Đề thi thử Vstep B1, B2 (Reading - Writing - Speaking)

Đề thi thử Vstep b2 năm 2024: - Có đáp án chi tiết ở cuối bài pdf - Đề rõ ràng, tra đáp án cụ thể phía dưới

READING

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 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

Study Habits of Successful Students

We all know that every successful student needs to study However, having good study habits can be more difficult than you might think Here are ten study habits of successful students Work to develop these in your studies and you may just see the results you have been hoping for

Try not to study for too long at one time Studying for long periods can make you tired and may make your studying less effective Study for short times and take short breaks to refresh your mind

Plan specific times to study Rather than just studying whenever you have a free moment, set aside specific times throughout the day or week only for study

Study at the same time each day Establish a routine in your studies Just like sleeping or eating, set aside a specific time each day to study That way, your mind will be prepared when it is time to study

Set goals for your study time By being very clear about what you hope to accomplish, your study time will have more value

Stick to your plan Once you have decided when to study and what your goals are, do not procrastinate or delay Focus and get started

Complete the assignment that you find most difficult first Since the most difficult assignment will require more effort, start with that one Then the others will seem even easier

Review your notes before getting started By reviewing, the information you need for an assignment will be fresh in your mind when you begin

Get rid of distractions Turn off the television and your mobile phone Tell friends not to call during the time you have set aside to study There will be time to talk once you have accomplished your goals

Sometimes two heads really can be better than one So for some assignments, find a partner or group to study with You may be able to help each other work through an assignment and achieve better results

Review your assignments over the weekends We all need a break, and the weekends should be fun However, taking a few minutes to review your work once you have stepped away from it might help you be better prepared for the week ahead

Use these ten study habits throughout your education, and they will become part of your normal routine

Question 01 The reading passage is primarily about _

A how good study habits can help you get a good job B how to set up good habits for studying

C how to get better scores on tests

D how much time you should study every week

Question 02 According to the passage, studying for long periods at a time _

A makes your studying less effective B is better right before sleeping C is a good way to refresh your mind D is best done after a break

Question 03 You should set a time each day to study, _

A just like for eating and sleeping B whenever you have a free moment C so that you can have more free moments

D so that some days are set aside only for studying

Question 04 According to the reading, setting goals for your study time _

A will help you stick to your plan B will let you study with a clear head C will help you focus

D will bring more value to your work

Question 05 If you complete the most difficult assignment first, _

A you may not have time for the easier ones B you won’t be likely to delay your studying C it will require more effort

D the other assignments won’t seem as hard

Question 06 You should review your notes _

A after completing an assignment B with every fresh assignment C when you begin an assignment D to make each assignment easier

Question 07 According to the reading, you should tell your friends _

A to call you on your mobile phone after studying B to set aside time to talk to you

C not to call you during your study time, so that you can focus D to turn off the television when you’re trying to study

Question 08 The reading suggests that studying with another student _

A is always better than studying alone B is better than studying in a group C can be helpful for some assignments D will always give you better results

Question 09 The rules suggest that on weekends, _

A you should step away from your studying sometimes for breaks B you should review your assignments for just a few minutes C you need to take a complete break from studying

D you need to study so you won’t forget your assignments

Question 10 From the passage, we can infer that _

A good study habits require that you follow all ten rules

B setting good study habits can help you even after you’re out of school C it’s difficult for most students to set good study habits

D these rules work better in university than in high school

PASSAGE 2

Can Animals Talk?

In 1977, a young Harvard graduate named Irene Pepperberg brought a one-year-old African gray parrot into her lab, and attempted something very unusual At a time when her fellow scientists thought that animals could only communicate on a very basic level, Irene set out to discover what was on a creature’s mind by talking to it The bird, named Alex, proved to be a very good pupil Scientists at the time believed that animals were incapable of any thought They believed that animals only reacted to things because they were programmed by nature to react that way, not because they had the ability to think or feel Any pet owner would probably disagree Pepperberg disagreed, too, and started her work with Alex to prove them wrong

Pepperberg bought Alex in a pet store She let the store’s assistant pick him out because she didn’t want other scientists saying later that she’d deliberately chosen an especially smart bird for her work Most researchers thought that Pepperberg’s attempt to communicate with Alex would end in failure—after all, his brain was only about the size of a walnut

However, Pepperberg’s experiment did not fail In fact, over the next few years, Alex learned to imitate almost one hundred and fifty English words and was even able to reason and use those words on a basic level to communicate For example, when Alex was shown an object and was asked about its shape, color, or material, he could label it correctly He could understand that a key was a key no matter what its size or color and could figure out how the key was different from others

Pepperberg was careful not to exaggerate Alex’s success and abilities She did not claim that Alex could actually ‘use’ language

Instead, she said that Alex had learned to use a two-way communications code Alex seemed to understand the turn-taking pattern of communication

Although African gray parrots usually live to the age of fifty or so, Alex died suddenly when he was just thirty years old

However, in his short time on Earth, Alex helped to prove to many that animals are capable of far more complex communication than many scientists had ever expected

Alex’s last words to Pepperberg were, “You be good I love you.”

Question 11 The reading passage is primarily about _

A how parrots are smarter than other animals

B how Irene Pepperberg proved her fellow scientists wrong C how animals communicate with humans

D one woman’s successful experiment to communicate with a bird

Question 12 According to the reading, other scientists believed that animals _

A could only communicate in nature

B had the ability to communicate with pet owners

C could communicate if they were programmed to do so D didn’t have the ability to think

Question 13 Irene Pepperberg did an experiment with a parrot _

A at home B In a pet store C in nature D in her lab

Question 14 In paragraph 3, “deliberately” is closest in meaning to _

A honestly B naturally C on purpose D cleverly

Question 15 Most researchers thought that Irene’s experiment _

A would discover an especially smart bird B would not succeed

C would attempt to communicate with her D would prove that the bird’s brain was larger

Question 16 From the reading, we can infer that a brain the size of a walnut _

A is smaller than other parrot’s brains B is not very large

C is too large for a parrot’s head

D is believed to be large enough to communicate

Question 17 Which of the following statements is an opinion?

A Many scientists don’t believe animals can communicate B Irene Pepperberg’s experiment was very unusual

C A parrot’s brain is about the size of a walnut

D Irene Pepperberg had the store’s assistant pick out the parrot

Question 18 Which of the following is not true about Irene’s parrot Alex?

A He was able to have complicated conversations

B He could understand how one object was different from others C He learned to use almost 150 English words

D He could label a number of objects

Question 19 Which of the following is true about Irene’s experiment?

A Only she could understand Alex’s code of communication B She exaggerated Alex’s abilities

C She thought she had proved that Alex could ‘use’ language

D She believed that Alex had learned a turn-taking communication pattern

Question 20 From the passage, we can infer that _

A most parrots die when they’re 50 years old

B humans cannot understand how to communicate complex ideas to animals C Alex’s life was more complex than most people had expected

D Alex communicated that he may have actually loved Irene

PASSAGE 3

Australian Road Trip

Dad had been driving our family through the beautiful countryside of Australia for some days, mainly along the coast Then, he suddenly decided we should explore what the scenery was like inland too, so we turned away from the sea and drove for miles through the countryside Dad was very optimistic about what an adventure it would be, but it wasn't long before the rest of the US suspected it was going to be pretty dull, not to mention uncomfortable as the roads were now full of hazardous holes

The scenery was mostly dry plains, spotted with eucalyptus trees and a few flowering plants somehow managing to survive the climate It seemed just about the loneliest place I'd ever visited We drove through several towns - tiny groups of houses with a handful of stores - separated by miles and miles of empty road in between, sometimes punctuated by the odd house on the roadside here and there

I was curious about the signs that pointed away up endless long driveways to single houses and started to wonder about the lives of people living there But immediately the thought of living in such a quiet, remote place made my heart sink, and I thought longingly of my own house thousands of miles away

If we were hoping to see some wildlife, we weren't disappointed Large adult kangaroos were a common sight as the sun started to go down, feeding off the rather thin grass on the roadside - probably because on the other side of the fences the cattle had eaten absolutely all the nicer stuff, so nothing else remained for the poor kangaroos Luckily, they stayed away from vehicles, so at least we weren't in danger of crashing into them

Further along the way, we met some cattle drovers who'd been driving their cattle thousands of miles over a period of months, towards areas where they knew there'd been small amounts of rain There were just five of them to look after more than a thousand animals, and we learnt that they just drove their cattle towards wherever it rained They never knew what would happen from one day to the next, which seemed a strange, unattractive sort of life to me

Then we finally approached a big town, where there was a huge zoo By this time, we really wanted to get out of our car and do something, so we parked up and went in The zoo had mainly Australian animals, some of which we'd already come across along the way, so we were quite

keen to find out more about them We saw a crocodile show, where they get crocodiles to jump out of the water by hanging some meat in the air Far from being the quiet animals, they look when they're fast asleep on a riverbank, they were transformed into fierce, snapping creatures that reminded me of ancient, terrifying dinosaurs

While we were there, two new crocodiles arrived The two adults had been found injured in the wild, and transported to the zoo in a plane, inside special long wooden boxes designed to keep crocodiles cool and quiet during a journey Once they were at the zoo, they were released into their pond, and they ran straight into the water to cool off, sinking down until just their eyes were visible

Question 21 Sarah says that when her dad drove off the coast road to explore the countryside _

A the family soon realized the drive wouldn’t be very exciting B he quickly decided he had made a mistake

C the family was relieved to be on better roads D he was thrilled with the views they discovered

Question 22 How does Sarah describe the towns they passed through?

A There was no sign of life between each one B They were located very far apart

C There were a lot of gardens in each one D They had quite a few shops

Question 23 How was Sarah affected by the remote homes she saw along the way?

A She was keen to know more about the owners’ lifestyles B She found the thought of living there scary

C She wondered why people wanted to live so far from other people D She began to feel quite homesick

Question 24 When Sarah first spotted some wild kangaroos, she

A was surprised at their size

B hoped they wouldn’t be the only wildlife they saw C was afraid they might be dangerous

D felt concerned about their lack of food

Question 25 What does the word “crashing” in paragraph 4 mean?

A bumping B failing C catching D walking

Question 26 What did Sarah feel about the cattle drovers’ way of life?

A It was physically exhausting

B She decided she’d like to work with animals too C She envied them their lifestyle

D It was very unpredictable

Question 27 What does the word “approach” in paragraph 6 mean?

A come first B come up C come near D come in

Question 28 When Sarah saw the crocodile show at the zoo, she was

A frightened by their behaviour B disappointed that they were asleep C keen to have a better look at them D attracted by their unusual appearance

Question 29 Sarah says that the new crocodiles at the zoo _

A seemed pleased to be in their new home B had been brought in because they were babies C appeared stressed by the journey they’d had D had been transported there in an unusual way

Question 30 What does the word “release” in paragraph 7 mean?

A crawl B escape C liberate D go into

PASSAGE 4

Freelancing: The Pros and Cons

At the age of 40, I had been working for the same company for over 15 years I was earning a good salary, was receiving a fair amount of annual leave, and liked the people I worked with However, I was already at a fairly senior level within the company, and my prospects for further advancement were slim I started to feel like the most I could anticipate would be another 15 years of doing exactly the same thing So, I decided to make a change

I left the security of my corporate position to become a freelancer With the Internet making remote work easier than ever, freelance opportunities have rocketed in the past decade After five years now, I am still happy with the decision I made

However, if you are thinking about going freelance, it's always a good idea to weigh the pros and cons of freelancing to see whether it’s really right for you

PRO: Flexible Working Hours

One advantage of working freelance is that you will often be able to choose your own hours Often if you are working on a project, you will be given a deadline How and when you work to meet that deadline is up to you

You may wish to work at night, or to cram lots of work into a three-day week; it's your choice, as long as you meet your deadline and deliver quality work

However, it is important that you are disciplined and motivated enough to work on your own Procrastination can cause all sorts of problems, reduce the quality of the finished product, and leave you feeling stressed and tired

CON: Work is Not Always Guaranteed

One consideration for freelancers is making sure to secure enough work to meet their financial needs It may be a good idea to either take on some part-time work until you build your client base or have some savings in place in case there are any quiet periods

PRO: Choosing Projects

As a freelancer, it is up to you what kind of work you choose to do If you find that you particularly enjoy one type of work, you may be lucky enough to earn enough money from accepting only those projects Likewise, if you enjoy working on a variety of projects, freelancing may be your chance to try new things