ĐỀ mẫu VSTEP Reading Test ÔN THI B1 CHÂU ÂU SỐ 1

ĐỀ mẫu VSTEP Reading Test ÔN THI B1 CHÂU ÂU, TỔNG HỢP CÁC MẪU ĐỀ THI MỚI NHẤT GIÚP BẠN ÔN THI HIỆU QUẢ NHẤT Ôn thi theo các dạng đề giúp bạn tiếp cận đề thi nhanh hơn, dễ nhớ hơn, làm quen với dạng đề thi

READING PAPER 1Time permitted: 60 minutes Number of questions: 40 _

Directions: In this section you will read FOUR different passages Each one is followed by

10 questions about it For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer A, B, C or D,

to each question Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage

You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.

PASSAGE 1 – Questions 1-10

A new study, conducted by scientists from Oxford University, the Chinese Academy ofMedical Sciences and the Chinese Center for Disease Control, has warned that a third of allmen currently under the age of 20 in China will eventually die prematurely if they do notgive up smoking

The research, published in The Lancet medical journal, says two-thirds of men in China

now start to smoke before 20.Around half of those men will die from the habit, it

concludes

In 2010, around one million people in China died from tobacco usage But researchers saythat if current trends continue, that will double to two million people - mostly men - dyingevery year by 2030, making it a "growing epidemic of premature death"

But co-author Richard Peto said there was hope - if people can be persuaded to quit."Thekey to avoid this huge wave of deaths is cessation, and if you are a young man, don't start,"

he said

In many parts of China, meals often fit a comfortable pattern After putting down theirchopsticks, men commonly push their chairs back from the table and light cigarettes Nowonder China has struggled to impose a smoking ban in public places Here, relationshipsare often built amid clouds of smoke

Expensive brands of cigarettes, often decorated with gold detailing on the cartons, are given

as gifts And ordinary brands are affordable to all but the very poor, costing just 2.5 yuan($0.4; £0.25) a pack

In a country where smoking is so ingrained in daily life, few understand the harmful effects

of tobacco use According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 25% of Chineseadults can list the specific health hazards of smoking, from lung cancer to heart disease.Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that only 10% of Chinese smokers quit bychoice Instead, most are forced to give up their cigarettes because they're too sick tocontinue

While smoking rates have fallen in developed countries to less than one in five in the US they have risen in China, as cigarettes have become more available and consumers richer

-Authorities have shown concern over the rise, with Beijing even introducing a public smoking ban But efforts have been hampered by the habit's popularity, and its usefulness

as a source of tax - the government collects about 428 billion yuan (£44billion, $67billion)

in tobacco taxes each year

Globally, tobacco kills up to half of its users, according to the World Health Organization

1 How many Chinese men start to smoke before the age of 20?

A one-third

B two-thirds

C half

D all of them

2 What does the word “those men” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A Men who smoke under the age of 20

B Men who smoke above the age of 20

C Men who give up smoking

D Men who smoke in public

3 By 2030, how many men in China may die from smoking every year?

C Before they go to sleep

D When they get up

5 According to WHO, only _ of Chinese adults can list bad effects ofsmoking

A one-third

B one-fourth

C one-fifth

D a half

6 “Beijing” refers to

A China

B The city of Beijing

C The Chinese government

D People who live in Beijing

7 What is Richard Peto’s attitude toward smoking in China?

A He doesn’t believe that people will give up smoking

B He is disappointed with the Chinese government

C He thinks that people possibly stop smoking if they see reasons

D He is sure about the rise of future deaths in China

8 Which of the following words does the word “hamper” have closest meaning to?

A basket

B assist

C prohibit

D restrict

9 What is the writer’s purpose?

A To argue over smoking policy in China

B To support smoking in China

C To warn and prevent smoking in China

D To report the result of a research paper

10 What does the writer imply about Chinese government?

A They do not want to stop people from smoking

B They have tried to stop people from smoking in public but with littlesuccess

C They have tried to close tobacco companies

D They do not care about smoking

PASSAGE 2 – Questions 11-20

The evidence that humans are causing global warming is strong, but the question of what to

do about it remains controversial Economics, sociology, and politics are all importantfactors in planning for the future

Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases (GHGs) today, the Earth would still warm by

another degree Fahrenheit or so But what we do from today forward makes a bigdifference Depending on our choices, scientists predict that the Earth could eventuallywarm by as little as 2.5 degrees or as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit

A commonly cited goal is to stabilize GHG concentrations around 450-550 parts per million(ppm), or about twice pre-industrial levels This is the point at which many believe the mostdamaging impacts of climate change can be avoided Current concentrations are about 380

ppm, which means there isn't much time to lose According to the IPCC, we'd have to

reduce GHG emissions by 50% to 80% of what they're on track to be in the next century toreach this level

reduce emissions, and all of them together could hold emissions at approximately current

levels for the next 50 years, putting us on a potential path to stabilize around 500 ppm.There are many possible wedges, including improvements to energy efficiency and vehiclefuel economy (so less energy has to be produced), and increases in wind and solar power,hydrogen produced from renewable sources, biofuels (produced from crops), natural gas,and nuclear power There is also the potential to capture the carbon dioxide emitted fromfossil fuels and store it underground—a process called "carbon sequestration."

In addition to reducing the gases we emit to the atmosphere, we can also increase theamount of gases we take out of the atmosphere Plants and trees absorb CO2 as they grow,

"sequestering" carbon naturally Increasing forestlands and making changes to the way we

farm could increase the amount of carbon we're storing

Some of these technologies have drawbacks, and different communities will make different

decisions about how to power their lives, but the good news is that there are a variety ofoptions to put us on a path toward a stable climate

11 The word “we” in paragraph 2refers to

13 According to paragraph 3, why should we stabilize GHG concentrations around450-550 parts per million?

A to avoid the most serious effects of climate change

B to avoid all damaging impacts of climate change

C to mend the most damaging impacts of climate change

D to stop climate change14.What does “which” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A current concentrations

B that current concentrations are about 380 ppm

C 380 ppm

D ppm15.Why does the author mention Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow?

A To introduce two researchers in the field

B To proves that researchers are working to reduce GHG emission

C To introduce one way to reduce GHG emission

D To introduce Princeton University

16 What stabilization wedges are NOT mentioned in the passage?

A create environment-friendly materials

B capture and store carbon dioxide underground

C increase the use of renewable energy

D grow more trees

17 What does “them” refer to?

A researchers

B humans

C renewable resources

D wedges18.What is the best title for this passage?

A Arguments over Global Warming

B Global Warming and its Causes

C Global Warming Solutions

D Global Warming’s Effect on Earth19.“Sequestering” has closest meaning to

A absorb

B isolate

C release

D emit20.Why does the writer mention “drawbacks” in the last paragraph?

A To introduce the disadvantages of solutions in the following

paragraph

B To emphasize the disadvantages of the solutions in the previous paragraph

C To recommend readers not to use the solutions

D To emphasize the advantages of the solutions in different contexts

PASSAGE 3 – Questions 21-30

Art communicates to us primarily through our eyes We look at art, and we try to find somemeaning in the experience If we are to begin to think about art more seriously, we might dowell to become more aware of the process of seeing itself

Science tells us that seeing is a mode of perception, or the recognition and interpretation ofsensory data-in other words, how information comes in our senses, and what we make of it

In visual perception our eyes take in information in the form of light patterns; the brainprocesses these patterns to give them meaning The mechanics of perception work much thesame way for everyone, yet in a given situation we do not all see the same things

We can take great pleasure in merely looking at art, just as we take pleasure in the view of adistant mountain range or watching the sun set over the ocean But art, unlike nature, is ahuman creation It is one of the many ways we express ourselves and attempt tocommunicate A work of art is the product of human intelligence, and we can meet it withour own intelligence on equal footing This is where study comes in

The understanding of process - the how - often contributes quite a lot to our appreciation ofart If you understand why painting in watercolor may be different from painting in oil, whyclay responds differently to the artist's hands than does wood or glass - you will have aricher appreciation of the artist's expression

Knowing the place of a work of art in history - what went before and came after - can alsodeepen your understanding Artists learn to make art by studying the achievements of thepast and observing the efforts of their contemporaries They adapt ideas to serve their own

needs and then bequeath those ideas to future generations of artists For example, Matisse

assumed that his audience would know that Venus was the ancient Roman goddess of love.But he also hoped that they would be familiar with one Venus in particular, a famous Greekstatue known as the Venus de Milo

An artist may create a specific work for any of a thousand reasons An awareness of the why

may give some insight as well Looking at Van Gogh's The Starry Night, it might help you

know that Van Gogh was intrigued by the belief that people journeyed to a star after their

death, and that there they continued their lives "Just as we take the train to get to Tarascon

or Rouen," he wrote in a letter, "we take death to reach a star." This knowledge might helpyou understand why Van Gogh felt so strongly about the night sky, and what his paintingmight have meant to him

But no matter how much you study, Van Gogh's painting will never mean for you exactlywhat it meant for him, nor should it.Great works of arthold many meanings.The greatest of

them seem to speak anew toeach generation and to each attentive observer The most

important thing is that they mean something for you, that your own experiences, thoughts,and emotions find a place in them

21 According to paragraph 2, the process ofvisual perception

A.is not the same for all people

B begins with patterns of light

C is not very scientific

D requires other senses to function

22 What did Matisse reinterpret?

A A goddess from mythology

B A painting by another artist

C An ancient sculptureD.A man in history

23 The word “them” in the last paragraph refers to

A.each attentive observer

B thoughts and emotions

C a lifetime ofexperiences

D great works of art

24 The word “bequeath” in the passage isclosest in meaning to

A.understanding the artistic process

B becoming familiar with the history

C experiencing the art by copying

D knowing about the life of the artist

26 What is the main topic of this passage?

A Visual perception of sensory material

B The historical context for artistic expression

C Studying Van Gogh's The Starry Night

D The appreciation of works of art

27 Which of the sentences below best expresses the information in the highlighted statement in the passage?

A.We see images differently because ofthe mode of perception.

B Although we see images differently, the mode of perception is similar

C Since the mode of perception is similar, we see images in the sameway

D When the mode of perception is the same, we see the same images

28 Why might Van Gogh have painted The Starry Night?

A To symbolize the journey of life afterdeath

B To create a dramatic contrast with thesky

C To place a strong image in theforeground

D To include nature from his earlyexperience

29 The word “intrigued” in the passage isclosest in meaning to

A.very pleased

B very confused

C very interested

D very surprised

30 What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A Greatest artworks are impossible to understand

B The author shows negative feelings toward contemporary art

C People need knowledge to understand art

D.What we see in art is determined by our emotions, experiences, and thoughts

PASSAGE 4 – Questions 31-40

Antibiotics block the life cycle of bacteria that invade the human body The first of theseantibiotics, penicillin, works by blocking the molecules that construct the cell walls ofparticular bacteria The bacteria, with incomplete cell walls, are not able to reproduce When penicillin was introduced during World War II, it was truly a "miracle drug." Untilthat time, anyone who was cut or wounded stood a great risk of infection Once penicillinbecame available, the situation changed Wounded soldiers, children with ear infections, andmany others began to benefit from the ability to block the growth of bacteria

While humanity may have won that particular battle against bacteria, the war is far fromover The reason is that in any bacterial population, there are bound to be a few bacteriathat, for one reason or another, are not affected by a particular antibiotic For example, theymay have a slightly differently shaped enzyme that builds cell walls, so that penicillin willnot fit onto that particular shape of the enzyme These bacteria will not be affected by thatparticular drug

For that small group, the antibiotic is a real godsend It doesn't affect them, but it does wipe

out all of their competition They are thus free to multiply, and, over time, all of the bacteriawill have whatever properties that made those individuals resistant

Traditionally, medical scientists have dealt with this phenomenon by developing a largenumber of antibiotics, each of which intervenes in the bacterial life cycle in a slightlydifferent way Consequently, if you happen to have a bacterium that is resistant to oneantibiotic, probably it will succumb to the action of another You may, in fact, have had theexperience of going to a doctor with an infection, being given an antibiotic, and then findingthat it didn't work In all likelihood, all your doctor had to do then was prescribe a differentantibiotic and everything was fine

The problem is that as time has passed, more and more bacteria have become resistant toantibiotics In fact, currently, there is one strain of bacteria- Staphylococcus-that is resistant

to every commercially available antibiotic except one, and in 1996, a bacterium withlowered resistance to that last antibiotic appeared in Japan

The appearance of drug-resistant bacteria is not particularly surprising; in fact, it probably

should have been anticipated Nevertheless, in the late 1980s, there was a general sense of complacency among scientists on the antibiotic question Little profit was to be made by

developing the one-hundred-and-first antibiotic Drug companies concentrated their efforts

on other areas Therefore, a gap developed between the production of new antibiotics andthe development of resistance among bacteria

By the early 1990s, this gap was recognized and highlighted in several national newsmagazines More companies returned to develop new kinds of antibiotics, and currently, anumber are undergoing clinical trials By early in the twenty-first century, some of thesenew drugs will start to come on the market, and the problem will be "solved," at least for themoment

Additional research will focus on the processes by which cells repair the constant damage toDNA, but the computer design of new drugs, the development of new antibiotics, andtechniques to combat bacteria should remain a top priority

31 How do antibiotics treat infections?

A They interfere with the reproductive cycle of bacteria

B They construct cell walls to resist bacteria

C They inject enzymes that explode in affected cells

D They increase the mitosis of healthy cells32.The word “them” in paragraph 4 refers to

A.whatever properties

B resistant bacteria

C their competition

D those individuals

33 The word “anticipated” in the passage isclosest in meaning to

A.predicted

B concealed

C investigated

D disregarded

34 Which of the following best expresses themain idea of this passage?

A The "miracle drug" penicillin

B Drug-resistant bacteria

C.Staphylococcus infections

D Gene therapy treatments

35 According to paragraph 4, why do somebacteria benefit from antibiotics?

A The antibiotic eliminates competingbacteria, allowing resistant bacteriatoreproduce

B The resistant bacteria compete with theantibiotic, and the bacteriabecomestronger

C The competition helps the resistantbacteria to multiply by reproducingwiththe resistant type

D The properties of the antibiotic areacquired by the bacteria, makingitresistant to the competition

36 The word “complacency” in the passage isclosest in meaning to

A Some antibiotics affect a population ofbacteria more efficiently than others

B There are several reasons why some bacteria do not respond to mostantibiotics

C The effect ofantibiotics on bacteria is tobind them together into onepopulation

D A small number of bacteria in anysample will probably be resistant toaspecific antibiotic

38 The author mentions all of the followingreasons for drug resistant bacteria to appear EXCEPT

A.there was not enough profit incentivefor companies to continuedevelopingnew antibiotics

B.statistically, some drug-resistantbacteria will occur naturally in anylargepopulation ofbacteria

C.the newer antibiotics were not asstrong and effective as the originalpenicillin-based drugs

D.competing bacteria are destroyed by antibiotics, allowing resistant bacteria

to prosper

39 It can be inferred from the passage that

A research to develop new antibiotics will not be necessary in the future

B the scientific community was not surprised by the resistant strains ofbacteria

C antibiotics are not very expensive when they are made availablecommercially

D it takes years for a new drug to be made available commercially forconsumers

40 Which of the following statements is NOT a main idea of the passage?

A Many strains of bacteria have become resistant to the antibiotics currentlyavailable

B.Funding for the production of new antibiotics has been allocated to drugcompanies

C The first antibiotics were very effective in blocking the reproduction ofbacteria

D New antibiotics are being developed to combat bacteria that resist the olderantibiotics

READING PAPER 2 Time permitted: 60 minutes Number of questions: 40

PASSAGE 1: QUESTIONS 1-10

Maya Lin was born in Athens, Ohio, on October 5, 1959 In 1949, her parents fledCommunism in China and came to the United States In 1958 they moved to Athens, home of OhioUniversity, where they were professors Her mother wrote poetry and taught literature; her fatherwas a ceramic artist and became Dean of the College of Fine Arts

As a child, Maya Lin liked to hike, read, watch birds, work in her father's ceramics studio,and build miniature towns She loved to think and solve problems In high school, she was anexcellent math student who took college level courses and worked at McDonalds She thought shewas kind of nerdy because she never dated or wore make-up

Maya went to Yale University to study architecture While she was 21 and still a student,she entered a blind contest to submit a design for the new Vietnam War Memorial in WashingtonD.C According to contest rules, the memorial had to fit in with the Lincoln Memorial andWashington Monument, include the names of all the dead and missing from the war, and refrainfrom making political statements Maya’s simple but elegant design featured a pair of two hundredfoot long, polished black granite walls The monument was V-shaped, with one side pointing to theLincoln Memorial and the other to the Washington Monument The wall had the carved names of58,195 men and women who were killed or missing in the war listed according to the dates theywere reported killed or missing, instead of in alphabetical order Her design was chosen over 1,441others Maya believed her design would not have been chosen if the judges had known she wasChinese-American Some people harassed her after her family background and age became known

Today, Maya Lin continues to work on sculpture and architecture Some of her otherprojects include the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama; Wave Field at the University

of Michigan; and the Confluence Project along the Columbia and Snake rivers in Washington andOregon She has also written several books and is interested in sustainable energy use In 2009, shewas awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama

1 Which of the following best describes Maya Lin in high school?

A glamorous B average C bored D hard-working

2 Maya went to Yale University to study

A math B architecture C problem solving D fine arts

3 Maya Lin was born in

A Washington D.C B The passage doesn't say

C Ohio D China

4 Which of the following is NOT true about Maya Lin.

A She wanted to be a ceramics artist C Her parents were professors

B She liked to watch birds D She was good at math

5 Maya Lin believed

A that the names of the dead or missing should be listed alphabetically

B her design was defiintely the best

C that both sides of the monument should be pointed toward the Lincoln Memorial

D that her design may not have been chosen if the judges knew her background

6 Which of the following is not answered in the third paragraph?

A How many names are carved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?

B How are the names of the missing or dead arranged on the Vietna Veterans Memorial?

C What was Maya's design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial contest?

D Who were the judges who chose Maya Lin's design over 1,441 other designs?

7 Which question is answered in the second paragraph?

A What math courses did Maya take in high school?

B Why did Maya decide to enter the contest to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?

C What did Maya major in in college?

D Why did Maya believe she was nerdy?

8 If the entire passage only included the final paragraph, what would be an appropriate title?

A Construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

B Maya Lin: Projects after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

C Chinese-Americans in Architecture

D How Maya Lin Became Famous

9 Maya Lin's design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was

A elaborate B very complicated C simple D controversial

10 Based on your understanding of the passage, what is a "blind" contest?

A One in which only architects invited to submit their design can enter

B One in which the personal identity of a design's author is not known to the judges

C One in which the judges decide exactly what the design of the memorial must look like

D One in which only blind people can enter

PASSAGE 2: QUESTIONS 11-20

THE SENATE

The U.S Senate is the upper house of Congress Unlike the House of Representatives, theSenate consists of two senators for each state, regardless of that state's population This ensuresequal representation for each state Hence, there are 100 Senators.

Senators serve six year terms, however, senate elections are held every two years to ensurethat no state ever holds an election in which both Senate seats are in contention Elections are held

on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years Senators must bethirty years of age, a citizen of the United States for the prior nine years, and must live in the statethey seek to represent Much of the work done in the Senate is performed in committees 16standing committees, each with a specific jurisdiction (such as foreign relations, judicial review, orfinance) edit, amend, and consider bills related to those jurisdictions

Powers exclusive to the Senate include the approval of treaties as a condition to theirratification, and the approval of federal judges and cabinet members as a condition of theirappointment The Senate also tries impeachments

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The U.S House of Representatives is one of the two houses of Congress Unlike the Senate,

a state’s number of representatives is based on its population States with large populations havemore representatives than states with small populations The state of California, America ’s mostpopulous state, currently has 55 representatives There are 435 total representatives and each serves

a two-year term Like the Senate, the House of Representatives performs much of its legislativework in committees The House of Representatives has 20 standing committees Much like theSenate committees, these committees meet to review, amend, edit, and consider bills specific to acertain jurisdictions such as agriculture, revenue, or foreign relations

The top officer of the House of Representatives is referred to as the Speaker of the House

He or she is elected by other members of the House and has substantial powers including choosingthe order in which other representatives speak, choosing members of conference committees, andchoosing which committees reviews specific bills Representatives must be 25 years old, a U.S.citizen for seven years, and a resident of the state they wish to represent

Much like the Senate, the House of Representatives has exclusive powers including the right

to impeach (an impeachment is a legal statement of charges against an official The Senate only hasthe power to try impeachment), to initiate revenue bills (those involving money), and to elect thepresident in the case of an electoral tie

11 There are ………… senators for every state.

12 Each senator serves a term of ………… years

13 Which of the following is NOT true about a U.S Senator?

A They must be a citizen of the United States for at least 9 years prior to appointment

B Only men can be senators

C They must live in the state they hope to represent

D They must be 30 years old

14 Select all of the following that are TRUE.

A Representatives must not be the residents of the state they wish to represent

B The Senate elects the president of the United States in the event of an electoral tie

C Senators can introduce revenue bills

D Impeachments are tried in the Senate

15 The top official in the U.S House of Representatives is known as the ………… of the House.

A Master B Speaker C Leader D President

16 The number of representatives per state in the House of Representative is determined by the ………… of that state.

A population B income level C total area D power

17 ………… has the most representatives.

A California B Texas C Alaska D New York

18 A state representative must be ………… years old.

19 Which of the following is NOT true?

A The right to impeach an elected official can be invoked in the Senate

B A Senator can be 31 years old

C Senators serve longer terms that representatives

D Revenue bills can be initiated in the House of Representatives

20 In the following passage,

“The House of Representatives has 20 standing committees Much like the Senate committees, these committees meet to review, amend, edit, and consider bills specific to a certain jurisdictions such as agriculture, revenue, or foreign relations.”

What does amend mean?

A determine B trade C change D withdraw

PASSAGE 3 – Questions 21-30

No one can calculate the quantity of solid waste that has been dumped in the world’s oceans,but the total certainly exceeds many millions of tons For example, from 1880 to 1895, 75 percent

of the solid waste from New York City was dumped untreated into the Atlantic Ocean Although it

is now prohibited by law, the dumping of solid waste, including wastewater sludge, industrialwaste, and high - level radioactive waste were common in the United States until 1970 Cruise shipsand huge floating fishing factories still regularly dispose of their solid waste products directly intothe ocean

The earth naturally recycles water and refreshes the land in what is called the hydrologicalcycle The hydrological cycle not only renews the supply of water, but cleans it as well The processbegins as heat from the sun causes sea water, 97 percent of the earth’s total water reserve, toevaporate and form clouds Because water evaporates at lower temperatures than most pollutants,

the water vapor that rises from the seas is relatively pure and free of the contaminants, which are left behind Next, water returns to us as rain, which drains into streams and rivers and rushes toward

the sea

Chemicals, petroleum products, and other dangerous substances such as radioactivematerials remain in the ocean, polluting it permanently The polluted ocean water kills fish ormakes them dangerous to eat, posing health problems for those who consume them It kills the tinysea creatures that are the source of food for larger fish, sharks, and whales It also spoils a source ofgreat beauty and pleasure when some solid waste is thrown onto beaches during storms Dischargedpetroleum products are frequently found on beaches and they not only ruin the beach, the petroleumresidue kills hundreds of shore birds Nonpoint pollutants are dumped into lakes, rivers, and streamsthat may be far away from any ocean However, these pollutants flow, eventually, into the oceans.They can come from a variety of sources, from road salt to agricultural pesticides One source ofnonpoint pollution is runoff from farming, including fertilizers, manure, and pesticides Anothersource is industrial runoff, including heavy metals, phosphorous, and many other chemicals Urbanrunoff (oils, salts, various chemicals) and atmospheric fallout of airborne pollution are other sources

of nonpoint pollutants that reach the oceans This includes water and waste from sinks, toilets,washing machines and bathtubs The problem with this type of waste is that it provides massiveamounts of nutrients for water plants such as algae, so that they grow rapidly This sudden growthcauses concentration or algae blooms, which use up the oxygen in the water As the oxygen level ofthe water declines, many organisms suffer and die, and the ocean ecosystem is radically altered.This can be prevented by the installation of waste treatment plants that prevent waste from enteringthe sea, but such facilities do not exist in many poorer countries

21 What can be inferred about the waste dumped into the world’s oceans?

A It’s mainly household waste

B Much of it was not treated

C It is billions of tons

D It is primary industrial waste

22 As can be inferred from the passage, which of the following was NOT disposed into the ocean?

A waste from dead plants

B waste from cruise ships

C wastewater sludge

D radioactive waste

23 Which of the following is NOT referred to as use of hydrological cycle?

A refreshing the land

B separating water from used liquid

C cleaning water

D renewing the water supply

24 Which of the following has similar meaning to the word “contaminants” in the second paragraph?

B harming people who eat sea food

C spoiling beach beauty

D killing shore birds

28 Which of the following is NOT an example of farming runoff?

A manure

B pesticide

C road salt

D fertilizer

29 Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A It is expensive to build waste treatment plants

B developing countries do not need waste treatment plant yet

C the environment of develop countries is more polluted than that of poor countries

D the environment of industrial countries is more polluted than that of agricultural countries

30 Where is the passage most probably found?

British people are famous for always talking about the weather, but there’s a good reason why we

do The British Isles are located in a place where two huge weather systems meet and, it often seems, do battle Even so, strange things have been happening in recent years, as they have been in many other places around the world There can’t be many people that haven’t been affected by weather that was hotter, wetter, drier or wilder than the weather they are used to This article, based on an article by Peter Miller from the September 2013 issue of National Geographic

Magazine, looks at what is happening to our weather.

What is happening to our weather?

One weekend in May 2010, Nashville in the USA was expecting a few centimeters of rain.Two days later, 33 centimeters had fallen and eleven people had died in the resulting floods

There’s been a change in the weather Extreme events like the Nashville flood – described

by officials as a once-in-a-millennium occurrence – are more frequent than before Also in 2010, 28centimeters of rain fell on Rio de Janeiro in 24 hours, causing mud slides that buried hundreds ofpeople And record rains in Pakistan led to flooding that affected more than 20 million people Thefollowing year, floods in Thailand left factories near Bangkok under water, creating a worldwideshortage of computer hard drives Meanwhile, severe droughts have affected Australia, Russia and

East Africa Deadly heat waves have hit Europe, leaving 35,000 people dead in 2003 Financiallosses from such events jumped 25 percent to an estimated $150 billion worldwide in 2011.

What’s going on? Are these extreme events signals of a dangerous, human-made change inthe Earth’s climate? Or are we just going through a natural run of bad luck? The short answer is:probably both On the one hand, the most important influences on weather events are natural cycles

in the climate Two of the most famous weather cycles, El Niño and La Niña, originate in thePacific Ocean and can affect weather patterns worldwide But something else is happening too: theEarth is steadily getting warmer, with significantly more moisture in the atmosphere The long-termaccumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is trapping heat and warming up the land,oceans and atmosphere As the oceans warm up, they produce more water vapour and this, in turn,feeds big storms, such as hurricanes and typhoons

And yet, there are ways of dealing with the effects of such extreme events After 2003,French cities set up air-conditioned shelters for use in heat waves In the 2006 heat wave, the deathrate was two-thirds lower

‘We know that warming of the Earth’s surface is putting more moisture into the atmosphere.We’ve measured it The satellites see it,’ says climatologist Jay Gulledge Another scientist,Michael Oppenheimer, agrees We need to face up to that reality, he says, and do the things weknow can save lives and money

31 The article says that extreme weather events

A have an influence on the climate

B kill more people than before

C cause mud slides in Bangkok

D are part of a long-term change

32 According to the article,

A scientists don’t know what causes extreme weather

B there’s more than one factor influencing our weather

C it’s not possible for humans to influence the weather

D big storms, such as hurricanes and typhoons, come from the oceans

33 Why was the rain in Nashville considered to be an extreme event?

A There was very high rainfall over many days

B The amount of rain was forecast in advance

C There was very high rainfall in a very short time

D The amount of rain was unmeasurable

34 The rainfall in Nashville in May 2010

A caused very rare flooding

B last happened a thousand years ago.

C happens every one hundred years

D was more frequent in the past

35 What caused deaths in Rio de Janeiro?

A people were trapped under soil

B the intensity of the rain

C extensive floods

D the yearly mud slides

36 According to the article,

A there has been a dramatic increase in the economic costs of extreme weather

B extreme weather events have risen by 25 percent since 2010

C in 2011, 25 percent of financial losses were weather-related

D the under-watered factories manufacture computer hard drives

37 Which statement is NOT supported by information in the article?

A Extreme weather is influenced by human activity

B Unusual weather events are part of natural weather cycles

C In the world, there are two weather cycles affect weather patterns worldwide

D Such extreme weather is too rare to be a result of climate change

38 What is the key factor in the formation of storms?

A warmer land temperatures

B greenhouse gases

C moisture in the air

D the heat released by air-conditioners

39 Why did fewer people die in France in the 2006 heat wave?

A There were better facilities provided

B Fewer people were in city centers at the time

C It wasn’t as severe as in 2003

D People didn’t go out when it was too hot

40 According to Michael Oppenheimer

A there’s no way to stop extreme weather

B we can be better prepared for the effects of climate change

C we need to spend more money so that fewer people die

D we need to provide citizens with air conditioners during hottest periods

READING PAPER 3 Time permitted: 60 minutes Number of questions: 40

CODE 3 Directions: In this section of the test, you will read FOUR different passages, each

followed by 10 questions about it For questions 1-40, you are to choose the best answer A,

B, C or D, to each question Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the questionand fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen Answer allquestions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage You have 60 minutes to answer all the questions, including the time to transfer youranswers to the answer sheet

Example

Read the following passage:

5

One of the first things we look for in fall is the first frost and freeze of the season,killing or sending into dormancy the beautiful vegetation you admired all summerlong For some locations along the Canadian border, and in the higher terrain of theWest, the first freeze typically arrives by the middle part of September Cities in theSouth may not see the first freeze until November, though a frost is very possiblebefore then A few cities in the Lower 48, including International Falls, Minnesotaand Grand Forks, North Dakota, have recorded a freeze in every month of the year

0 When does the first freeze often arrive in the South?

A Early September

B Mid September

C November

D Before November

You will read in the passage that “Cities in the South may not see the first freeze until

November”, so the correct answer is option C November

PASSAGE 1- Questions 1-10

Bill Gates

1 William Henry Gates III (Bill) was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington.Bill was the second of three children in an upper-middle class family He enjoyed playinggames with the family and was very competitive He also loved to read Bill became bored

in public school so his family sent him to Lakeside School, a private school, where heexcelled in math and science and did well in drama and English

2 Gates became interested in computer programming when he was 13, during the era ofgiant mainframe computers His school held a fund-raiser to purchase a teletype terminal sostudents could use computer time that was donated by General Electric Using this time,Gates wrote a tic-tac-toe program using BASIC, one of the first computer languages Later

he created a computer version of Risk, a board game he liked in which the goal is worlddomination At Lakeside, Bill met Paul Allen, who shared his interest in computers Gatesand Allen and two other students hacked into a computer belonging to Computer CenterCorporation (CCC) to get free computer time but were caught After a period of probation,they were allowed back in the computer lab when they offered to fix glitches in CCC’ssoftware At age 17, Gates and Allen were paid $20,000 for a program called Traf-O-Datathat was used to count traffic

3 In early 1973, Bill Gates served as a congressional page in the U.S House ofRepresentatives He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT and was accepted by HarvardUniversity Steve Ballmer, who became CEO of Microsoft after Bill retired, was also aHarvard student Meanwhile, Paul Allen dropped out of Washington College to work oncomputers at Honeywell Corporation and convinced Gates to drop out of Harvard and joinhim in starting a new software company in Albuquerque, New Mexico They called itMicro-Soft This was soon changed to Microsoft, and they moved their company toBellevue, Washington

4 In 1980, IBM, one of the largest technology companies of the era, asked Microsoft towrite software to run their new personal computer, the IBM PC Microsoft kept thelicensing rights for the operating system (MS-DOS) so that they earned money for everycomputer sold first by IBM, and later by all the other companies that made PC computers.Microsoft grew quickly from 25 employees in 1978 to over 90,000 today Over the years,Microsoft developed many new technologies and some of the world’s most popularsoftware and products such as Word and Power Point Although some have criticized Gatesfor using questionable business practices, he built Microsoft into one of the largest