LUYỆN TỪ VỰNG QUA BÀI HỌC
Mởi bài đọc trong phần này có nội dung và từ vựng liên quan đến những đề tài thông dụng về khoa học và xã hội, giúp người đọc trau giồi kiến thức đọc hiểu các văn bản tiếng Anh thường gặp trong các kỳ thi. Trước mởi bài đọc, các bạn được cung cấp ý nghĩa những từ ngữ cần thiết. Các bạn hãy sử dụng các từ ngữ đó để đọc và làm các bài luyện tập bên dưới mởi đoạn văn. Sau khi làm xong các bài luyện tập, các bạn hãy tiếp tục đọc các bài kế tiếp và đừng quên ôn lại từ vựng mởi bài nhiều lần để nhớ kĩ và làm giàu vốn từ.
PASSAGE 1
Vocabulary:
- antique (n) = an old and valuable object (= đồ cổ)
Example: The fire destroyed some valuable antiques.
* antique dealer (n) = a person who sells antiques
- behemoth (n) = something that is very large and powerful (= “ông lớn”; điều gì to lớn và hùng mạnh)
- breeze (n) = something that is easy to do (= việc dễ làm)
Example: Don’t worry about this week test. It’s only a breeze.
* breeze (n) = a light wind (= một làn gió nhẹ) Example: I let the gentle breeze cool my face.
- conjure (v) = to make sth appear by or as if by magic
(= biến hóa như trò ảo thuật; làm xuất hiện bất ngờ)
Example: She can conjure a delicious dish out of some common vegetables.
- conventional (adj) = traditional and ordinary (= theo lệ thường; bình thường) Example: The conventional teaching method does not encourage the children to think for themselves.
- customize (v) = to make or change sth according to the user’s needs (= làm hoặc thay đổi theo nhu cầu của người dùng)
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- drawback (n) = a disadvantage (= điều bất lợi; nhược điểm)
Example: The main drawback to living in the city center is the cost.
- enhance (v) = to improve the quality of sth (= cải thiện chất lượng)
Example: Saving-labor devices can enhance the quality of life.
- equivalent (n) = a thing that is equal to sth else (= vật tương đương)
Example: Breathing this polluted air is the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes a day.
- grant (v) = to agree to give sth to sb (= chấp thuận cho ai món gì)
Example: Management have granted 10% pay rise in response to union pressure.
- grasp (v) = to understand completely (= hiểu thấu đáo)
Example: Some students did not grasp the main points of his lecture.
- hardback (n) = hardcover = sách bìa cứng (bán giá cao)
* paperback = sách bìa mềm (bán giá rẻ)
- impact (n) = powerful effect on sb/sth (= hiệu ứng mạnh mẽ)
Example: Her speech made a profound impact on everyone.
- instant (adj) = happening immediately (= ngay lập tức) Example: The show was an instant success.
- overview (n) = general description or outline of sth (= cái nhìn tổng quan) Example: I'll give you a brief overview of what the job involves.
- petite (adj) = small and thin = (nhỏ bé, mảnh mai)
- ponderous (adj) = long, serious and boring (= lê thê buồn chán) - purchase (v) = to buy
Example: They purchased the house for one million dollars.
- readable (adj) = clear and easy to read; legible (= dễ đọc)
Example: Some people’s handwriting is not readable.
- relic (n) = an object or tradition from the past which continues to exist (=
tàn tích)
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- superior to (adj) = better or greater than (= tốt hơn, lớn hơn) Example: This wine is vastly superior to the other.
* inferior to (adj) = not as good as sb/sth else (= không tốt bằng)
- sustain (v) = to provide enough in order to exist; to maintain (= cung cấp đủ để tồn tại; duy trì)
Example: This year’s harvest is insufficient to sustain a growing population.
- veritable (adj) = quả thật là; thật sự là
Example: With all those old things, your room is a veritable warehouse.
- version (n) = a form of sth that is slightly different from the oiriginal (=
phiên bản)
Example: This is an updated version of the old software.
Expressions & phrasal verbs:
- at the touch of your finger = a quick slight movement of your finger (= chỉ một cái chạm nhẹ bằng ngón tay) - at your finger tips = that can be found and used very easily
(= rất đễ tìm và sử dụng)
- (welcome) with open arms = very happy and pleased to welcome sb or sth (= rất hân hoan chào đón ai hoặc điều gì) - put to shame = to be much better than sb/sth
(= vượt trội hơn)
I. Read the passage and choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence or best answers the question under it.
Right now, I am looking at a shelf full of relics, a collection of has- beens, old-timers, antiques, fossils. Right now I am looking at a shelf full of books. Yes, that's right. If you have some spare cash (the going rate is about $89) and are looking to enhance your reading experience, then I highly suggest you consider purchasing an e-reader. E-readers are replacing the books of old, and I welcome them with open arms (as you should).
If you haven't heard of an e-reader and don't know what it is, then please permit the
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following explanation. An e-reader is a device that allows you to read e-books. An e-book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines the e-book as ”an electronic version of a printed book," but e- books can and do exist without any printed equivalent.
So now you know what an e-reader is. But you still may be wondering why they put printed books to shame. E-readers are superior to printed books because they save space, are environmentally friendly, and provide helpful reading tips and tools that printed books do not.
E-readers are superior to printed books because they save space. The average e-readercan store thousands of digital books, providing a veritable library at your fingertips. What is more, being the size and weight of a thin hardback, the e-reader itself is relatively petite. It is easy to hold and can fit in a pocketbook or briefcase easily. This makes handling ponderous behemoths such as War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Les Miserables a breeze. Perhaps the only drawback to the space-saving aspect of an e-reader is that it requiresyou to find new things to put on your shelves. In addition, e-readers are superior to books becausethey are environmentally friendly. The average novel is about 300 pages long. So, if a novel is printed 1000 times, it will use 300,000 pieces of paper. That's a lot of paper! If there are about 80,000 pieces of paper in a tree, this means it takes almost 4 trees to make these 1000 books. Now, we know that the average bestseller sells about 20,000 copies per week. That means that it takes over 300 trees each month to sustain this rate. And for the super bestsellers, these figures increase dramatically. For example, the Harry Potter book series has sold over 450 million copies. That's about 2 million trees! Upon viewing these figures, it is not hard to grasp the severe impact of printed books on the environment. Since e-readers use no trees, they represent a significant amount of preservation in terms of the environment and its resources.
Finally, e-readers are superior to books because they provide helpful reading tips and tools that printed books do not. The typical e-reader allows its user to customize letter size, font, and line spacing. It also allows highlighting and electronic bookmarking. Furthermore, it grants users the ability to get an overview of a book and then jump to a specific location based on that overview. While these are all nice features, perhaps the most helpful of all is the ability to get dictionary definitions at the touch of a finger. On even the most basic e-
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reader, users can conjure instant definitions without having to hunt through a physical dictionary.
It can be seen that e-readers are superior to printed books. They save space, are environmentally friendly, and provide helpful reading tips and tools that printed books do not. So what good are printed books? Well, they certainly make nice decorations.
1. As used in paragraph 1, it can be inferred that "relics has-beens, old- timers, antiques, fossils" are all words that describe something
A. ancient B. useless C. outdated D. pathetic
2. As used in paragraph 3, which of the following describes something that has been "put to shame”?
A. A dog is left outside on a frigid, dreary winter night.
B. Team A defeats Team B in a humiliating rout.
C. Martha is caught stealing at the mall and is arrested in front of a crowd of curious bystanders.
D. The machine has countless moving parts and Dustin has trouble assembling it.
3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT one advantage of e-readers over printed books?
A. E-readers are environmentally friendly.
B. E-readers contain much more on formation.
C. E-readers do not need so much space.
D. E-readers can provide helpful reading tips.
4. Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Les Miserables are all
A. authored by Europeans B. dense and impenetrable
C. timeless classics D. awkward or unwieldy
5. As used in paragraph 5, which is the best synonym for sustain?
A. maintain B. allow C. enforce D. yield
6. The tone of the author can best be described as
A. shrewd B. conniving C. persuasive D. authoritative II. Which of the answers (A, B, C, or D) is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in
each of the following sentences.
1. The ponderous reporting style makes the evening news dull viewing.
A. very aggressive B. long and serious
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C. incomprehensible D. distracting and useless 2. The victory of the last match has enhanced the coach’s reputation.
A. damaged B. survived C. restored D. improved
3. Internet shopping has begun to have a serious impact on traditional bookshops.
A. influence B. value C. price D. advantage
III. Which of the answers (A, B, C, or D) is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following sentences.
1. She wanted a conventional marriage with a husband and one or two kids.
A. traditional B. different C. normal D. happy
2. The new version is vastly superior to the old one.
A. better B. cheaper C. greater D. inferior
3. When taking the final examination, you must make sure that your handwriting is readable.
A. legible B. difficult C. illegible D. comprehensible
IV. Complete each sentence with one word or phrase in the box. Use each word once only.
drawback shame instant
arms overview grasp
1. This document provides a general of the organization’s policy.
2. Some people do not fully the significance of self-study.
3. The main of the project is its expense.
4. Their presentation was so impressive that it put ours to . 5. The two children took a(n) liking to each other.
6. The new product was welcomed with open .
PASSAGE 2
Vocabulary:
- affluent (adj) = wealthy; prosperous (= giàu sang, thịnh vượng)
Example: Some people in this area are becoming increasingly affluent.
- benefit (n) = helpful and good effect; advantage (= điểm thuận lợi) Example: The discovery of oil brought many benefits to the country.
- city scape (n) = the appearance of a city; the picture of a city (= hình ảnh hoặc bộ dạng của một thành phố)
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- collaborate (v) = to work together with sb in order to achieve sth (= hợp tác vởi ai)
Example: Our company is collaborating with a foreign company to develop the product.
- declaration (n) = an official or formal statement (= lời tuyên bố)
* Declaration of Independence = Bản tuyên ngôn độc lập của Hoa Kỳ
- depict (v) - to show sb / sth in a picture; to describe sb / sth (= khắc họa hoặc mô tả người hoặc vật)
Example: People were shocked by the poster which depicted a woman beating a small child.
- littered (adj) = full of rubbish (= đầy rác)
Example: The park was littered with bottles and cans after the concert.
- magical (adj) = exciting and wonderful; very special
Example: He never forgot the magical week they spent together in Italy.
- magnificent (adj) = extremely attractive and impressive
Example: The view from the top of the mountain is magnificent.
- mural (n) = a large painting done on a wall (= tranh vẽ trên tường)
- pair (v) = to put people or things into groups of two (= chia thành cặp hai người hoặc hai vật)
Example: The students are often paired for practicing conversations.
- resident (n) = a person who lives in a place (= cư dân)
Example: The local residents strenuously object to the project of building the chemical factory.
- seek (v) = to try or attempt to do sth (= nở lực)
Example: The governments are seeking to end the economic crisis.
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- spectacular (ai) = very impressive; great
Example: He scored a spectacular goal in the second half.
- troubled (adj) = having many problems (= có vấn đề)
* troubled youth = young people who have problems
Example: The charity organizations are trying to help troubled youth find jobs.
Expressions & phrasal verbs:
- get along/on with sb = to have a friendly relationship with sb (= hòa đồng với ai)
Example: She has never really got along with her sister-in- law.
- take pride in = to feel very proud of or very pleased about sb / sth (= hãnh diện hoặc hài lòng về người nào hoặc việc gì) Example: If you don't take professional pride in your work, you're probably in the wrong job.
I. Read the passage and choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence or best answers the question under it.
Philadelphia is a city known for many things. It is where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and it was also the first capital of the United States. But one fact about Philadelphia is not so well-known: it is home to nearly 3,000 murals painted on the sides of homes and buildings around the city. In fact, it is said that Philadelphia has more murals than any other city in the world, with the exception of Rome. How did this come to be?
More than 20 years ago, a New Jersey artist named Jane Golden started a program pairing troubled youth with artists to paint murals on a few buildings around the city. From this small project, something magical happened. The young people involved helped to create magnificent pieces of art, but there were other, perhaps more important benefits. The young people learned to collaborate and get along with many different kinds of people during the various steps required to paint and design a mural. They learned to be responsible, because they needed to follow a schedule to make sure the murals were completed. They also learned to take pride in their community. It is hard for any resident to see the spectacular designs and not feel proud to be a part of Philadelphia.
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Take a walk around some of the poorest neighborhoods in Philadelphia, neighborhoods full of broken windows and littered front steps, and you will find beautiful works of art on the sides and fronts of buildings. Of course the murals are not just in poor neighborhoods, but more affluent ones as well.
Special buses take tourists to different parts of the city to see the various murals, which range from huge portraits of historical heroes, to cityscapes, to scenes depicting the diverse ethnic groups that call Philadelphia home.
As a result of its success, the mural program created by Jane Golden has now become the nation’s largest public art program and a model for other cities throughout the country seeking to help troubled youth.
1. The main focus of the passage is
A. an art program designed to help troubled youth
B. the many tourists who come to Philadelphia to see murals C. the reasons why Philadelphia is a unique city
D. how Jane Golden came up with the idea to start a mural program 2. As used in paragraph 1, the phrase “it is said” suggests that the author is
A. knowingly misleading the reader B. using a quote from someone else
C. referring to something that is widely believed, but may be untrue D. referring to something that he or she does not personally believe
3. As used in paragraph 1, the phrase “with the exception of Rome” means that A. Rome has fewer murals than Philadelphia
B. Philadelphia has fewer murals than Rome C. Rome has the most beautiful murals of all
D. Rome and Philadelphia are the only cities with murals 4. As used in paragraph 3, which is the best definition of affluent?
A. popular B. clean C. well-known D. wealthy
5. Based on information in the passage, the author most likely believes that A. there are too many murals in Philadelphia
B. the mural program was an inspirational idea C. all troubled youth should learn how to paint
D. every city in the country should adopt the mural program
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6. Based on information in the passage, it can be inferred that the author believes the two best reasons for other cities to adopt the mural program are to
A. beautify their city and draw tourists B. help troubled youth and beautify their city
C. have as many murals as Philadelphia and help troubled youth D. draw tourists and surpass Philadelphia in terms of number of murals
II. Which of the answers (A, B, C, or D) is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following sentences.
1. The British and French police have collaborated in catching the terrorists.
A. attempted B. cooperated C. communicated D. demanded 2. Do these parking restrictions cover residents as well as visitors?
A. citizens B. immigrants C. intruders D. inhabitants 3. It was the first time I was in Brazil and the carnival was a really magnificent spectacle.
A. convenient B. impressive C. conventional D. incredible III. Which of the answers (Ềl, B, c, or D) is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined
part in each of the following sentences.
1. The Olympics climaxed in a spectacular closing ceremony.
A. dull B. impressive C. splendid D. fastidious
2. Some affluent Western countries are now facing up to many social and political problems.
A. prosperous B. destitute C. well off D. accomplished 3. It will be to your benefit to have participated in some social work.
A. profit B. strong point C. power D. disadvantage
IV. Complete each sentence with one word or phrase in the box. Use each word once only.
littered paired troubled
take depicted seeking
1. Each of the better students was with a weaker one in order to help him or her to make good progress.
2. Cupid, the ancient Roman god of love, is usually as a winged boy with a bow and arrow.
3. His room was always with papers and dirty clothes.
Many colleges are to reduce the dropout rate.
4. My husband’s always arguing with my father, and I'm the one who has to pour oil on
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waters.
5. Parents usually great pride in their children's achievements.
PASSAGE 3
Vocabulary:
- ambiguous (adj) = not clearly stated or defined; having different meanings (= mơ hồ; mù mờ)
Example: His attitude to environmental issues was sometimes quite ambiguous.
- cluster (n) = a group of similar things that are close together (= chùm) Example: There was a cluster of fans aroung him, asking for autographs.
- coffin (n) = a box in which a dead body is buried or cremated (- quan tài) - comprehensible (adj) = able to be understood (= dễ hiểu)
Example: His letter was written in clear, comprehensible English.
- concrete (n) = building material that is made by mixing together cement, sand, small stones and water (= bê-tông cốt sắt)
- crane (n) = a tall machine with a long arm, used to lift and move building materials and other heavy objects (= cần cẩu)
Example: The crane lifted the container off the ship.
- esoteric (adj) = known and understood by only a few people who have special knowledge about something (= khó hiểu; lạ đời)
Example: He has an esoteric collection of old toys and games.
- fan blade (n) = one of the flat parts of a fan that turn around (= cánh quạt) - function (v) = to operate (= hoạt động; vận hành)
Example: Despite the power cuts, the hospital continued to function normally.
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