Sự Hòa Hợp Giữa Chủ Từ và Động Từ trong tiếng Anh Chuyên đề ngữ pháp tiếng Anh.Sự Hòa Hợp Giữa Chủ Từ và Động Từ trong tiếng Anh Chuyên đề ngữ pháp tiếng Anh.Sự Hòa Hợp Giữa Chủ Từ và Động Từ trong tiếng Anh Chuyên đề ngữ pháp tiếng Anh.
Trang 24N
— GD-05 89/192 - 05 Mã số: 8N513m5 - CNÐ
LOI NOI DAU
ruven đề Sự hoà hợp giữa chủ từ và động từ trong tiếng
Anh trong TỦ SÁCH NGOẠI NGỮ NHÀ XUẤT BAN GIAO DUC được biên soạn nhằm giúp các em học sinh hiểu rõ hơn những vấn đề về
việc sử dụng và biến đổi động từ phù hợp với chủ từ trong câu tiếng
Anh Các vấn đề được trình bày ngắn gọn, dễ hiểu và dễ nhó cùng với phần bài tập củng cố
Để đạt được kết quả tốt, các em nên tự làm bài tập, sau đó so
sánh bài làm của mình với bài giải và cùng nhau thảo luận để nắm
vững thêm ngữ pháp tiếng Anh
Cùng với các bài ngữ pháp, chúng lôi cũng giới thiệu những bài
đọc thêm, truyện ngắn, thơ, các câu thành ngữ và trò chơi nhằm giúp các em trau đồi kĩ năng đọc hiểu tiếng Anh và kiến thúc tổng quát
Tuy các tác giả đã có nhiều cố gắng khi biên soạn, song chuyên
đề này vẫn còn những điểm cần bổ sung Chúng tôi mong nhận được
nhiều ý kiến đóng góp của giáo viên, phụ huynh và các em học sinh
để lần xuất bản sau được tối hơn
Trang 3SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
SU HOA HOP GIUA CHU TU VA DONG TU
Subject-verb agreement means choosing the correct singular or
plural verb after the subject
Sự hoà hợp giữa chủ từ uè động từ` đề cập đến viéc chon
đúng động từ ở hình thái số ít hay số nhiều sau chủ từ
Mary lives in China
Mary’s relatives live in Australia
Here are some notes on subject-verb agreement
Dưới đây là một số lưu ý về sự hoà hợp giữa chủ từ và động từ
1 When the subject is an uncountable noun, use a singular verb
Khi chủ từ là một danh từ không đếm được, dùng động từ số it
The coffee is too hot for me to drink
Sugar is not always good for health
2 When the subject is a noun phrase, the verb must agree with the head noun in that phrase
Khi chủ từ là một cụm danh tù, động từ phải hoà hợp tới danh từ chính trong cụm từ đó
Most of the students in my class are very intelligent
Her parents’ car is very expensive
* Con được gọi là sự phù ứng giữa chủ ngữ và động từ
Trang 4Some collective nouns, or names of specific organizations with
a singular form can be treated either as singular (with a
niugular verb) or plural (with a plural verb) :
Mot so danh tu tép hop (chi tap thể) hoặc tên các tổ chức cu thẻ có hình thái số ít có thể được xem là danh từ số ít (bết hợp tới động từ số ít) hoặc danh từ số nhiều (kết hợp với
động từ số nhiều) :
assoclatlon (hội, liên đoàn) audience (khan gid)
class (lớp, tầng lớp) club (câu lạc bộ)
committee (uy ban) community (cộng đồng) company (céng ti) councll (hội đồng)
crowd (dam đông) department (phân khoa)
family (giơ đình) government (chính phủ)
group (nhóm) Jury (bồi thẩm đoàn)
orchestra (dan nhac) public (công chúng)
The United Nations (Liên Hiệp Quốc)
~ Use a singular verb if we see the group as a whole unit
Dùng động từ số ít nếu xem tap thé do la mét don vi
My family has three members
Our group is the only one in the contest that has the most beautiful pictures
Use a plural verb if we want to mention the members in the group
Dùng động từ số nhiều nếu đề cập đến các thành uiên trong nhóm
My family were watching TV at this time yesterday
(All of the members in my family were watching TV.)
6
4, Some nouns are usually plural and take a plural verb:
Một số danh từ luôn ở hình thái số nhiều thì bết hợp voi dong
từ số nhiều:
belongings (uật dụng cá nhân) clothes (quén co)
congratulations (su chuc miing) earnings (thu nhdp) glasses (kinh deo mat) goods (hang hod)
savings (tién tiết hiệm) — - scissors (kéo)
stairs (cdu thang) shorts (quần ngắn)
thanks (iời cđm ơn) trousers (quần đời)
These blue trousers are too short for me Savings help us a lot in special situations
~ Use singular verbs for a_pair of scissors, a_pair of shorts, a
pair of trousers, a pair of glasses
Dùng động từ số ít đối uới a pair of scissors, a pair of
shorts, a pair of trousers, a pair of glasses
I think a pair of scissors is helpful in this case
I don’t think this pair of trousers fits you
5 Some nouns always end in s (like plural nouns) but they go
with singular verbs
Một số danh từ tận cùng uới s (như danh từ số nhiều) nhưng hết hợp uới động từ số ít
The news from the Middle East seems very encouraging Maths was always my problem at school when I was ten ~ Some academic subjects:
Một số môn học:
Trang 5Mathematics (Todn hoc)
Politics (Chinh tri hoc)
Statistics (Thong ké hoc)
Phonetics (Ngit dm hoc)
Physics (Vat li hoc) Mathematics is my favorite subject
I think polities is quite stressful
— Some sports:
Một số môn thể thao:
athletics (điền binh) gymnastics (thé duc)
Athletics has attracted more people since we got four gold
medals in the 22"! Sea Games
-~ Some diseases:
Một số căn bệnh:
measles (st) mumps (quai bi)
Measles is a common disease
6 Some plural nouns do not end in s, and always go with plural verbs: police, cattle, folk, clergy
Một số danh từ số nhiều không tận cùng bằng s, va luôn kết hợp uới động từ số nhiều: police, cattle, folk, clergy
The police have arrived
The eattle are in the shed
7 Indefinite pronouns someone, anyone, nobody, everyone, something, anything take a singular verb
Những đại từ bất định someone, anyone, nobody, everyone,
something, anything kết hợp uới động từ số it
Someone is knocking at the door
I called but nobody was there
8 To-infinitive phrase or V-ing phrase takes a singular verb
Cụm từ bắt đầu bằng hình thái nguyên mẫu có to của đồng tự hoặc hình thái có -ing của động từ kết hợp uới động từ sở it
To help you is my pleasure
Doing regular morning exercises is good for your health
9 That clause takes a singular verb
Mệnh đề bắt đâu uới that kết hợp uới động từ số it
That you get good mark does not surprise me That he has won the race is hot news
10 Phrases referring to time, distance and money take a singular verb
Những cụm từ đề cập đến thời gian, khodng cdch va tién két
hợp uới động từ số ít
Twenty minutes is enough for me to finish this exercise
About three meters separates the first runner and the
second
Fifty dollars is too much for me I cannot afford it
11 When an adjective following the is treated as a subjective noun, it takes a plural verb
Khi mét tinh tu dung sau the duoc dung nhu một danh từ
làm chủ từ, nó sẽ hết hợp uới động từ số nhiều
The rich have the responsibility to help the poor The homeless need helping immediately
Trang 612 In the structure there + be, the verb be agrees with the noun Khi các chủ thể được nối bởi từ and, dùng động từ sở nhiêu, after be, at the end of the sentence
John and his wife are coming to town
Trong cấu trúc there + be, động từ be hoà hợp uới danh từ The king and his men were riding along the beach
diings sau be, 6 cudi cdu
"here is a book on the table — When the items connected by and make up a single subject
There are some books on the table use a singular verb
Khi các chủ thể được kết nối bằng and tạo nên một chủ từ
13 The verb that follows a relative pronoun will agree with the hợp nhất, dùng động từ số ít antecedent
Fish and chips is a favorite kind of fast food
Động từ theo sau đại từ liên hệ sẽ hoà hop voi danh từ đúng „
Fish and chip is ONE dish.)
trước (được thay thé) (Fish and chip
¬ Coffee and milk is his favorite drink
The woman who teaches you English is my mother
¬ ; (Coffee and milk is ONE drink.)
The students who are sitting around the table are not in
my class
— When the items are connected by as well as, with, together
14 When such words as English, Vietnamese are used as the with, the verb agrees with the first item
subject, use a singular verb if we want to mention the language (without the) When we want to mention the people in the country (with the), use a plural verb »
Khi các chủ thé duoc noi bdi as well as, with, together with, động từ sẽ hoà hợp uới chủ thể thứ nhất
Tom, together with his wife and children, lives in New
Khi chủ từ là những từ như English, Vietnamese dùng York
động từ số ít khi muốn đề cập đến ngôn ngữ (không dùng
uới the) Dùng động từ số nhiều khi muốn đê cập đến con
người ở nước đó (dùng uới the)
He, as well as other workers, ¿s going on strike
- When the items are combined by either or, neither nor,
English is so difficult to master the verb agrees with the second item
The English are very proud of their country Khi các chủ thế được nối bởi either or, neither nor, động từ sẽ hoà hợp uới chủ thể thứ hoi
15 Subjects with two or more items: :
be ee Dos ` a ye Hither he or you have to present the lesson
Chủ từ uới hai hay nhiêu chủ thể:
; ¬ Neither she nor her parents go shopping on Sundays
~ When the items are joined by and, use a plural verb ˆ
10
Trang 716 Some special cases:
Một số trường hợp đặc biệt:
~ After each/ every + singular noun, use a singular verb
Sau each/ every + danh từ số ít, dùng động từ số ít
Each student has to do at least two exercises in the
textbook
Every worker has the right to have twelve days off in a
year
— After any of/ each of! either of/ neither of/ none of + plural
noun, we can use a singular or a plural verb However, we prefer a singular verb in formal written English
Sau any of/ each off either of/ neither of/ none of + danh tw số nhiễu, có thể dùng động từ số ít hoặc số nhiều Tuy
nhiên, chúng ta thường dùng động từ số íL trong uăn viét
trang trong
Neither of them knows/ know the truth about her
If any of the children gets/ get hungry, they can have a
cake
- After a/ the majority of, a number of, a lot of, plenty of, all (of), some (of) + plural noun, use a plural verb
Sau a/ the majority of, a number of, a lot of, plenty of, all
(of), some (of) + danh từ số nhiêu, dùng động từ số nhiều
A number of applicants were interviewed last week
All of the teachers have to wear uniform on Mondays
- After any of, none of, the majority of, a lot of, plenty of, all
(of), some (of) + uncountable noun, use a singular verb
12
Sau any of, none of, the majority of, a lot of, plenty of, all (of), some (of) + dưnh từ không đếm được, dùng động từ số íI
All the furniture was destroyed in the fire
Some of the sugar I bought is left on the fridge
17 We can change uncountable nouns to countable by using certain expressions Here is a list of some common uncountable nouns
in English and corresponding countable expressions
Có thể chuyển đổi danh từ không đếm được sang danh từ đếm được bằng cách dùng một số thành ngữ Sœu đây là
bảng liệt kê các danh từ không đếm được thường gặp trong tiếng Anh uà các thành ngữ đếm được tương ứng
Uncountable nouns Countable expressions
accommodation a place to live
advice a piece of advice
baggage a piece/ case/ trunk/ bag of baggage bread a piece/ loaf/ roll of bread
chess a game of chess
chewing gum a piece of chewing gum
equipment a piece of equipment
furniture a piece / an article of furniture
grass a blade of grass
information a piece of information
knowledge a fact
lightning a flash of lightning
Trang 814 luggage money news poetry progress publicity research rubbish spaghetti thunder ˆ travel work
a piece/ case/ trunk/ bag of luggage
a note; a coin; a sum a piece of news a poem a step forward an advertisement a piece of research a piece of rubbish a piece / dish of spaghetti a clap of thunder a journey/ trip a job; a piece of work
PRNGCTIGE MANES PERFECT
A Choose the best answers 1 bào a fF m nh e0 10 11 12 13 14
The police (haven’t / hasn’t) found the thieves yet
Eating so much meat (isn’t / aren’t) good for your health
That he is so naughty (make / makes) his parents worried
There (is / are) a lot of milk in the bottle (Is / Are) seven hours enough for a sleep?
May I borrow your watch? Mine (doesn’t / don’t) work
Our class usually (raise / raises) our hands to choose the leader
The man who (is / are) talking to our teacher (is / are) my
father
How many countries (do / does) the United Nations consist of? Bacteria often (cause / causes) diseases
John, along with twenty friends, (is / are) planning a party
The picture of the heroes (bring / brings) back many memorics The quality of these recordings (is / are) not very good
If the duties of these officers (isn’t / aren’t) reduced, there
will not be enough time to finish the project
Trang 916
15 The effects of cigarette smoking (have / has) been proven
to be extremely harmful
16 Neither Bill nor Mary (is / are) going to the play tonight
17 (Is / Are) there anything better than going to another movie tonight?
18 Skating (is / are) becoming more popular every day
19 A number of reporters (was / were) at the conference yesterday
20 Everybody who (has / have) a fever must go home immediately 21 Your glasses (was / were) on the bureau last night
22 There (was / were) some people at the meeting last night
23 The committee (have / has) already reached a decision
24 A pair of jeans (was / were) in the washing machine this —
morning
25 Each student (has / have) answered the first three questions
26 The first bridge to be built with electric lights (was / were)
the Brooklyn Bridge
27 There (is / are) two types of calculus, differential and integral
28 George Gershwin, together with his brother Ira, (was / were) the creator of the first musical comedy to win a
Pulitzer Prize
29 All trees, except for the tree fern, (is / are) seed-bearing plants
30 The view of these disciplines (vary / varies) from time to time
B Correct the mistakes If the sentence is correct, murk ©
in the blank at the beginning of the sentence If the
sentence is incorrect, mark I, underline the mistake and
give the correction in the blank at the end of the
sentence
1. I_ The Chinese has an interesting history _ have
2 English is one of the most popular
language in the world
3 The scissors on the table ¡s my sister’s _
4. -_ Linguistics is my major field of study
5 There are good furniture in this showroom
6. _ — The cattle is grazing in the meadow
7 The interrogation, condueted by the police officers, have lasted for several hours
8 The tenants in the apartment next to
mine is giving a party this evening
9 The president, surrounded by secret
service agents, is trying to make his way to the podium
10 The buildings destroyed during the fire
are being rebuilt at the taxpayers’ expense
11 20 percent of the forest have been
destroyed lately
Trang 1013 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 18
The witnesses saw that most of the fire
in the hills was extinguished
Some of the animals from the zoo was
released into the animal preserve
All of the students in the class taught by
Professor Roberts is required to turn in
their term papers next Monday
Half of the food that we are serving to
the guests are still in the refrigerator
We believe that some of the employees is going to be devoted to quality control
It is impossible to believe that somebody actually admire that man
Each of the doctors in the building needs
to have a separate reception area
The president felt that no one were
better suited for the position of chief staff advisor
Everybody participating in the fund-
raiser are to turn in the tickets by 8.00
C Complete the sentences with is / are, has / have or does / do
1 Either John or you
unfinished work to be responsible for the
2 David, as well as his friends, collecting waste paper
to recycle
3 John and Helen_ — not admit to have broken the window
4 Neither Tom nor his friends _ lost the keys
5 Both Peter and his girlfriend —_ working for a bank
6 Neither the library nor the bookstore the book I need
7 Tom as well as his two close friends —_ not 1n class today 8 Both Ron and Bob passed the exam successfully
9 Oneofthestafs — to report the problem to the manager
10 Either the girl or her parents going to be present at the party
D Choose the best answers A, B, C or D
1 Anyone who to succeed to try his best
A want/ have B wants/ has
C want/ must D wants/ must
2 There a number of lazy pupils in this class
A is B has
C are D have
Trang 1120 3 None of us perfect A is B are C was D were 4 The number of pedestrians since there was the hole on the pavement B has been fallen D has fallen A have been fallen C have fallen 5 The majority of young people to live in big cities A choose B chooses C chose D choosing 6 Don’t buy more meat There _ plenty of beef in the fridge A is B are C was D were 7 Both a term paper and a final exam Chemistry 320 required for A is B was C are D have
8 Everyone who the examination will receive his score
reports in six weeks
A takes B took
C take D are taking
9 is not to be taken lightly
A The dangerous forest fires B The dangers of forest fires
B The danger of forest fires D The forest fire dangers
10 Mr Robins, as well as his wife and children, tonight,
A is arriving B are arriving
C arrive D arriving
11 Neither Maria nor her friends to class today
A going B are going
C is going D goes
12 A: Can we meet on Friday or Saturday?
B: Either day _ fine
A are B is
C were D was
13 Anyone who into the woods should recognize
common poisonous plants such as poison ivy and poison oak
A go B should go
C goes D will go -
14 In 1736, the number of poor people in Boston receiving
public assistance _ about 4,000
A was B were
C it was D they were
15 In a chess game, the player with the white pieces always
A move first B moves first C first move D first moves
16 A number of special conditions
geyser for the formation of
A is necessary B are necessary
C necessary is D being necessary
Trang 1217 Teeth a hard substance called enamel
A is covered with B covered with
C cover with D are covered with
18 Ethics — of moral duties, principles and values
A the study B are the study
C studies D is the study
19 25 million dollars —s the sum of money needed to reestablish this town
A are B is
C do D does
20 Public discussion of our international and domestic problems
by congressmen who are actually interested only in re-election A is being over-politicized B are being over-politicized C to be over-politicized D over-politicized E Supply the correct tenses and forms of the verbs in parentheses
1 The English (be) _— — famous for their calmness
2 The money that (spend) on education every year (be)
not enough
3 The number of employees who (not, finish) — their work
yet (have) _ to work on the weekend
4 The office (close) on the weekend
5 The office (try) _ a lot to win the boss’s heart recently 22 10 11 12 15 14 1ã 16 17 18 19 20
Five kilos of gold (steal) from the bank yesterday, Physics (cause) you any trouble at school?
Yesterday, neither you nor I (choose) to deliver the
speech So who (choose) ? ~ Daisy and Ann (be)
That you enjoy the food I cook (encourage) me a lot
When I (see) you yesterday, the boy in black
trousers (try) to steal your wallet
The contracts signed by the company (have) been voided because some stipulations were not met
Ten miles (be) a very long distance for us to walk
Each package that is not properly wrapped (have) _ to
be returned to the sender
The keys of the house (have) been lost
The plan as well as the proposals (be) to be
presented in the coming Monday meeting
The box of ribbons for the electric typewriter (have)
been misplaced
It is disconcerting to believe that every possible candidate
(have) been rejected for one reason or another
There (have) been more excitement in this cily about a sporting event
To me, Mathematics (be) something very difficult to master
If nobody (have) bought that car from the dealer, then you should return and make another offer,
Trang 13KF In the following sentences, there are four underlined
words or phrases A, B, C, and D Identify the underlined
Trang 149 Every human typically have twenty-three pairs of A B C chromosomes in most cells D 10 In the sport of fencing, three type of swords are used: the A B C D
foil, the epee, and the saber
11 There was four groups of twenty rats each involved in the test A B C D 12 A number of the applicants has already been interviewed A B Cc D 13 The number of wild horses on Assateague are increasing A B lately, resulting in overgrazed marsh and dune grasses C D 14 The governor, with his wife and children, are at home A B watching the election returns on television C D 15.N obody know when the process of glass-making was invented A OB Cc oD 26 CAUSATIVE VERBS
DONG TU GAY KHIEN
Causative verbs are used to indicate that one person causes a
second person to do something for him Causative verbs are: have,
get, make, let and help
Động từ gây khiến dùng để diễn tả uiệc một người nhờ một người khác làm điều gì đó cho mình Các động từ gây khiến bao gồm: bave, get, let, make, vd help 1 HAVE Active statements ˆ subject + have + someone + bare infinitive
They had their lawyer change their will
Tom had the dentist fill his tooth
Passive statements
subject + have + something + past participle
Tom had his tooth filled
They had their will changed 2 GET Active statements subject + get + someone + to-infinitive
Mary got John to wash the car
The manager got his secretary to type the letter
Trang 15Passive statements
subject + get + something + past participle
Mary got the car washed
The manager got the letter typed
3 MAKE
subject + make + someone / something + bare infinitive
His mother made him take the medicine Tl] make the machine work
4 LET
subject + fet+ someone / something + bare infinitive
His mother let him go swimming Don’t let that bother you
5 HELP
subject + help + someone + bare infinitive / to-infinitive
Can you help me find / to find my ring?
I’ve helped Mary complete / to complete the report
28
NOTES
— Have is slightly more formal than get
Haue có phần trang trọng hơn get
— Get is more frequently used than have in the imperative form Get được sử dụng thường hơn haque trong mệnh lệnh cách
—Have and get are also used to refer to events which
happened to someone but were beyond their control
Have vd get cling duoc st dung dé dién té nhitng su viéc
dién ra ngodi tim kiém sodt ctia mot ngudi ndo đó
Examples
After being late for work every day for 2 weeks, Billy had his pay reduced
I stood so close to the fire that I got my legs burnt
The worth of a book is to be measured by what you
can carry away from it
Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life
Trang 165 Pat is getting her car this week
A.t i
PRAGTICEMAKESIDERBEGH © rep’
B repaired
C repairing
A Choose the best answers A, B, C, or D D repair
1 The president had his advisors a press conference
A to arrange 6 We will have to get the Dean this form
B arranging A sign
C arrange B signed
D arranged C to sign
D signing 2 George is getting his teachers him a make-up exam
Trang 17C leaving
14 Her husband always helps her
Trang 18C filling D filled 19 Like humans, zoo animals must have a dentist their teeth A fill B filled C filling D to be filled 20 Have you had your temperature yet? A take B took C taking D taken
B Complete the following sentences using the correct form of have and the words in parentheses
Example
I haven't _ (my car / service) for months
—> I haven’t had my car serviced for months
1 Are you going to (your house / repaint) next month? 2 Fiona (her wallet / steal) when she was out shopping 34 3 My neighbors are (their lawn / mow) at the moment
4 Tom must (his decayed tooth / pick up)
5 Where did you (your hair / do)? It looks so nice
6 My parents _ (the roof of their house / damage) in the storm last night
7 I’ve already had (the bath-tube / mend)
Trang 1936 11 My uncle is going to (new carpets / fit) in his flat 12 Luke and Lynn will by a professional cameraman (their wedding party / film)
13 You’d better (your jacket / clean) at the laundry
Don’t do that yourself or you'll damage it
14 I need to
wrong with it I’m afraid
(my computer / service) There’s something
15 The local government will (a theater / build) in our
neighborhood next year
A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift
A friend is someone we treasure for our friendship is a gift
A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy, and grace
And makes the whole world we live in
a better and happier place ) welt | ' :
eb There's nothing as nice as someone who shares
ab your laughter, your secrets, your wishes and cares, a ly
€`
ab Someone who's there through your good times and tears, rq.)
Trang 20Everyday Enghsh Useful Expressions
— Excuse me, do you happen to know ?
ASKING FOR INFORMATION - Would you mind telling me ?
— | wonder if you could tell me Learners of English often
find it difficult to ask for — Could you please tell me about , if you don’t mind?
information when talking to — This may sound a stupid question, but I’d like to know
native speakers The reason is — | hope you don’t mind my asking, but I'd like to know
that they do not know how to
start the conversation and what
expressions to be used in these
situations to get the desired Examples
information The following e Excuse me, do you happen to know when the concert starts?
presentation is expected to help - - ;
e This may sound a stupid question, but I’d like to know why
you get over difficulties in :
Mr Allen doesn’t come tonight?
asking for information
B ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS
1 You know the answers
A MAKING QUESTIONS
Before you make a question asking for information, remember
the following points: Useful Expressions
— You are the one to control the conversation; therefore, make ~ Yes, it’s
sure that you are always ready to direct the talk the way you ~ OK, you
wish to — Well, it’s actually
-Try to avoid direct and personal questions If you are too — | think direct or too personal, you may appear to be very rude or
impolite
Trang 2140
Examples:
A: Excuse me, do you happen to know when the concert starts? B: I think it'll start in about ten minutes
A: This may sound a stupid question, but I'd like to know why Mr Allen doesn’t come tonight?
B: Well, it’s actually because Mr Allen has to see his customer
tonight
2 You don’t know the answers
Useful Expressions
— Sorry, | don’t know
~ Ïm terribly sorry | really don’t know
~ |’m not sure
— I’ve no idea, I'm afraid
~ | can’t answer your question but I'll tell you where you can find out
—{’m not sure I'll have to find out
Examples
A: Excuse me, do you happen to know when the concert starts? B: Sorry, I don’t know when it starts
A: This may sound a stupid question, but I'd like to know why
Mr Allen doesn’t come tonight?
B: I’m terribly sorry I really don’t know why he doesn’t come
tonight
3 You refuse the answers
Useful Expressions
~ I'd rather not answer your question, if you don’t mind,
~ Sorry, | don’t like personal questions
- Sorry, the question you’ve asked is too personal
Examples
A: Excuse me, would you mind telling me about your annual income? B: Sorry, I don’t like personal questions
4 You need to delay answering to think for a moment
Useful Expressions
~ Weil, let me see — Well, now, it’s
- Oh, let me think for a moment
~ That’s a very interesting question,
— Hang on, | need to think for a while,
Example
Trang 22C ASKING FOR MORE INFORMATION
You may not receive enough information from people right away In this case, you may have to ask them for further details In
some other cases, you may want to ask for additional information
because you are not satisfied with the answers given
42
Useful Expressions
— Sorry, but I'd like to know some more about
— Could you please tell me a bit more about
~ Sorry, | don’t quite understand why
— Sorry, but that was not what | meant What! really want to know is
Examples
A: Excuse me, do you happen to know when the concert starts?
B: I think it'll start in about ten minutes
A: Sorry, I don’t quite understand why the concert starts so late
A: This may sound a stupid question, but I'd like to know why Mr Allen doesn’t come tonight?
B: Well, it’s actually because Mr Allen has to see his customer tonight
A: Sorry, but Id like to know some more about Mr Allen’s
absence
PRACTICEMANESIDERBEG
I Match a sentence in column A with a sentence in column
B to make a short conversation
A
1 Excuse me, I wonder if you
could show me where the city theater is
2 Excuse me, do you happen to
is the best
restaurant in town? know | which
3 This may sound a stupid but I’d like to know how much you can question,
earn per month?
4, Would you mind telling about
the book you are reading?
5 I hope you don’t mind my asking but Ứd like to know if Celine Dion 1s on in tonight’s show? B
a Oh, sorry, I really don’t know I seldom eat out
b Oh, no, not at all I think
it’s the best detective story
I’ve ever read
Trang 23Il Fill in the blanks with the following hints to complete
44
the dialogues
— Could you please tell me a bit more about it
— It’s actually one of the best in town
— Do you happen to know if there is any one near here
~- Oh, let me think for a moment
- Sorry, I think the question you've asked is too personal
1 A: I am looking for a bus stop (1) ?
B: Yes, the nearest one is about 500 meters away Just walk
down the street and it’s on your left
A: Excuse me, I wonder if you could tell me where Rex Hotel is?
B: (2) Ah, yes, it’s on the second
left from here
A: Is it a good hotel?
B: (3) , I heard
A: (4) ? Is it modern? Is it expensive? B: I'm terribly sorry, I really don’t know I’ve never been there
- A: Would you mind telling me about your new job?
B: (5)
III Work in pairs Get your partner to give as much information as possible about his / her:
— way of studying English
— way of spending the weekends — career expectation
— holiday plans
— hometown
IV Work in groups of three or four Ask each of the members to give as much details as possible about his / her:
~ favorite subjects at school :
— favorite sports / books / films / songs
~ hobbies
~ leisure activities
~ family and friends
Trang 24Sy YourHeart and 11.4
THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE
It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty! I
was insecure” about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me
My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym He
was seventy-nine years old and in
terrific shape As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I
wasn't full of my usual vitality’ and
asked if there was anything wrong I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty I wondered
how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”
Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, "Well, Joe, this is my
philosophical‘ answer to your philosophical question:
“When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured’ by my parents, that was the best
time of my life.”
“When I was going to school and learning the things I know
today, that was the best time of my life.”
“When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid®
for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.”
46
“When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.”
“The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to Mee! Austria to save our lives When we were together and safe on a
ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.”
“When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the
best time of my life.”
“When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.”
“And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine years old I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we
first met This is the best time of my life."
NOTES
1 turn (v) thirty: bước sang tuổi 30
2 insecure (adj): khong tu tin
3 full of one’s usual vitality: khoẻ như thường ngày
4 philosophical (adj): có tính triết lí
5 nurture (v): nuôi dưỡng
6 get (v) paid: được trả công
7 flee (v): bỏ trốn
Trang 25Around The World
HONG KONG
Hong Kong (Fragrant Harbor’ in Chinese) is a former British Crown Colony’ off the south-east coast of China The colony
consisted of Hong Kong Island, many smaller islands, and the
mainland areas of Kowloon (“Nine Dragons”) and the New
Territories’ British opium’ traders working for the East India
Company began using Hong Kong Island’s harbor in the 1820s The island was occupied by the British during the first Opium War
and was given to them by China in 1842 at the end of the war
Kowloon was gained in 1860 following the second Opium War In 1898, the colony again increased in size when the New Territories were released to Britain for a period of 99 years On June 30 1997
48
the whole of Hong Kong, not just the New Territories, was handed over to China and it is now a Special Administrative Region? of China
Under British rule, Hong Kong became a_ successful manufacturing, business and financial center The population of over six million people, mostly Chinese, enjoyed a high standard of living and many made a lot of money The wealth of Hong Kong and the relative freedom of its citizens attracted people from other
countries in the Far East
British control of Hong Kong became an embarrassment to
China, and there were great celebrations in ‘Beijing when the
colony was returned to Chinese rule In 1984, the British and Chinese negotiated an agreement to preserve the existing
capitalist system® and general way of life for at least 50 years after the handover As a British dependency’, Hong Kong was
ruled by a governor® appointed by the Queen, but in practice he
agreed to all measures passed by the local, democratically” elected, Legislative Council’ A Chinese governor was appointed by the authorities in Beijing to take over from the British governor in 1997
Some people who left Hong Kong in the early 1990s fearing
changes to the political and economic systems under Chinese rule have now returned to the present Hong Kong
NOTES
1 Fragrant Harbor: Huong Cang
2 crown colony: : thuộc địa chưa được độc lập 3 New Territorles: khu Tân Giới
Trang 264 opium (n): thuốc phiện
5 Special Administrative Region: Dac khu Hanh chinh -Á Know ledge Quiz
6 capitalist system: hệ thống tư bản chủ nghĩa
7 dependency (n): nước lệ thuộc HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT
8 governor (n): thống đốc THE WORLD?
9 democratically (adv): một cách dân chủ
10 Legislative Council: Hội đồng Lập pháp
1 In the United States, a pot luck party is
A a party where everyone sings
B a party where everyone bangs on pots
C a party where everyone brings some food to share SOME INFORMATION ABOUT HONG KONG’S CLIMATE
2 Seoul is the capital of
e Hong Kong's climate is subtropical
A Korea
e The average daily temperature range is 26°C to 30°C in B Thailand
July and 13°C to 17°C in February
C Japan e Rainfall averages 2159 mm a year
3 The most popular sport in Japan is
A baseball
e Typhoons regularly cross Hong Kong in summer and autumn These powerful storms bring violent winds and
Trang 2752 5 In the United States, on Thanksgiving day, most Americans eat A chicken B turkey C ham 6 In India, holy men and women usually wear the color A orange B yellow C whites 7 In Thailand, a monk wears a (n) robe A orange B green C white 8 Austin is the capital of the state of in the United States A Alaska B California C Texas 9 Before entering a home in Japan, you must first A drink beer
B remove your shoes
C stand on your head
10 What are the official languages of Kenya?
A English and French
Trang 28“mod cientists ex Yrventors
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL (1847 - 1922)
Alexander Graham Bell was American inventor and teacher of
the deaf, most famous for his invention of the telephone
He was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and educated at the universities of Edinburgh and
London He immigrated to Canada in 1870 and to the United States in 1871
In the United States he’ began teaching
deaf-mutes', publicizing? the system
called visible speech The system, which was developed by his father, the Scottish educator Alexander Melville
Bell, shows how the lips, tongue, and
throat are used in the articulation’ of sound In 1872 Bell founded a
school to train teachers of the deaf in Boston, Massachusetts The
school subsequently became part of Boston University, where Bell
was appointed professor of vocal physiology’ He became a
naturalized US citizen” in 1882
Since the age of 18, Bell had been working on the idea of transmitting speech In 1874, while working on a multiple
54
telegraph, he developed the basic ideas for the telephone Hin
experiments with his assistant Thomas Watson finally proved
successful on March 10, 1876, when the first complete sentence
was transmitted: “Watson, come here; I want you.” In 1876 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he introduced the telephone to the world and led to the organization of the Bell Telephone Company in 1877
In 1880 France bestowed® on Bell.the Volta Prize, worth
50,000 francs, for his invention With this money he founded the
Volta Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where, in that same year,
he and his associates invented the photo phone, which transmits
speech by light rays Other inventions include the audiometer,
used to measure acuity’ in hearing; the induction balance, used to
locate metal objects in human bodies; and the first wax recording® cylinder, introduced in 1886 The cylinder, together with the flat wax disc, formed the basis of the modern phonograph
Bell was one of the cofounders of the National Geographic
Society, and he served as its president from 1896 to 1904 He
also helped to establish the journal Science by financing it from
1883 to 1894
After 1895, Bell's interest turned mostly to aeronautics’ Many of his inventions in this area were first tested near his
summer home at Baddeck on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia,
Canada His study of flight began with the construction of large kites, and in 1907 he devised a kite capable of carrying a person With a group of associates, including the American inventor and
Trang 29movable section of an airplane wing that controls roll They also developed the tricycle landing gear!’, which first permitted take- off and landing on a flying field Applying the principles of
aeronautics to marine propulsion’, his group started work on
hydrofoil boats, which travel above the water at high speeds His final full-sized hydrodrome’’, developed in 1917, reached speeds in excess of 113 km/h (70 mph) and for many years was the fastest
boat in the world
Bell's continuing studies on the causes and heredity of deafness
led to experiments in eugenics’’, including sheep breeding, and to his book Duration of Life and Conditions Associated with Longevity
(1918) He died on August 2, 1922, at Baddeck, where a museum
containing many of his original inventions is maintained by the Canadian government NOTES 1 deaf-mute (n): người vừa câm vừa điếc 2 publicize (v): công bế ở articulation (n): cách phát âm
4 vocal physiology: sinh lí học phát âm
5 naturalized US citizen: công dân được nhập tịch Mỹ 6 bestow (v): ban tặng 7 acuity (n): độ sắc nét khi nghe 8 wax-recording: đĩa hát 9 aeronautics (n): hàng không học 56
10 tricycle landing gear: bộ phận đáp 3 bánh
11 propulsion (n): động cơ nảy
12 hydrodrome(n): - thuỷ phi cơ
13 eugenics (n): uu sinh học (nhằm cải tiến
nguồn đi truyền của loài người)
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has
seen and thinking what nobody else has thought
Trang 30
af caring From She Successes
WHATEVER THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE, IT CAN ACHIEVE
Would you agree with the statement that a dream is born from
an idea — a simple idea conceived’ in the mind?
Back in the 19" century, two brothers had an idea which eventually became their passionate and consuming dream Their
relentless’ pursuit’ of that dream was rewarded with an
accomplishment that changed world travel
On Friday December 17, 1903 at 10.35 a.m., the Wright
brothers (Wilbur and Orville) achieved their dream They flew “the
world's first power-driven, heavier-than-air machine in which man
made free, controlled, and sustained’ flight.” This memorable feat” took place at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on a cold windy
morning
The dream started with an idea that was planted in their minds by a toy given to them by their father In the words of the boys, “Late in the autumn of 1878, our father came into the house one evening with some object partly concealed® in his hands, and
before we could see what it was, he tossed it into the air Instead
of falling to the floor, as we expected, it flew across the room till it struck the ceiling, where it fluttered’ awhile, and finally sank to the floor" This simple toy made of bamboo, cork and stretched
rubber bands, fascinated the Wright brothers and sparked their lifelong interest in human flight
58
The Wright brothers were great thinkers They enjoyed learning new things Initially, they recycled broken parts, built a printing press and opened their own printing office Their interest moved to bicycles and in 1893, they opened the Wright Cycle Company where they sold and repaired bicycles But Wilbur (the
older brother) had his mind set on something more exciting He decided to seriously pursue flying
The brothers spent many hours researching, testing their
machines and making improvements after unsuccessful attempts
at human flight What started out as a hobby soon became a passion With determination® and patience they realized their dream in 1903
The next time you hear or see an airplane or travel on one, remember where it all started A simply idea conceived in the
minds of two young men who did not finish high school Believe it
or not, they did not have a university degree in Aeronautical
Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or any other subject They were not scientists in the true sense of the word In fact, many of
their peers who did not witness their accomplishment’, had
trouble believing that two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio did
what they claimed
What idea or ideas are you working on? Have you said you
can't do this or that because you are not a scientist? Have you limited yourself by saying you are not smart enough? Or have you
joined the majority in saying that everything has already been invented or discovered?
Since the introduction of the first generation of personal computers in 1981, we are able to do many things more efficiently With a super computer between your ears and the personal computer at your finger tips, your dream can be achieved First,
Trang 31give birth to that dream with an idea A simply idea that anyone of us can conceive!
NOTES
1 conceive (v): hinh thanh
2 relentless (a): không ngừng
3 pursuit (n) : sự theo đuổi
4 sustaIn (v): kéo dài
5 feat (n): kì công
6 conceal (v): dấu
7 flutter (v): “dap don, rung rinh 8 determination (n): long quyét tam
9 accomplishment (n): thành tựu
A successful person is one
who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks
that others throw at him or her 60 J unny Story A LAWYER'S QUESTION
A small town prosecuting attorney! called his first witness to the stand in a trial” -— a grandmotherly, elderly woman He
approached her and asked, "Mrs Jones, do you know me?"
She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you Mr Williams I've
known you since you were a young boy And frankly, you've been a
big disappointment to me You lie, you cheat on your wife, you
manipulate’ people and talk about them behind their backs You think you're a rising big shot* when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit
paper pusher’ Yes, I know you."
The lawyer was stunned® Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs Jones, do you know the
defense attorney’?"
She again replied, "Why, yes I do I've known Mr Bradley
since he was a youngster, too I used to; baby-sit him for hin parents And he, too, has been a real disappointment to me Ho'n
Trang 32lazy, bigoted® He has a drinking problem The man can't build a
normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the
shoddiest’ in the entire state Yes, I know him." BOOKS IN LANG UAG E
At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence and
called both counselors to the bench In a very quiet voice, he said
with menace, "If either of you asks her if she knows me, you'll be in jail’° for contempt within five minutes!"
It is obvious that books offer readers an extremely
wide range of knowledge The more a person reads, the more mature he feels No doubt that
NOTES
books are a major source of
1 prosecuting attorney: công tố viên information necessary for ` ` everybody, especially for those i hién toa 2 trial (n): P
who are at school However, do
3 manipulate (someone) (v): 161 kéo (ai)
you happen to know that there
‘sing big shot: một nhân vật quan trọng are also a lot of idioms relating to books that make books more
4 a rising big shot: : ,
interesting to approach? The answer may be found in the below
5 a two-bit paper pusher: kẻ trục lợi hèn mat idioms Read them, be sure that you understand them, and do the
6 stunned (adj): sửng sốt following exercise
7 defense attorney: luật sư biện hộ
— „ Expressions and Idioms Relating to Books
8 bigoted (adj): mù quáng, ngu dốt
9 shoddy (adj): té, dé
1 Turn over a new leaf forget the past and start again with
oo the intention of doing better (sang trang mới)
10 to be in jail: ngôi tù
2 Head someone like a book: to understand Someone very
well (hiểu rõ di)
3 Read between the lines: to infer something (from something); to see what is really meant by what is
written or said (tim hiểu ổn ý)
Trang 3364
4, Can't tell a book by its cover: can’t tell what a person or
thing is like from its outward appearance (khéng thé đánh giá ơi hay diéu gi qua vé bé ngodi)
5 By the book: according to the rules (informal) (theo dung ludt)
6 Throw the book at: to charge or convict (someone) with as many crimes as possible (nhdc nhé ai mét cdch nghiém
khốc uê thủ tục đúng đắn phải chấp hành trong một số
nhiệm vu)
Leaf through: to look through (a book, magazine, or newspaper) without reading it carefully (cem qua)
8 Have one’s nose in a book: to be reading a book, to read
books all the tìme (chúi mũi uào sách)
9 Hit the books: to begin to study; to study (hoc)
10 Use every trick in the book: to use every method possible (informal) (ding moi mdnh khoé nào có thể dùng được
để đạt được điều gì đó)
11 Crack a book: to open a book to study (mở sách xem)
12 In one’s book: in one’s opinion (informal) (theo y / cach của g1)
13 One for the books: a record-breaking act (pha ki luc)
14, Speak by the book: show evidence for what is said (nói có
sóách, mách có chứng)
15 Book a flight, : make reservation (ddng kí trước) Book: to leave, depart (roi khdi) 16 Book office: an office where tickets are sold (phong vé) 17 Book of matches, stamps, : a collection of things (mét bộ sưu tập)
18 Book value: the value of something as shown on
bookkeeping records (gid tri cia mét tai san duoc nha
nước công nhận)
19 Bookmaker (or bookie): a person who collects bets before a race and pays the winners (người đánh cược thuê, chuyên nhận tiên của người khác để đánh cược)
20 Be in someone's good / bad book: be liked / disliked by
someone ((bhông) được ai quý mến)
21 Bring someone to book: require someone to give an
explanation of his behavior (hdi t6i ai)
22 Suit someone’s book: meet someone’s wish (hợp uới ý "nguyện người nào đó)
23 Speak / talk like a book: speak or talk as if you know
things so well (nói như sách)
24 Take a leaf out of someone’s book: follow someone’s
example (noi guong ai)
25 Shake like a leaf: tremble in fear (sợ run ban bat)
Trang 34PRAGTICEIMANESSPERIEEGH
Fill in the blanks with the idioms or expressions in the list
above Pay close attention to form and tense
1 Don’t believe everything you hear; you have to
2 He’s so interested in reading I hardly see him without a book He really is a
3.We_ but we still couldn’t get it done
4 I passed that test without even I]
5 His trick was found and he is now by his parents 6 He’s always nice and helpful to everybody He’s in his friends’ 7 We thought he’d get off with a lighter sentence, but they really him
8 Nobody likes his reserved manner He’d better be 9 The player made a serious mistake and he
with a yellow card
10 Every time I see him, he
11 He doesn’t deviate from the prescribed procedures even a little bit; he always goes
12 that’s the very best way to do it 13 I’m bored with this party; let’s
14 He has collected stamps since he was nine or ten; and now he has a great 66 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2ã 26 27 28 29 30 Tom achieves a lot from what he reads As a result, he always
Why don’t you just
want to buy it? to see whether you
He looks like he’d be able to do the job, but I’m not sure You can’t
Nobody in the cdmpany found out that he had been
until they were inspected
Nobody doubted his report in the meeting because he
always showed concrete evidence for what he said He
always
I didn’t want to keep making those same mistakes, so I
decided to Now everything is better
If you want to pass that test tomorrow, you'd better tonight
I know just why he did that; I can
I’ve seen it done so fast That’s !
Tom! Have you the flight on coming
Thursday for me yet?
People rush home in Christmas season So, there are
always very long queues in front of the
The of this item has been approved by
the government
He earns his living as a What she has been doing
He when he was called on by the teacher,
He’s an exemplary husband and father in the family
Everybody
Trang 35WORD GAMES
How to make vocabulary stay in our mind is really a big
question to many students One of the useful ways to do this is to
review them Here are some ways by which you can review what
you have learned, and at the same time, have fun with your
friends Let’s try these word games
GAME 1
One person writes down 2 words Each team consisting of 2 or
more players tries to form new meaningful words from the letters in the two given words The team that can form more words wins
the game
Example
From the 2 words eat and food, I can form these words:
ate, tea, fat, ad, date, feat,
GAME 2
Players take turns to write down a word beginning with the ending letter of the previous word Examples d 1° person: hot 2”° person: toe - nd 1 person: exercise 2 person: e-mail 68 GAME 3
It is a lot of fun to play this game with 15 or 16 players One person will be the referee whose job is to call out one word The others take turns to call out a word which is related to the referee’s word You will be asked to explain how your word is
related to it If it comes to your turn, but you fail to give out the
word, you lose the game The winner is the only one left
Example
The referee’s word is orange
1 person: yellow (because the skin of orange is yellow)
nd Cs wo
2 ~ person: juice (orange juice)
GAME 4
This can be played in classroom Divide the class into 3 teams The referee writes down a word Ask one person to have a look at
the word, and then he or she will define it either by words or by gesture The 3 teams will try to guess the word The team that is
the first to call out the right word will get 1 point Finally, count
up the points and see who has the most
GAME 5
Each person should draw out a grid five squares by five
squares The first person calls out a letter and then everybody puts it somewhere in their grid The players mustn’t show anybody else where they are putting the letter Players take it in turns to call out a letter When 25 letters have been called out and the grid is
Trang 36has the most Diagonal words can be included You can also include words in words, for example, the word king contains 3 words: king,
in, kin Here is a completed grid TRY THIS CROSSWORD! Example
A E O H K Each of the following word-puzzles has a number in front of it
This number is also the number of the square in the diagram
D T A N S where the answer begins Note that you can write only one letter
—E in each square The answers to Aeross -> clues will be written
B O R E F from left to right and the answers to Down Ỷ clues will be written
from top to bottom
5 E T G O
P K I N G
AT BORE KING IN ON FO TOE
OAR SET KIN ART DOT FOG
Be nice to people on your way
up because you might meet
them on your way down
Trang 37
Body Parts Used as Verbs
Across De Thu / Know?
3 I can't all the violence shown on TV
5 I like to _ the words while my sister sings the song WHAT DOES HYDROGEN DO TO
8 Let's _ the problem, shall we? PEOPLE’S LIFE?
9 They go to the porch to in the dark
Hydrogen exists around us It
is the lightest and simplest of the
D own
elements It releases more heat per
1 We missed the bus, so we have to it now unit of weight than any other fuel 2.EH_ _ the responsibility for my behavior But do you know that " has several
properties that make it valuable for 4 Look! They shouldn’t _ themselves with those sticks many industries? Look at some of 6 The President has to the committee the uses of hydrogen in the list
below How many have you ever
7 Who can the car out of the garage? known?
— Hydrogen is extremely necessary in rocket engines where
QO O tons of hydrogen and oxygen are burned
os ~ Hydrogen is used with oxygen for welding torches that
0 produce temperatures as high as 4,000 degrees F and can be
used in cutting steel
- Fuel cells to generate electricity’ operate on hydrogen and
oxygen
Trang 38
— In the food industry, products such as margarine and cooking
oils are changed from liquids’ to semisolids’ by adding
hydrogen to their molecules’ hydrogen for this purpose
Soap manufacturers also use
— As hydrogen is also one of the coolest refrigerants’, (it does
not become a liquid until it reaches temperatures of 425 degrees F), pure hydrogen gas is used in large electric generators to cool the coils’
— In the chemical industry, hydrogen is used to produce ammonia, gasoline, methyl
important products
alcohol, and many other
— Now, can you think of any other important uses of hydrogen? NOTES 74 1 2 3 4 ao generate (v) electricity: tarnish (v): liquid (n): semisolid (n): molecule (n): refrigerant (n): coil (n): phat dién chất nửa lỏng, nửa rắn phân tử chất làm lạnh
cuộn dây (trong máy phát điện)
_A Short Story To Think Twice
WAIT FOR THE BRICK
A young and successful executive was traveling down a
neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar He was watching for kids darting out! from between parked cars and
slowed down when he thought he saw something
As his car passed, no children appeared Instead, a brick
smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes” and
drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting: “What was
that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of
money Why did you do it?”
The young boy was apologetic’ “Please sir please, I'm
sorry I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded "I threw the
brick because no one else would stop "
With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car: "It’s my brother," he
said "He rolled off the curb‘ and fell out of his wheelchair’ and |
can't lift him up."
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned® executive: “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt
and he's too heavy for me.” `
Trang 39Moved beyond words, the driver hurriedly lifted the
handicapped’ boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his
fancy handkerchief and dabbed® at the fresh scrapes and cuts A
quick look told him everything was going to be okay
"Thank you and may God bless you,” the grateful’ child told
the stranger
Too shocked up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward
their home It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar The
damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to
repair the dented'’ side door He kept the dent there to remind’!
him of this message: Don't go through life so fast that someone has
to throw a brick at you to get your attention!
God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts Sometimes
when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us
It’s our choice: Listen to the whisper or wait for the brick!
NOTES
1 dart out (v): lao ra
2 slam (v) on the brakes: dap manh thang
3 apologetic (adj): tỏ ra hối lỗi 4 curb (n): lễ đường 5 wheelchair (n): xe lăn 6 stunned (adj): sửng sốt 7 handicapped (adj): tat nguyén 76 8 dab at (v): chấm vào 9 grateful (adj): biết ơn 10 dent (v): làm lõm 11 remind somebody of something (v): nhac nhé ai vé diéu ey SS SE A A AD) Owe OO Oa
To make one good action succeed another, is the perfection of goodness
Trang 40And Cnpressions
A READING
I Read quickly the story below to get the main idea Do
not worry too much about the words or phrases you do not understand The following questions may help you: ~ What does Hoo Sateow have? How long is it?
~ Who else has the similar thing with Hoo?
- According to Hoo, why its it good to have long hair in Thailand?
THE LONGEST HAIR IN THE WORLD
Eighty-five-year-old Hoo Sateow lives in a small village in
Thailand He has very long hair In fact, it’s the longest hair in the world ~ more than 17 feet long! “I cut my hair when I was 18 years old, and I got sick So, Ill never do it again,” Hoo says According to Hoo, his long hair allows him to talk to ghosts and help sick people
Hoo has something in common with his older brother, Yi Both have
very long hair Yi’s hair is more than 14 feet long
Hoo washes his hair only once in blue moon His friends usually give him a hand The long hair takes ages to dry Hoo
hangs it on a fence in the sun His hair is hard to take care of, but Hoo says it comes in handy in Thailand’s cool mountain weather
“I wrap my hair around my head and then put my hat on It keeps
me warm”
78
II Match the idioms / expressions in column A with the correct definitions in column B
A B
1 in fact a to become unwell! or unhealthy
2 to get sick b very rarely
3 according to someone c to help someone
4 to have something in d to provide for the needs of common with someone someone
5 once in a blue moon e actually; really
6 to give someone a hand f to be useful or convenient 7 to take care of someone g to cover (part of) the body 8 to come in handy with something
9 to put something on h to be similar to another
person in some way
i, as someone or something says
B WRITING
I In about 60 words, write a summary about the story The following questions may help you
~ What does Hoo have in common with his brother? — What are the advantages of Hoo’s long hair?
- When does it come in handy?
~ How often does Hoo wash his hair?
- How does Hoo keep warm when the weather is cool?