Read the following advertisement and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 1 to 6.
SUMMER PART-TIME JOBS FOR UNDERGRADUATES
Techworld Magazine is delighted to announce two IT assistant vacancies up for (1) ______ this summer. The better understanding of STEM you have, (2) ______ likely you are to be selected! Successful applicants will get plenty of hands-on experience, good pay, and access to the local STEM community.
(3) ______, we offer flexible working hours and remote options for those living far away. On top of that, (4) ______ position requires previous experience as new recruits are provided with in-service training sessions.
Applications (5) ______ be submitted to us at info@techworldmagazine.com by 30 June.
Never before has there been such a(n) (6) ______ opportunity to kick-start your career in STEM. Don’t let this chance slip through your fingers – apply today!
Question 1. A. grips B. gift C. grasp D. grabs
Question 2. A. most B. the most C. the more D. more
Question 3. A. Additionally B. Subsequently C. Consequently D. Finally
Question 4. A. both B. either C. none D. neither
Question 5. A. ought not B. should not C. ought D. should
Question 6. A. lively B. private C. active D. golden
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 7 to 11.
Money has many ironies, and here is an important one: wealth is what you do not see. On spotting a Ferrari driving around, (7) ______. In reality, however, many drivers of expensive cars turn out to be only mediocre successes who spend a huge percentage of their paycheck on a vehicle. Someone driving a hundred-thousand-dollar car might indeed be wealthy. Yet the only firm data point you have about their wealth is that they have a hundred thousand dollars less than they did before they bought the car or a hundred thousand dollars more in debt. (8) ______.
We tend to judge wealth by what we see (9) ______. We cannot peer into people’s bank accounts or brokerage statements, so we rely on outward appearances to gauge financial success: cars, houses, photographs on social media. Modern capitalism has turned helping people fake it until they make it into a cherished industry. (10) ______. Wealth hides in the nice car not purchased, the diamonds left in the shop and the first-class upgrade declined. Wealth is the financial assets that have not yet been converted into the stuff you see.
Hence, we should be careful (11) ______. It is more than mere semantics; not knowing the difference is the source of countless poor money decisions.
Question 7.
A. you might assume that the owner of the car must be rich
B. you might be assumed to be the rich owner of the car
C. people might assume you must be the rich owner of the car
D. the car might be assumed to be owned by a rich person
Question 8.
A. All that you know is about them B. You know what they are all about
C. What you know is about them all D. That is all you know about them
Question 9.
A. because external clues are the only information we have to work with
B. rather than by external clues as the only information we have to work with
C. unless we only have external clues as the information to work with
D. other than external clues as the information that we only have to work with
Question 10.
A. Authentic wealth, as a consequence, secretly exists by remaining truthful
B. Likewise, the truth is that the existence of authentic wealth remains a secret
C. Authentic wealth, similarly, keeps its existence by secretly remaining truthful
D. However, the truth remains that authentic wealth keeps its existence a secret
Question 11.
A. being wealthy and being rich distinguish themselves
B. for being wealthy to be distinguished from being rich
C. being wealthy is distinguishing itself from being rich
D. to distinguish between being wealthy and being rich
Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best arrangement of utterances or sentences to make a cohesive and coherent exchange or text in each of the following questions from 12 to 16.
Question 12.
Dear Ms Hoang,
a. A payment of $5,000 will be released in the beginning, and the remaining balance after the submission of your mid-term report.
b. Failure to respond by the stated date will result in the offer being granted to the next qualified candidate.
c. We are delighted to inform you that you have been awarded the Young Researcher Grant.
d. To confirm your acceptance, please sign the attached form and submit it by 31 August.
e. The funding is intended to support your fieldwork and must not be used for equipment purchases without prior approval.
Yours sincerely,
A. c – e – a – d – b B. c – b – e – d – a C. c – a – b – e – d D. c – a – b – d – e
Question 13.
a. Diner: Excuse me, I’ve been waiting so long for my order.
b. Diner: Thanks for your help.
c. Waiter: I’m sorry! I’ll check with the kitchen and get back to you immediately.
A. a – b – c B. c – b – a C. a – c – b D. b – c – a
Question 14.
a. Customer: What if I don’t keep the original packaging?
b. Customer: Great. I’ll bring the item and receipt tomorrow.
c. Customer: I’d like to exchange the electric fan I bought yesterday.
d. Manager: Sold items can be exchanged within five days, but we don’t give refunds.
e. Manager: No problem, only your receipt is needed.
A. c – d – a – e – b B. a – e – c – d – b C. a – d – c – e – b D. c – e – a – d – b
Question 15.
a. Initial results were impressive, as villagers reported broadband speeds comparable to city standards with significantly improved reliability.
b. For years, the isolated villages of central Marsh County struggled with unreliable copper cables that could not handle increasing bandwidth demands.
c. Consequently, the local council, partnering with two providers, committed to laying fibre optic cables to every household within a year.
d. To minimise disruption, cables were placed along existing verges, while community halls served as temporary installation hubs.
e. Encouraged by the villagers’ satisfaction, neighbouring counties have requested guidance on adopting the model for their remote villages.
A. d – a – e – c – b B. a – e – d – b – c C. e – b – a – c – d D. b – c – d – a – e
Question 16.
a. Inhabitants of coastal regions housing large-scale facilities have reported that the low hum of the constant rotation impairs their sleep quality.
b. Nevertheless, the argument for transitioning is not entirely convincing when the implications for residents in the immediate vicinity are taken into account.
c. With the infrastructure in place, operational expenditures of wind mills are substantially lower than those of coal or gas facilities.
d. Wind power has been promoted as a notably clean and economically viable substitute for fossil fuels.
e. Progress on a country’s renewable targets necessitates balancing each proposed initiative against the burdens imposed upon local populations.
A. d – c – b – a – e B. a – d – c – e – b C. c – e – d – b – a D. e – b – a – c – d
Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 17 to 24.
For decades, students have been convinced that academic success is largely dependent upon meticulous notetaking. What has changed in recent years is not the importance of the practice but the tools used to perform it. The keyboard has subtly supplanted the pen, and with it, the nature of how information is recorded during a lecture has shifted unbeknownst to students.
Researchers in cognitive psychology have begun to examine what this change has cost learners. In a series of comparative studies, students taking notes by hand consistently outperformed those using laptops on questions that demanded conceptual understanding, even when both groups had access to the same material. The reason, according to the researchers, lies less in the technology itself than in what each method asks of the brain. Typing rewards speed; handwriting forces selection.
The act of writing by hand is slower, and that slowness appears to be its hidden virtue. Unable to capture every word, students are obliged to listen, decide what matters and condense ideas into their own phrasing. This continuous filtering, referred to as encoding by psychologists, turns out to be instrumental in aiding long-term recall. One lecturer summarised the striking contrast after reviewing her students’ work: the laptops, she said, had produced transcripts, while the notebooks had produced understanding.
It would be misleading, of course, to claim that handwriting is inherently superior or that all keyboards undermine learning. Hard-working typists can summarise, while indolent writers can drift. What the research highlights is not a conclusion on devices but a question about effort: which tool, in a given context, asks more of the learner. As a ban on students’ use of laptops in classrooms remains a bone of contention among tertiary institutions, the deeper challenge may be helping students recognise that what feels easier in the moment is not always what serves them best afterwards.
Question 17. In paragraph 1, the writer is ______.
A. questioning the significance of notetaking in education
B. challenging a long-held assumption about academic success
C. introducing a recent change in the way students take notes
D. promoting the use of technology in recording lectures
Question 18. The word those in paragraph 2 refers to ______.
A. researchers B. students C. notes D. studies
Question 19. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?
A. What explains the difference in student performance is the mental work that each method of notetaking demands, rather than the technology.
B. The modern device, along with the mental requirements of each method for the brain, is responsible for the difference in student performance.
C. The difference in student performance is attributable to the modern technology instead of the mental work that each method of notetaking requires.
D. Regardless of the method of notetaking, the effects on the brain exhibit little difference as long as technology is involved in student performance.
Question 20. The word instrumental in paragraph 3 is OPPOSITE in meaning to ______.
A. central B. dramatic C. specific D. trivial
Question 21. The word indolent in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. active B. lazy C. serious D. careful
Question 22. Which of the following statements would the writer NOT agree with?
A. Handwritten and typed notes led to varied degrees of conceptual understanding.
B. Students are unaware of the change in notetaking methods in class.
C. The slow speed of writing by hand turns out to be an advantage over typing.
D. Universities generally approve of prohibiting laptop use in classrooms.
Question 23. In which paragraph does the writer mention a cognitive process?
A. Paragraph 2 B. Paragraph 3 C. Paragraph 1 D. Paragraph 4
Question 24. In which paragraph does the writer warn against an overgeneralisation?
A. Paragraph 3 B. Paragraph 4 C. Paragraph 2 D. Paragraph 1
Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 25 to 34.
Environmental services, even when they arise without any human labour, are by no means cost-free. Every cost should be understood in terms of opportunity cost. For environmental services, the opportunity cost amounts to the net gain relinquished because the resources are no longer available for their second-best application. Whenever a resource has alternative uses, it cannot legitimately be deemed free.
For instance, a section of river might serve as a site used for either white-water canoeing or hydroelectric generation. Constructing a dam to produce electricity would flood the rapids, so this makes white-water canoeing here out of the question. The opportunity cost of preserving the river for canoeing equals the net benefit of the electricity that would otherwise have been produced, once the expenses of generation and distribution have been subtracted. By the same token, the opportunity cost of erecting the dam involves everything the river in its natural state would have provided – leisure activities, wildlife, scenic beauty, and whatever worth future generations might attach to experiencing the rapids.
This understanding carries considerable weight for planning development. [I] Numerous decisions initially appearing to be cost-free moves in favour of growth prove, when examined carefully, to be against something else. [II] Clearing a forest to make way for crops is hardly without cost; it is paid for through losses in carbon storage, biological diversity, and all the functions the forest once performed unnoticed. [III] Channelling a river for irrigation has its price – namely, whatever the river was doing before its course was altered. [IV] Even leaving a swathe of land alone exacts a cost, since the earnings that intensive exploitation might have produced are equally sacrificed.
From this perspective, economic development can never be reduced to whether a project delivers a positive return. Rather, what must be asked is whether that return outweighs the value of sacrifices. Policies considering this – by pricing scarce environmental services, or obliging those in charge to consider both sides – are not against development. What they demand is that development should be worth its true cost. The danger lies not in counting too much, but in counting too little.
Question 25. The word relinquished in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. given up B. filled up C. made up D. ended up
Question 26. According to paragraph 1, the costs of environmental services are ______.
A. minimal because these services are nearly labour-free
B. existent even in the absence of human involvement
C. included in the market value of natural resources
D. determined by financial investment in natural resources
Question 27. Which of the following is NOT implied in paragraph 2?
A. The strains on the ecosystem of the river imposed by recreational activities and power generation are similar.
B. Intangible benefits also constitute the opportunity cost of the dam construction.
C. The intrinsic value of the river is not confined to generating hydroelectricity only.
D. It is impossible to exploit one stretch of river for both hydroelectric generation and white-water canoeing.
Question 28. Where in paragraph 3 does the following sentence best fit?
Such hidden costs only come to light when one stops to think about the roles nature itself is quietly playing.
A. [IV] B. [III] C. [I] D. [II]
Question 29. Which of the following best summarises paragraph 3?
A. Untouched and cultivated lands both produce benefits in the long term.
B. Apparently harmless developments actually come at an underlying price.
C. Economic benefits should never take precedence over forest and river preservation.
D. Ecological preservation exerts negligible influence on economic development.
Question 30. The word they in paragraph 4 refers to ______.
A. services B. sides C. sacrifices D. policies
Question 31. What conclusion can be drawn from paragraph 4?
A. Putting a price on environmental services is aimed at slowing down economic projects.
B. Both excessive caution and complete ignorance regarding environmental costs cause permanent damage.
C. Due consideration for opportunity costs is crucial for the genuine success of development.
D. Initiatives are required by law to deduct the hidden costs before claiming to have a positive return.
Question 32. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Assigning a specific price tag to a resource is a prerequisite for calculating opportunity costs.
B. Keeping land intact is free of opportunity cost as there is no resource consumption.
C. Cost-free resources can be put to alternative uses as long as this is legally permitted.
D. The positive return of every economic development must be worth what is sacrificed.
Question 33. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. The scale of economic development inevitably suffers from strict regulations on environmental services.
B. Decisions that overlook environmental opportunity costs risk overestimating the net gains they produce.
C. The value of preserved environmental services far outweighs the benefits of industrial development.
D. Projects are mandated to make up for the economic losses in return for environmental preservation.
Question 34. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Sustainable Development: A Pipe Dream B. Environment: A Tower of Strength
C. Natural Preservation: Ushering in a New Era D. Development: Factoring in Sacrifices
Read the following leaflet and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 35 to 40.
GREEN HANDS CAMPAIGN
The School Youth Union is officially launching the “Green Hands” eco-friendly campaign. We invite every student to participate in this vital project. If everyone (35) ______ together, we will make a difference at our school.
The primary goal is to expand students’ (36) ______ of plastic pollution. To achieve this, the school will have colour-coded bins (37) ______ in the schoolyard. Also, waste-disposal workshops will be held to teach students to (38) ______ out plastics properly. These sessions ensure resources are reused effectively.
We aim to (39) ______ sustainable habits through consistent daily activities. We firmly believe that small individual efforts will turn into long-lasting changes.
Volunteers will help remove plastics from every corner of the schoolyard. Please sign up online. Your (40) ______ is essential for success. Don’t miss out – join hands with us today!
Question 35. A. work B. works C. worked D. have worked
Question 36. A. knowledge B. focus C. emphasis D. attention
Question 37. A. installing B. installed C. being installed D. install
Question 38. A. catch B. check C. sort D. fill
Question 39. A. produce B. promote C. protect D. provide
Question 40. A. cooperatively B. cooperative C. cooperation D. cooperate
BẢNG ĐÁP ÁN THAM KHẢO
| Câu | Đáp án | Câu | Đáp án | Câu | Đáp án | Câu | Đáp án |
|---|
| 1 | D | 11 | D | 21 | B | 31 | C |
| 2 | C | 12 | A | 22 | D | 32 | D |
| 3 | A | 13 | C | 23 | B | 33 | B |
| 4 | D | 14 | A | 24 | B | 34 | D |
| 5 | D | 15 | D | 25 | A | 35 | B |
| 6 | D | 16 | A | 26 | B | 36 | A |
| 7 | A | 17 | C | 27 | A | 37 | B |
| 8 | D | 18 | B | 28 | D | 38 | C |
| 9 | A | 19 | A | 29 | B | 39 | B |
| 10 | D | 20 | D | 30 | D | 40 | C |
LỜI GIẢI CHI TIẾT
Câu 1. Chọn D. grabs
Cụm cố định: up for grabs = có sẵn để giành lấy, có thể đăng ký/ứng tuyển.
Câu: “two IT assistant vacancies up for grabs” nghĩa là “hai vị trí trợ lý IT đang mở để ứng tuyển”.
Câu 2. Chọn C. the more
Cấu trúc so sánh kép: The + so sánh hơn ..., the + so sánh hơn ...
“The better understanding of STEM you have, the more likely you are to be selected.”
Nghĩa: Bạn càng hiểu STEM tốt thì càng có khả năng được chọn.
Câu 3. Chọn A. Additionally
Đoạn trước nói về lợi ích: kinh nghiệm, lương, kết nối cộng đồng STEM. Đoạn sau bổ sung thêm lợi ích: giờ làm linh hoạt, làm từ xa.
Additionally = thêm vào đó, ngoài ra.
Câu 4. Chọn D. neither
Câu có “position” số ít và nghĩa là “không vị trí nào yêu cầu kinh nghiệm trước đó”.
Dùng: neither position requires... = không vị trí nào trong hai vị trí yêu cầu...
Câu 5. Chọn D. should
Câu thông báo yêu cầu nộp hồ sơ trước hạn: “Applications should be submitted...” = Hồ sơ nên/cần được nộp...
“ought” phải đi với “to”: ought to be submitted, nên C sai.
Câu 6. Chọn D. golden
Cụm quen thuộc: a golden opportunity = cơ hội vàng.
Câu: “such a golden opportunity to kick-start your career” = một cơ hội vàng để khởi đầu sự nghiệp.
Câu 7. Chọn A. you might assume that the owner of the car must be rich
Câu trước: “On spotting a Ferrari driving around,...” = Khi nhìn thấy một chiếc Ferrari chạy trên đường... Ý hợp lý: bạn có thể cho rằng chủ xe rất giàu.
Câu 8. Chọn D. That is all you know about them
Tác giả nói ta chỉ biết họ có ít hơn 100.000 đô sau khi mua xe hoặc nợ thêm 100.000 đô. Hợp lý tiếp theo: That is all you know about them = Đó là tất cả những gì bạn biết về họ.
Câu 9. Chọn A. because external clues are the only information we have to work with
Nghĩa: Ta thường đánh giá sự giàu có bằng thứ ta nhìn thấy vì các dấu hiệu bên ngoài là thông tin duy nhất ta có.
Câu 10. Chọn D. However, the truth remains that authentic wealth keeps its existence a secret
Đoạn trước nói về việc giả tạo sự giàu có, đoạn sau chuyển ý dùng However: sự giàu có thật sự giữ sự tồn tại của nó như một bí mật.
Câu 11. Chọn D. to distinguish between being wealthy and being rich
Cấu trúc: be careful to do something = cẩn thận khi làm gì. Nghĩa: cần phân biệt giữa “wealthy” và “rich”.
Câu 12. Chọn A. c – e – a – d – b
Thứ tự thư: c (thông báo nhận học bổng) -> e (mục đích sử dụng) -> a (cách chi trả) -> d (hướng dẫn xác nhận) -> b (hậu quả nếu không phản hồi đúng hạn).
Câu 13. Chọn C. a – c – b
a (khách phàn nàn) -> c (bồi bàn xin lỗi) -> b (khách cảm ơn).
Câu 14. Chọn A. c – d – a – e – b
c (khách muốn đổi quạt) -> d (quản lý nêu quy định) -> a (khách hỏi bao bì) -> e (quản lý giải đáp) -> b (khách hẹn ngày mai).
Câu 15. Chọn D. b – c – d – a – e
b (nêu vấn đề mạng kém) -> c (quyết định lắp cáp quang) -> d (cách triển khai) -> a (kết quả ấn tượng) -> e (hạt lân cận học hỏi).
Câu 16. Chọn A. d – c – b – a – e
d (giới thiệu điện gió) -> c (ưu điểm chi phí) -> b (chuyển ý về tác động cư dân) -> a (vấn đề tiếng ồn) -> e (kết luận cân bằng).
Câu 17. Chọn C. introducing a recent change in the way students take notes
Tác giả giới thiệu sự thay đổi công cụ ghi chú: bàn phím thay cho bút.
Câu 18. Chọn B. students
“those using laptops” = những học sinh sử dụng máy tính xách tay.
Câu 19. Chọn A
Nghĩa câu gạch chân: Nguyên nhân nằm ở yêu cầu của mỗi phương pháp đối với bộ não chứ không đơn thuần ở công nghệ.
Câu 20. Chọn D. trivial
instrumental = quan trọng. Trái nghĩa là trivial = tầm thường, không quan trọng.
Câu 21. Chọn B. lazy
indolent = lười biếng.
Câu 22. Chọn D
Việc cấm dùng laptop là “a bone of contention” (gây tranh cãi), nên không thể nói các trường đại học nhìn chung đều đồng ý.
Câu 23. Chọn B. Paragraph 3
Đoạn 3 nhắc tới quá trình nhận thức: encoding (mã hóa thông tin).
Câu 24. Chọn B. Paragraph 4
Đoạn 4 cảnh báo: “It would be misleading... to claim that handwriting is inherently superior...” (Sẽ là sai lầm nếu khẳng định viết tay luôn tốt hơn...).
Câu 25. Chọn A. given up
relinquished = từ bỏ, hy sinh.
Câu 26. Chọn B
Chi phí môi trường tồn tại ngay cả khi không có sự tham gia của con người.
Câu 27. Chọn A
Bài không nói gánh nặng hệ sinh thái của giải trí và phát điện là giống nhau.
Câu 28. Chọn D. [II]
Vị trí [II] phù hợp sau ý khái quát về các quyết định ẩn chứa chi phí.
Câu 29. Chọn B
Đoạn 3 nhấn mạnh các phát triển tưởng như không tốn kém thực ra đều có chi phí ẩn.
Câu 30. Chọn D. policies
“they” thay thế cho “policies”.
Câu 31. Chọn C
Cần cân nhắc chi phí cơ hội để phát triển thật sự thành công.
Câu 32. Chọn D
Bài khẳng định: phát triển phải đáng giá so với những gì bị hy sinh.
Câu 33. Chọn B
Bỏ qua chi phí cơ hội sẽ dẫn đến nguy cơ đánh giá cao quá mức lợi ích ròng.
Câu 34. Chọn D. Development: Factoring in Sacrifices
Tiêu đề phù hợp nhất: Phát triển: Tính đến những sự đánh đổi.
Câu 35. Chọn B. works
Câu điều kiện loại 1 với chủ ngữ số ít “everyone”.
Câu 36. Chọn A. knowledge
expand students’ knowledge = mở rộng kiến thức của học sinh.
Câu 37. Chọn B. installed
Cấu trúc: have something done = cho cái gì được lắp đặt.
Câu 38. Chọn C. sort
sort out plastics = phân loại nhựa.
Câu 39. Chọn B. promote
promote sustainable habits = thúc đẩy thói quen bền vững.
Câu 40. Chọn C. cooperation
Sau tính từ sở hữu “Your” cần danh từ “cooperation”.
