A. READING Part 1.Read part of a magazine article by Maisie McNeice, who is co-author of a book about her childhood in Africa and circle the best answer A, B, C, or D. [ Đọc một phần của bài tạp chí viết bởi Maisie McNeice, là đồng tác giả của một quyển sách về thời thơ ấu của bà ở Châu Phi và khoanh tròn đáp án A, B, C hoặc D] When I was seven, my family moved to Botswana, because my mother wanted us to experience a different way of life. We joined a group of scientists at a lion research station, and for five years now we’ve been living in tents in the middle of nowhere. In my book, there are a lot of funny stories about our lives here. For example, when I go to bed, I have to check for scorpions before I get in - but I don’t mind that. The only thing I regret is not to have walls to put posters on. There’s a kitchen tent and a living room tent with a video, so I can still watch my favourite programmes in the evenings. There are no fences around our camp, and it is dangerous to walk around after dark, so we drive - even from the living room tent to my bedroom tent! Occasionally I think “What if an animal is lying around the comer and kills me!” I am usually fine. Once I turned a comer in the car (I’ve driven since I was nine) and there was a huge bull elephant, and I stopped the car. Luckily the elephant swerved and missed us, but not by much! Another time my brother stepped on a scorpion, and he was in pain for days. And we get spiders in our tents, the size of CDs, but I am not afraid of them. And as for lions, I started working with them when I was nine, and they are just the most wonderful animals in the world. 1. Why did Maisie’s family move to Botswana? A. because they wanted to do some research into lions B. because they enjoyed living in tents C. because it’s such a beautiful country D. because they wanted to have a new kind of lifestyle 2. What does the phrase “in the middle of nowhere” in paragraph 1 mean? A. in a remote and isolated place B. in the heart of a research station C. in the middle of Botswana D. in an unknown place 3. What does the word “that” in paragraph 1 refer to? A. seeing scorpions in bed B. checking for scorpions before getting in bed C. hearing funny stories about lives there D. living with scorpions 4. Why does Maisie have to drive from the living room tent to the bedroom tent after dark? A. because the tents are far away B. because there are fences around the camp C. because it is dangerous to walk around then D. because she enjoys driving 5. The creature that put Maisie in most danger was . A. an elephant B. a scorpion C. a spider D. a lion 6. Why was Maisie not hit by the elephant? A. because it was a huge bull elephant B. because the elephant swerved C. because Maisie was at a comer D. because the elephant missed her 7. What does Maisie think about spiders? A. They aren’t dangerous. B. They don’t frighten her. C. Her brother shouldn’t worry about them. D. People should not let them come into their tents. 8. What would be a good title for Maisie’s book? A. Life with the Lions C. Travels around Africa B. African Life D. My Unusual Family Hướng dẫn giải: 1. D 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. A 6. B 7. B 8. A Dịch bài đọc: Khi tôi 7 tuổi, gia đình tôi chuyển đến Botswana, bởi vì bố mẹ muốn chúng tôi trải nghiệm một cách sống khác. Chúng tôi đã tham gia một nhóm các nhà khoa học ở trạm nghiên cứu về sư tử, và 5 năm nay chúng tôi sống trong những túp lều giữa không gian mênh mông không có gì. Trong quyển sách của tôi, có nhiều câu chuyện hài hước về cuộc sống ở đây. Ví dụ, khi tôi đi ngủ, tôi phải kiểm tra có bọ cạp hay không trước khi vào trong lều – nhưng tôi không ngại việc đó. Điều duy nhất tôi hối tiếc là không có những bức tường để dán những tờ quảng cáo lên. Có một trại gà và một lều phòng khách với một video, vì vậy tôi có thể xem những chương trình yêu thích của mình vào các buổi tối. Không có hàng rào xung quanh khu cắm trại, và nó nguy hiểm để đi bộ xung quanh sau hoàng hôn, vì vậy chúng tôi lái xe - thậm chí từ trong lều phòng khách đến lều phòng ngủ! Thường tôi nghĩ “ Điều gì sẽ xảy ra nếu động vật nằm xung quanh góc nào đó và giết tôi!” Tôi thường khỏe. Khi tôi chuyển góc vào trong xe ( Tôi đã lái xe từ năm 9 tuổi) và có một con voi bò khổng lồ, và tôi dừng xe lại. May mắn thay con voi đi lệch hướng khác và phớt lờ chúng tôi, nhưng không nhiều lắm! Một lần khác anh trai tôi giẫm lên một con bọ cạp, và bị thương mấy ngày. Và chúng tôi có nhện trong lều, kích thước bằng những đĩa CD, nhưng tôi không sợ chúng. Và như những con sư tử, tôi bắt đầu làm việc với chúng khi tôi 9 tuổi, và chúng là động vật tuyệt vời nhất trên thế giới. Part 2.Circle A, B, C, or D that best completes the following passage. [ Khoanh tròn A, B, C hoặc D để hoàn thành bài đọc tốt nhất] THE BOOK IN THE 21ST CENTURY How many times in the last hundred years or so have people talked of the imminent death of the book? Films (1) an early threat because they were so effective at telling stories in a visual way. Next there was radio, which stepped into the mid-twentieth century and (2) people with such an alternative to books as drama, documentaries and discussions. When television arrived, many people believed that (3) would finish the book off. Nowadays, besides the threat by TV, the book is thought to be (4) by computers and the Internet, and by other technological attractions like the CDs and the video games, too. Surely there are now enough (5) why the book ought to be dead, or at least very badly injured. If so, why does it not show proper respect for these reportedly less literate times and die out? There is clearly more than a (6) answer to this question. Firstly, we have more leisure time than we (7) to, and people are generally living longer, which means there is more time to do more (including reading books). As well as this, there is the strength of the book as a tradition. We are all too (8) of traditions in our modem world, but they can have very strong pull on us. Added to this, the book is such a practical tool: it doesn’t (9) too much, it is usually small enough to carry around, and it can (10) be revisited. We will never go without books, because they have served us so well for so long. 1. A. were B. are C. have been D. are being 2. A. got B. provided C. brought D. made 3. A. he B. she C. they D. it 4. A. written B. altered C.changed D.endangered 5. A. causes B.reasons C. discussions D. talks 6. A. single B. one C. double D. singular 7. A. were B. use C. used D. had 8. A. thoughtful B. supportive C. dismissive D. respectful 9. A. cost B. take C. spend D. get 10. A. easily B. hardly C. difficultly D. impossibly Answer 1.A 2. B 3. D 4. D 5. B 6. A 7. C 8. C 9. A 10. A
