have been written about the subject, it is still surrounded by mystery. It is used by some as an escape from the world, and regarded by others as an irritating waste of time: some people get by on very little, others claim they cannot exist without at least ten hours, but nobody can do without sleep completely.
Our night’s sleep does not just consist of a steady phase of gradually deepening sleep. It alternates between two stages: Non-dreaming or ordinary sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement) or dreaming sleep. As soon as we fall asleep, we go straight into non-dreaming sleep for an hour or so, then into REM sleep for about 15 minutes, then back into non-dreaming sleep. It alternates in this way for the rest of the night, with non-dreaming sleep tending to last longer at the beginning of the night. Non-dreaming sleep occupies three-quarters of our night’s sleep, about a quarter of it deep and the rest fairly light. 
It is widely believed that sleep repairs the body and makes good the damage caused by being awake. However, its main function is to refresh the brain. Experts believe that probably only about two-thirds of our sleep is necessary for repairing and refreshing the brain, with the most valuable sleep coming in the first few hours of the non-dreaming period, the last few hours of sleep are not so essential. The brain can manage quite well with reduced sleep as long as it is uninterrupted sleep. 
The quality of sleep is important. A study conducted in the USA looked at short sleepers, who slept for 5.5 hours on average, and long sleepers, who had 8.5 hours or more. It is discovered after a variety of tests that the long sleepers were poor sleepers, had twice as much REM sleep as the short sleepers, appeared to sleep longer to make up for poor sleep, and did not wake up in the morning refreshed. Similarly, people who sleep deeply do not necessarily get a better quality of sleep than shallow sleepers. Deep sleepers can feel tired the following day, so six hours of good sleep is worth more than eight hours of troubled sleep.

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

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.

Approximately one in two thousand people in Viet Nam has a significant hearing loss. Students who have been deafened in early childhood can be very different to students who have lost hearing later in life in terms of educational disadvantage. For example, their range of vocabulary may be limited, which in turn may affect their level of English literacy.

Deaf and hard of hearing students can sometimes prefer visual learning strategies. This can be a challenge in an environment where much essential information is delivered exclusively by word of mouth.

Students with a hearing loss may need to use assistive technology to participate in class. This assistive technology can be the laptop where software such as Skype can be used to deliver interpreters or captioning. For some it will be in the form of listening devices. For others, it will be a combination of technology that includes both listening devices and computer based software.

The impact of hearing loss can cause delays in receiving learning material. Students who need information transcribed from tape must sometimes wait for a significant period of time for this to happen. This needs to be considered in terms of developing suitable timelines for the completion of work for each student.

Students with hearing loss may appear isolated in the learning environment. The possibility for social contact and interaction with other students is often limited, and this isolation or separateness may have an impact on learning. Participation and interaction in tutorials may be limited. Students who cannot hear the flow and nuances of rapid verbal exchange will be at a disadvantage.

All of the following are true according to the text EXCEPT that________________.

Throughout history people have always communicated with one another, not only by speech but also by movements of the hands and body. It is, however, only (11)_____ the last few years that these aspects of communication have been studied at all widely. This type of communication is known as body language or non-verbal communication. People sometimes wonder (12)______you can learn how body language works. It is of course possible to read books on the subject but you also need to without time observing people’s movements. A railway station is a particular good place for such observation, as here people can be seen openly expressing eagerness, sorrow, delight, impatience and many other human emotions by (13)_________ of movement.

If you turn down the sound on your television set and try to understand (14)______is happening simply by watching the picture you will learn even more about communication spend words. By turning the sound back up every five (15)_________ or so, it is possible to check how accurate your understanding is.

(11)..........................................

Homing pigeons are placed in a training program from about the time they are twenty-eight days of age. They are taught to enter the loft through a trap and to exercise above and around the loft, and gradually they are taken away for short distances in wicker baskets and released. They are then expected to find their way home in the shortest possible time. In their training flights or in actual races, the birds are taken to prearranged distant points and released to find their way back to their own lofts. Once the birds are liberated, their owners, who are standing by at the home lofts, anxiously watch the sky for the return of their entries. Since time is of the essence, the speed with which the birds can be induced to enter the loft trap may make the difference between gaining a win or a second place.

The head of a homing pigeon is comparatively small, but its brain is one quarter larger than that of the ordinary pigeon. The homing pigeon is very intelligent and will persevere to the point of stubbornness some have been known to fly a hundred miles off course to avoid a storm.

Some homing pigeon experts claim that this bird is gifted with a form of built-in radar that helps it find its own loft after hours of flight, for hidden under the head feathers are two very sensitive ears, while the sharp, prominent eyes can see great distances in daytime.

Why do homing pigeons fly home? They are not unique in this inherent skill: it is found in most migratory birds, in bees, ants, toads, and even turtles, which have been known to travel hundreds of miles to return to their homes. But in the animal world, the homing pigeon alone can be trusted with its freedom and trained to carry out the missions that people demand.

In paragraph 2, when the author states that the owners “anxiously watch the sky” there is the implication that the owners_______________

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.

Approximately one in two thousand people in Viet Nam has a significant hearing loss. Students who have been deafened in early childhood can be very different to students who have lost hearing later in life in terms of educational disadvantage. For example, their range of vocabulary may be limited, which in turn may affect their level of English literacy.

Deaf and hard of hearing students can sometimes prefer visual learning strategies. This can be a challenge in an environment where much essential information is delivered exclusively by word of mouth.

Students with a hearing loss may need to use assistive technology to participate in class. This assistive technology can be the laptop where software such as Skype can be used to deliver interpreters or captioning. For some it will be in the form of listening devices. For others, it will be a combination of technology that includes both listening devices and computer based software.

The impact of hearing loss can cause delays in receiving learning material. Students who need information transcribed from tape must sometimes wait for a significant period of time for this to happen. This needs to be considered in terms of developing suitable timelines for the completion of work for each student.

Students with hearing loss may appear isolated in the learning environment. The possibility for social contact and interaction with other students is often limited, and this isolation or separateness may have an impact on learning. Participation and interaction in tutorials may be limited. Students who cannot hear the flow and nuances of rapid verbal exchange will be at a disadvantage.

The word “timeline" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______________.

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.

Approximately one in two thousand people in Viet Nam has a significant hearing loss. Students who have been deafened in early childhood can be very different to students who have lost hearing later in life in terms of educational disadvantage. For example, their range of vocabulary may be limited, which in turn may affect their level of English literacy.

Deaf and hard of hearing students can sometimes prefer visual learning strategies. This can be a challenge in an environment where much essential information is delivered exclusively by word of mouth.

Students with a hearing loss may need to use assistive technology to participate in class. This assistive technology can be the laptop where software such as Skype can be used to deliver interpreters or captioning. For some it will be in the form of listening devices. For others, it will be a combination of technology that includes both listening devices and computer based software.

The impact of hearing loss can cause delays in receiving learning material. Students who need information transcribed from tape must sometimes wait for a significant period of time for this to happen. This needs to be considered in terms of developing suitable timelines for the completion of work for each student.

Students with hearing loss may appear isolated in the learning environment. The possibility for social contact and interaction with other students is often limited, and this isolation or separateness may have an impact on learning. Participation and interaction in tutorials may be limited. Students who cannot hear the flow and nuances of rapid verbal exchange will be at a disadvantage.

The word “timeline" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______________.

Homing pigeons are placed in a training program from about the time they are twenty-eight days of age. They are taught to enter the loft through a trap and to exercise above and around the loft, and gradually they are taken away for short distances in wicker baskets and released. They are then expected to find their way home in the shortest possible time. In their training flights or in actual races, the birds are taken to prearranged distant points and released to find their way back to their own lofts. Once the birds are liberated, their owners, who are standing by at the home lofts, anxiously watch the sky for the return of their entries. Since time is of the essence, the speed with which the birds can be induced to enter the loft trap may make the difference between gaining a win or a second place.
The head of a homing pigeon is comparatively small, but its brain is one quarter larger than that of the ordinary pigeon. The homing pigeon is very intelligent and will persevere to the point of stubbornness some have been known to fly a hundred miles off course to avoid a storm.
Some homing pigeon experts claim that this bird is gifted with a form of built-in radar that helps it find its own loft after hours of flight, for hidden under the head feathers are two very sensitive ears, while the sharp, prominent eyes can see great distances in daytime.
Why do homing pigeons fly home? They are not unique in this inherent skill: it is found in most migratory birds, in bees, ants, toads, and even turtles, which have been known to travel hundreds of miles to return to their homes. But in the animal world, the homing pigeon alone can be trusted with its freedom and trained to carry out the missions that people demand.

The author mentions all of the following attributes that enable a homing pigeon to return home EXCEPT_____________

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase

The Global Volunteer Network currently has opportunities to aim at (1) ____  primary and secondary (2) ____ to needy children, and community outreach and counseling with their partner organization in Uganda. This provides (3) _____ opportunity to experience Ugandan life first-hand (4) _____ working to improve your host community. The programs provide counseling, (5) ____ , and education for (6) ____ people, orphans and underprivileged children in small villages. The main activities will (7) ___ working with local children and youth teaching nursery, primary, and vocational education. Volunteers (8) ____ work in the areas of sport, art, games and academics. For volunteers with a medical (9) ____ and education, placements can involve work in (10) ____ clinics with small health-based community organizations.

(2) ________

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

In a healthy relationship, both partners respect, trust and embrace (1) ____ differences. Both partners are able to communicate (2) ____ their needs and listen to their partner, and work to resolve conflict in a rational and (3) ____ way. But maintaining a healthy relationship (4) ____ for skills many young people are never taught. A lack of these skills, and (5) ____ up in a society that sometimes celebrates violence or in a community that experiences a high (6) ____ of violence, can lead to unhealthy and even violent relationships among youth.

Dating violence (7) ____ psychological or emotional violence, such as controlling behaviours or jealousy; physical violence, such as hitting or punching. More than 20 per cent of all adolescents report having experienced (8) ____ psychological or physical violence from an intimate partner - and underreporting remains a concern.

Adolescents, (9) ____ older adolescents, often have romantic relationships, which are long-term, serious, and intimate. Society has a responsibility to provide young people with the resources, skills, and space (10) ____ to safeguard their physical and emotional well being in these relationships. Youth-serving professionals, educators, and parents can help young people in need access services to (11) ____ dating abuse victimisation. Research also has shown that programmes intended to prevent dating violence can be (12) ____.

(7)....................

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.

Who talks more - men or women? Most people believe that women talk more. However, linguist Deborah Tannen, who has the studied the communication style of men and women, says that this is a stereotype. According to Tannen, women are more verbal - talk more - in private situations, where they use conversation as the “glue’ to hold relationships together. But, she says, men talk more in public situations, where they use conversation to exchange information and gain status. Tannen points out that we can see these difference even in children. Little girls often play with one ‘best friend’ and their play includes a lot of conversation. Little boys often play games in groups, their play usually involves more doing than talking. In school, girls are often better at verbal skills, while boys are often better at mathematics.

A recent study at Emory University helps to shed light on the roots of this difference. Researchers studied conversation between children aged 3-6 and their parents. They found evidence that parents talk very differently to their sons than they do to their daughters. The startling conclusion was that parents use more language with their girls. Specifically, when parents talk with their daughters, they use more descriptive language and more details. There is also far more talk about emotions, especially with daughters than with sons.

Which of the following statement is TRUE about the passage?

Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word or phrase

The Global Volunteer Network currently has opportunities to aim at (1) ____  primary and secondary (2) ____ to needy children, and community outreach and counseling with their partner organization in Uganda. This provides (3) _____ opportunity to experience Ugandan life first-hand (4) _____ working to improve your host community. The programs provide counseling, (5) ____ , and education for (6) ____ people, orphans and underprivileged children in small villages. The main activities will (7) ___ working with local children and youth teaching nursery, primary, and vocational education. Volunteers (8) ____ work in the areas of sport, art, games and academics. For volunteers with a medical (9) ____ and education, placements can involve work in (10) ____ clinics with small health-based community organizations.

(1) ________

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.

Approximately one in two thousand people in Viet Nam has a significant hearing loss. Students who have been deafened in early childhood can be very different to students who have lost hearing later in life in terms of educational disadvantage. For example, their range of vocabulary may be limited, which in turn may affect their level of English literacy.

Deaf and hard of hearing students can sometimes prefer visual learning strategies. This can be a challenge in an environment where much essential information is delivered exclusively by word of mouth.

Students with a hearing loss may need to use assistive technology to participate in class. This assistive technology can be the laptop where software such as Skype can be used to deliver interpreters or captioning. For some it will be in the form of listening devices. For others, it will be a combination of technology that includes both listening devices and computer based software.

The impact of hearing loss can cause delays in receiving learning material. Students who need information transcribed from tape must sometimes wait for a significant period of time for this to happen. This needs to be considered in terms of developing suitable timelines for the completion of work for each student.

Students with hearing loss may appear isolated in the learning environment. The possibility for social contact and interaction with other students is often limited, and this isolation or separateness may have an impact on learning. Participation and interaction in tutorials may be limited. Students who cannot hear the flow and nuances of rapid verbal exchange will be at a disadvantage.

Learning environment can have negative impact on deaf students when  _____________.

Political and family values within society have impacted upon the modern family structure. Traditionally, it has been the man’s role to be the breadwinner for the family- providing the funds to pay for food and shelter. However, due to the many new and unique responsibilities placed upon families, in numerous cases both men and women- fathers and mothers- have had to enter the workforce. Generally, the reasons for both being involved in the workforce revolve around the need to add to the family’s current financial base. To a lesser extent, the need to interact with “adults” in a stimulating work environment is another popular reason. Whatever their reasons, for many families, the decision for father and mother to go out of home and join the labor force has led to a number of side effects within the home which, in turn, impact upon their performance as employees. Many researchers agree that attitudes towards work are carried over into family life. This spillover can be positive or negative. Positive spillover refers to the spread of satisfaction and positive stimulation at work resulting in high levels of energy and satisfaction at home. If the amount of research is to be taken as an indication, it would seem that positive spillover is not a dominant occurrence in the workplace with most research focusing on the effects of negative spillover. Often pointing out the incompatible nature of work and family life, the research focuses on problems and conflict at work which has the effect of draining and preoccupying the individual, making it difficult for him or her to participate fully in family life.
Social scientists have devised a number of theories in an attempt to explain the work-family dynamic. Compensation theory is one which has been widely used. It assumes that the relationship between work and family is negative by pointing out that high involvement in one sphere- invariably the work sphere- leads to low involvement in the other. As an individual advances within a career, demands typically fluctuate from moderate to more demanding and if the advancing worker has younger children, this shift in work responsibilities will usually manifest itself in the form of less time spent with the family. Researchers subscribing to this theory point out that the drain on family time is significantly related to work-family conflict with an escalation in conflict, as the number of families increase.

The word “breadwinner” is closest in meaning to .

READING COMPREHENSION

Read the passage, and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D for each question.

Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have two children, Lara 10 and Peter is 16. Mrs. Nelson first discovered that Peter was getting into trouble when school rang her to say that he hadn’t turned up that day, or the day before. She realized right away that he had been truanting.

Peter's behavior was causing conflict in the house and Mr. and Mrs. Nelson were both concerned. They had different views of how they should deal with Peter's behavior and this led to rows that upset the whole family. They decided to prevent Peter from going out with his friends, but this just made him more stubborn and he would continue to miss school and stay outside his curfew.

 Over the coming weeks, family life became more and more difficult. Mr. and Mrs. felt that they could no longer do this on their own and asked the school to help. They arranged for Peter to talk to someone he trusted, and they made an agreement for him gradually attending school again. He was also given some time to catch up with the work he had missed.

As he started to talk it through, Peter realized that he had been unhappy at school for a while. He admitted that he had felt lonely since his best friend moved away and another group had persuaded him to skip school. As he missed more and more school, it became harder to go back.

Peter was encouraged to tell his parents how much he missed his friend and that he to spend time with his dad playing football or fishing. Mr. Nelson thought he had grown out of that a long time ago but was pleased to spend time with Peter again.

Mr. and Mrs. Nelson tried to notice every day when Peter achieved his goal of attending being on time and remembering to do his homework. It took a little longer for Peter's friendship to return to normal and Peter has had to learn to prove himself trustworthy to his parents, but gradually Mr. and Mrs. Nelson are learning to trust Peter again.

The reason why Peter got into trouble was that _____________.

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.

Why is it that many teenagers have the energy to play computer games until late at night but can't find the energy to get out of bed (1) ________ for school? According to a new report, today's generation of children are in danger of getting so (2)_______ sleep that they are putting their mental and physical health at (3)_______. Adults can easily survive on seven to eight hours' sleep a night, (4)_______teenagers require nine or ten hours. According to medical experts, one in five youngsters (5)________ anything between two and five hours' sleep a night less than their parents did at their age

3 is ....................

Read the following text and circle the best answer:
As a Hanson-Roves employee, you are entitled to sick absences, during which you will be paid for time off work for health ---135---. To avoid deductions to your pay, you ---136--- to provide a physician-signed note as documentation of your illness. ---137--- should include the date you were seen by the doctor, a statement certifying that you are unable to perform the duties of your position, and your expected date of return. Your supervisor will then forward the documentation to Human Resources. ---138---. Employee health records can be accessed only by those with a valid business reason for reviewing them.

137...............