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

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

      Fabrizio from Venice: Of course, there’s a lot to see in Venice. It’s one of the most famous cities in the world. First of all, there are the canals. We don’t have cars in Venice so you have to travel everywhere by canal. The most famous place in Venice is the square. St. Mark’s Square with St. Mark’s Cathedral. And there are lots of museums and palaces, and beautiful bridges, too.

      Yumi from Kyoto: For me, Kyoto is the most beautiful city in Japan. It’s also the oldest city. It has many old traditional buildings, and beautiful palaces, temples and gardens. The most famous temple is the Golden Pavilion. There are also very good markets, and also really good shops, and some beautiful modern buildings, too.

      Murat from Istanbul: I think Istanbul is maybe the most beautiful city in the world, but of course I come from Istanbul! The city is built on hills around the Bosphoros, and so there arebeautiful views across the water. From the water, you can see mosques – the most famous is called the Blue Mosque – and palaces and bridges. Istanbul also has a very famous market called the Grand Bazaar. But these days we also have many modern shopping centres and modern buildings and hotels. It’s really a fantastic city.

      Claudia from Rio de Janeiro: Rio is one of the most exciting cities in South America ... first of course we have our famous beach, the Copacabana, and there are many mountains around Rio – the most famous is the Sugar Plum Mountain where you can see a big statue of Christ, and of course we have our famous stadium... the Macarana stadium, maybe the most famous football stadium in the world ... it’s really a great place.

      Marina from St. Petersburg: You’ll really love St. Petersburg because there are so many things to see. The most famous is the Winter Palace, where the Tsars lived, and the Hermitage Museum which is a fantastic art gallery, and we have a very beautiful river too, the River Neva, and of course churches and cathedrals. There is so much to see!

1.   The place(s) that Fabrizio recommends coming to in Venice most must be             .

Read the passage and fill in the blanks with the given words in the box.

      Bau Truc pottery village of Cham village ethnic minority is one of the oldest pottery villages in Southeast Asia. It’s located about 10 km in the South of PhanRang town. The small village is (1)                              to more than 400 families, of (2)                         85% are in the traditional pottery business. The style is said to be handed (3)               from Po Klong Chan, one of their ancestors from the immemorial time.

      People in Bau Truc use their skillful hands, bamboo-made circles and shells to create priceless works. It is (4)                                 that while the Kinh people have switched to using wheel as an indispensable (5)                                   , their Cham counterparts, on the contrary, still (6)                                  on talent hands and simpletools. To create a pottery product, a Cham craftsman only needs an anvil, not apotter’s wheel, and other simple equipment and moulds and then uses hands to (7)                             pieces of clay into the works he wants.

      The clay is taken is taken from the banks of the Quao River and is flexible, durable when (8)                                              fired. The skills needed to mix sand with the clay are also various. The amount of sand mixed with the plastic material is dependent on what the pottery used for and the sizes. For these seasons, Bau Truc pottery is quite different from pottery elsewhere. For example, water jars made in Bau truc pottery are always favoured by people in dry and sunny areas (9)                                  the temperature of the water in the jars is always one centigrade cooler than (10)                           outside.

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

      It is just simple and ordinary as its (1)                 . No noisy sound from engines, no obscure smoke and no spending too much for commuting. From a long time ago, Vietnamese people have thought of the rickshaw as a (2)                 means of transportation when going out. It is not only close-knit to Vietnamese but also connected strongly with the foreigners (3)                      all of them were attracted by this unique means at the first time visiting Viet Nam.

      The rickshaw has existed for a long time in Vietnamese life, and become quite necessary as the (4)                in a body. Not only the Vietnamese feel (5)              to rickshaw, foreigners are also impressed by this unique vehicle. They will be fond of sitting on the rickshaw for a (6)                     tour around Sword Lake or a round on the streets to (7)                dreamy and peaceful photos in the ancient citadel.

      Traveling in a rickshaw is the time for peacefully (8)                 windy sunset and bright sunrises on the beach of Nha Trang or Da Nang or elsewhere. How pleasant it is for you to enjoy a relaxing feeling on the short (9)                trip.

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

      During the war, children wore straw hats to (1)               themselves from debris. Houses and schools were bombed and destroyed. Many children were made (2)     and their schools had to be moved around or lessons sometimes had to (3)                    after dark to avoid being targeted by heavy bombing. Many schools had its roof (4)             with several layers of straw to withstand the (5)             of the bombs. Life for children was very hard in both the North and South of Viet Nam during the war.

      Young people were (6)                 of their duty to serve their country. Even young girls took part in the war efforts by digging bomb shelters. Children took first-aid courses after school so that they could (7)                  injured people.

      Childhood years of children born in the 1960s are (8)                 . As innocent children, they went to school (9)                    straw hats in the sounds of American jet fighters in the sky and the shots from Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns.

      Nowadays, they are proud that they came through those hardships. They had their heads held (10)                       walking out of the war.

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

      The (1)                              of parental authority has changed. Today, no parent can (2)                   their children’s respect for granted: authority has to be earned. Several studies have shown the following problems.

      Trust: A lot of young people say their parents don’t trust them. Some of them have no privacy: their parents read all their emails, and enter their rooms (3)            knocking. All of these actions demonstrate lack of respect. (4)              ,these teenagers have little (5)                                  for their parents.

      Communication: Hardly any teens discuss their problems with their parents. That’s because very few teens feel their parents really listen to them. Instead, most parents tend to fire off an immediate (6)                            to their kid’s first sentence.

      Freedom: Interestingly. Most rebels come from very authoritarian homes where kids have very little freedom. Teens need (7)                                rules but they have to be clear and unchangeable. Also, if the mother and father don’t agree about discipline, teens have less respect for (8)                                  parents. They also need a lot of support and a little freedom to take their own decisions. None of them enjoy just listening to adults.

      Role models: Teens don’t have much respect for their parents if (9)                  of them actually does things (10)                       they expect their children to do. Like everybody, teens appreciate people who practice what they reach.

Read the passage and fill in the blanks with suitable words.

      Being the first and also the oldest high school in Hue, originally Quoc Hoc (National High School) was the school for children from royal and noble families. French colonialists opened this school in 1896 to train those (1)                              would serve the government. Therefore, at that time, French was the main subject for students. Now it is (2)                                    Hue National High School and is a high-profile school that all students must pass a competitive (3)                                             exam to get the admission.

      Established in 1896, after more than 100-year history, the school today isconsidered the largest and also the most beautiful high school (4)                                              in Viet Nam. This surrounding makes a great picture of red French designed buildings in Harmony with green (5)                                 of a large shady trees and stone benches.

      (6)                         in spring, when “diep anh dao” (a kind of cherry blossoms)is in bloom, the whole picture is filled with pinky dots above red thatched tile. Students often call that (7)                             of time “Pinky cloud season” and regard it as the most special moments of a year. These are the reasons why Quoc Hoc is also (8)                        “Pinky school beside Perfume River Bank” in the song with the same name.

      Moreover, several Vietnamese (9)                                   leaders have been learning here, including: Nguyen Tat Thanh (President Ho Chi Minh), General Vo Nguyen Giap, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, etc. In addition, the school is famed for its students who are well-known poets (Xuan Dieu, Huy Can, To Huu, Luu Trong Le etc.), scientists (Ta Quang Buu, Ton That Tung, Dang Van Ngu, etc.), musicians (Tran Hoan, Nguyen Van Thuong, etc.). The school also has students getting high prizes in many international (10)                        .

Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage.

      Seventy percent of people in Viet Nam live in rural areas. Most of these people (1)            their living by caring for farm animals like pigs. Other common jobsare crop farming and fishing. For many of these farmers and fishermen, animal and plant waste is still a problem.

      Many women and children cook meals using traditional cooking fuels. They also spend many hours (2)             wood and other materials to burn. This process takes time and also uses a lot of natural resources. Moreover, they suffer the same health (3)              . Cooking was a difficult and dangerous job. The kitchen was smoky, and the black ash would make people cough, and (4)                        pain in the eyes.

      But a biogas system can (5)                     all of these problems! It can turn animal or plant waste (6)            valuable resources – such as cooking fuel, electricity and plant fertilizer. First, an expert must build a system of pipes and tanks. This biogas system contains and manages the decaying process of animal or plant waste. To use the biogas system, a farmer must move animal waste into a pipe with water. These pipes bring the waste to a tank (7)                  in the ground. This tank is called a bio-digester. Air cannot enter this tank. In this contained environment, natural bacteria decays the waste material. (8)                   the waste decays in the bio-digester, it (9)                             two things – biogas and slurry. The biogas rises to the top of the tank. The pressure from the gas pushes the liquid slurry into (10)                               . Now people can use both the biogas and the slurry.

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

      With a (1)                         of about 2.6 million people, Vancouver is the largest City in Western Canada. Vancouver is in the Southwest of Canada, and it is only a few hours of driving away from the American (2)                                 .

      Vancouver is popular because it (3)                     so many things. It is a huge, modern City. On the other hand, it is also one of North America’s most beautiful areas. The natural beauty (4)                               Vancouver is famous all around the world.

      Vancouver is right next to the Rocky Mountains, so it is a wonderful place for skiing and snowboarding. Those aren’t the only winter sports you can do there. If you can (5)            a winter sport, then you probably do that sport in Vancouver. After all, the 2010 Winter Olympics were there. Vancouver is also great for hiking, jogging, and skateboarding. It even has beaches. The beaches aren’t the (6)                     in the world, but they arc clean and pretty.

      (7)             place that you have to visit in Vancouver is Stanley Park. This is a public park that is a stone’s throw from (8)              . However,the park is completely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. The nature in Stanley Park is beautiful. It is close to downtown, but it feels like it is 100 kilometres away. The park also has playgrounds, gardens, beaches, tennis courts, and even an (9)                    .

      Vancouver is something for everybody. It is no (10)                   that people think it is one of the world’s best cities.

In 1761, an artificial waterway opened. It joined a coal-mining area with the port of Manchester. This was England’s first man-made waterway, or ‘canal’. Soon the price of coal in this part of the country went down, and the owner of the Bridgewater canal became rich.

      In the late 18^th century landowners and businessmen built many new canals to make money. There was no canal plan for the country, but the canals completely changed the transport of heavy goods in England. Prices of factory goods went down because transport cost less than before. One horse could now pull 50 tons on a canal boat. Before, it could pull less than one ton on a road cart. The canal network was a very important part of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, but canals had only a short life. In the mid 19^th century, the new railways became the most modern form of transport.

      The men who built the canals were called ‘navvies’. They moved around country in groups from canal to canal. Ordinary people did not like the navvies, because they wore strange clothes, had no real homes, and because they often drank too much beer.

      The Nottingham and Beeston Canal had two parts. It opened in 1796 and was an important six-mile link in the Trent Navigation - a system of canals and rivers which joined the Midlands with the River Humber and the port of Hull. This carried goods from inland factories to the sea. Now it is no longer a working canal. It is a place for people who like walking or fishing.

1.   Why did the price of coal round Manchester decrease?

Fill in the blank with a suitable word in the box.

      Space exploration is the investigation of the universe beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, by (1)                          of manned and unmanned spacecraft. Despite the technological advancements achieved in the past, space exploration was only (2)                         until the 20^th century. The first successful orbital launch was made by the Soviet Union in 1957 which was called “Sputnik”. When the topic “SPACE EXPLORATION” is put (3)                     the table, aquestion has often been asked: “Why should we spend money on NASA while there are so (4)                          problems here on Earth?” However, this might be partially wrong since exploring the unknown may help us progress.

      The advantages of space exploration include the materials (5)                           can be obtained from outer space. For instance, asteroids have iron and nickel which could be utilized to satisfy the (6)                for metal. Therefore, numerous commercial companies have invested in developing technology for asteroid mining. Several comets and asteroids (7)                     solid water in them. This water can be used for astronauts and scientists in space stations. The water can also be broken down to hydrogen which can be used as (8)                   for the rockets. Scientists also believe that dinosaurs disappeared because they couldn’t go to (9)              planet. Sooner or later a killer comet will again cross Earth’s path, threatening all life. Fortunately, (10)                          we have knowledge about comets and space science, we will be able to survive.

Read the passage and fill in each blank with the correct form of the verbs from the box.

      Marble Mountains is a group of five smaller mountains (1)                    Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth. It is also a travel itinerary linking Da Nang City to the ancient town of Hoi An and Hue City. As the name suggests the Marble Mountains used to be a place providing input (2)                                for craftsmen in the village, but the local government banned marble exploitation (3)                             that the five mountains could disappear.

      Most of the marble for the village now comes from northern provinces such as Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Thai Nguyen. As a further step to diversify products, the marble fine arts village has (4)                                   marble from Pakistan.

      As far as I know, the man who (5)                       marble craftsmanship to the region came from Thanh Hoa, and most craftsmen in the village had handed down the craft from generation to generation. There are some 3,000 handicraft workers in Non Nuoc village. (6)       , there are only 70 skillful craftsmen who can (7)                              souls into marble sculptures after other workers have finished (8)                                the Products.

      In the shops along the highway, you can see different marble products in all shapes and sizes, from contemporary (9)                               to religious sculptures. And of course you will have a chance to see craftsmen (10)                         their art and turning soulless marble into sophisticated sculpture products.

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

      In the Mekong Delta, Long Dinh village of Tien Giang province is famous for its traditional craft of weaving flowered mats. The mat’s high quality makes them popular domestically, and they are also exported to markets worldwide including Korea, Japan and America.

      In spite of its well-established reputation for this traditional craft, mat weaving only started here some 50 years ago. It was first introduced by immigrants from Kim Son, a famous mat weaving village in the northern province of Ninh Binh. However, the technique of weaving sedge mats in Long Dinh, as compared with other places in the South, is somewhat different. Long Dinh branded mats are thicker and have more attractive colours and patterns.

      Weaving sedge mats is similar to growing rice. Long Dinh mat production mainly occurs during the dry season, from January to April. Weavers have to work their hardest in May and June, otherwise, when the rainy season starts in July, they will have to put off finishing their products till the next dry season. No matter how much work it requires, Long Dinh mat producers stick with this occupation, as it brings a higher income than growing rice.

      This trade provides employment for thousands of local labourers. At present, nearly 1,000 households in Long Dinh village live on weaving mats. To better meet market demands, Long Dinh mat weavers have created more products in addition to the traditional sedge mats.Particularly, they are producing a new type of mat made from the dried stalks of water hyacinth, a common material in the Mekong Delta.

      Thanks to the planning and further investment, the mat weaving occupationhas indeed brought in more income for local residents. Their living standards have improved considerably, resulting in better conditions for the whole village.

1.   In order to meet market demands, artisans in Long Dinh                         .

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

Street Food Shoulder Poles on Saigon streets

      Street food shoulder pole is familiar with Saigon people throughout many years. Nowadays it has become a special thing that makes travelers curious. In small areas of District 1 and District 3, we could count more than 100 vendors who earned money using shoulder poles. A shoulder pole, also called a carrying pole, is a yoke of wood or bamboo, used by people to carry a load. The vendors put their goods in two baskets from each end of the yoke.

      In the downtown, we can meet young women with their shoulder poles. The baskets are covered with plastic wrap carefully to protect the foods from the street dust. In a tight space ofone basket, she could mix the ingredients and bake the cake on a small charcoal which was defended by carton. The ready cakes were put in other basket.

      In the morning or evening, on rainy or sunny day, Saigon streets are marked by shoulder poles of people from different regions of the country, which has become a      unique part of Saigon. It has been said that it isn’t hard to live in Saigon if you work hard. With the carrying pole on shoulders, the vendor has turned it into a “store”. The reason is very simple, they don’t have enough money to open a real store. Every day these women continue their journey through Saigon streets under the sun and the rain, selling cheap things or street foods to earn money and feed their children.

1.   A shoulder pole                .

Read the text carefully, then decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

      I live in a small village called Henfield. There are about 500 people here. The village is quiet and life here is slow and easy. You never have to queue in shops or banks. People never throw their rubbish in the streets, so the village is always clean. The air is also very clean because there’s not much heavy traffic. It’s much more friendly here than in a city. Everyone knows everyone and if someone has a problem, there are always people who can help. However, there are some things I don’t like about Henfield. One thing is that there’s not much to do in the evening. We haven’t got any cinemas or theatres. Another problem is that people always talk about each other and everyone knows what everyone is doing. But I still prefer village life to life in a big city.