Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018

Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018 Ngân hàng câu hỏi tiếng anh ôn thi công chức 2018

In ancient times, honey was the main sweet food, as sugar was very rare Honey was of great (4)……… to the ancient Egyptians, who used it as payment

Today, honey is produced and eaten in (5)……… part of the world Research suggests that it prevents tiredness and improves athletic performance However, honey is not just food - it can be taken for sore throats and is used in many skin and hair-care products

In the past, importance was not given to shoes being comfortable or fashionable These early foot coverings were probably animal skins, (1)……… People tied round their ankles during cold weather We still use leather today, but (2)……… Materials such

as silk, plastic, or cotton are also popular, depending on what is in fashion

It was only one hundred and fifty years (3)……… that people began to wear a different shoe on each foot Formerly, the two shoes had been straight instead of shaped and (4)……… Be worn on the left or the right foot All shoes used to be made by hand, but now, although there are shoemakers still using their traditional skills, most shoes are now machine-made in large factories The introduction of sewing machines (5)……… The shoe industry to produce large quantities of cheaper shoes for a wider range of buyers

After he had finished High School, Tom went to New York to look for work He found employment as a porter, and at the same time he (3)……… Drama classes In 1980, the film director Franco Zeffirelli(4)……… Tom his first part in a film Ten years later,

he had become so successful that he was one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, earning millions of dollars for each film

Today, Tom still appears in films and is as (5) ……… as ever with his thousands of fans from all around the world

is accepted that the purpose of zoos is for people to see animals behaving naturally Today, most cities have a zoo or wildlife park However, not everybody approves of zoos People who think that zoos are a good idea say they (3) ……… us with the

opportunity to learn about the natural world and be close to wild animals Both of (4)

……… would not be possible without zoos On the other hand, some people disapprove

of zoos because they (5) ……… it is wrong to put animals in cages, and argue that

in zoos which are not managed properly, animals live in dirty conditions and eat unsuitable food

Henry Ford was born on a farm in Michigan in 1863 but he did not like farming When

he was fifteen he began work as a mechanic and in 1893 he built his first car After he (1) ……… drivenit1,500 kilometres, he sold it and built two bigger cars Then, in 1903,

he started the Ford Motor Company By(2)……… strong but light steel, he built cheap cars for ordinary people to buy In 1908, he built the first Ford Model'T', which sold for

$825 He was soon selling 100 cars a day By 1927, the Ford Motor Company was (3)……… $700 million Early Ford cars were simple and cheap, but (4)……… things simple sometimes (5) ……… less choice 'You can have any colour you like,’ said Henry Ford of the Model T, 'as long as it's black.’

1

a) is

in spite of the differences in pronunciation, structure and vocabulary, would (5) … that they are all speaking the same basic language

it took me several minutes to make him go away Unfortunately, all the time he was talking (5)……… me, the water was running You can imagine how the kitchen was!

of the rhino stands (2) … four short legs Each foot has three toes They usually walk very slowly, but they can run at 50 kilometres an hour Rhinos are usually quiet and calm animals, and they only (3)… grass and other plants

A baby rhino weighs 40 kilos when it is born It has been inside its mother (4) … about fifteen months An adult rhino weighs over 200 kilos and may (5) … to be 50 years old

arts Students in secondary schools are required to take a number of additional subjects, such as English, and can take electives, (4)… as technical or vocational courses Afterwards, students can choose between general education and vocational high schools (5) … general, high school tends to be strict, as college and university admission is very competitive

The cat’s owner had done some detective work too After (4) ……… everywhere for the cat, he suddenly remembered the furniture van which had made a delivery to a neighbour Fortunately, he remembered the name of the company He called their office and in a short time Bo was (5)……… safely

They were at (3)……… distances from each other and the mail was handed from one rider to the next Riders were all (4)……… to travel between twenty and thirty kilometres a day on very bad roads At each stop two minutes were(5)……… for exchanging the mail bags, but riders were often held up by awful weather which closed the roads With the invention of the telegraph in 1861,the demand for Pony Express disappeared

Whether campers are (4)……… in the mountains or on a busy site, they should remember to (5)……… the area clean and tidy In the forests, they must put out any fires and keep food hidden to avoid attracting wild animals

it

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, cities were (5)……… more crowded and the first escalators were built at railway stations and in big department stores, so that people could move about more quickly Today we see escalators everywhere

WILLIAM THE HERO

Brave William Baldock, who is six years old, is a hero after helping his mother when she fell downstairs William quickly rang (1)……… an ambulance when he discovered his mother had broken her leg In spite of being frightened, he told the emergency services what had happened and answered all the questions they asked him He also telephoned his father artwork, and then his grandmother, to explain what he had done While waiting for (2)……… people to come, William looked after his 18-month-old sister

When ambulance man Steve Lyn went to the house, he was amazed: 'It's great that a young boy of six knew the right number to (3)……… , and was able to give us the correct information (4)……… of William's quick thinking, we were able together immediately.'

Mrs Baldock left hospital yesterday, very (5)……… to both William and the ambulance service

b) happy

c) agreeable

PART B

Question 1

The History of Film

The world's first film was shown in 1895 by two French brothers, Louis and Auguste Lumiere Although it only (1)……… of short, simple scenes, people loved it and films have been popular ever since The first films were silent, with titles on the screen to explain the story

Soon the public had their favourite actors and actresses and, in this (2) ……… the first film stars appeared In 1927, the first 'talkie', a film with sound, was shown and from then on, the public (3)……… only accept this kind of film

Further improvements continued, particularly in America, (4)……… produced 95% of all films With the arrival of television in the 1950s, fewer people went to see films, but

in (5)……… years cinema audiences have grown again More countries have started

to produce films that influence film-making and there are currently many national film industries

San Francisco

San Francisco lies on the coast of northern California The earliest Europeans to discover the (1)……… were led by a Spanish explorer whose name was Gaspar de Portola He first saw it in 1769 Surprisingly, although San Francisco Bay is a wonderful natural harbour, it was discovered by land (2)……… than by sea

In 1849, people arrived in San Francisco in their thousands (3)……… to find gold However, it was not the men looking for the gold that got rich The richest people made their money from owning banks and law firms and they built themselves large houses

on one of the hills This was (4)……… as Nob Hill

Nowadays, tourists are (5)……… to San Francisco because there they can see famous places like Chinatown and the Golden Gate Bridge Many even take the short boat trip

to the island of Alcatraz to see the former prison

It all began nearly a hundred years ago when a young Italian called Guglielmo Marconi discovered how to send sounds through the air Marconi was born in Bologna,(2)……… northern Italy, in 1974 His father was a rich Italian businessman, and his mother was a Scot who had lived in Ireland and had gone to Italy to study music The family lived in a country house just outside Bologna

(3)……… he was a boy, people did not think that Marconi was clever He was a quiet boy who spoke little but thought a lot He liked to sit and read science books (4)

……… his father's big library He also loved to do experiments with electricity For most of his early life, he was (5) ……… at home He did not go to school

AVOIDING A COLD OR THE FLU

You can get a flu shot to help keep you from catching the flu A flu shot, or vaccination, helps your body fight off flu germs if they attack But it doesn’t always work The flu virus keeps changing When it changes, the old vaccine no (1)……… works Doctors have to keep making new (2)……… For this reason, you need a new flu shot every year Sometimes the flu changes enough in a single year that you can still catch it even

if you’ve been vaccinated

There is no vaccine against the common cold because more than 100 different kinds of viruses (3)……… colds These viruses also keep changing

One thing you can do to protect against cold and flu germs is washing your hands (4)……… you eat anything or touch your face Your hands may pick up the germs from door knobs or other things touched by someone with a cold Washing your hands thoroughly kills the germs

You can also try not to spread germs when you have a cold or the flu Use tissues when you sneeze Cover your (5)……… when you cough And wash your hands frequently

to keep from spreading cold germs to others

By the end of the 1970s, the cinema world had decided that cartoons were only for children But soon (3)……… , one or two directors had some original new ideas They proved that it was possible to make films in which both adults and children could share the fun

However, not every cartoon film was successful The Black Cauldron, for example, failed, mainly because it was too (4)……… for children and too childish for adults Directors learnt from this (5)……… , and the film companies began to make large amounts of money again

Land pollution also includes the build-up of (3)……… chemicals on land The use of pesticides in farming is a major source of this type of pollution These chemicals are spread over fields to kill insects, weeds, fungi, or rodents that are a threat to crops But

pesticides harm or (4)……… other living things too When they drift with the wind or become absorbed (5)……… fruits and vegetables, they can become a source of health problems such as cancer and birth defects

Grasslands support a wide range of animal life, from tiny insects and birds to huge animals like cows and lions All of them (3)……… on grass in one way or another

Grass (4) ……… very quickly after it is cut or damaged Unlike other plants, the new leaves grow from (5)……… the soil, not from the top of the plant That is why large families of animals are able to live together in one area As soon as they have eaten all the grass there, a fresh meal is always available because the plants start to grow again

1

a) realised

b) caught

He also writes about himself, even about his (3)……… - he often slept during church

or looked at the pretty girls He describes his home life - a (4)……… with his wife and how they became friends again, his worry about her illness As well as books, he liked music, the theatre, card games, and parties with good food and (5)……… of fun Pepys was a busy man who had many important jobs - he was a Member of Parliament and President of the Royal Society He is also remembered for his work for the British Navy

Sweden’s Ice Hotel

The village of Jukkasjarvi is in Swedish Lapland, and winter temperatures there can reach -40° C But 6,000holidaymakers still go there annually, to visit what is probably Europe’s most unusual accommodation

In this hotel you eat, drink, and sleep in rooms made(1)……… ice If you want, you can even get married in one The bar is ice too, and putting hot drinks on it is obviously not (2)……… ! The bedrooms are around -4° C, but fortunately guests are (3)……… with special sleeping bags that will keep them warm in the coldest of temperatures.(4)……… outdoor clothes can be supplied too, if needed

The hotel is never more than six months old because it melts in summer, and (5)……… winter it is rebuilt Creating the hotel takes 10,000 tonnes of ice, plus 30,000 tonnes of snow

NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITH AN OPEN UNIVERSITY DEGREE

Like any other university, the Open University can give you a degree However, you don’t have to stop working to study It can also open up a whole variety (1)

at an Open University centre Of course, there are exams to take, as in (5)……… university

If you like to know more, all you have to do is complete the form below It could be the start of a wonderful new period in your life

A supermarket is different (2)……… other types of stores in several ways In supermarkets, goods are placed on open shelves The (3)……… choose what they want and take them to the checkout counter This means that fewer shop assistants are needed than in other stores The way products are displayed is another difference between supermarkets and many other types of stores; (4)……… example, in supermarkets, there is usually a display of small inexpensive items just in front of the checkout counter: candies, chocolates, magazines, cheap foods and so on

Most customers (5)……… go to a supermarket buy goods from a shopping list They know exactly what they need to buy They do the shopping according to a plan

Try to relax and enjoy yourself at the dinner table If you don’t know about choosing the (3)……… fork or knife, just watch the other people, and follow them If you still have no idea of (4)……… to do, ask the person next to you

When it comes to the food, if you like it, say so They are looking forward to hearing your compliments Of course, you will thank them for the meal and for their kindness

It is also a good idea to send a (5)……… note the day after

Driving a car can be expensive The bicycle, on the other hand, is a cheap form of (1)……… because it doesn’t need any fuel In fact, it costs practically nothing after you’ve bought it It also helps keep you fit because you get exercise when you ride it Another good thing (2)……… a bicycle is that it doesn’t pollute the air If everyone rode bicycles instead of driving cars, we wouldn’t be using up the world’s oil so quickly

While the bicycle has these advantages, it has some disadvantages too It is convenient only for relatively short journeys, (3)……… you can travel quite a long way in comfort

in a car Another problem is that the cyclist is not protected from the weather and gets wet when it rains

Cycling isn’t very nice in heavy traffic (4)……… The best place for a bike ride is a quiet country lane Main roads and city streets are often so busy that it needs some courage to (5)……… a bike on them

THE FIRST WOMAN SCIENTIST

Hypatia was born in Alexandria, in Egypt, in 370 A.D For many centuries she was (1)

……… only woman scientist to have a place in the history books

Hypatia’s father was director of Alexandria University, and he made sure his daughter had the best education available This was unusual, as most women then had few (2)……… to study

After studying in Athens and Rome, Hypatia returned to Alexandria where she began teaching mathematics She soon became famous (3)……… her knowledge of new ideas

We have no copies of her books, but we know that she wrote several important mathematical works Hypatia was also interested in technology and (4)……… several scientific tools to help with her work

At the time many rulers were afraid of science, and (5)……… connected with it was in danger One day in March 415, Hypatia was attacked in the street and killed

The Rocky Mountains run almost the length of North America They start in the west, but lie only a (1)……… hundred miles from the centre in more southern areas Although the Rockies are smaller than the Alps, they are no less wonderful

North-There are many roads across the Rockies, but the best way to see them is to (2)………

by train You start from Vancouver, the most attractive of Canada’s big cities Standing with its feet in the water and its head in the mountains, this city (3)……… its residents

to ski on slopes just 15 minutes by car from the city(4)………

Thirty passenger trains a day used to (5)……… off from Vancouver on the cross continent railway Now there are just three a week, but the ride is still a great adventure You sleep on board, which is fun, but travel through some of the best scenery at night

14 became known as Valentine's Day

Since then, people in love around the world have given gifts and cards to each other on Valentine's Day Gloves, chocolates, and even underwear have all been popular as gifts

Valentine cards did not become popular until the 1750s.The first Valentine cards were made by hand People wrote their own words on the cards, usually a kind or funny message By around 1850 there were lots of machines for making cards All of a sudden, sending Valentine cards became very popular

Now, every year around February 14, cards and chocolates fill stores around the world, for all the people who have fallen in love

1 A good title for this Reading Passage is

a) The History of Valentine's Day

b) The Most Romantic Valentine's Day Ever

c) Why People Fall in Love

2 What was Lupercalia?

a) a Roman festival

b) a type of card

c) a jail

3 Who was Valentine?

a) a man who was in love

b) a Roman

c) a man who killed someone

4 Why is Valentine thought to be romantic?

a) He passed love notes to the daughter of his jailer

b) He was killed by the Romans

c) He fell in love with his jailer

5 When did Valentine cards first become popular?

People who sit with laptops on their legs for hours and hours have noticed they get dark marks on their legs The hot laptop is toasting the skin Doctors have noticed more people show up with "toasted skin syndrome They use their laptops every day for hours and hours for a month or more and this results in a burn The marks are not dangerous, but they look strange because they are just in one spot on people's legs

Companies that make computers tell people not to let warm computers touch bare skin for a long time Wearing pants and putting a laptop's case under the laptop is usually enough to protect one's skin from the computer's heat But the best way to avoid toasted skin is not to put a laptop on your lap when you use it for a long time

1 This reading is about

a) a problem that people may have

b) a problem that electronic devices may have

c) a problem that laptops may have

2 What does toasted skin syndrome result in?

a) about one week

b) more than a month

c) a few hours

4 Which of the following is NOT true about toasted skin syndrome?

a) It is not a dangerous problem

b) It covers a person's whole leg

c) It is a burn

5 What can be guessed about the people who got toasted skin syndrome?

a) They felt pain when their pants touched the burns on their legs

b) They did not protect their laps well while using their laptops

c) They tried to make the laptop companies pay the doctors' bills

Question 3

A Long Weekend

Many people have to work on the weekend Some people do not Mind Other people think it is terrible One man thinks that working on the weekend can be dangerous He

is Graham Coates Mr Coates worked in an office in Brighton, England

One Saturday, he went to the office to do some work When he got in the elevator' to go home, it stopped between floors Mr Coates could not get out of the elevator He was trapped! He did not have a cell phone, so he started to shout However, no one heard him Then Mr Coates remembered that Monday was a holiday No one was going to come to work until Tuesday!

There was nothing for Mr Coates to do He had to wait until one of his co-workers came

to work and found him With nothing to eat or drink, Mr Coates ended up sleeping for most of the time

Early on Tuesday morning, the vice president of the company came into work and found the elevator was not working When someone finally opened the elevator, Mr Coates came out cold, weak, and tired He had been in the elevator for sixty-two hours!

1 What is the best title for this story?

c) It was the weekend

3 What is NOT a reason why Mr Coates spent so long in the elevator?

a) He had no food or drink

b) It was a three-day weekend

c) The elevator was stuck between two floors

4 How long was he in the elevator?

a) Twenty-four hours

b) From Saturday to Monday

c) More than sixty hours

5 How was Mr Coates able to get out of the elevator?

a) The vice president discovered the elevator was not working

b) The elevator started again

c) He telephoned his co-workers

Question 4

Lizards

Lizards are unusual, but they can make good pets because most of them are small and easy to care for They do not make loud noises, and they do not need to go for walks or take baths

Of course, some lizards make better pets than others One of the most popular lizards in pet stores is the bearded dragon.' Bearded dragons are active during the day and do not mind people holding them Geckos are another popular pet lizard They are a little more difficult to care for Geckos are active at night and need a warm place to live Like bearded dragons, they can be held by their owners Both of these lizards can live ten years or more when they are well cared for

Two lizards that are bad choices for pets are iguanas and chameleons Iguanas can grow

to be almost two meters (nearly six feet), so they need a big space to live in They can also bite or scratch their owners Chameleons do not hurt their owners, but they are quite difficult to care for While iguanas can live up to twenty years, chameleons do not live very long Most do not live more than five years

1 This reading is about

a) Good and bad pets

b) Why lizards are disappearing

c) How to tell male from female lizards

2 What is true according to the passage?

a) Lizard bites can be dangerous

b) It is not hard to care for most lizards

c) Lizards are better than dogs or cats

3 Which lizard would be good for a child to watch and play with during the day? a) a gecko

5 What would the writer of the passage probably say is true?

a) Iguanas are not good pets for children

b) It is more difficult to care for a gecko than for a chameleon

c) Most lizards are dangerous, so do not keep them as pets

Question 5

Lions

Lions have been called the kings of the animal world These animals can be found wild

in Africa and India Lions in Africa can go without water for up to one month, so they have no trouble during dry times

Without question, lions are also one of the most popular animals to see in zoos Almost every zoo around the world has a few lions

It is very easy for people to tell male and female lions apart Lions are the only kind of cat that shows this big difference between males and females A male lion has a ‘mane,'

a large collar of hair around the lion's face Females do not have manes

Male lions are also larger than females A male lion usually weighs about 200 kilograms Both male and female lions have very strong mouths They can break the backs of other animals with one bite One lion will usually kill between ten and twenty large animals each year for food

It is unusual for lions to kill people However, in 1898 two lions killed and ate over one hundred people in Kenya before they were shot by a British colonel named P J Patterson This story became the subject of a Hollywood movie called The Ghost and the Darkness

1 The passage is about

a) lions in books and movies and cats

b) male and female lions

c) countries with lots of lions

2 How are lions different from other cats?

a) Many zoos keep them

b) Lions are from Africa

c) Males and females look very different

3 Male lions

a) have manes

b) weigh more than most people

c) all of the above

4 Female lions

a) are larger than males

b) can break the back of an animal with one bite

c) have manes

5 How many large animals does a lion usually kill for food in one year?

a) between ten and twenty

b) less than ten

c) over one hundred

Question 6

A university professor in the Southwest tells of a student who went on a one-day trip to the Grand Canyon She didn’t return until a week later When asked what had happened, she answered that the Grand Canyon was so amazing that she had needed three days just

to get used to it

The Grand Canyon was formed by the mighty Colorado River cutting into a plateau in Arizona The canyon is 277 miles long and about 1 mile deep Because it is so deep, the top and the bottom have very different weather and vegetation Going from the top to the bottom is somewhat like going from Canada to Mexico

Known as one of the seven tourist travel wonders, which include the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, and Machu Picchu, it is visited by millions of people each year

1 What does the word ‘it’ in line 3 refer to?

a) The trip

b) The university

c) The Grand Canyon

2 What is the depth of the Grand Canyon?

a) 278 miles

b) 277 miles

c) 1 mile

3 What does the word ‘wonder’ in line 8 mean?

a) Something that causes you to feel surprise or admiration

b) A feeling of surprise and admiration

c) A place in a desert that has trees and water

4 Not only the Grand Canyon but also is one of the seven tourist travel wonders a) all are correct

b) the Taj Mahal

c) Machu Picchu

5 Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?

a) The Grand Canyon

b) The Story of a Student

c) The Seven Tourist Travel Wonders

Question 7

More than two hundred years ago, the term “environmental pollution” was quite strange

to people They lived healthily, drank pure water, and breathed fresh air Nowadays, the situation is quite different People all over the world are worried about things that are happening to the environment Actually it is man that is destroying the surroundings with many kinds of wastes Everybody knows that motorbikes and cars emit dangerous gases that cause poisonous air and cancer, but no one wants to travel on foot or by bicycle Manufactures know that wastes from factories make water and soil polluted, but they do not want to spend a lot of their money on treating the wastes safely Scattering rubbish is bad for our health, but no one wants to spend time burying it Is it worth talking a lot about pollution?

1 More than two hundred years ago _

a) the environment was polluted as much as it is today

b) people knew nothing about environmental pollution

c) air was polluted badly

2 In former days, people _

a) lived in the polluted environment

b) led a healthy life

c) were worried about pollution

3 Nowadays, many people are concerned about _

a) the wastes from the factories

b) the pollution of the environment

c) the polluted water

4 Everybody knows that cars emit dangerous gases _

a) so they prefer travelling by bicycle

b) but they still prefer traveling by car

c) so they do not travel by car

5 Factory owners _

a) have no awareness of pollution

b) do not want to spend money on treating the wastes safely

c) treat wastes from their factories safely

Question 8

Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, in 1847 His family moved to Port Huron, Michigan, when he was seven years old Surprisingly, he attended school for only two months His mother, a former teacher, taught him a few things, but Thomas was mostly self-educated His natural curiosity led him to start experimenting at a young age

Thomas Edison lit up the world with his invention of the electric light Although the electric light was the most useful, it was not his only invention He also invented the record player, the motion picture camera, and over 1,200 other things About every two weeks he created something new He worked 16 out of every 24 hours Sometimes he worked so intensely that his wife had to remind him to sleep and eat

Thomas Edison died in 1931, in West Orange, New Jersey He left numerous inventions that improved the quality of life all over the world

1 Thomas Edison was

a) an inventor

b) a teacher

c) an explorer

2 In 1854 Edison’s family

a) moved to Port Huron, Michigan

b) decided to settle in Milan, Ohio

c) bought a new house in Milan, Ohio

3 The word “self-educated” in the passage mostly means

a) “having been well taught”

b) “having taught himself”

c) “having had good schooling”

4 Edison died at the age of

a) 47

b) 76

c) 84

5 Which of following statements is NOT true about Edison?

a) He invented the motion picture camera

b) He didn’t go to school at all

c) He made numerous inventions

Question 9

Britain is now a highly industrialized country and there are only 238,000 farms in the

UK More and more farmers leave the land because they cannot earn enough money to survive Only large farms are economic and because of this, most British farms are big They usually grow cereals in the east of England and raise sheep and cows in the north

of England and Scotland The small family farms often have to earn more money by offering bed and breakfast accommodation to tourists

Farming methods in Britain have also changed Fields used to be quite small, divided

by hedges which were sometimes a thousand years old and full of wild flowers and

birds Many hedges were pulled up to allow farmers to use modern machinery Now

most fields in England are large by European standards

1 British farmers give up working on their farms because

a) they can’t earn their own living by farming

b) they are tired of the farm work

c) they want to continue to live

2 Most British farms are big because

a) farming is now industrialized

b) small farms are uneconomic

c) there are plenty of abandoned land

3 The small family farms often offer bed and breakfast accommodation to tourists

a) to show their friendship

b) in order to improve their earnings

c) because they want to have more tourists to their farms

4 Fields on British farms were

a) full of wild flowers and birds

b) separated from each other by hedges

c) all are correct

5 Which of the following sentences is not true?

a) Farming methods in Britain have remained unchanged up to now

b) Industries are developed in Britain

c) Breeding farms are usually in the north of England

Question 10

Probably you have seen someone reading a book on an electronic reading device Over

the past few years, these small computers have become more popular For that reason,

more companies that make traditional paper books are now making electronic books

(ebooks) Most ebooks are the same as paper books, but people download a file into a

reading device rather than buying the paper book This way they can carry many books

Book companies are adding special features to some ebooks These extra features might

include sound files, picture files, or video files When the readers click on these files

they learn more about the book, the story or the writer

The latest electronic readers are smaller and cheaper, but they are also much more

powerful They can store much more information, so writers and book companies can

do more with their ebooks They do not want to just add files to a completed book They

are making the sound, picture, and video files part of the story Readers need these files

to understand the whole story Readers can even change the story Readers already have

a lot of books to choose from If they can change the way stories end, they will have even more choice!

1 This reading is about

a) Electronic books

b) Books about animals

c) Books about the future

2 Which sentence is true about the devices described in the passage?

a) You can use them to read ebooks

b) They change paper books into ebooks

c) You can use them to make videos

3 According to the passage, what special feature might some ebooks include?

a) Devices for other ebooks

b) Extra files

c) Copies of the paper book

4 Which of the following ebooks is NOT mentioned in the passage?

a) An ebook that has sold over one million copies

b) An ebook with a sound file that tells part of the story

c) An ebook that is only text

5 How are some ebooks today different than older ebooks?

a) Devices make them easier to read

b) Companies sell them in many files

c) Readers can change the stories

Question 11

I was born in Newcastle, a city in the North East of England Newcastle is on the bank

of the River Tyne It is quite big, with a population of about 200,000 people There is a cathedral and a university There are five bridges over the River Tyne, which link Newcastle to the next town, Gateshead, where there is one of the biggest shopping centres in the world A few years ago, the main industries were shipbuilding and coalmining, but now the chemical and soap industries are important

I moved to London ten years ago but I often return to Newcastle I miss the people, who are very friendly, and I miss the beautiful countryside near the city, where there are so many hills and streams

1 Newcastle is

a) A small town in England

b) A city in the North East of England

c) A city near the North East of England

2 The population of Newcastle is

a) About 200,000 people

b) Much more than 200,000 people

c) Much less than 200,000 people

3 Gateshead has one of in the world

a) The biggest shopping centres

b) The most beautiful country sides

c) The most important shipbuilding industries

4 According to the passage, the writer

a) Is still living in Newcastle

b) has never returned to Newcastle

c) Doesn’t live in Newcastle any more

5 Which of the following is NOT true about Newcastle?

a) It has a cathedral and a university

b) Its people are friendly

c) Its main industry now is shipbuilding

Question 12

The leaning tower

Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy lean? It leans because of a mistake It has leaned almost since the day the tower was built

In 1173, the people of Pisa, Italy, wanted to build a bell tower They wanted the tower

to be the most beautiful bell tower in all of Italy The city also needed a bell tower because the church did not have one However, there was a problem As soon as the third floor of the building was finished, the tower started to lean Builders tried to make the building straight again as they added more floors, but they could not figure out how

to make it stop leaning When the building was finished in 1350, it had eight floors and was 54.5 meters tall

After it was built, the tower continued to lean by another millimetre every year By 1990,

it was leaning by about four meters to one side It was also slowly sinking into the ground Many people became worried that it would soon fall apart In 1998, repair works began on the tower Workers took nearly three years to move it back by 45 centimeters

It is still leaning, but it is safe now

1 Why did the people of Pisa want to build the tower?

a) They needed a new church

b) They needed a bell tower

c) They wanted to build the tallest tower in Italy

2 When did the tower begin to lean?

a) After the last floor was built

b) After the third floor was built

c) From the first day it was built

3 When was the tower finished?

5 Which of the following is NOT true about the tower?

a) People were worried it might fall apart

b) It was repaired between 1990 and 1998

c) It was sinking into the ground

Question 13

A smart dog

Rico is a collie who lives in Germany His owners trained him from a young age to find his toys When they say the name of a certain toy, Rico can find it In fact, he seems to know the names of 200 toys!

Some researchers in Germany wanted to test Rico They put his toys in a room and then told him to go in the room and find a certain toy Since nobody was in the room with Rico, he had no help from anyone finding the right toy The researchers did this test forty times Rico found the right toy thirty-seven times!

Then the researchers tried something else They put seven of Rico's toys in the room plus one new toy that Rico had never seen before Then they told Rico to go into the room and get the new toy This new toy had a name Rico had never heard before Rico found the right toy seven out of ten times!

Researchers cannot really say that Rico knows words or language However, these tests seem to show that Rico can think about what he hears and think about what he knows

In fact, Rico seems to think and remember things as well as a three-year-old child From these tests, animal researchers know one thing for sure Rico has given them a lot to think about

1 A good title for the passage is