Exercise 1. Choose the best answer which substitutes the underlined part in the original sentence. 1. Hes up to his ears in work and cannot possibly see you now. A. fully occupied with B. very interested in C. not involved with D. concerned with 2. If you give me a hand, then I shall be able to finish more quickly. A. take my hand B. help me C. take my fingers D. pick me up 3. I prefer to talk to people face to face rather than to talk on the phone. A. in person B. facing them C. looking at them D. seeing them 4. The manager dismissed the new proposal out of hand and said that it was not at all practical. A. quickly B. utterly C. directly D. simply 5. As she is new to the job I would ask you to keep an eye on her for the time being. A. look at B. consider C. check D. observe 6. The opposition in parliament accused the government of playing games and refusing to accept the seriousness of the situation. A. being light hearted B. being heavy hearted C. being down hearted D. being faint hearted 7. He accused her of talking through her hat and refused to accept a word of what she said. A. talking sense B. talking straight C. talking nonsense D. talking tough 8. The police advised them to go down to the cellar in order to be out of harms way. A. away from the noise B. inside the area C. into safety D. away from danger 9. Id give my right arm if I could get tickets for that concert. A. do absolutely anything B. do something dangerous C. do something stupid D. do what you want 10. You can always rely on Fred to put his foot in it and come out with a remark like that. A. tread on somebody B. fall over C. say something embarrassing D. put on the wrong shoe 11. This sort of behaviour sends the wrong message to young people. (a) delivers the incorrect letter (b) fails to communicate (c) does not talk properly (d) does not set a good example 12. The government are unveiling plans today for a new tax system. (a) are covering up (b) are revealing (c) are opening (d) are exposing 13. I hear what you are saying but I dont agree with you. (a) I understand what you mean (b) I believe your words (c) I am able to catch your words (d) I think you are right 14. You must admire the way she sticks to her guns. (a) she holds on to her pistol (b) she maintains her opinion (c) she doesnt let her weapons go (d) she refuses to shoot 15.Im sorry I cant follow that, run that past me again. (a) explain that once more (b) hurry up (c) try and catch me up (d) come across 16 .Keep your spirits up, it may not be as bad as you think. (a) Dont get depressed (b) Carry on drinking (c) Dont let the levels drop (d) Maintain the heights 17. Im afraid he shot himself in the foot when he took that action. (a) he hurt himself (b) he injured himself (c) he made a bad mistake for himself (d) he damaged his body 18. Some people love scoring points when they are in an argument. (a) winning the game (b) taking advantage (c) taking the initiative (d) taking the trouble 19. There is absolutely no mileage in pursuing that sort of discussion. (a) no future (b) no interest (c) no distance (d) no time 20. He prefers to buy some more time by not deciding yet. (a) to pay a little longer (b) to get a better price (c) to pay a little later (d) to delay a little longer
English 12 EXERCISES ON IDIOMS AND PHRASAL VERBS (1) Exercise Choose the best answer which substitutes the underlined part in the original sentence He's up to his ears in work and cannot possibly see you now A fully occupied with B very interested in C not involved with D concerned with If you give me a hand, then I shall be able to finish more quickly A take my hand B help me C take my fingers D pick me up I prefer to talk to people face to face rather than to talk on the phone A in person B facing them C looking at them D seeing them The manager dismissed the new proposal out of hand and said that it was not at all practical A quickly B utterly C directly D simply As she is new to the job I would ask you to keep an eye on her for the time being A look at B consider C check D observe The opposition in parliament accused the government of playing games and refusing to accept the seriousness of the situation A being light hearted B being heavy hearted C being down hearted D being faint hearted He accused her of talking through her hat and refused to accept a word of what she said A talking sense B talking straight C talking nonsense D talking tough The police advised them to go down to the cellar in order to be out of harm's way A away from the noise B inside the area C into safety D away from danger I'd give my right arm if I could get tickets for that concert A absolutely anything B something dangerous C something stupid D what you want 10 You can always rely on Fred to put his foot in it and come out with a remark like that A tread on somebody B fall over C say something embarrassing D put on the wrong shoe 11 This sort of behaviour sends the wrong message to young people (a) delivers the incorrect letter (b) fails to communicate (c) does not talk properly (d) does not set a good example 12 The government are unveiling plans today for a new tax system (a) are covering up (b) are revealing (c) are opening (d) are exposing 13 I hear what you are saying but I don't agree with you (a) I understand what you mean (b) I believe your words (c) I am able to catch your words (d) I think you are right 14 You must admire the way she sticks to her guns (a) she holds on to her pistol (b) she maintains her opinion (c) she doesn't let her weapons go (d) she refuses to shoot 15.I'm sorry I can't follow that, run that past me again (a) explain that once more (b) hurry up (c) try and catch me up (d) come across 16 Keep your spirits up, it may not be as bad as you think (a) Don't get depressed (b) Carry on drinking (c) Don't let the levels drop (d) Maintain the heights 17 I'm afraid he shot himself in the foot when he took that action (a) he hurt himself (b) he injured himself (c) he made a bad mistake for himself (d) he damaged his body 18 Some people love scoring points when they are in an argument (a) winning the game (b) taking advantage (c) taking the initiative (d) taking the trouble 19 There is absolutely no mileage in pursuing that sort of discussion (a) no future (b) no interest (c) no distance (d) no time 20 He prefers to buy some more time by not deciding yet (a) to pay a little longer (b) to get a better price (c) to pay a little later (d) to delay a little longer High School for Gifted Students - HNUE Page English 12 Exercise Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 46 to 55 Researchers in the field of psychology have found that one of the best ways to make an important decision, such as choosing a university to attend or a business to invest in, involves the utilization of a decision worksheet Psychologists who study optimization compare the actual decisions made by people to theoretical ideal decisions to see how similar they are Proponents of the worksheet procedure believe that it will yield optimal, that is, the best decisions Although there are several variations on the exact format that worksheets can take, they are all similar in their essential aspects Worksheets require defining the problem in a clear and concise way and then listing all possible solutions to the problem Next, the pertinent considerations that will be affected by each decision are listed, and the relative importance of each consideration or consequence is determined Each consideration is assigned a numerical value to reflect its relative importance A decision is mathematically calculated by adding these values together The alternative with the highest number of points emerges as the best decision Since most important problems are multifaceted, there are several alternatives to choose from, each with unique advantages and disadvantages One of the benefits of a pencil and paper decision-making procedure is that it permits people to deal with more variables than their minds can generally comprehend and remember On the average, people can keep about seven ideas in their minds at once A worksheet can be especially useful when the decision involves a large number of variables with complex relationships A realistic example for many college students is the question "What will I after graduation?" A graduate might seek a position that offers specialized training, pursue an advanced degree, or travel abroad for a year High School for Gifted Students - HNUE Page English 12 A decision-making worksheet begins with a succinct statement of the problem that will also help to narrow it It is important to be clear about the distinction between long-range and immediate goals because long-range goals often involve a different decision from short-range ones Focusing on long-range goals, a graduating student might revise the question above to "What will I after graduation that will lead to a successful career?" Question What does the passage mainly discuss? A A tool to assist in making complex decisions B A comparison of actual decisions and ideal decisions C Research on how people make decisions D Differences between long-range and short-range decision making Question The word "essential" in paragraph is closest in meaning to A introductory B changeable C beneficial D fundamental Question Of the following steps, which occurs before the others in making a decision worksheet? A Listing the consequences of each solution B Calculating a numerical summary of each solution C Deciding which consequences are most important D Writing down all possible solutions Question According to decision-worksheet theory, an optimal decision is defined as one that A has the fewest variables to consider C has the most points assigned to it B uses the most decision worksheets D is agreed to by the greatest number of people Question The author organizes paragraph by A describing a process B classifying types of worksheets C providing historical background D explaining a theory Question The author states that "On the average, people can keep about seven ideas in their minds at once" (paragraph 3) to explain that A most decisions involve seven steps B human mental capacity has limitations C some people have difficulty making minor as well as major decisions D people can learn to keep more than seven ideas in their minds with practice Question The word "succinct" in paragraph is closest in meaning to A creative B satisfactory C personal D concise Question Which of the following terms is defined in the passage? A Proponents (paragraph 1) B Optimal (paragraph 1) C variables (paragraph 3) D Long-range goals (paragraph 4) Question The word "it" in paragraph refers to A worksheet B problem C distinction D decision Question 10 The word "revise" in paragraph is closest in meaning to A ask B explain C change D predict Exercise Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 61 to 70 If parents bring up a child with the sole aim of turning the child into a genius, they will cause a disaster According to several leading educational psychologists, this is one of the biggest mistakes which ambitious parents make Generally, the child will be only too aware of what his parents expect, and will fail Unrealistic parental expectations can cause great damage to children However, if parents are not too unrealistic about what they expect their children to do, but are ambitious in a sensible way, the child may succeed in doing very well – especially if the parents are very supportive of their child Michael Collins is very lucky He is crazy about music, and his parents help him a lot by taking him to concerts and arranging private piano and violin lessons for him They even drive him 50 kilometers twice a week for violin lessons Michael’s mother knows very little about music, but his father plays the trumpet in a large orchestra However, he never makes Michael enter music competitions if he is unwilling Winston Smith, Michael’s friend, however, is not so lucky Both his parents are successful musicians, and they set too high a standard for Winston They want their son to be as successful as they are and so they enter him for every piano competition held They are very unhappy when he does not win Winston is always afraid that he will disappoint his parents and now he always seems quiet and unhappy High School for Gifted Students - HNUE Page English 12 Question One of the serious mistakes parents can make is to A push their child into trying too much B help their child to become a genius C make their child become a musician D neglect their child’s education Question Parents’ ambition for their children is not wrong if they A force their children into achieving success B themselves have been very successful C understand and help their children sensibly D arrange private lessons for their children Question Who have criticized the methods of some ambitious parents? A Successful musicians B Unrealistic parents C Their children D Educational psychologists Question Michael Collins is fortunate in that A his father is a musician B his parents are quite rich C his mother knows little about music D his parents help him in a sensible way Question The phrase "crazy about" in the passage mostly means A "surprised at" B "extremely interested in" C "completely unaware of" D "confused about" Question Winston’s parents push their son so much and he A has won a lot of piano competitions B cannot learn much music from them C has become a good musician D is afraid to disappoint them Question The word "They" in the passage refers to A concerts B violin lessons C parents in general D Michael’s parents Question All of the following people are musical EXCEPT _ A Winston’s father B Winston’s mother C Michael’s father D Michael’s mother Question The word "unwilling" in the passage mostly means A "getting ready to something" B "eager to something" C "not objecting to doing anything" D "not wanting to something" Question 10 The two examples given in the passage illustrate the principle that A successful parents always have intelligent children B successful parents often have unsuccessful children C parents should let the child develop in the way he wants D parents should spend more money on the child’s education Exercise Read the passage and choose the best answer to complete the following passage No one can say when sports began Since it is impossible to (1.) a time when children did not spontaneously run races or wrestle, it is clear that children have always included sports in their play, but one can only speculate about the (2.) of sports as autotelic physical contests for (3.) Hunters are depicted in prehistoric art, but it cannot be known (4.) the hunters pursued their prey in a mood of grim necessity or with the joyful abandon of sportsmen It is certain, (5.) _, from the rich literary and iconographic evidence of all ancient civilizations that hunting soon became an end in itself at least for royalty and nobility Archaeological evidence also indicates that ball games were common among ancient peoples as (6.) as the Chinese and the Aztecs If ball games were contests rather than (7.) ritual performances, such as the Japanese football game kemari, then they were sports in the most rigorously (8.) sense That it cannot (9.) be assumed that they were contests is clear from the evidence presented by Greek and Roman antiquity, which indicates that ball games had been for the most part playful pastimes (10.) _ those recommended for health by the Greek physician Galen in the 2nd century AD Question A think B see C have D imagine Question A emergence B emerge C emergency D emersion Question A people B children C adult D society Question A when B whether C how D why Question A therefore B so C consequently D however Question A different B far C similar D old Question A competitive B competitively C noncompetitive D competition Question A definite B defined C definitive D definition Question A really B actually C usually D simply Question 10 A as B like C alike D of High School for Gifted Students - HNUE Page